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

[Ausmumof3]

I agree with those saying it's pretty normal to feel down about bad test results. Etc.

 

I think you can homeschool still as long as you are able to commit to doing some reading writing and math every day. The rest can come later. Bro you personally feel the results reflect where your kids are at or not? If you are teaching every day you should know whether it was a bad test and bad day or whether it was truly reflective of your kids understanding. I wouldn't be worried about the younger at all but I would be a little concerned if the 7 year old is truly not at kindergarten level. By which I mean doesn't know letter sounds and numbers to around 20.

[readinmom]

Dd13 started a charter school this year.  All year was high pressure about test scores, test scores, test scores.  We had numerous conferences about her low math skills, and lived on the fear that she would be asked to leave if she didn't test well on the CAASP test.  She struggled at first, was not used to this type of high stakes testing environment. There were times when she sailed through on topics she covered 2-3 years previously.  We just received her results and she was proficient, almost advanced in all areas.  

 

Please don't feel like your children don't measure up or that you are a failure.  You are accepting a judgment based upon what someone else told you about your kids/someone who has no knowledge of your children at all.  If this was a medical diagnosis and you felt it was wrong, you would continue to find the best possible outcome for your children.  Some educators have preconceived notions about homeschooling, and this is more than likely what happened to your kids.  

 

Besides, if someone is labeling your child at the age of 6 as a failure, what do you think the rest of their time at school will be like?  If you have other resources, please seek them out.  

[Riverland]

I have (too much) experience with kids in public schools. I definitely learned, with all my kids, that teachers have very little idea what a student knows. Teacher testing revealed:

 

DC 1:  

Teacher: "What a great accomplishment, your child knows all the letters!"

Me: "Child has been independently reading for a year."

 

DC 2:

Teacher: "Your child probably shouldn't take the gifted test because child only knows 24 letters."

Me: "Child has been reading for a year." (and just 2 months after this conversation, dc was fluently and independently reading all the Harry Potter books at age 6.)

 

DC 3:

Teacher: "Your child does not know the basic colors. Child is trying to read the labels on the crayons prior to answering."

Me: "Child is very literal. She has known her colors for several years. You are looking for the answer "orange." But, dc knows that the wrapper says otherwise, therefore dc is trying to read the wrapper to find crayola's funky name for it, i.e. "mango tango."

 

Pinkmint, you know what your kids know FAR better than someone who spent a few minutes with them during a hectic and stressful time. My examples above are with teachers who had my kids for several months already!  

 

If you still want them at that school, you will need to be your kids' advocate. I am sorry that you are having such a hard time.

Edited July 27, 2016 by SummerDays

[momto10blessings]

Hugs. From the way you were talkiing, I thought your kids were 12 or 13. 7 and 5 wouldn't have me worried TOO much. Kids all leans st their own pace. Yes, maybe you should hit the books a little harder, but this definitely doesn't mean you're a failure.

[SKL]

I have (too much) experience with kids in public schools. I definitely learned, with all my kids, that teachers have very little idea what a student knows. Teacher testing revealed:

 

DC 1:  

Teacher: "What a great accomplishment, your child knows all the letters!"

Me: "Child has been independently reading for a year."

 

DC 2:

Teacher: "Your child probably shouldn't take the gifted test because child only knows 24 letters."

Me: "Child has been reading for a year." (and just 2 months after this conversation, dc was fluently and independently reading all the Harry Potter books at age 6.)

 

DC 3:

Teacher: "Your child does not know the basic colors. Child is trying to read the labels on the crayons prior to answering."

Me: "Child is very literal. She has known her colors for several years. You are looking for the answer "orange." But, dc knows that the wrapper says otherwise, therefore dc is trying to read the wrapper to find crayola's funky name for it, i.e. "mango tango."

 

Pinkmint, you know what your kids know FAR better than someone who spent a few minutes with them during a hectic and stressful time with them. My examples above are with teachers who had my kids for several months already!  

 

If you still want them at that school, you will need to be your kids' advocate. I am sorry that you are having such a hard time.

 

Yeah, even after weeks/months, my kid's 1st grade teacher had no idea that she was reading at all, although she had started reading chapter books over a year earlier.  It is really amazing when you think about it.  If her full-time 1st grade teacher didn't know she was a reader, how could a stranger assess her in a half hour?

