Placement testing for charter school. Results: I'm a failure.

[Arcadia]

Can they redo it?

My local public school does testing twice (not a redo) for new students, no idea about OP's. My PS does testing in April for new kids and in mid August (first two weeks of school) for all k-8 students.

[redsquirrel]

It's a charter school they can keep out anyone they don't want. Was this an actual test designed to measure skills or just keep people out.  I doubt a good academic assessment can really figure out anything in a 30 min test or whatever. I am sure it wasn't a global academic assessment. They aren't qualified to make the sort of determination they made. 

 

I take strong issue with their pronouncement. 

 

I wouldn't take it seriously (although I know that is almost impossible) and I wouldn't want my kids going there.  She's 7, there is SUCH a wide variety of skills and abilities at that age that to say she's not kindergarten ready is a pretty difficult thing to back up.

[Guest]

And also, they are too young for you to have already ruined their lives. That usually happens when they are teenagers, as they will be more than willing to tell you at that time. (LOL)

[bibiche]

One ther thing - officious little people like the person you dealt with are looking for weakness and if they sense it they are going to pounce. If you decide to engage again, go back in with confidence. YOU know what is best for your kids, YOU know best how they learn. Don't let anyone else make you doubt or feel bad about the choices you have made for your children. Be confident, and even if you don't feel confident right now, fake it 'til you make it. You are the expert concerning your children, remember that.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I'm fairly certain it is not expected here for kids to be able to write all the numbers from 1 to 100 in one sitting even at the END of K.  My son (whose 9th birthday is coming up Aug 3... making me wonder when your daughter's is), who is way advanced, could not have done that then and might struggle now (At the end of 3rd grade) -- because of the amount of writing. Not the numbers.

 

That's a lot of writing!  It would cover an entire page and probably then some depending on the size of the lines and the writing, but either way it's a lot of writing for someone that young.  And I assume this was not the only thing they asked the kid to write down.  It does not sound like an appropriate test really.

 

If this is a test given to all kids at the same age, well if they were in school they probably worked them up to this standard.  It's not the only way to go about things though.  Doesn't mean the kid is behind. 

[Princess Ariel]

You are not at all a failure.  Your kids were taken totally off guard and who knows what went on (how questions were phrased, tone of the tester, etc.) in that room with whoever tested them.  Is this a method they use to keep numbers down or to screen out those they don't want to be enrolled in school?  I would wonder about that.  And if they treated my kids and me that way I would not feel comfortable leaving my kids there for hours a day for school.

Good luck to you! 

 

***posted at same time as redsquirrel, agree with that post, too!

Edited July 26, 2016 by Princess Ariel

[Guest]

Has your 7 year old ever taken a test before? Poor performance on a test does not necessarily mean a child doesn't know the material--they may simply not know how to take a test.

 

That doesn't mean you are a failure as a homeschooler. My DD in 3rd grade randomly bubbled a test because of anxiety. That doesn't mean she didn't know a lick of what was on the test.

 

And the 5 year old is 5, why would a 5 year old be expected to not test K level?

Yes! I have a kid who was reading and spelling at least a grade level ahead test as barely literate because she had never used a computer before and didn't really 'get' the test or understand what it was asking her. But two minutes with an actual teacher asking questions and talking with her made it obvious the test wasn't accurately capturing her abilities. Don't despair!

 

And quite frankly, at those ages any gaps in knowledge and skills can be made up very quickly in a neurotypical kiddo. So even if things really are 'that bad' it's hardly insurmountable. They're super little! Consistent education given in a way they can understand it is what is required, not jumping through xyz random hoop and declaring them failures if they can't do it on the first try.

 

Frankly I'm annoyed they even gave placement tests to such small children. Our local schools don't generally do that until 4th grade and up.

[pinkmint]

Thanks so much everyone.

 

Like I said before, I really do want to homeschool. Stuff like this is a good argument for homeschooling even. I don't even like the idea of every kid needing top know exactly xy and z by exactly a certain age. I just fear I'm doing a poor job of it and of course today's incident doesn't do anything for my confidence.

 

Maybe I'll just try getting medicated again for the depression for the time being and do my best to homeschool.

