Proactive Homework Solutions?

[SKL]

Thinking ahead to next year (6th grade).  My kids always seem to have the most homework on the evenings when they have the most activities.  The ones that are assigned in advance, we do in advance (spelling is done on the prior weekend), but most of the work is assigned the day before it's due.  So we have days when it's extremely hectic and we still don't get go bed until very late.  This past Monday was 12:30am.  Then other days they literally have no assigned responsibilities the whole evening.

 

Would it be weird to talk to next year's teachers about this?

 

If it's a "suck it up buttercup" thing at this age, perhaps I could ask for special consideration for my kid who needs more time to finish assignments?

 

I'm looking into having my eldest tested (by the public school) for learning problems, but I don't know what the timing of that is likely to be.  This is a Lutheran school, so while they do work with some kids having IEPs, I don't think they are required to accommodate - they can say you can leave if this school isn't for you.  However, I don't think the teachers are jerks, so maybe they would work with us ....

 

Anyone done similar in the past at a similar grade level?

[Nart]

The area where my son has had the most consistent homework is math. There tends to be math homework almost every night. I make sure he is a grade ahead in math by having him do a lot of math over the summer and weekends with no activities- which is rare certain times of the year (like now that it is baseball season). Do you know what math series they will be using for 6th grade? You can pre teach it and have them get a head start on homework in the summer. By being ahead in math, it never takes him long to do his math homework. He also knows how to do the work so he can do it the weekend before. I have him do all the problems so that if the teacher just assigns even or odd problems he is covered.

[gstharr]

My son is finishing the 6th grade at a very competitive nationally ranked middle school. He has weekly  extra curric golf and tennis lessons, math circle, geometry class, and alg 2 tutoring to go along with the online alg 2 class.  He goes to bed at 9:30.  We  review schoolwork  on Sat. and Sun. morning ( up around 8:30 a.m, done around 10:30a.m) .  During the week, he has to start on his school work the moment he walks in.   Maybe you need to examine your schedule--are you lugging all the children around until all children finish their outside activities.  On the days there are no assigned work, it seems you could anticipate the next work (i.e., if they just completed the first 1/2 of chapter, the 2nd 1/2 is probable coming up.  I can't imagine a 5th grader having so much work that he is up so late.

[winterbaby]

Twelve thirty in the morning is completely unacceptable for a fifth or sixth grader or really, anyone below college. Something has to give.

 

What I do is I have a certain amount of time every evening that is set aside for academic work, be it homework or stuff presented by me. Three forty-five minute sessions. If they don't give a lot, there's time for my stuff - and since she knows my expectation about the amount of academic time, I don't feel like I'm piling on. And if they give more than that, that's just too bad for the school. In the past I have sent incomplete homework in with notes about the amount of time spent, and have not had a problem. But this is a public school. I don't know anything about parent-teacher relationships in private school.

 

But that was a temporary problem with a teacher who'd switched to second grade from middle school, and almost all her homework these days is assigned weekly. I tend to think wild fluctuations in the volume of homework relates to poor lesson planning. A number of stories friends have shared with me over the years lead me to think that some of these small religious schools aren't exactly bastions of professionalism.

 

But in any case it would seem the school expects your children to be available to take on large amounts of evening work without notice. And that's a problem for you as they are not. You do have an awful lot of activities listed in your sig. Something has to give. You may be able to negotiate, but I think not if you're scheduled to the point it's impossible in any case. I think it's reasonable for kids at this age to be able to commit an hour or two a night. Before bedtime. Seriously, there should be no question of compromising their sleep.

 

 

[SKL]

Regarding activities, on week nights my kids do school sports (when they are in session), gymnastics 2 nights, and scouts 1 night every 2 weeks.  Oh, and youth group 1 afternoon.  The other activities are done weekends / summers / whenever they fit in.