[Supertechmom]

It is hard to do the same work as others when you are following your own path.  It's hard to compare apples to oranges.  If your child has been prepared as an apple and compared to apples, then and only then could anyone say he was behind.   But preparing an orange and then failing him because he can't be an apple is what happened to your kid.   

 

Years ago, I had to accept that homeschooling on our path would often - especially in the early years- put us all around the school kids.   Ahead in some, behind in others, side by side in others but never ever on the same path at the same time.   Seek the freedom that accepting this gives to your school journey.   Your kids will never ever match their peers exactly.    Educate them.  

 

For many years, we worked on reading, math and basic sentence structure.   History and Science was go to the library and pick out books from each section. Go home, read the books, define the words, let your children find joy in learning and teach them the value of learning just to learn ...just because.      Teach them to be successful, to be good citizens, to be educated, to be happy.......to find their own way.   

 

So much more useful than writing 1-100 .

[Scarlett]

I sometimes wonder how I come across. I feel like people might think I'm a hot mess half the time. I'm pessimistic. I crap on people's suggestions. I worry about everything. I mean really.... I have had some very very hairy moments over the years. This past year was probably one of the worst years I've had with homeschooling. I seriously wanted to give up. I still do. I've been doing this for good grief 10 years now and I'm sometimes just burnt to a crisp.

 

I guess I just pick myself up and dust myself off and keep going.

 

I don't know the whole picture, but I've encountered some very nutty homeschoolers and you do not register on the nutter's scale. Having little kids is hard. Being depressed is hard. Worrying about money is hard. Probably many of us here have had all these issues at one time or another. You know, I once met a homeschooler who turned out to be harboring dead dogs in her house. So ya know.... You are pretty boring and normal!

 

I suck at Legos.

 

 

This post just made me LOL....I have been reading along with all her threads and you are right she doesn't even register on the Nutter scale.

 

Pinkmint I missed part of what is going on. Were you thinking of putting your kids in school so you can go to work?

[vonfirmath]

Actually for a little kid, I think Magic School Bus with no follow up is plenty for that day's science work. In the early grades, mind you, not for a 6th grader.

Our school uses magic school bus videos as most of e science in grade K. (Or at least that is all the science I heard about except for science fair -- which is done as a class project during school hours)

Edited July 27, 2016 by vonfirmath

[purplejackmama]

I'm so sorry. It's so hard to live counter cultural when you doubt yourself at every turn. Here's the thing, maybe this test was a GOOD thing, maybe this was done so you would know that this door should close? The charter school in my town that everyone is dying to go to would be a HORRIBLE fit for my crew. It's uber competitive, homework out the wazoo, and they standardize test them to death. Perhaps this school is the same?!

 

I know life feels hopeless right now. I wish I had some wise words to help you. I don't. When I feel like you do I just *try* to do the next best right thing. Some days that means just getting them fed and you showered.

 

Hugs pink!

Edited July 27, 2016 by purplejackmama

[shinyhappypeople]

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.

 

Oh, good grief.  I learned to write my numbers while in kindergarten.  I still remember the teacher's aide teaching me the rhyme, "Across the sky and down from heaven, that is how we make a 7."  That's what kindergarten is (supposed to be) for!!!

 

The kind of nonsense you're describing is why people call kindergarten the new first grade.  I'm so ticked off on your behalf :(

[MistyMountain]

I have not had a chance to read all the replies yet. One of my kids did very poorly on the assessment thing they give you before starting kindergarten. She just was very uncooperative and barely spoke. She got things wrong I know she knew. I am pretty certain my current youngest will do the same thing. She is a similar age to your middle child and writing is is a huge weakness for her. I have heard of several friend's children doing similar or even worse. Some kids do not do well in front of people they do not know or can be really obstinate. If they are behind they are still young and have time to catch up. Kids bloom at different times. An almost 6 year even if the happen to be born right before the cut off instead of after it is still just beginning.

