loggi

I have found out that he is in the wrong grade and should be in 2nd not 3rd according to his birth date, I was told by his teacher it december cut off I have looked at the school website and it september 1st and I have asked someone with a 2nd grade child to confirm it the same when her child started she said it was. The teacher this morning on explaining why he has been offered extended learning programme (elp) is that although he will pass the yr but at the lowest level with the elp it will help him maybe get his mark higher it only offered to the kids they will be able to get a higher end result from but that a different argument as to fair schooling!! the end result would be that he will move to 4th grade next yr those that under perform will not go up to 4th grade. My thoughts are that I do not want him to go through school struggling knowing he may just be able to graduate to middle school in two yrs time knowing he has missed a yr of school.
Hard decision to go with but if school will allow I will let him finish grade 3 do the fcats and then repeat the yr. He has gone from a top of the class uk student to bottom of the class here so repeating would not only allow him to be where he should but also to strive got to be good for his confidence which he lacks and give him a better chance in the future. If these fcats were just to determine the schools ability then I would think about letting him plod on it down the line I worry about that he gets to middle school and falls behind his peers they all move on at age 8 this has to be the better answer.

Michael

Many times it is the parents that wants their kids to be in the same grade as they were in a foreign country and it is the teacher that is trying to put the kids one grade back. Unfortunately they didn't console you about the differences and persuade you to put him one grade down.

ChocolateBabz

We put our son in the correct grade for his age. This meant that although he had completed 5 years of school in the UK he went into 4th Grade here. Work wise he was probably a year ahead but this gave him time to adjust to a new country, a new school, new friends. He has done really well at school over here, better than he did in the UK. I don't know if we have just been really lucky but the teachers he has had have always been much more encouraging and interested in his progress than back home and we get a lot more communication from school, progress and report cards every six weeks rather that a year end report card. Up until 6th Grade we also got a conduct card home every week so you could see how his behavior was that week, talking in class, forgetting homework etc. His biggest shock was no playtime (recess) and only 30 mins for lunch but he never complained about it just accepted it as they way it was.

penguinsix

I think one point worth considering throughout all of this is "your kid"--how does your kid learn?

Some children need an engaged teacher watching their every move, pushing them forward when they start to get distracted. Others want to conform to the class and try their best, on their own, to keep up with the rest of the students. Some have special needs and need extra help.

All kids are different.

So as you think about what grade they should be attending, don't be afraid to go and speak to the teachers and administrators about their educational philosophy and process. Talk to your kid's current teachers and ask them "what kind of student is my child? What type of education speaks best to him?" And when you get here, discuss these observations from the UK with the teachers here in the US, and see what sort of recommendations you get.

There's a great TED speaker (Sir Ken Robinson) and an RSA Animation about the education process and education reform. How difficult it is to educate today for the world tomorrow, and what sort of "linear" legacies we have leftover from the industrial revolution. It makes a point that basically we educate in the same way a factory builds a product, whereas we should be thinking about educating them the way a plant is cultivated. Some interesting ideas to ponder as you debate where your kids will land in the new schools.

Good luck.

nethead

Yup Sir Ken gives the best TED talk on education. This is a good article when thinking about the standard of American education too.
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/...uccess/250564/

loggi

Hello Everyone
Yet again I just wanted to say thank you for advice sometimes I do not know what i'd do without this site.

I wanted to update you all on what happening with my son. We had a meeting with his teacher and from our first talk it seems he is not struggling as much as we thought from our first talk. He is keeping his own in the class and has made excellent progress from the start of the yr till now, He is definately in the wrong grade but we have decided to give him the opportunity to finish the yr the look at it again. He has made almost yrs progress as it is on some subjects. The teacher now also understands that some of the things he has not done so well on are probably due to missing the teaching in 2nd grade so all in all I think we can say we are very proud of him after one of the biggest changes in his life so far. He will pass the yr as an above average more than we expected so hopefully when we meet at the school later in the yr a decision will be made either to repeat or a graduation up to 4th grade will go a head.
Thank you guys

SarahG

Glad to hear he is doing well.