[SparklyUnicorn]

One ther thing - officious little people like the person you dealt with are looking for weakness and if they sense it they are going to pounce. If you decide to engage again, go back in with confidence. YOU know what is best for your kids, YOU know best how they learn. Don't let anyone else make you doubt or feel bad about the choices you have made for your children. Be confident, and even if you don't feel confident right now, fake it 'til you make it. You are the expert concerning your children, remember that.

 

Yep.  I have encountered this attitude for sure.  Like let me prove to you that you can't do as good a job as a school.  I was talking to my CC instructor who teaches at a high school as well. It came up that I homeschool.  So the first thing he asked me was which books am I using.  I thought what a strange question!  I said a bunch of different books, why?!  Oh well...the homeschoolers we get they use the wrong books and they are so far behind and blah blah blah.  Oh brother! 

[SKL]

I'm fairly certain it is not expected here for kids to be able to write all the numbers from 1 to 100 in one sitting even at the END of K.  My son (whose 9th birthday is coming up Aug 3... making me wonder when your daughter's is), who is way advanced, could not have done that then and might struggle now (At the end of 3rd grade) -- because of the amount of writing. Not the numbers.

 

Right - I had a reality moment when I attended open house at my kids' then-prospective, high standards 1st grade class.  I noticed they had a 1-100 number chart on the wall, which surprised me as I thought they were supposed to know that by the end of KG.  I mentioned my younger kid knew them going into KG, and the 1st grade teacher joked that maybe she should come and help some of her 1st graders learn it.  I also looked at the reading curriculum and was surprised to learn that even my slower reader was ahead of the fall 1st grade readers.  That gave me a lot of comfort.

 

OP, could you get a look at the curricula in the grades your children are supposed to enter this fall?  That might help you to discuss their readiness with the Powers That Be.

 

Edited July 26, 2016 by SKL

[Annie G]

:grouphug: You haven't ruined your kids.  Think about how surprised you were that they whisked the kids away for testing...if it threw you off, imagine how your kids felt!  I mean, we wouldn't walk our high school kids into a room and tell them SURPRISE! It's time to take the SAT. 

 

A story to hopefully make you feel better: Years ago a friend's daughter was in kindergarten at the local private school and in January they told the mom to plan on her daughter relating kindergarten because she wasn't reading as well as expected. The mom was shocked but didn't know if she was just in denial about her dd. So she asked me to listen to her read.  The kid picked up a chapter book she had never seen and started reading it aloud to me...not missing a word, reading with nice inflection, and answering my questions about the passage after reading it. Clearly the kid could read well.  But the school kept her back anyway.  Some schools just expect a lot. 

 

 

[SparklyUnicorn]

Thanks so much everyone.

 

Like I said before, I really do want to homeschool. Stuff like this is a good argument for homeschooling even. I don't even like the idea of every kid needing top know exactly xy and z by exactly a certain age. I just fear I'm doing a poor job of it and of course today's incident doesn't do anything for my confidence.

 

Maybe I'll just try getting medicated again for the depression for the time being and do my best to homeschool.

 

I think you should definitely try the medication and homeschool.  It sounds to me like you not only really want to, but you would be miserable dealing with the schools.  I feel the same.  I'd need more than medication to get through dealing with my local schools!

 

When I encounter this attitude from school officials or feel worried about whether or not I'm pulling it off, I take that as a dare.  It pushes me harder.

[Liz CA]

:grouphug: kids may not test well and kids do catch up.

 

They had "kindergarten readiness" tests for kids registering for my local public schools. The admin test uppercase, lowercase, numbers, writing your first name, and whatever Head Start teaches for PreK. They want to know how well a child can read or write.

 

ETA:

They give a testing appointment so not on the same day as enrollment. Kindergarten cohort max at 120 each year for that school due to insufficient classrooms.

 

Are kids supposed to arrive in K with fluent reading skills? My son is way beyond all this but I don't remember kindergartners being expected to know how to read. For the first two years, my son was in a private Kindergarten and while (I think) he knew all his letters, could write his name and numbers to 100 reliably, he could not read beyond a short word here and there. What is K for if not learning the basics?

 

[BooksandBoys]

Hugs.