 

It would be ideal to never have 2 activities on the same day, but unfortunately I can't predict when the school sport practices will be held in advance.  My academically slower kid is in a gymnastics program that is very important to her - the most important thing she does - and it requires her to attend 2 evening classes per week.  So that's where we are.  For her, sports are a key source of self-esteem and the exercise helps her focus better.

 

We will never be a year ahead in math.  She has to work very hard just to mostly keep up.  We can't work ahead for a few reasons.  One, the teacher doesn't assign all the problems, but switches between the textbook, the workbook, sometimes the odd problems, sometimes the evens, skipping this half page or that one.  Sometimes he skips a whole lesson or chapter.  Second, he sometimes uses workbook pages for "pop quizzes," and it's considered cheating if we already did that page at home.  I do have my girls work in a somewhat parallel workbook (on weekends) in the hope that it will make things go more smoothly, but this has limited effect.

 

Some of the longest homework assignments are for Religion class.  These are worksheets that require the kids to look up many Bible verses to find the answers.  (When time is tight, I will look up and read the verses, but it still takes time.)  There's no way for me to front-load this to the previous weekend, unless I have the worksheets in advance.

 

The other stuff is fairly reasonable, but the timing is just bad.

 

And I don't always have enough information, even after the work is assigned, to know how long it's going to take.  For example, my kids said "we have religion homework."  Well usually that means fill in half a page of cartoon thought bubbles.  But sometimes it means look up and summarize 30 Bible passages.  I find out the details after we get home.

[SKL]

This year is water under the bridge - they had their last two-activity evening this past Monday.  I just want to be a bit proactive to manage things better next year, if I can.

[winterbaby]

I'm sorry, but I just can't imagine why one would keep a kid in this age range up past midnight, short of like a dire family emergency or something where it was physically impossible to get to bed.

 

If I have it straight, you're averaging an activity a day. Two activity days are bad yes but aside from the homework issue, I think kids generally need there to be some days when they just come home and get to be done. If you have all this - and other things on weekends - when is that time to just be?

 

If sports is what's non-negotiable to your family, would you consider just homeschooling? It doesn't sound like this school is serving you well. Why on earth wouldn't sports practices be scheduled in advance, for one thing. And I'm not sure that looking up thirty Bible verses is appropriate for fifth graders at all. I am Lutheran and we do quite well with a conventional Sunday school program, God's Hand in Our Lives (free online from Church of the Lutheran Confession), once or twice a week as time allows. You might look at that and compare it to what your daughters are doing. Lutheran theology has a very strong coherent narrative and should not involve a wild goose chase for cherry-picked verses all over the Bible.

 

Your daughter's math issues are not going to improve as long as sports come first AND you can't do much for her because of the school this and the school that. Again, something has to give. It's ok for sports to come first, that's the reality for some kids. But there has to be breathing room somewhere else. You have to make room to work more on it, either by dropping the school or dropping some of the activities. If you are determined to have them in school all day and in sports all evening, maybe a public school would work better with your daughter's issues in that one area. And their teachers may be more professional and organized. Or they may not. I would definitely expect that practices would actually be scheduled. But I don't think they would bend very much on homework in general.

 

And you are risking burning your kids out. I'm really urging you not to keep them up half the night any longer. If everything else absolutely can't be changed, just accept that they'll be the kids who don't hand in all their homework, rather than do that.

[SKL]

My kids like their school and homeschool is not an option.  I'm a single working mom.

 

Yes, we could choose to ditch the homework and take lower grades, but I would rather get some of the assignments in advance (or get grace for turning some in late), so we could make it work.

[winterbaby]

Well, only the school can tell you what the school is willing to do. I would not find it strange to ask, but I also would not find it strange for them to say no, we expect a certain degree of availability for homework and aren't going to change everything around to facilitate a heavy extra-curricular schedule. I imagine it might help you negotiate if you could identify (to yourself) what it's most important to you to keep doing.

 

I think you should put your foot down about the unpredictable school sports practices, though.

[SKL]

I think you should put your foot down about the unpredictable school sports practices, though.

