Final Report Card was not good

[Cadam]

I'm not really sure what to do. We got a note before the Spring Teacher's Conference time that we didn't need to have a conference, everything was good. Dd's teacher was a wonderful guy who had been doing this forever, this was his last class, he retired. We had regular communication with him via notes and email and I was at the school occasionally.

Basically, she just didn't improve through the year and most of her scores were 3's with just a couple of 4's. A 3 means "Developing work, does not yet meet grade level standards" and a 4 is "Proficient work, meets grade level standard".

This was third grade btw.

She got a 3 in reading but she is reading Bobbsey Twins and other chapter books. Her scores did not change through the year - straight 3's all year.

She had finished Singapore math level 3 before starting the school year and her teacher confirmed that they wouldn't even touch some of the stuff she could already do, but she got a mix of 3's and 4's for various math areas that didn't change through the year. She is currently doing MUS Delta at home and we will start Singapore 4 when it arrives. This is the child who does long division for fun, how is she getting barely average grades in 3rd grade math?

I didn't expect much this year, but I did expect her to be ready for 4th grade in the Fall and if she is barely or not quite meeting standards, how can she be ready?

She will be doing sequential spelling, Singapore 4 math, MUS Delta and maybe Lively Latin this Summer. Only the spelling is imposed by me (she got a 2 in that!). I will have her read aloud to me daily. Mostly she reads to her little sister, but maybe mistakes aren't being caught or something.

I'm not up for homeschooling her again yet and she loves school, but I hate to see her doing so poorly.

[LimitBreak]

I'm just speculating here. When the teacher rated most of her work as "Developing work, does not yet meet grade level standards", he could have meant that your daughter may not be executing work the way the school system wanted.

This is my first year afterschooling. My ds is in half day kindergarten. I've already noticed little things that he gets marked-off for because I've trained him differently at home.

For example, when he entered K he was already proficient in writing his numbers & letters because I taught him to write at a very early age. However, his report card came back as "Beginning" on "Motor Skills: Forms Numbers Correctly". That's similar to receiving a C or D. I was really puzzled & started to quadruple-check his homework & schoolwork. But I really didn't see any problems with it.

Well a couple of weeks later, my son brought up to me that his teacher "doesn't like how he draws his number "1"s. I had taught him to write his "1"s with a flag on top & an underscore at the bottom. I then realized that the writing system they were using at school (Zaner-Bloser) did not require them to have that flag & underscore.

It took a couple of days of me to untrain him to write his number 1 according to how the teacher wanted. It paid off because his grade improved. At the end of the school year, he received a grade of "Secure" on it :)

It appears to me that your daughter is above grade-level than most of her peers. It may just be a matter of complying to school standards.

[Caroline]

How detailed is the report card? Can you target specific things? For example, she may be reading, but not comprehending at the third grade level. Are there specific math skills that she is not meeting targets on? My son didn't meet standards on counting out change (also third grade) even though he could do long division. So, while he was ahead in some areas, he wasn't in that specific standard. We worked on it, and he was back on target the next grading period.

In our district, elementary school report cards are extremely detailed, but without much of a scale. 1-does not meet standards, 2-meets standards, but not consistently, 3-meets standards all of the time. It took me a bit to understand the report card, but it does not equal A,B,C. It means something totally different.

[Tabrett]

Does the school want to hold her back in the 3rd grade? If not, I would forget their grading scale. I really dislike these types of grading scales. There is no "proof" as to how you child was doing. Were there only evaluations or were there numeric grades given?

When I was in college, we were taught how to set up and use a rubric. We were told that the only time a child was to receive a perfect score was if they had "perfect work". Maybe that is what the teacher was doing.

Does a 3=B and a 4=A? If it was an older teacher, maybe that is how HE viewed the scale and you view the scale to mean that all children who are working "at grade level" should receive 4's. I know that sounds odd, but some teachers only give 4's to students who are working "above" grade level and not "at grade level".

I had to put my oldest dd into school in the middle of her 2nd grade year. The school only had multi-age classes and used evaluations instead of grades. She was put into a 2/3 "grade" level. The teacher had all the dc doing 3rd grade work. My dd was an "average" 2nd grader. The work she was to do was not appropriate. I actually confronted the teacher about this. It irritated her that I had homeschooled and that I was "certified" and teaching at the middle school next door. She didn't like that I KNEW what she was doing! The teacher wrote in her end of the year evaluation that she would not be "held back" because she would be in 2/3 level again. :glare: There was no grades to show me that my child was struggling or what skills needed to be addressed. They couldn't "prove" how my child was doing!
I was able to get her transfered to a different school for 3rd grade. The new school had single grade classrooms and used real grades instead of evaluations. UMmmmmm......She made A's and B's all year!

You are the only one who can really evaluate her. Is she ready for 4th grade? With the books she is reading and the math she has completed, I would say YES!

[LunaLee]

Honestly, I would just take it with a grain of salt. It's the system, not your dd. Ds used to get report cards like that all the time, mostly 3's and a few 4's while the other kids in his "advanced" group would get mostly 4's. I figured that the only difference between him and the other kids was his behavior. Not implying that your dd has behavioral issues, but sometimes teachers are influenced by non-academics.

[EmilyK]

I wouldn't worry about it. I have found that the grading scale depends more on the teacher than the student. I have one kid who's way ahead but some teachers like to grade low for most of the year, then give an exceeding at the end. My kid at grade level had one teacher who gave him marks like you saw, but he's doing fine.