My 5 year-old starts at the local school in a week. I guarantee he's going to make it look like he knows nothing when they assess him (he'll either freeze or he'll be mad at them for testing and ness up on purpose. It's inevitable). That doesn't mean he's a failure or that I am. He could pass end of K assessments if I did them with him (because I know how to motivate his stubborn rear end), but he won't test well in a strange school setting.

 

My 8 year-old is really, crazy smart, but his ASD and ADHD, and motor delays hide all that. If he were wisked away to test, his fifth grade level math ability would present as a kid who doesn't know his shapes or how to write his numbers.

 

Tests are funny things anyway. My younger two have both been assessed for speech at 18 months. In both cases, the assessor used "what does the child do with a baby doll and a bottle" as an evaluation point. In both cases, my kids did nothing with the bottle, but cuddled the baby (the youngest actually asked for food for the baby, but the assessor didn't understand the way he said the words). I knew what the assessor was looking for, so in both cases, I explained to the assessor that my kids have never really seen bottles (we didn't watch tv much and all our friends after boy 2 was born happened to nurse. Weird coincidence, I know). Both assessors were flabbergasted. If I hadn't been there, my kids would have been marked down on social skills simply because nursing was their normal.

 

All testing is like that. A hundred times more like that when the kid is alone with a stranger and hungry.

 

I'm so sorry this has been so hard for you. Keep trying. You deserve a good situation for your family! I know how hard it is to push through depression/anxiety/not enough money, but you absolutely deserved good for your family.

 

I'd push for a reevaluation of your older child, preferably with you present and your kid prepped a bit (Child, you have to try your best because they don't know what you know. I'll give you a lollipop if you work your butt off. Yep...I would bribe. I would also drill her very gently beforehand. You can review letters/numbers/addition/subtraction in less than a week).

[SparklyUnicorn]

It's a charter school they can keep out anyone they don't want. Was this an actual test designed to measure skills or just keep people out.  I doubt a good academic assessment can really figure out anything in a 30 min test or whatever. I am sure it wasn't a global academic assessment. They aren't qualified to make the sort of determination they made. 

 

I take strong issue with their pronouncement. 

 

I wouldn't take it seriously (although I know that is almost impossible) and I wouldn't want my kids going there.  She's 7, there is SUCH a wide variety of skills and abilities at that age that to say she's not kindergarten ready is a pretty difficult thing to back up.

 

I have heard many stories in the news about charter schools finding ways to keep the wrong kids out.  They aren't allowed to by law, but they find ways.  They don't want anyone to know that there is nothing special about their methods. 

 

 

[Zinnia]

She'll be 6 in a week and 1/2. She should be ready for 1st. Her in particular the woman said she's not even kindergarten ready.

 

My third son turned 6 on 6/17.  He is starting kindergarten as an older, freshly 6 year old.  

 

We live in a fairly urban district, though there is a $$ public district nearby and a lot of parents that use private schools, too.  I find that the better public school district, as well as the private school parents totally understand and support the idea of a summer 6 going to kindergarten.  But the local charter that some of my other kids went to?  They thought it was almost child abuse, "holding a kid out of school" when they could be there.  Learning.  Absorbing.  Bettering themselves.  

 

Absolutely, completely different ways of looking at education.  

 

Three of my four kids were "red-shirted" for September, July, and June birthdays.  I find myself explaining over and over and over again to other people, as well as directly to them, why we made this choice.  It was a well thought out choice, no doubt, but one of a lot of privilege (in the short term, we didn't need childcare, and in the long term, we have the resources and education to make sure that they get a great education along the way).  And it's just difficult to understand and explain to certain people that don't share the same view on education.  

Edited July 27, 2016 by Zinnia

[Dmmetler]

An example is that my almost 6 yo was told to write as many numbers as she could in a row up to 100 and only wrote the number 1.

 

She 100 percent knows how to count. This test was completely unexpected. They were hungry and taken off guard. We thought we were dropping papers an leaving.

 

I don't know what to think. I just feel like a big fat, no options failure right now. I am basically ruining my kids lives.

You're not a failure-she wasn't expecting it, was away from home and mommy, and got scared. That's not a failure on your part, but a lack of understanding of small children on their part.

