Back to school night was tonight, where we learned all about how first graders are assessed in Montgomery County. Honestly, I was baffled by talk about starting the year reading at level 10 and expecting that by the end of the year a child can read at level J. The levels some how go from 5 to 17 and then from J to M. How does that make sense to anyone? Where are levels 1, 2 and 3? And A through I? And why stop at the number 17 and then jump to letters? And who assigns levels (either numeric or alphabetic)? How do I know what level of book Wm has?
I found myself wondering these things and ended up totally distracted from whatever was actually being presented. Maybe it made sense to parents who have kids who started in KG, but I was totally lost. Luckily, a little googling at home cast some light:
Summer reading list by level
Washington Post article describing reading levels
I left yearning for his Montessori school where the kids worked through works at their own pace and had an expected outcome at the end of a three year cycle. Your child is only six, I wanted to tell the parents questioning a new grading system implemented by the county (sample grade 1 report card: here). Back off on pushing a kid to reach the next level, and think instead about how he or she thinks and treats his or her peers. For the record, Wm does not like to read, which irks me to no end. I understand the anxiety about having a six year old who cannot or chooses not to read. Surprisingly, I found myself having extremely negative reactions to all the "assessment" speak.
I missed the balanced conversations we would have in the Montessori classroom. Where are the discussions about flower arranging and table wiping? At least, as Greg pointed out, problem solving is part of the "graded" curriculum.
Reality is what reality is, and a $25k/yr tuition per child times three kids is not in the works, so I'm going to have to learn to adjust. Thankfully Wm's teacher says he's not having any problem. He sits well at his desk, he raises his hand, he does his worksheets. I'll hold my tongue at home and save my personal maladjustment for the blog, since I don't want to color his perception of his school.
I found myself wondering these things and ended up totally distracted from whatever was actually being presented. Maybe it made sense to parents who have kids who started in KG, but I was totally lost. Luckily, a little googling at home cast some light:
Summer reading list by level
Washington Post article describing reading levels
I left yearning for his Montessori school where the kids worked through works at their own pace and had an expected outcome at the end of a three year cycle. Your child is only six, I wanted to tell the parents questioning a new grading system implemented by the county (sample grade 1 report card: here). Back off on pushing a kid to reach the next level, and think instead about how he or she thinks and treats his or her peers. For the record, Wm does not like to read, which irks me to no end. I understand the anxiety about having a six year old who cannot or chooses not to read. Surprisingly, I found myself having extremely negative reactions to all the "assessment" speak.
I missed the balanced conversations we would have in the Montessori classroom. Where are the discussions about flower arranging and table wiping? At least, as Greg pointed out, problem solving is part of the "graded" curriculum.
Reality is what reality is, and a $25k/yr tuition per child times three kids is not in the works, so I'm going to have to learn to adjust. Thankfully Wm's teacher says he's not having any problem. He sits well at his desk, he raises his hand, he does his worksheets. I'll hold my tongue at home and save my personal maladjustment for the blog, since I don't want to color his perception of his school.
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