 

What I meant is that I don't know well in advance (before the sports season) so I can plan my kids' gymnastics around that.  The gymnastics classes are the same day/time all year long.  I chose the schedule most likely to accommodate homework.  But I do not know until a week or two before each sports season when the school will have practices - even longer before I know about the games / meets.

 

Maybe it is possible to find out sooner, but I don't think so.  I believe I did ask about that last fall.

 

So if they temporarily have 2 things on one or two week days, we try to make it work as best we can.

 

We know our situation is not typical and that the teachers are unlikely to be sympathetic re the sports, but when the homework adds up to 3 hours for one night, that's a bit much for any kid.

Edited May 10, 2017 by SKL

[winterbaby]

Oh I see what you mean about the sports practices. Though I would still find that borderline unacceptable. I've only signed my daughter up for one thing at the school each year but its schedule was announced several weeks in advance, and I believe other things we're not involved in are the same way as well. I do believe it's fairly standard to know when you're holding something well in advance of asking people to sign up for it.

 

So I would really press on that one - starting now actually - but if it doesn't go your way, the practical response to something you find out about later not fitting into your schedule based off the thing you knew about sooner is not to do the later thing. Not cram it all in and in and in until your tweens are up until midnight. You don't have to do everything. And I suspect you will have a better negotiating position on the homework issue if you can say "hey this one thing (gymnastics) is really important to us" rather than a laundry list.

 

Homework should not take three hours I agree. Actually there should not be any homework after they've had them seven hours but oh well. If your daughter's math issues are the sort that can be "identified" I hope you can get them to work with you. But I also wonder if you might find homework a lighter burden in general if they came to it with adequate sleep and the knowledge that that's all they needed to do. Even the most athletic, energetic kid only has so many productive hours left after a full day of school, and unfortunately we live in a society where homework is considered to have priority for that.

[mathnerd]

Most private schools ask the parent to "sign off" on homework if it takes longer than the assigned time - for e.g. if the school's policy is 30 minutes for math and it takes your daughter 2 hours, you are supposed to sign off that your daughter has worked on it for the required time and has not been able to complete it in that time. This is beneficial to both families and schools because it removes stress from families, allows kids to get rest after long days, informs the teacher that the workload in the homework is too much, informs the teacher if the student has ability and study skills needed to work fast, lets the teacher assess on a daily basis if a topic needs more instruction for a student or if there is a gap in the student's knowledge etc. They ask the child to meet with the teacher before or after school to go over any issues. This is a feedback mechanism which works very well when families utilize it. So, that could be one option for you. Another one would be to ask the teacher for an extra day when the homework load is too much. Most of them will be flexible if you can give them a good reason. 

For after schooling scenarios, keep in mind that the child has long, tiring days at schools.

Here is a suggestion: If sports are non-negotiable (which I think is a wonderful thing), a good option would be to either pursue school team sports or one sport outside school and to do that sport with rigor all year long. Then, add on a single activity for Fine Arts (music, art class etc) or Scouts or Robotics to it and do it consistently all year round. That should suffice if you want to spend time on reading, traveling, socializing and after schooling.That will also nail down schedules for the entire year easily so that you can plan around them.

E.g. choose all the seasonal school team sports or outside gymnastics. Then, give your daughters an additional activity that is not a sport - a choice of scouts or violin. So, they can do a sport and a non-sport activity after school every week. And then, call it done. If you value academic excellence through after schooling, then you are cutting out the time for after schooling with multiple activities in one evening. Which makes after schooling stressful and probably unproductive. So, streamline the time after school and make it easier to help your children where they need the most attention.

 

Edited May 10, 2017 by mathnerd

[SKL]

My kids don't practice musical instruments on busy days, so that is not the issue.  And most of our "afterschooling" is done on weekends nowadays.

 

Thinking some more, I may be able to move one of the gymnastics classes around if necessary to accommodate the school sports.  And I'm not sure my kids will want to do all three school sports next year.  I am sure my runner will want to do track though, and probably basketball.  I do encourage this because it's her only opportunity to shine at school.