[Farrar]

Does this testing even effect the ability to get into the charter school? Around here, the charters have to accept everyone based on a lottery system. They can decide grade placement, but they can't not take your kids.

 

The whole thing is completely absurd - the way they took the kids off to test them without any warning or preparation. I agree with others saying you should go back and ask for a do over when the kids have some sense of what's coming.

[BooksandBoys]

I have heard many stories in the news about charter schools finding ways to keep the wrong kids out. They aren't allowed to by law, but they find ways. They don't want anyone to know that there is nothing special about their methods.

 

 

A very, very good point. I just moved from an area with a very strong, very beloved charter program. Those charters look amazing next to the public schools, but when I dug deeper, it quickly became clear that they were "better" because they kept all but the easy students out (yes, there were a few exceptions, but those charter schools were bragging on their programs for LD kids, not bragging on their rather poor test scores. Those of us with not NT kids value that.). My oldest couldn't have gotten in to any of those "excellent" schools because their tests would have ruled him out.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Does this testing even effect the ability to get into the charter school? Around here, the charters have to accept everyone based on a lottery system. They can decide grade placement, but they can't not take your kids.

 

The whole thing is completely absurd - the way they took the kids off to test them without any warning or preparation. I agree with others saying you should go back and ask for a do over when the kids have some sense of what's coming.

 

This is true, but they could be attempting to heavily discourage her.

[maize]

Pinkmint, I am so sorry. I will say this again: get treated for your depression. I do not see how you can possibly keep going forward if you don't do that. Depression runs in my family, I am intimately familiar with how it makes every setback and obstacle one thousand times harder. 

 

As for the children: I have an 8 year old who is working at a kindergarten/first grade level. She has dyslexia, dysgraphia, ADHD, and a couple of other challenges holding her back, and the level she is working at is far from failure given her difficulties. Are you willing to have the school district evaluate your children? You might learn something useful. 

 

Beyond that, I would not be overly stressed over one placement test. Are the ages in your profile correct? What grades do you expect your children to go into this fall (would that be 3rd and 1st?). At that age, children without learning disabilities can generally catch up quickly. I didn't learn to read (at all) until age 8, I was basically unschooled until then. I worked on phonics the summer I turned 8 and entered school in 3rd grade in the fall--I caught up just fine. Please, please do not consider yourself a failure because your children (who are unique individuals) are not at some arbitrarily determined academic level right now.

[Liz CA]

Thanks so much everyone.

 

Like I said before, I really do want to homeschool. Stuff like this is a good argument for homeschooling even. I don't even like the idea of every kid needing top know exactly xy and z by exactly a certain age. I just fear I'm doing a poor job of it and of course today's incident doesn't do anything for my confidence.

 

Maybe I'll just try getting medicated again for the depression for the time being and do my best to homeschool.

 

Pinkmint, this sounds more like you need some encouragement and help for the depression than you need to worry about little kids' academic abilities. See your doctor, find a counselor (some do sliding scale) and then regroup with regards to homeschooling.

 

Kids may not know what is going on but they can sense that you are not feeling well and in turn it may make them anxious. I hope you can completely disregard this incident and move forward with your own health so you can focus on having some fun schooling the kids because - especially at this age - it's still supposed to be fun.

[SparklyUnicorn]

google charter school scandals

 

There are a zillion articles....

 

 

[ktgrok]

An example is that my almost 6 yo was told to write as many numbers as she could in a row up to 100 and only wrote the number 1.

 

She 100 percent knows how to count. This test was completely unexpected. They were hungry and taken off guard. We thought we were dropping papers an leaving.

 

I don't know what to think. I just feel like a big fat, no options failure right now. I am basically ruining my kids lives.

 

You haven't failed them, the system failed them today! You say you know she knows how to count. So what does it matter that they didn't do it on cue, when nervous, in a scary environment? If they treated her how they treated you, I'm sure she froze. How on earth does her freezing up mean you are a failure?

[pinkmint]

Sometimes I kinda wish my kids were the stereotypical homeschoolers that are impressing everyone with their reading fluently at age 2 and applying to medical school at age 7. Maybe then I could be impressed with what homeschooling is doing for them and fend off the haters who want to prove that what I'm doing at home isn't working and isn't real education.