Edited July 27, 2016 by MistyMountain

[SanDiegoMom]

My kids were in PS K-2. Over the course of their K year they had to add numbers to their "number scroll" until it reached 1000. Some kids did this willingly and happy, it almost broke my daughter. :-( Her hand hurt from it, she fell so far behind other kids (she was in the 300's when others were in the 800's) and that alone shaped how she felt about her math ability. It was crazy. It took her a year at home before she realized that she was actually ok at math. If she had seen that test at age 6 she would have literally put down her head and cried.

[lea1]

When I put my two sons in school in January of their 2nd grade year, they assessed them via a verbal test, not a written test.  They said they do that until they are at least in 3rd grade because so many kids have trouble with writing when they are younger....and this is considered a very good public school.

 

One of my sons would probably have thrown the paper and pencil across the room if he had been asked to write his numbers from 1 to 100 at 6 years old.

[pinkmint]

Thanks, all, for giving me some perspective on what is normal. 

 

By the way, the only reason I know about the writing 1 - 100 task that they were given is because she breifly showed me the test packet after the whole 2 HOUR thing was over to tell me how poorly they did. She showed me her graded red pen markings. I had no idea what was on that test beforehand. And the more I think about it after having some time to stuff dark chocolate down my throat (I don't day-drink anymore like someone said they would but I did LOL at that because that's how I was feeling) and get my thoughts together, the more I realize how messed up the whole thing was. 

 

One of the things I caught when she was showing me the (massive, seemingly 1,000 page test) was a page with poorly illustrated coins like dimes with plus signs in between and the child is supposed to add them. *I* couldn't even tell what coin it was. My 7 yo actually got a couple right which I am impressed with. She also gave me a dirty look when she said they can't even write lowercase letters and paused for effect as if it were some disturbing thing. 

 

That and the fact that they wisked each child off to a strange room with adults they've never met and withheld help and guidance on purpose to see what the child could do... my kids can't read instructions on a dang test by themselves, that's insane. Under normal circumstances I would have said no, we're not doing this right now (or possibly ever), I have my 2 yo with me, the kids are not prepared etc. and I don't think this is reasonable. But I tried to be compliant, knowing this school is not easy to get into, and not yet knowing how I feel about the whole thing. My gut kept telling me to grab my kids and leave. If anything, it was an eye opening experience, for what that's worth. 

 

I think "dodged bullet" is right. 

[Guest]

Thanks, all, for giving me some perspective on what is normal.

 

By the way, the only reason I know about the writing 1 - 100 task that they were given is because she breifly showed me the test packet after the whole 2 HOUR thing was over to tell me how poorly they did. She showed me her graded red pen markings. I had no idea what was on that test beforehand. And the more I think about it after having some time to stuff dark chocolate down my throat (I don't day-drink anymore like someone said they would but I did LOL at that because that's how I was feeling) and get my thoughts together, the more I realize how messed up the whole thing was.

 

One of the things I caught when she was showing me the (massive, seemingly 1,000 page test) was a page with poorly illustrated coins like dimes with plus signs in between and the child is supposed to add them. *I* couldn't even tell what coin it was. My 7 yo actually got a couple right which I am impressed with. She also gave me a dirty look when she said they can't even write lowercase letters and paused for effect as if it were some disturbing thing.

 

That and the fact that they wisked each child off to a strange room with adults they've never met and withheld help and guidance on purpose to see what the child could do... my kids can't read instructions on a dang test by themselves, that's insane. Under normal circumstances I would have said no, we're not doing this right now (or possibly ever), I have my 2 yo with me, the kids are not prepared etc. and I don't think this is reasonable. But I tried to be compliant, knowing this school is not easy to get into, and not yet knowing how I feel about the whole thing. My gut kept telling me to grab my kids and leave. If anything, it was an eye opening experience, for what that's worth.

 

I think "dodged bullet" is right.

Wow, the testing was worse than I thought. Yes, dodged a bullet, definitely. That scenario is insane!

Edited July 27, 2016 by Kinsa

[elegantlion]

 

That and the fact that they wisked each child off to a strange room with adults they've never met and withheld help and guidance on purpose to see what the child could do... my kids can't read instructions on a dang test by themselves, that's insane. Under normal circumstances I would have said no, we're not doing this right now (or possibly ever), I have my 2 yo with me, the kids are not prepared etc. and I don't think this is reasonable. But I tried to be compliant, knowing this school is not easy to get into, and not yet knowing how I feel about the whole thing. My gut kept telling me to grab my kids and leave. If anything, it was an eye opening experience, for what that's worth. 