I'm not sure how to express this, but one thing that I've noticed with both kids is that they have certain tasks they're graded on, and that these marks may not present an accurate picture (as opposed to teachers who write out longer comments, which are usually right on). So both my kids are very verbal and have a lot of general knowledge and people who talk to them mention how bright they are. But that isn't what school grading is looking for -- it is more like -- can you read a passage aloud with out making any mistakes? (I can't) or certain computer projects - my older son is better on the computer than I am, and can program etc -- but gets "meets" in technology? Apparently there was some task he didn't get stellar marks on, but I know technology is one of his fortes so I am not worried.

Sorry to be so long winded. Bottom line -- I'd go more on what the teacher says in person or in writing than on those report card marks.

[Cadam]

to answer a few questions:

No, I don't think a 3 equals a C. There is a key to the grading scale right on the report card and it is pretty detailed. Each number has a 2 sentance explanation of what it means. Each category like "math" and "reading" are broken down into sub categories. So for reading there are 4 sub categories:

Reads Accurately- 3
Reads Fluently - 3
Reads with comprehension- 4
Reads materials to perform a task- 3 (I am guessing this means directions on a worksheet)

I am a bit confused as to how a child who is a bit "below standard" for this grade in fluency and accuracy could have on grade level comprehension.:001_huh:

There are absolutely no comments and no space for them either. That would sure tell me more than this report card.

Some of the grades went down for the last trimester but that is because we were adjusting some medications for about 6 weeks so her "speaking and listening" went from a 5 to a 4. No too bad for a kid off her ADHD meds.

I guess my main concern is that so many of the grades were just flat lines, no change.

The way this scale was explained to us, by the teacher, is that they want the kids meeting or exceeding the standards by the end of the year and of course most of them won't be doing that at the beginning of the year but that the numbers go up to show progress over time.

I am left with the feeling that she learned nothing this year.

I didn't really expect her to learn anything in math, we had already done Singapore 3rd grade, but since she had done all of that I would think her report card would show really exemplary grades. Bottom line, it makes me question my idea of where she is. I have always thought she was at or above grade level. She learned to read young, loves math and does it for fun, absorbs information like a sponge...... It's making me question my standards and expectations.- yuck.

[Carol in Cal.]

And neither do you, which is a problem!

I would start with first things first. You say that she is bright, well-educated, and engages well with/effectively learns new material (OK, I'm paraphrasing). That's the main thing. You also have some indications that she is at or above grade level, based on your own coverage of various skill areas at home. So first, set your mind at rest about all of that. Something to keep in mind is that the WTM education sequence is somewhat different from a standard public school stance, and so they might not map with each other very well.

Now the next question is, is she able to learn in the classroom? Is there something about that environment that is distracting or boring, to the extent that she really isn't picking anything up at all? To me, this is the most serious possibility that you might be up against.

Then the last question is, is she able to show what she knows on tests? In other words, do the tests show her actual knowledge and skills? Based on your observations of her, the tests seem to be inaccurate. I wonder whether she needs some kind of testing accommodation due to her ADD. If so you might want to look into getting an IEP for her.

Whatever happens, though, for heavens' sake don't let her think she is unable to do the work. Once kids are entrenched in that belief, it is really difficult to shake it.

[Cadam]

And neither do you, which is a problem!

I would start with first things first. You say that she is bright, well-educated, and engages well with/effectively learns new material (OK, I'm paraphrasing). That's the main thing. You also have some indications that she is at or above grade level, based on your own coverage of various skill areas at home. So first, set your mind at rest about all of that. Something to keep in mind is that the WTM education sequence is somewhat different from a standard public school stance, and so they might not map with each other very well.

Thank you Carol, I have said this to many other people. I should listen to myself, but since I don't seem to be able to do that, I will listen to you.

Now the next question is, is she able to learn in the classroom? Is there something about that environment that is distracting or boring, to the extent that she really isn't picking anything up at all? To me, this is the most serious possibility that you might be up against.

I really don't know. Other than some taking (comes by it honestly) the teacher never reported issues when she was on her meds. Yes, she is bored with the math but seems to love everything else.

Then the last question is, is she able to show what she knows on tests? In other words, do the tests show her actual knowledge and skills? Based on your observations of her, the tests seem to be inaccurate. I wonder whether she needs some kind of testing accommodation due to her ADD. If so you might want to look into getting an IEP for her.

I have no idea. I had a conversation with the special Ed. teacher at one point and I thought I officially requested testing but nothing ever came of it. I know better, everything must be in writing. I guess I will start that in September.

Whatever happens, though, for heavens' sake don't let her think she is unable to do the work. Once kids are entrenched in that belief, it is really difficult to shake it.

She doesn't even know that the report card exists. She is in Summer mode and I'm not going to mention it to her. I do wonder if I am seeing what I think I am seeing, or if I have just deluded myself about her abilities.

[Carol in Cal.]

I'm thinking that some classroom visits are in order next year.
I think that your DD is too young not to have you participate in the class, both to help out and so that you be able to see what is really going on. Her teacher may or may not realize that she may not be working to capacity, or that she may be overly distracted, or that she may need accommodation during testing. Especially if he thinks that she is on ADD medication, he may discount her abilities and just assume that everything is going about as well as it can. If this were my daughter, I would not rely on the teacher as my only source of feedback.

[Cadam]

I'm thinking that some classroom visits are in order next year.
I think that your DD is too young not to have you participate in the class, both to help out and so that you be able to see what is really going on. Her teacher may or may not realize that she may not be working to capacity, or that she may be overly distracted, or that she may need accommodation during testing. Especially if he thinks that she is on ADD medication, he may discount her abilities and just assume that everything is going about as well as it can. If this were my daughter, I would not rely on the teacher as my only source of feedback.

It wasn't possible for me to be at her school last year, but thankfully things have changed and I will be there regularly next year.

[Carol in Cal.]

It wasn't possible for me to be at her school last year, but thankfully things have changed and I will be there regularly next year.

That's so great!