 

They are just your average neurotypical kids who would rather play dinosaurs and watch silly videos than read and write.

[OneStepAtATime]

The system has failed them.  As others have said, you have not failed them.  Definitely the system did.  (BTDT)

 

:grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug:

 

Your kids are LITTLE.  You have not ruined them.  I agree with up thread, post on the Gen Ed board and ask people to help you craft a quality homeschooling plan for this year that is made from mainly free resources that would be doable for you.  There are a ton of great people who could help you do this, and could help you craft a clearly laid out schedule you can follow even when you are having a down day.  Just make sure to post any local free resources you might be able to tap into and how much access there would be to a computer and ability to print materials.

 

Your self-esteem is the bigger issue here, not the results of the bogus testing.  You need a bolster to your self-esteem.  I have no good suggestions there but I am sending you hugs and support.

[mommyoffive]

Sometimes I kinda wish my kids were the stereotypical homeschoolers that are impressing everyone with their reading fluently at age 2 and applying to medical school at age 7. Maybe then I could be impressed with what homeschooling is doing for them and fend off the haters who want to prove that what I'm doing at home isn't working and isn't real education.

 

They are just your average neurotypical kids who would rather play dinosaurs and watch silly videos than read and write.

 

Yeah I don't have those stereotypical homeschoolers either. 

[MEmama]

Re depression, I've recently witnessed a very good friend struggle with feeling like she's drowning completely reverse her outlook on the right medication. Please, please do get the help you need and take care of yourself first. Your kids are fine, but it sounds like you are struggling. Medication is a valid, positive choice for many.

 

Wishing you the best.

[Guest]

Sometimes I kinda wish my kids were the stereotypical homeschoolers that are impressing everyone with their reading fluently at age 2 and applying to medical school at age 7. Maybe then I could be impressed with what homeschooling is doing for them and fend off the haters who want to prove that what I'm doing at home isn't working and isn't real education.

 

They are just your average neurotypical kids who would rather play dinosaurs and watch silly videos than read and write.

So you have average kids. Welcome to the club.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Sometimes I kinda wish my kids were the stereotypical homeschoolers that are impressing everyone with their reading fluently at age 2 and applying to medical school at age 7. Maybe then I could be impressed with what homeschooling is doing for them and fend off the haters who want to prove that what I'm doing at home isn't working and isn't real education.

 

They are just your average neurotypical kids who would rather play dinosaurs and watch silly videos than read and write.

 

Aside from a few here on the boards, I don't  know of any homeschooler who is that advanced.

[maize]

Sometimes I kinda wish my kids were the stereotypical homeschoolers that are impressing everyone with their reading fluently at age 2 and applying to medical school at age 7. Maybe then I could be impressed with what homeschooling is doing for them and fend off the haters who want to prove that what I'm doing at home isn't working and isn't real education.

 

They are just your average neurotypical kids who would rather play dinosaurs and watch silly videos than read and write.

 

OK, my first reply was to your OP without having read further in the thread. It doesn't sound like this testing was valid at all, given the circumstances. I would shrug it off completely.

 

My kids aren't doing anything amazing, but they are growing and learning and generally happy. That's good enough for me.

 

By the way, I have a child who turned six in June. I'm choosing to enroll him in public school kindergarten this year because that seems like the best option for him--at least, I think it is worth trying to see if it is a good fit. I'm not worried about him being older than average for his grade.

[Arcadia]

I understand that they have what are called "readiness tests," but I thought those were more of an informational tool.

 

The child gets remedial pullout for English and sometimes for math when school starts. So it is more than an informational tool.

 

I'm fairly certain it is not expected here for kids to be able to write all the numbers from 1 to 100 in one sitting even at the END of K.

1-100 as well as even and odds are end of K

1-200, multiples of 2, 5 from 1-200 are end of 1st

 

The public school teacher gives the students big grid paper to write the numbers. My older is a very slow writer so I think his teacher gave a generous amount of time. I get to look and make photocopies of my son's test scripts if I want to. I looked through the tests but didn't bother making a copy since the summary of his results are in his learning plan.