 

I think "dodged bullet" is right. 

 

 

That is sneaky and crass. It should have been stated beforehand that the kids were to be tested. In my mind, and maybe on paper, I would write out a long reply to the school on how they failed your test by not preparing you or your children for what to expect at the meeting. I would highlight their disparaging tone, noting that you prefer to educate your YOUNG children from a place of delight and encouragement (from your signature). I would write that you apologize for not warning them about YOUR test and that perhaps if they had had time to prepare, they might have fared better. I would write out everything you are thinking about how they failed you and that you are concerned about how other children of the neighborhood might fare in such a inflexible, demeaning environment. 

 

I would write it all out, read it aloud a few times, store it in a drawer and then burn the letter in a few days, or rip it to shreds, also cathartic. You are in a vulnerable state, you thought perhaps the school could help, you were wrong. YOU have not failed, YOUR children have not failed. They just don't perform well when stuck into that particular mold. What information YOU take from this meeting is up to YOU. 

 

Them not choosing your children (not sure if that was final decision or what) is not a failure on YOUR part. The school did not meet your standards either. Do not assume the poor fit as representative of your skills or abilities as a parent or homeschooling parent. Can you reframe this as an empowering moment? (((HUGS))) 

Edited July 27, 2016 by elegantlion

[SproutMamaK]

They gave a FIVE and SEVEN year old a TWO HOUR TEST, while separated from their mother?! Holy cow. Aside from how they performed, that's just insane! About the only thing a five year old can do for two hours is sleep. Mine couldn't even focus on things they ENJOYED for more than half an hour at that age. If the rest of the school is like this, I think the writing's on the wall.

Edited July 27, 2016 by SproutMamaK

[MomatHWTK]

:iagree:

[Lang Syne Boardie]

What elegantlion said, 100%!!! That disdain you're mustering up toward these people and their school, just go ahead and run with that. Keep the upper hand, in your mind, because you're in the right.

[G5052]

Also, little kids are notoriously difficult to test accurately. A friend of mine who is educational psychologist once assured me that "standardized" tests are pretty dicey until they're 9 or so. A good tester will work with their preferences and level of distraction to get a good evaluation, but if they're giving something cut-and-dried on a schedule, no way.

 

My oldest was an extremely active little kid who had zero interest in formal learning when he was in K and 1st. I know that he would have had serious problems in the classroom and probably would have been labeled as behind. He was the type of kid who if you asked him to count to 100 would miss some of the numbers if he saw something else he was interested in or if he felt like running right then. If you had him focused, he'd do it perfectly. Being homeschooled, I worked with him as an individual, and we made steady progress during those years. Not what any classroom I knew of did, but steady progress. He also didn't read fluently until 3rd grade. No learning disabilities, just slow to read.

 

He was a National Merit Commended Scholar with multiple AP's and dual enrollment credit. He just finished his first year of college with a 4.0 and has merit scholarships.

 

Little kids are just little kids. They sometimes just aren't there yet, but they might be later and surprise you.

Edited July 27, 2016 by G5052

[Katy]

Honestly it sounds to me like your kids would get a much better education in the "bad" public school than that charter.  The charter is clearly teaching to a test, and their procedure was so terrible I'd assume that is a terrible school unless you have extremely academically inclined, competitive kids.  Most of us feel like LESS work in early elementary and MORE work in middle grades and high school is more developmentally appropriate. 

 

Please visit the "bad" public school and see how things really are.  It's possible they have very good, caring teachers, but with parents who don't value education or who have struggles like being immigrants, it's just more challenging for those kids, so they don't test well.  It doesn't mean the teachers aren't good.  It really depends on the discipline procedures in school.  If the school is actually dangerous, that's one thing. If the school just has a lot of kids whose parents never read to them, they won't test well, but it doesn't mean the teaching isn't stellar.

 

Honestly IME the "bad" schools can give your kids a better education: because you CAN get teachers there who care more about doing what they can for each kid.  It really depends on the culture of the school & the teacher.