 

Honestly, I wish we could opt out of the religion homework, but that would not go over well at all ....

[Have kids -- will travel]

In my area, there are the kids with significant after school activities who skip homework and kids who do all the homework and then some, with fewer activities. Trying to do both means you're cutting out something else essential, like sleep.

 

Is this a sixth grade still with a primary teacher? By sixth grade back in my day, we had seven different teachers, lockers, and complicated schedules, so discussing homework with teachers would be unsuccessful. If you're sixth grade still looks like a primary school, you may have more luck. Still, I'm not sure what you're hoping for ... less homework (which would be great), permission not to do homework (also great), better spread out homework (not likely to happen).

 

Don't keep your kids up past midnight for religious homework. Or any homework, since at that time, a child is too tired to focus and learn properly anyways.

 

I get the feeling that you need to get everything done, but sometimes it can't all get done. Life is about choices, and indeed your child may have too much scheduled to complete her academic work at the pace of her abilities. I definitely agree about the priority put on sports and the insignificance of some homework assignments. But if that's your priority set-up, it will mean that not all homework gets done.

[sunnyday]

We do karate year-round, plus one sport per kid per season (fall, winter, spring.) We re-evaluate the karate schedule each season once we know about practices (we always have very late notice on that too.) Sometimes we re-evaluate each week.

 

Anyway, I'd schedule a meeting with the principal to discuss homework expectations in 6th grade. What have you got to lose?

Edited May 11, 2017 by Alison1

[OneStepAtATime]

1.  Yes, definitely at least attempt to talk to the teacher regarding long nights of homework.  Maybe they will work with you.  But I wouldn't do it now. I would wait and see if there is an issue next year.  Otherwise you may get labeled as a special snowflake mom.

2.  It is not the school's issue that your children are in a ton of afterschool activities so they may not.

3.  I found with my DD that they were a lot more understanding and sympathetic when I had a face to face meeting a bit into the school year (so they already knew my child and I and knew that we had had several weeks to try and get used to the new work load) and explained that DD was genuinely working hard, not just dawdling, but it was taking her a LOT of time to get through homework.  [in fact, since you mention possible evaluations, that conversation is what pushed the Director of the school to strongly encourage me to get evaluations for my daughter despite my DH's protests.  And we did.  And it was a HUGE help for finding even some hidden strengths we didn't know she had (weaknesses were masking them)].

[SKL]

Is this a sixth grade still with a primary teacher? By sixth grade back in my day, we had seven different teachers, lockers, and complicated schedules, so discussing homework with teachers would be unsuccessful. If you're sixth grade still looks like a primary school, you may have more luck. Still, I'm not sure what you're hoping for ... less homework (which would be great), permission not to do homework (also great), better spread out homework (not likely to happen).

 

It's a K-8, and they are transitioning toward multiple core teachers throughout the day.  Right now they have 3 core teachers - 1 homeroom/religion/math/gym; 1 LA/geography; 1 science.  Then different teachers for each of Spanish, music, art, and band, each of which assigns little to no homework at this point.  I'm not sure how much this will change for 6th grade.

 

What I'm hoping for - I'd be happy with just having 2 days instead of 1 to complete some of the homework.  I understand that might not be feasible for math, but it seems most of the other stuff could be assigned with 2+ days to complete.

[Guest]

Your best bet is ask a parent whose child is just completing that grade.

 

For us, I blocked an hour out daily for study/hw and a half hour for music practice.5x weekly. Key is using the study hall and inclass freetime wisely. The in the know parents all knew the projects and lit books and did them over the summer before school started. At the very least, do the movies associated with the curriculum if you don't get to the historical sites, see plays and go to concerts.

Edited May 11, 2017 by Heigh Ho

[Bluegoat]

You can always ask, but, really, I think this is why kids heading into middle school are often cutting down to one or maybe two activities.  An outside activity every night may not be sustainable with a highly academic school. 