 

Remember the NY Times article about the spread of school standards, my district is just below zero grade levels ahead. (ETA: link http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/04/29/upshot/money-race-and-success-how-your-school-district-compares.html?_r=1)

 

There are high performing charters here with long waiting list that expects more. Then there are also the average performing charters who have waiting lists but aren't so strict on the academics.

Edited July 26, 2016 by Arcadia

[SKL]

Also, maybe they told her that when she's done she can go back to Mom.  So she was done after writing one numeral.  Then they didn't let her go back.  Ugh.  Who knows ... that's why they should let parents observe if they want to at that age.

 

I am not sure I'd want my kids in that school.  However, as a mom with lots of good and bad experiences under my belt, I know the decision isn't that simple.

 

And, after looking online at what incoming KGs are expected to do (objective sources), please consider whether your youngest really is closer to KG than 1st grade.  As has been noted above, a young 6 entering KG is very very normal.  In my kids' 1st grade, every child with a summer birthday started KG at age 6 - even though the cut-off was 9/30 at that time.  I also know many parents who start their kids at 6 as a matter of course if they have a summer birthday.  So, don't worry about people looking down upon your child for being one of those 6yos in KG.  In all likelihood she will fit right in.  I would not push for 1st unless your child is already reading little storybooks and able to do simple math computations and write at least a sentence without help.

[LucyStoner]

An example is that my almost 6 yo was told to write as many numbers as she could in a row up to 100 and only wrote the number 1.

 

She 100 percent knows how to count. This test was completely unexpected. They were hungry and taken off guard. We thought we were dropping papers an leaving.

 

I don't know what to think. I just feel like a big fat, no options failure right now. I am basically ruining my kids lives.

There are many things that could result in lower than expected test results.

 

It is possible that your older child is behind, perhaps with an unaddressed learning issue or because she's blooming a little late.

 

It is also possible that being hungry, in an unfamiliar setting or asked to do work different that they do at home, they incorrectly answered things they know.

 

I would ask for a retest. I would also persue having the oldest daughter tested independently so you can get an accurate sense of where she is.

Edited July 26, 2016 by LucyStoner

[catz]

Sometimes I kinda wish my kids were the stereotypical homeschoolers that are impressing everyone with their reading fluently at age 2 and applying to medical school at age 7. Maybe then I could be impressed with what homeschooling is doing for them and fend off the haters who want to prove that what I'm doing at home isn't working and isn't real education.

 

They are just your average neurotypical kids who would rather play dinosaurs and watch silly videos than read and write.

 

Meh - I don't think there are stereotypical homeschoolers.  My kid tests highly to profoundly gifted and he had no fan clubs at ages 5-7.  He drove his teachers nuts the 2 years he was at school.  That early reader might be completely non-compliant and do horrible on a pop test like that with a stranger that has a chip on her shoulder.  

 

I would say when I was having issues with depression and anxiety, talk therapy was as helpful to me as drug therapy.  I actually was on antidepressants for a few years and have now been off for many.  I know that's not reality for many people.  Sometimes it helps to step back and reflect on your past and your current coping methods.  Just a thought.  :grouphug:

[trulycrabby]

You are not a failure!

 

You are not a failure

 

You are not a failure

 

Repeat it with me

 

You are not a failure

You are not a failure!

[MomsintheGarden]

Wow, they should have told you they were testing your children, to say the least!  Any child walking into a new situation, unprepared, and then whisked off to a test without a parent would be thrown off by that.  It sounds like the receptionist has poor communication skills and is on a power trip to boot.

 

I'm sorry that happened.  You are NOT a failure!

[LucyStoner]

Sometimes I kinda wish my kids were the stereotypical homeschoolers that are impressing everyone with their reading fluently at age 2 and applying to medical school at age 7. Maybe then I could be impressed with what homeschooling is doing for them and fend off the haters who want to prove that what I'm doing at home isn't working and isn't real education.

 

They are just your average neurotypical kids who would rather play dinosaurs and watch silly videos than read and write.

Much of today's writing standards are not developmentally appropriate for many 5-7 year olds.