[speedmom4]

Okay, let's put this into perspective...

 

They are 5 and 7. When my oldest kids were that age, they were way behind what a public school child would've been. I was pregnant with #5, and I had 7yo twins, a 5yo, and a 3yo. Plus my husband was in a condensed 1-year master degree program fulltime (interpretation: he was never around). Very little, if any, schooling got done.

 

Fast forward 15 years. Those same kids - homeschooled all the way through - got into college and are thriving. One of those 7yo twins is an engineering technology major, one twin made the dean's list last term, and the 5yo has been accepted into the honors college at his university this fall.

 

Take the long view and realize that what is going on now is not the end result. I'm sure you've heard it before, but remember that homeschooling is a marathon, not a sprint.

 

I have had a very similar experience. My younger daughter will be heading off to a state university in a few short weeks. She was NOT ready for academics at 6. She was a very late bloomer in every way. But now she is serious about her academics and is excited for her future. 

 

Please don't let a stupid test make you feel like a failure. Focus on all the things she can do well! Academics will come in her own time. 

 

(((Hugs)))

[luuknam]

Pinkmint, are they saying they'd put both kids in K, or are they just saying that that's what they score but would put at least the 7yo in a higher grade to be with kids of a similar age?

[Arcadia]

My kids were in PS K-2. Over the course of their K year they had to add numbers to their "number scroll" until it reached 1000. Some kids did this willingly and happy, it almost broke my daughter. :-( Her hand hurt from it, she fell so far behind other kids (she was in the 300's when others were in the 800's) and that alone shaped how she felt about her math ability. It was crazy.

My older boy's PS teachers let him do less than minimal writing without official accommodations. He also won't talk so his tests were mainly written. When it comes to teachers, it can really come down to luck of the draw.

[TranquilMind]

I imagine if they sat any random 7 year old from any random public school the results could very well be similar.  You aren't a failure.  

 

Right.  Especially with no warning of what was to happen.  On another day with preparation, the performance might be much different. 

 

[OneStepAtATime]

Now go to the "bad" public school and see how they are.  Do a comparison.  Seriously.  Even if you homeschool your kids all the way through High School, I think it might be very telling to go see the other school now, having had this experience with the charter school.  It honestly might not be that bad.

 

I know there are self esteem issues involved with looking at the bad public school.  I realize you don't want to feel like because of your financial situation you are "settling".  But have you actually been in that school?  It may not be nearly as bad as you think but you won't know until you see for yourself.  And especially for the younger grades.  Kinder/1st/2nd are frequently just fine.  

 

There is a school around the corner from our house that has a phenomenal reputation.  People fight to get into our neighborhood to go to this school.  It has great test scores.  You know what?  They also fight their way back out again.  The school is a massive pressure cooker.  The principal has the kids going through mandatory standardized test prep 2-3 afternoons a week, AFTER SCHOOL, so the test scores will improve.  She doesn't believe in learning issues existing so kids with learning challenges are not given any help.  In fact, they are punished.  One of DDs friends is dysgraphic and has dyslexia.  When he couldn't write his assignment in class in the given amount of time he had to stay in the principal's office after school and write "I will not be lazy." 100 times.  He couldn't do it to her satisfaction so he got another 100 tacked on.  His mother wasn't called until he was on his second attempt.  She thought he was in test prep practice (which she wasn't happy about either but this was much worse).  This is just the tip of the ice berg.  There have been lawsuits.  

 

There is another, much older school, that is in a rundown neighborhood.  I have a friend with a special needs daughter that was in the school near our house and she became deeply depressed, near suicidal.  The pressure cooker environment was killing her.  They ran into financial issues because her dad got cancer and could no longer work.  They moved into the older neighborhood...and found that the school with the lousy reputation offered her a ton of resources she was not getting at the other school.  She also had teachers that cared deeply and worked hard to help her.  She thrived.  She is now in High School and doing very well.  

 

I realize these are anecdotal and there are different levels of bad.  My point is, reputation only goes so far and may not accurately reflect what is actually happening in the school.  Until you have looked at it in person, you really can't know for sure what the school is like.