 

It could be the school is assigning too much, too, if that's the case I'd address that directly.

 

[Paige]

I think if the homework is too heavy and the family is suffering and unwilling to devote all free time to homework, then a school change often happens. That's what I've seen among my friends who had their kids in private school. The private schools were great in elementary, but for some reason around middle school the required homework at this school ended up consuming their lives and making the kids miserable. People left and were much happier at another school. It was a painful break but they wished they had done it years ago. Most of the families still sent their kids to private school, but the new one was either farther away, more expensive, or maybe just started at higher grades so they hadn't considered it in the past. 

 

I think the reality is that the school is unlikely to change for you, although you can certainly ask. Homework is not likely to decrease next year, and it sounds like you are doing your best to fit things in now. The only solution I can think of is to get your kids to do their work in the car, but that's not going to work for every child. 

 

If the school is flexible and you don't care about religion class, it could be a good solution to let your girls take a study hall during that hour. 

[SKL]

If the school is flexible and you don't care about religion class, it could be a good solution to let your girls take a study hall during that hour. 

 

They don't have study halls at this grade level.  And religion is not an optional class.  The teachers are all pretty particular about the importance of religion class, even though I myself am not that sold on it.  :P  Actually they don't have any classes that are optional, except for band and choir (and band is a pull-out).

 

[SKL]

Today is another heavy homework day.  A mom friend with a kid in the class was texting me that her kid can't take it (she's on ADHD meds and they have worn off).  Her kid melted down and gave up a good hour ago.  My eldest is still pluggin' along.  Finished religion, math, science, and writing a story for reading class, now just grammar and spelling review left to go ....  This was supposed to be a scouts night, but I've opted out of scout meetings for the rest of the year ....

[Bluegoat]

Do you find it's worthwhile work, for the most part?  Rather than busywork?

[SKL]

Well I'm not going to present it as "we don't want to do homework because we have lots of activities."

 

I was thinking more along the lines of "isn't 2 hours more than enough for nightly homework?"

[SKL]

Do you find it's worthwhile work, for the most part?  Rather than busywork?

 

For my kid, most of it is worthwhile work.

 

[Paige]

Today is another heavy homework day.  A mom friend with a kid in the class was texting me that her kid can't take it (she's on ADHD meds and they have worn off).  Her kid melted down and gave up a good hour ago.  My eldest is still pluggin' along.  Finished religion, math, science, and writing a story for reading class, now just grammar and spelling review left to go ....  This was supposed to be a scouts night, but I've opted out of scout meetings for the rest of the year ....

 

My high school student doesn't have near that much homework every night. 

[SKL]

My high school student doesn't have near that much homework every night. 

 

I know ... I didn't when I was a kid, and I went to a Lutheran school.  I think maybe we had more time to do our work in class back then.

 

It's not every night - usually 1 or 2 nights a week are like this.  That's the frustration - that they won't spread it out.  And they are very punitive if the kids don't finish all of it and turn it in on time.

[Guest]

How much time is being wasted in hw time? Are the students making quick decisions? Is writing speed too slow? Is bible.verse lookup inefficient?

[Paige]

 Is bible.verse lookup inefficient?

 

You may be able to speed this up with an online Bible or even asking Siri or Alexa. "Alexa/Siri, what's John 3:16?" 

[winterbaby]

Yeah but worksheets involving dozens of verses doesn't sound like a great way to teach religion. And "very punitive" about incomplete homework sounds bad.

[SKL]

How much time is being wasted in hw time? Are the students making quick decisions? Is writing speed too slow? Is bible.verse lookup inefficient?

 

This particular child is not inefficient generally.  She tries to get as much done on the bus as possible, and when home, gets on the homework and stays on it.  She has some processing issues that make a lot of it take longer than average, I think.  Not something she can control.  I would rather she take her time and think things through than try to get it done faster.

