Do you think it's right to have children's Levels up on display in the classroom?

[Niceweather]

Three Circular targets (like for archery) have appeared on our classroom walls. One each for reading, writing and maths, along with pictures of children at various points in the targets. I do not think this is a good idea for several reasons - what do you think?

'Fine as long as teachers' targets are also displayed.'

I wouldn't have a problem with that, we are set targets for our class and for our co-ordinator role. and assessed on them at the end of the year.
So I could link my 42% to reach level 5c in writing, 100% to be level 4c or above to the children's targets. Then I could point to my targets as a justification for making them work through their lunchbreaks. I could also display my beautiful new policy documents that I'd written.

This is just one of the things our teachers now have to do. (after having gone into special measures,it was one of the requirements.). When we make displays, we have to make reference to the targets that are being met. ()
Each child's literacy and numeracy book has a list of the targets that they are working towards, inside the front cover. Ofsted ASK the children if they know what their targets are and what they need to do to get there!
We use a stamp with a "target" when the target has been acheived, as part of our marking sysem.

FloggingMolly...

Targets with names attached can be every much as obvious to other children - and even more so their parents - as levels are.

Child x: to learn to write name
Child y: to use full stops and finger spaces
Child z: to write in paragraphs using varied punctuation

Everyone would then know the order each child is in writing, and pretty much how it links to levels. It would be as obvious as using levels that child x is working at the bottom levels and child z much higher.

You can have children with the same targets but working at quite different levels. For example in writing one child could be writing in paragraphs, using speech marks and using a variety of adjectives etc, whilst another child is producing much less sophisticated work but they both have the target of using a range of ways to begin sentences.

Exactly. Our targets might be things like 'To solve word problems based on numbers, money or measurements, including time' - whether the child is adding 2 +3 to solve the problem, or 2.43 + 12.75, they can be working towards that target.

These targets represent Levels with say a 3a in the centre, 3b in the middle and a 3c as the outer ring. Some children are outside the outer ring. There are also examples of the children's work on the wall with a big Level next to it. X has a 3a sticker whereas Y has a 2a sticker. I thought it might be something to do with Ofsted?

That's a bit more 'in your face' than I would be happy with!

'Our targets might be things like 'To solve word problems based on numbers, money or measurements, including time' '

We'd get hammered by the SLT for such non-specific targets, teacher. They have to be much more precise and achievable within 3/4 weeks.

Ah. Our 'displayed' targets last for a term.

Obviously have daily learning objectives, tracked next steps in books etc etc, but the displayed ones last for a term.

Luckily Ofsted quite happy with that, so no plans to change anything in the short term...

So, for example, every child has a new 'next step' in writing every 2 weeks, which is highlighted in the relevant book and discussed with them individually. However, each step contributes to the overall writing target for the term, which is displayed...

Does that make sense? So when the Ofsted inspector came, the kids in my class said 'well, today our learning objective is this, what we have to do to achieve it is that, and those will be highlighted when our books are marked. All this is contributing to our next steps which are in our books here, and overall our target for the term is to get to the target on the wall'.

Immediate / short term / long term goals idea?

Awful idea. I'd campaign at my kids school if this happened. CouthyMow makes a good point re Data Protection Act.

That's really not good.

So how do people feel about parents hearing readers? I don't let them have my reading records with notes and assessments in, but the parent will know which level each child is roughly at by seeing what colour band they are reading. So in one sense the reading levels are public to every parent volunteer that comes in....?

We use parent volunteers in classes other than their own child's IYSWIM - Year 1 parent reads with Year 3, parent with children in Years 1 and 3 reads with Year 2 and Reception etc.

Ahh! We tried that, parents would only come in if they could help in their child's classroom. Many sign up, come in for two or three weeks to check up on the new teacher then are never seen again.
But my same thought stands, whether it is the parent's child's year or not. Parents can access the pupils' reading levels. So if people are concerned about Data Protection should we ban all parents from hearing readers? (just playing devil's advocate here)

I think that parents should be able to help with reading - but not in their DC's year group. Unfortunately, my DC's school doesn't feel the same way, and parents are allowed to read and comment in the reading diaries of DC in their own DC's class. And the resultant gossip in the playground about other DC's levels makes me .

CouthyMow,
I help in school and get asked by other parents how I think their child is doing in comparison to the other children.
My stock answer is that I love going in, it shows me how wide the band of "Normal" is, from children who are just sounding out words to those reading fluently. If I get pushed on their specific child I just say s/he enjoyed the reading time we had.
I don't want to come across as all "sorry that is confidential" but I also don't want to blab about the levels of specific children in the class.

I'm a parent helper (w. reading). At our school you have to work with your dc's class (I'd asked not to). I did ask not to work w. ds though, I think he has enough of me at home.

I could probably tell you in detail each child's reading level, plus their strengths, weaknesses, likes and dislikes. I could, quite often, tell you what they've done for the weekend. So what? As a volunteer I have signed an agreement saying that I cannot discuss children's work/behaviour/progress with anyone other than the teacher/TA, not even their parents - just direct them to the teacher. All I do is note in their reading records that they have read w. me, what book and what pages.

I find the idea that a parent would object to this quite strange. Actually knowing what reading level everybody is on isn't that interesting (rather self-centeredly I only really care how my kids are doing, although it is quite satisfying watching the progress they all make through the year). Anyway, at our school each child gets approx 5min 1:1 reading practice every 2 weeks with the teacher/TA and that's it unless there is a parent helper, or they are on a reading recovery programme. That's fine if someone at home reads w. the child but pretty crap if they don't - and quite a few don't.

Should have added - I'm delighted when anyone listens to ds1. If they are secretly judging him, or me, I couldn't care less so long as its secret.

Ooh, I take back what I said, using level descriptors as the target is not on.
I still don't mind "Working towards full stops & capital letters" or "Forming most letters correctly most of the time" type target descriptors, though.

Shame that so many people feel so negative about parent helpers in their DC own class. I love helping out in my kid's class because it helps me understand what DC are being taught & how (the logic they've come to understand something). It has helped me out hugely in understanding modern teaching methods. I've been a regular helper lots in past but no one ever asked me how their or anyone else's child was doing.

Displaying levels is WRONG. However, every learner can improve in some way, so displaying targets to show this is okay, imho.

I am a primary teacher and would feel happy having this in my class, so long as EVERY child had a target that was ACHIEVABLE in a reasonable amount of time, so that every child felt as though they were making progress. I would make absolutely sure that no child had a target that sat on the outside circle for ages whilst everyone else moved towards the centre!

I would make sure that the targets were very precise though, so that they could be measured - i.e. rather than saying 'improve my handwriting' which is really wooly and doesn't tell the child HOW they will achieve their target, I would say something along the lines of 'keep my writing on the line' or 'make my tall letters tall and the letters with tails go beneath the line'.

So I suppose it depends on how the targets are written and whether or not they are achievable.

I hate the idea of individual progress being on display like this. Whilst I am sure the children have a good idea about where they all rank, momsters/dadzillas don't need to.

I am very much against parents helping out in the class (or year) that their DC attends.

teacherwith2kids - I think general reminders about targets would be very helpful.

Re the OP, I think its a dreadful idea Our kids have targets, but they are not on display - its up to them if they wish to share them!

Re parent helpers, I've been one in both my dds' classes - no one has ever, ever asked me how any child is doing. If they did, I'd refer to teacher.

Its a community school, and parent helpers are both needed and valued.

Horrible idea.

I don't agree with displaying levels on targets or work. We only actually level pieces of writing done as an assessment, these are not passed on to the child or parents, they are a way for teachers to monitor progress.