 

Whether you do look at the bad public school or not, at least you have some confirmation that homeschooling is better than that charter school.  Honestly the fact that you care so much is telling.  I think it is awesome.  A caring parent can do loads for a child, even if what they are doing (and in some cases especially if what they are doing) looks very different from a standard classroom setting.  I'm just sad that the mess with this charter school and their lack of understanding of how kids really are and their poor professionalism had to hurt you so much when you are already hurting.

Edited July 27, 2016 by OneStepAtATime

[NorthwestMom]

My kids were in PS K-2. Over the course of their K year they had to add numbers to their "number scroll" until it reached 1000. Some kids did this willingly and happy, it almost broke my daughter. :-( Her hand hurt from it, she fell so far behind other kids (she was in the 300's when others were in the 800's) and that alone shaped how she felt about her math ability. It was crazy. It took her a year at home before she realized that she was actually ok at math. If she had seen that test at age 6 she would have literally put down her head and cried.

 

The motor ability to hold a pencil with your hand and fingers, and control it well, comes later in development in young children. Many, many (if not most) 5 and 6 year olds have to work to build up these skills. The "writing numbers" evaluation that Pinkmint's kids went through, and this ^^^ foolish, enormous number scroll activity, are not developmentally appropriate for the physical abilities of the children. It sounds like these schools need a consult from an OT!

 

[TranquilMind]

I have had a very similar experience. My younger daughter will be heading off to a state university in a few short weeks. She was NOT ready for academics at 6. She was a very late bloomer in every way. But now she is serious about her academics and is excited for her future. 

 

Please don't let a stupid test make you feel like a failure. Focus on all the things she can do well! Academics will come in her own time. 

 

(((Hugs)))

 

One of my younger extended relatives was this way.  Lots of problems in childhood.  They were concerned about all kinds of disabilities.  She was much slower along the way.

 

She is receiving her Master's this coming spring. 

 

[Tammyla]

:grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug: OP sorry your experience was so difficult especially while you are suffering from depression.  

 

Get help for the depression, and put off any decisions or worry over your children until you are in a better place.  

[Upward Journey]

Actually for a little kid, I think Magic School Bus with no follow up is plenty for that day's science work. In the early grades, mind you, not for a 6th grader. 

 

Especially since they end up watching the same episode a bazillion times, and memorizing all the information.  My kids learned so much watching MSB at that age :)

[Katy]

One more comment on not relying on school "reputations."  We just moved.  We typically choose an ugly house in an expensive neighborhood, mostly for resale values.  Our realtor (a retired teacher) really pushed us to go into an area with a "bad" school, saying it wasn't really that bad, this "poor" district actually had many more national merit scholars than the "good" school, who he contended was only good because they evaluated every child, and anyone who wouldn't test well was diagnosed with something and given an IEP that included no standardized testing.  When every poor tester's scores don't count, the school looks like a fantastic school, but they actually care more about kids following directions and not being trouble makers than they care about making sure all kids learn something.  The "bad" school is more likely to track kids and put them into groups with kids with similar ability levels, which is bad for poor performers perhaps, but good for kids overall.

[zaichiki]

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.

 

Kindergarten is a starting point for formal education.  Kids are not expected to, as a base line, come into Kindergarten already knowing how to write their numbers... One of the Kindergarten goals is to learn to count to 100!  Maybe this school is not expecting the base line? Maybe they're expecting more? Is this normal in your area?

[mominco]

Pinkmint I am sorry to hear about the charter school.

You have gotten great advice.

 

Did you check the books I sent you?

After you take care of yourself look at them you will find,

The Phonics book

The telling time,

The writing skills,

The reading skills books will help one or both your kids IF they need to learn them.

 

Those books are a good starting point for them 

without you having to invest in any other books for at least 6 months,

There are grade 3 books in that bundle as well.

 

:grouphug:  :grouphug:

[HS Mom in NC]

  My middle kid didn't even start learning to read until she was almost 8, so I guess if I had sent her to take a ps test she probably would've been "not even ready for kindergarten" by their standards. She could read like an adult by the time she was 11. She started college at 15 and tested into the engineering program.

[HS Mom in NC]

It's a charter school they can keep out anyone they don't want.

 

!?!??!?