 

She's pretty good at looking up Bible passages; our reference skills aren't really the issue usually.  Honestly I dislike their religion curriculum, but I'm not in a position to complain about that.  :)

[mathnerd]

This particular child is not inefficient generally.  She tries to get as much done on the bus as possible, and when home, gets on the homework and stays on it. 

Does her school have an online portal where the week's homework is posted? If that is the case, could you check on the weekend what the religious homework for the week is and get a head start on it?

[SKL]

Does her school have an online portal where the week's homework is posted? If that is the case, could you check on the weekend what the religious homework for the week is and get a head start on it?

 

Only the spelling homework is posted as early as the weekend before.  Most work is not posted until the day before it's due.  And some, not even then.  :/

 

[Guest]

This particular child is not inefficient generally. She tries to get as much done on the bus as possible, and when home, gets on the homework and stays on it. She has some processing issues that make a lot of it take longer than average, I think. Not something she can control. I would rather she take her time and think things through than try to get it done faster.

 

She's pretty good at looking up Bible passages; our reference skills aren't really the issue usually. Honestly I dislike their religion curriculum, but I'm not in a position to complain about that. :)

What is the delay due to processing issues? It sounds as if you are at the point where accomodations need to be made.

[SKL]

Actually, now that I think about it, I think they have a view that homework shouldn't be assigned for weekends, for the kids' benefit.  Which may be the right approach for many kids.  But like everything else, one size doesn't fit all.

[Guest]

..

Edited May 12, 2017 by Heigh Ho

[SKL]

What is the delay due to processing issues? It sounds as if you are at the point where accomodations need to be made.

 

Yeah, I am reluctantly venturing down the path of testing for LD [or whatever it may be].  I am in favor of kids being challenged, but there is a limit.

[Guest]

Homework at this level is not supposed to be a challenge. Its practice.

[The Governess]

How many hours per night are they doing homework? You may want to log a week and make an appointment with the academic dean or principal. They might not be aware of how much homework is being assigned overall. Are there homework guidelines for each grade? I'd ask if the homework time is in line with their objectives for this grade (and next year's grade), and what your options are if it's too much to get done in one night. And I wouldn't consider keeping 5th graders up until 12:30 an option!

[Bluegoat]

No, I would send  them to bed at a reasonable time no matter what, too.  They can't be ready for school otherwise, so it's no-negotiable for me.  My 6th grader is supposed to be in bed by 8:30 on school nights though sometimes it's 9.  12:30 is way too late.

Edited May 15, 2017 by Bluegoat

[Julie of KY]

Sleep should be non-negotiable. Something has to give - less homework, not doing the homework, less activities, or different school. You will loose your kids with that schedule.

 

I think some activities are very good. I also think that schools and teachers often have unreasonable expectations - a kid should not have to spend all their time outside of school doing more school. Family and life are also important.

 

Add up the hours your child needs to sleep and school including getting ready for bed and school. Maybe even some time for meals.  How much is left. How much is reasonable to devote to more homework? Don't sacrifice sleep.

 

IMO - kids don't have enough downtime to simply be kids and have free play. Way too much of their time is scheduled (with good things).

[Heathermomster]

My DS was tested and had a fresh np report on file while he attended private school. There was no IEP provided, but all the teachers knew our sutuation. During 6th grade, he carried a word processor and typed his work. He used audio books at home. All the 6th graders were given a mandatory study hall during the school day and no homework was assigned on Wednesday night. Monday testing was also prohibited for 6th graders. Yes, speak with the school and get testing. I don't recall him staying up late to complete homework, but we were exhausted in the end. DS homeschooled starting in the 7th grade.

Edited May 15, 2017 by Heathermomster

[SKL]

My DS was tested and had a fresh np report on file while he attended private school. There was no IEP provided, but all the teachers knew our sutuation. During 6th grade, he carried a word processor and typed his work. He used audio books at home. All the 6th graders were given a mandatory study hall during the school day and no homework was assigned on Wednesday night. Monday testing was also prohibited for 6th graders. Yes, speak with the school and get testing. I don't recall him staying up late to complete homework, but we were exhausted in the end. DS homeschooled starting in the 7th grade.