 

I have the crazy advanced homeschooler who can plausibly skip most of high school if that is what he wants to do. It's NOT ANYTHING I DID. I do not get much credit for that other than not putting bricks on his head to stop him from growing. He was born that way, and trust me it comes with 'nother set of stresses. He's not the average homeschooler and he shouldn't be. My other son is around grade level, in no rush to know everything he can possibly know. He's not a failure and I'm not either.

 

I think that you are holding yourself to an impossible standard and that's another symptom of the depression.

Edited July 27, 2016 by LucyStoner

[Xahm]

You should totally ignore that test, but if you aren't ready to write off the school, try talking to someone else there. It could be that the people you dealt with are well-known as jerks and no one at the school takes their assessments seriously. Or maybe contacting others would show you it's a school-wide problem.

[Arcadia]

The haters in your life do not need to know anything about what happened at the charter school. :grouphug:

 

And, after looking online at what incoming KGs are expected to do (objective sources), please consider whether your youngest really is closer to KG than 1st grade.

I would be wary about asking someone with depression to look at school standards. School standards varies and some schools high expectations can cause OP to feel worse.

 

My older had writing remedial from public school and they were thinking of social skills therapy. It doesn't hit me emotionally because I qualified for more services as a public school kid.

[38carrots]

Sometimes I kinda wish my kids were the stereotypical homeschoolers that are impressing everyone with their reading fluently at age 2 and applying to medical school at age 7. Maybe then I could be impressed with what homeschooling is doing for them and fend off the haters who want to prove that what I'm doing at home isn't working and isn't real education.

 

They are just your average neurotypical kids who would rather play dinosaurs and watch silly videos than read and write.

 

At  5 and 7 they *should* be playing dinosaurs and watching silly videos, not being drilled to write numbers from 1 to 100 (so meaningless anyway!)

 

If you want your homeschooled kids to "impress" everyone, let them play when they need to play, while they are young. ;) They are not on a schedule to be "ahead," they are individuals with their own path. 

 

What worries me is the illogical thinking in your OP. You are basically saying that you failed your very young kids academically because they didn't perform well in a stressful and inappropriate testing environment. That's not rational. It is either your depression that makes you feel this way, or you are fishing for comiseration, wanting others to affirm that you are not a failure. Which is also probably a part of your depression. Get your depression treated. The only thing here that I would've wished to have done differently would be not allow the kids to be tested  in that context, at all. But I get what you are saying--you wanted to be reasonable and comply.  :grouphug:

 

 

 

 

[Guest]

Aside from a few here on the boards, I don't know of any homeschooler who is that advanced.

Not to mention kids like that are actually harder to educate! It takes so much more time and ingenuity by mom to really sufficiently meet their needs. Both ends of the spectrum of skill are tough - normal kiddos in the middle of the range are much easier IMO :)

Edited July 26, 2016 by Arctic Mama

[Kim in Appalachia]

:grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug:

 

YOU ARE NOT A FAILURE.  

 

 

A pop test for a 6 year old??? That's crazy. Poor kid.  

[Lang Syne Boardie]

I'm in your corner about dangerous public schools actually existing, as you know, and about parents being the best judged of whether a school is safe and good. That said, I do want to point out that public schools have to take all the children from the district who come, and will have more experience as well as more resources if there really is a learning problem. This so called "behind kindergarten" business wouldn't even be a conversation in a ps, until the teacher had used her whole bag of tricks without results and suggested an evaluation.

 

Private schools, and now some public charters, are sometimes in the business of making themselves look good (so they'll pre screen or weed out students), and prefer to function with fewer education specialists on staff. Teachers might not even be licensed. Sparkly mentioned charter school scandals upthread -- if you what to understand more about that, see Diane Ravitch's blog posts about charters.

[lllll]

nm

 

Edited July 26, 2016 by ~ d9n

[heartlikealion]

I am so sorry to hear :(

 

Could it be something that will be easy to catch up on? I mean, they could have asked 4 questions where getting just a couple wrong brings the grade in that category way down.

 

What did they test on? Reading and math?

 

One of your kids is 5. Isn't "barely Kindergarten level" exactly what some 5 year olds are? Some are just starting K or not even starting at all depending on birth date.