 

Here's a link to information about our state charter schools.  According to them, your statement isn't true.

http://www.azed.gov/charter-schools/faqs/

 

[Dmmetler]

The other thing is that some of the private schools here regularly low-ball placement tests for grades above K until they know how many slots they have once they fill in siblings and returning students. "Not really ready even for Kindergarten" sometimes turns into an acceptance letter when they have slots in 1st grade. The fact is, they probably have kids who went through their K program who can't write numbers to 100 or whatever other silly stuff was on that test. They just don't want to admit that if they can manage to fill the class with high performing kids-and if they can get parents to sign their kid up for kindergarten (or, if entering kindergarten, for a transitional K class or JK class), they win-they get a higher performing kid just based on increase maturity and age when their kid gets to tested grades and they get an extra year of tuition.

 

I don't know if a charter would have financial incentive to do something similar, but I've seen a lot of parents who are equally bummed after doing an interview/testing at schools, only to discover that their "horribly behind" child is actually in the middle of the class.

[redsquirrel]

One more comment on not relying on school "reputations."  We just moved.  We typically choose an ugly house in an expensive neighborhood, mostly for resale values.  Our realtor (a retired teacher) really pushed us to go into an area with a "bad" school, saying it wasn't really that bad, this "poor" district actually had many more national merit scholars than the "good" school, who he contended was only good because they evaluated every child, and anyone who wouldn't test well was diagnosed with something and given an IEP that included no standardized testing.  When every poor tester's scores don't count, the school looks like a fantastic school, but they actually care more about kids following directions and not being trouble makers than they care about making sure all kids learn something.  The "bad" school is more likely to track kids and put them into groups with kids with similar ability levels, which is bad for poor performers perhaps, but good for kids overall.

 

Wow.  I have a church friend who is a very successful realtor.  She told me that information about schools is the number one question people have and she told me she is forbidden to say anything one way or the other. She always says what she feels is absolutely true: People have positive and negative things to say about every school in the district. I can't make that determination for your family.

[Scarlett]

Wow. I have a church friend who is a very successful realtor. She told me that information about schools is the number one question people have and she told me she is forbidden to say anything one way or the other. She always says what she feels is absolutely true: People have positive and negative things to say about every school in the district. I can't make that determination for your family.

Who forbids her from giving her opinion about the schools?

[redsquirrel]

Who forbids her from giving her opinion about the schools?

 

I am assuming the state regulations.  Our state has a lot of laws about housing discrimination and and there are issues if a realtor is seen steering particular people into particular neighborhoods etc.

 

When I told her that I always assumed she was able to tell people what the 'best' schools are she scoffed and said, "yeah, only if I want to lose my license."  And then she explained what she says and why. And then she also said that she always hears so many conflicting stories about schools she feels relieved that she has to keep her mouth shut. She doesn't want to get involved in that. I can't say as I blame her, lol.

[Lanny]

OP the testing sounds very rapid and the conclusion drawn may or may not be correct.  However, when our DD was very young, we saw several of her classmates held back, or, she was in a class with someone who was repeating a school year. The first experience was in Pre School. I think there were 8 kids in the group DD was in. At least one, and possibly 2 of them, were held back for an additional year there.  Then, when DD was in First grade, one of the girls in her class was repeating first grade.  Then, the son of a woman I worked with in a volunteer group was held back and he had to repeat first grade. At the time, she was more than sad, to say nothing of the money (Private School), but when I spoke with her, a year or so later, she said it was a blessing for her son and how much improved he was.  So, with early childhood education, different kids are prepared at different ages and some are more mature than others, etc.  I would suggest that you get a 2nd opinion, about where your DC are, with regard to their education at this time, and that will take a lot longer than that woman spent with your DC that day.  GL

[Caclcoca]

I am so sorry that they made you feel bad.  You are not a failure.  If anything the school failed to give you what you needed to help your children be successful. 

A funny kid testing story- When my nephew was 5, he was accepted into a local magnet school.  He had to go and do a kindergarten assessment test. The teacher came out and told my sil that he just wasn't ready for K.  He needed another year of pre K.  He just didn't know his letters and sounds.  She was a little surprised because she really thought he knew these things.  A little later that day she noticed he was really quiet.  She asked him what was wrong.  He told her that he felt bad because he had lied and told the teacher he didn't know the letter and the sound because he just wanted to be finished and play on the play ground.  For the most part testing 5-7 year olds is useless.