 

I'm sorry, what is an np report?

 

[Heathermomster]

I was referring to the report written by the neuropsychologist that performs the full educational evaluation to identifiy SLDs, specific learning disabilities. Son's private school did not test, so we hired a neuropsych for the testing. The neuropsych provided a sanitized report, which omitted private information, for the school to use.

 

I've had to systematically teach study skills using Quizlet, mindmapping software, and notetaking. Your child is young, and if she struggles at all with organization, she will need some supports at school. Students in middle school become reluctant to do things perceived as differently than their peers. Not that this matters, but my local Lutheran school has a reputation for being very supportive of children with learning differences.

 

Eta: DS used to prelisten to all of his books prior to class. I failed to mention that earlier.

Edited May 15, 2017 by Heathermomster

[vonfirmath]

Actually, now that I think about it, I think they have a view that homework shouldn't be assigned for weekends, for the kids' benefit.  Which may be the right approach for many kids.  But like everything else, one size doesn't fit all.

 

My kids' school seems to think weekend homework is wrong as well. I agree that doing homework on the weekend would often be better. But it has not caused us issues (yet)

[SKL]

I finally got a call from the teacher about the email I sent last week regarding testing.  He implied he was surprised that there were issues.  He said he thought the homework was too light, LOL, but he wasn't sure since he wasn't the one assigning all of it.  He also pointed out that he'd be willing to tutor my kid before or after school, except that she rides the bus.  However, he did encourage me to pursue testing.

 

He indicated that it would be a bad idea to make the testing request this late in the school year, because of state-imposed timelines etc.  So looks like it will be next school year before we get anything done.

[kiwik]

I finally got a call from the teacher about the email I sent last week regarding testing.  He implied he was surprised that there were issues.  He said he thought the homework was too light, LOL, but he wasn't sure since he wasn't the one assigning all of it.  He also pointed out that he'd be willing to tutor my kid before or after school, except that she rides the bus.  However, he did encourage me to pursue testing.

 

He indicated that it would be a bad idea to make the testing request this late in the school year, because of state-imposed timelines etc.  So looks like it will be next school year before we get anything done.

 

 

I would look into that further.  I am not in the US but I have read a heap of posts on similar subjects and from what I have read the sooner you make the request the sooner the clock starts ticking.  If you wait until next year by the time they have done all the investigations it could be mid year before anything happens.  At the very least get all the paperwork you need sorted so you can submit it on the first day of the new school year - otherwise it will be "don't do it yet the teacher hasn't been given a chance to make it work", then "the teacher wants to see how she goes after she has settled" then "we have to try this and that before we can approve testing" until it is "don't apply this late in the year because there are state deadlines".

 

And for the record anything over half an hour a night is too much homework unless it is a one off thing and handing out homework to a child and saying it is due tomorrow isn't OK.  Children like adults actually have a right to a private life after school and parents should be able to manage their family life in advance.  If I have to a meeting that night (which I know because my boss is well enough organised to give me advance notice) and I have arranged for my kid to go to the movies with their grandparents then I shouldn't have to rush round reorganising everything because a teacher thinks her work cannot wait an extra day.  If I was paying for the school that would be even more unacceptable.  I am struggling right now because ds10's teacher has set the weekly homework (set Monday due Friday) in a way where it is supposed to be done a bit a night.  I have always allocated 15 minutes twice a week for homework and done spelling in the car.  I will give it few weeks try first though as is should only take 5 to 10 minutes excluding reading which he does anyway.

[winterbaby]

That is my understanding as well. The "state -imposed timeline" is imposed on *the school* so saying it's a bad idea is about them wanting to hold off on being accountable to it, nothing to do with the family's best interests. I would be wary.