 

Also, I'm sorry if they were rude to you. Are you allowed to see results so you will know what they struggled with specifically? Without any context/examples, they may be blowing this way out of proportion!

 

Edited: just saw some other comments. Okay so you do have an idea on some of the things. Has your daughter done much writing practice with numbers? My son literally would forget how to form letters but could recognize them if shown. So I wonder if that could have anything to do with it, just blanking. I have never made him do as much writing as probably the typical schools because there was so much resistance at first.

Edited July 26, 2016 by heartlikealion

[Lang Syne Boardie]

Sometimes I kinda wish my kids were the stereotypical homeschoolers that are impressing everyone with their reading fluently at age 2 and applying to medical school at age 7. Maybe then I could be impressed with what homeschooling is doing for them and fend off the haters who want to prove that what I'm doing at home isn't working and isn't real education.

 

They are just your average neurotypical kids who would rather play dinosaurs and watch silly videos than read and write.

 

You're falling into the same trap the public schools are bound up in right now, which is measuring intelligence and ability by academics alone, specifically by the 3Rs as defined by School Standards 2016. (They're doing it because this is quantifiable through standardized tests, or so it's believed. Why are you doing it?)

 

Several people in this thread have said it, but I'll say it again, anyway: children who get to play and explore and be silly are coming out ahead these days, because their every thought is not commandeered by stressful, developmentally inappropriate expectations on their lives.

 

I have a couple of those genius hs'ers who make people think I must be doing this right, who are high school and college aged now. Guess what they were doing at ages 5 and 7? Reading early, yes. Learning math easily, yes. Not that anyone even observed those processes; we studied at home! But mostly they were climbing trees and playing cowboys. They were children without school stress. That was the gift of homeschooling.

Edited July 26, 2016 by Tibbie Dunbar

[....]

They are just your average neurotypical kids who would rather play dinosaurs and watch silly videos than read and write.

 

This is what they are *supposed* to be doing right now.  Their brains need that time developmentally to just play. 

[fairfarmhand]

Sometimes I kinda wish my kids were the stereotypical homeschoolers that are impressing everyone with their reading fluently at age 2 and applying to medical school at age 7. Maybe then I could be impressed with what homeschooling is doing for them and fend off the haters who want to prove that what I'm doing at home isn't working and isn't real education.

 

They are just your average neurotypical kids who would rather play dinosaurs and watch silly videos than read and write.

 

Love the children you have.

 

Don't homeschool to prove you and your kids are "better than..."

 

Average is good.

 

Average is okay and remember that academic skills, as important as they are, are such a tiny part of what makes each of us special and valuable.

 

I wrote this blog post about 5 years ago. You need to hear it.

 

https://hotmesshomeschooling.wordpress.com/2014/09/12/proud-mama-to-an-average-child/

[KungFuPanda]

I'd take a deep breath here. Test taking is a skill that your kids not have yet. It doesn't mean they don't know anything; just that they were blindsided by a type of test they had no experience taking.

 

My next thought is, how do you know your local school is awful? I ask because I once put my daughter in a school that some homeschoolers told me for years was "awful." It wasn't "the best" school in our county. They would never send their kids there. Blah blah blah. I was so nervous when I enrolled my daughter. It turned out to be a lovely experience. They were nice and professional. They took DDs homeschooling credits from her first semester of 9th grade at home.

 

Her school was very racially and economically diverse. I soon learned that she was getting the same quality of education SHE'D be getting at "the best" school, but the overall test scores of the student body were effected by the diversity of the population. The material was the same. The teachers were just as qualified and inspired as any. Since some of the kids were poor, or English wasn't their first language, or they lived through whatever home situation causes an individual student to score less on standardized tests, the scores for the entire school looked lower than the school in the neighborhood with much less diversity. My daughter thrived. Her scores were competitive with those in "the best" school and I'm so glad she had the opportunity to form diverse friendships and grow up with a social conscience and awareness that I didn't form until well into adulthood.

 

I say don't listen to anybody. Go to the school. Talk to the principal and teachers. Get a feel for what type of people/educators they are, and THEN make the decision for yourself. Heck, you can try it for a semester and change your mind if you want, but I'd give it a try to see how it works for your individual children. You can't rely on averaged test scores or gossip to get that information.