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Original poster

Moving DD up 2 grade levels for reading--Not being told

19 replies

MmeBucket · 29/09/2011 21:57

My DD has just informed me (nobody from the school has talked to me yet) that she is going to leave her class every day and go up 2 grade levels for reading. I'm not thrilled about that, and what makes me even less thrilled is that they will be putting her in DS' class every day. Am I crazy for not liking this idea? Not sure what to do, since nobody has even informed us of it yet. (I'm in America, so DD is in Kindergarten and DS is in 2nd grade)

OP posts:

iggly2 · 29/09/2011 22:28

I never know what's happening with Ds but as long as he is happy I am fine. It is different with the sibling issue, will DS be okay?

Original poster

MmeBucket · 29/09/2011 22:52

No. I don't think so. They get along pretty well, but she always follows around after him, and he gets tired of it. I also don't think she reads as well as the teacher seems to think.

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carpwidow · 29/09/2011 22:56

It'll probably be for about 10 minutes. Leave the teachers to teach and organise their school day how they think best. She's in there to read not follow her brother around.

Original poster

MmeBucket · 29/09/2011 23:05

Yep, its official. DS is not happy about it at all. I don't understand why if they have 3 classes of 2nd grade why they had to put her in his class. And why if he read at the same level as her, they never did this with him.

OP posts:

carpwidow · 29/09/2011 23:08

It could be a new initiative in school to raise standards in reading. Like I said, it's probably for about 10 minutes a day. I really do think you should chill out and let the teachers get on with it.

carpwidow · 29/09/2011 23:11

...and another point, before you go rushing in, she's only in kindergarten so she may not be able to relay the exact details to you. Children of her age do get confused about such matters.

Original poster

MmeBucket · 29/09/2011 23:16

No. She's the only one in the 4 kindergarten classes that is doing it. (At least according to her and some of her friend's parents that I've talked to) I think if they're going to send her to a different class each day somebody should have talked to us about it first. That's usually how it is done, over here at least.

They don't just read, they do questions and writing in there, and she can't spell at all. If she just went in there to read, and wasn't in her brother's class, that would be one thing. Having to comprehend and spell and write is a whole other level she just isn't at yet.

OP posts:

carpwidow · 29/09/2011 23:17

If no one has spoken to you about it, how do you know what they are going to do and how do her friends parents know? I'm confused. Not being contrary. Just trying to help make you feel better. :)

Original poster

MmeBucket · 29/09/2011 23:31

Because she told me this morning she went into DS's class for reading today (and her teacher told her she was going to every day) as soon as she got off the bus, as she was so excited. None of the other 2 kids at the bus stop went, and I have two really close friends that I talked to, and their kids aren't doing it, either. I help at the school on Tuesdays, and I've never seen any of the kids leave the class, and I really doubt (which is assuming on my part) that they'd have that, since most of them can't read and a lot of them don't even know their letter sounds.

OP posts:

carpwidow · 29/09/2011 23:37

You say she got off the bus and was so excited. So why aren't you pleased for her? I don't get it. In the school where I teach we make lots of decisions about interventions for children and we don't inform the parents of everything we are doing. You just have to trust the teachers' professional judgement. If they think your DD should be working with the older kids and she is excited, as you say, I really cannot understand why you are not proud and pleased for her.

NatashaBee · 29/09/2011 23:43

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

workshy · 29/09/2011 23:46

I can understand why you are upset

my DDs school did this in England and didn't seem to think what would happen the following year when the different age groups read at different times so it wasn't possible for her to continue with the same group and she ended up essentially repeating a year

she was perfectly happy to go up to the other class but socially there is a big difference between a 5 year old and a 7 year old and it could have gone either way -if I was one of the 7 year olds I might feel a bit put out that a 5 year old was in a higher group than me!

I think children should be challenged within their own year group and if the school believes they should be taken out of the year group it should be done with consultation with the parents

Original poster

MmeBucket · 29/09/2011 23:51

I am proud of her. But she's in your equivalent of reception. Like I said, if they had her just in there to read, that would be great, but she has to write and form sentences, and she is barely able to form letters, and can't spell at all. I also do not believe that she has the ability level the teacher says she does. DS had the same teacher 2 years ago, and there were several parents I know who all said that the teacher rated their children too high in terms of reading ability. (That year DS' teacher did the incoming reading assessments for all the Kindergartens, and the other Kindergarten teacher did the outgoing assessments, and most of the kids were lower level at the end of the year than they were at the beginning, which I think says something.) DS was a much better reader than she is, at this point, and they didn't do anything with him.

Plus, I also have to deal with the fact that DS isn't happy about it at all, and you and I know she isn't going to get to bother him in there, but all he sees is his pesky little sister following him and his friends around yet again.

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madwomanintheattic · 30/09/2011 00:02

are you sure she isn't just going up to use their reading shelves? all of mine did this from the y2 shelves in kindergarten and it was all fine. they just don't have the room in the classroom to store higher level books. so if it's just for reading (and she isn't being moved for all of her literacy classes) i think you might be getting concerned without reason?

(ds1 went up to y2 when dd1 was in that class - no drama)
(dd2 went up to y2 when ds1 was in that class - no drama)

in ds's case he did move up completely for half of his math classes, but this was discussed with me in advance.

i don't really care which bookshelf they get the books from tbh.

if she's struggling with the writing and the comprehension and the spelling, they won't keep her there.

but don't let ds have any say in it - tis the school's decision.

Original poster

MmeBucket · 30/09/2011 00:08

They don't have books in their classrooms there, other than the textbook they are using at the moment. The extra books are stored on shelves by the cafeteria bathrooms. (Pleasant thought, no?) And they both indicated that she was there for the entire lesson.

OP posts:

madwomanintheattic · 30/09/2011 00:28

i tend to just let school get on with it, unless there is a specific issue. (i'm afraid i wouldn't count ds's concern as valid - i'd talk to him at home but not bother school). if dd is happy then it can't have been too traumatic for her (don't forget some of the g2's will be working at a lower level as well, so probably some of them are struggling/ finding it challenging as well.)

do you guys have the same thing where if they are working 2 grades above across the board then they get an sn code? (i'm in canada now)

madwomanintheattic · 30/09/2011 00:29

Original poster

MmeBucket · 30/09/2011 00:44

Madwoman, your last question might as well be in Urdu, for I do not understand it at all. :) I'll just go with we have very different systems. I think it really bothers me nobody said anything, they just did it, and they seem to be conflicting their own policies in two ways. Firstly, they keep the Kinders in their own wing of the school, and they have their own separate recess in order to not have them have a whole lot of interaction with the older kids, and secondly there are 4 (!) sets of twins in 2nd grade, and they do not allow them to be in the same class with their siblings, as it creates too much conflict and sets up constant situations where they can be compared.

Gotta love the American underfunded school systems with their pre 1960's buildings that hold hundreds more kids than were designed.

OP posts:

iggly2 · 30/09/2011 16:28

I think it is unreasonable for your ds as he sounds unhappy, especially as there are 4 classes. Normally my ds is all over the place for academic reasons and I leave well alone (he is very happy). He has no siblings though.

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