[Anne in CA]

I wouldn't be convinced that the kids in the school could pass the test in the middle of summer with the test being a surprise. On the old boards there was a mom who put her 7yo back in school and they wanted to move him back a grade because of a poor placement test. The school said that by the end of second grade the kids were doing complicated fractions and the 7yo in question had been doing WTM, memorizing things, ect. The moms on the board talked the mom down and she figured out that the school was having the kids use calculators for these problems, which they had not admitted to the mom until she cornered a second grade teacher who admitted that most of the second grade math instruction at that school was calculator based. So, no only had the school given her kid a placement test with no calculator, it took a lot to get them to admit that her kid was just fine and knew more actual math than kids in the school. Schools are invested in the idea that they are special. If home schoolers are doing a good job they aren't necessary. Sometimes they "cheat" to make home schoolers look bad. Although some home schoolers don't need help looking bad, lol

[Arcadia]

Schools are invested in the idea that they are special. If home schoolers are doing a good job they aren't necessary.

My kids assigned k-5 public school's admin tells us to homeschool or go private. Apparently the three admin staff are used to a certain racial group transferring out fast. The school is a title 1, performance improvement school and they are having a hard enough time with ESLs. For example, the 5th grade science fair charts have spelling and grammatical errors. The school staff are nice and the school is safe if someone needs "free childcare".

[pinkmint]

You need to avoid the naysayers in your life too while you seek treatment for depression. The naysayers just compound the homeschooling and financial issues for you.

I thought about this comment today. I talked to my dad, Homeschool Hater Extraordinaire. I did not hold back with him today. My last nerve is shot. But it's still not fun being kicked when you're down. I will consider avoiding him.

[Arcadia]

:grouphug: even kind friends may overstep boundaries. Build protective boundaries. Your dad is bullying whether he knows it or not.

 

Take it a day at a time. Kids do learn even if unschooled.

 

My kids had wonderful public school evaluators. What the charter school did was just not professional. Don't let someone's lack of professionalism, destructive criticism get you down. :grouphug:

[eternalsummer]

Yes, I think you can and should separate whether your kids are in fact learning from whether they can perform certain tasks in a high stress environment.  The former is important; the latter is irrelevant at age 7.

 

 

[itsheresomewhere]

!?!??!?

 

Here's a link to information about our state charter schools. According to them, your statement isn't true.

http://www.azed.gov/charter-schools/faqs/

 

I can tell you first hand, they do. They have the same lines on paper that they don't but they do.

[OneStepAtATime]

I thought about this comment today. I talked to my dad, Homeschool Hater Extraordinaire. I did not hold back with him today. My last nerve is shot. But it's still not fun being kicked when you're down. I will consider avoiding him.

Avoid this topic, certainly.  But if he harasses you about homeschooling in general, whether you bring it up or not, then is there any way to set some clear boundaries?  Otherwise, yeah, you might have to avoid him for a bit.

 

FWIW, one of my local homeschooling friends had to do that with her own father until he finally accepted that to have regular contact with his granddaughters he was going to have to stop attacking their choice to homeschool at every turn.  They all get along much better now.

[HS Mom in NC]

I can tell you first hand, they do. They have the same lines on paper that they don't but they do.

Charter schools, contrary to the misinformation spread, are public schools that are overseen by the government and funded by the taxpayers.  Those lines on paper are laws about who can attend as I understand it.  Please explain in detail what you mean rather than assuming I should just trust a stranger on the internet. 

 

25% of public schooled kids in my state attend public charter schools.  Most of them at one near their house, so this rumor or elitism seems suspicious to me.  If they're so hard to get into why does every other kid in the area attend one?  These kids are academically advanced, average and special needs who I personally know.

 

[Haiku]

Please explain in detail what you mean rather than assuming I should just trust a stranger on the internet. 

 

Charter schools do not have to accept any student who wants to go there. Unlike regular public schools, they can turn away students if they are at capacity. They can also have lotteries, and lotteries can be manipulated. There was a school in my town that got in trouble for manipulating their lottery.