School grade testing- any experience?
Sep 30th 2012 | 3:05 am
#31
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,455
From: Charleston, SC
Re: School grade testing- any experience?
We arrived in the US in May, but couldn't register with the school district until after the school year had finished.
My son turned 8 this week and is settling well into 3rd grade.
My daughter is 7 on 30th November - is is the cut off date for the school district, so she scrapped into 2nd grade by one day. She has been there 4 weeks now and the school have been testing to she if she is in the correct grade. We have been considering moving her down to 1st grade, but her latest results suggest she is doing well with math(s) and english, but struggling a bit with reading. They are suggesting extra support to bring her reading up. They have been really good monitoring her progress and how she has settled. Yes she will be the last one to drive, the last one able to go to the movie, but it would seem to hold her back would be worse and she may loose interest in school if it's too easy.
A good school should monitor progress and not just test and then lock in the grade selection.
I hope you have a good experience and your son settles well whichever class he ends up in.
My son turned 8 this week and is settling well into 3rd grade.
My daughter is 7 on 30th November - is is the cut off date for the school district, so she scrapped into 2nd grade by one day. She has been there 4 weeks now and the school have been testing to she if she is in the correct grade. We have been considering moving her down to 1st grade, but her latest results suggest she is doing well with math(s) and english, but struggling a bit with reading. They are suggesting extra support to bring her reading up. They have been really good monitoring her progress and how she has settled. Yes she will be the last one to drive, the last one able to go to the movie, but it would seem to hold her back would be worse and she may loose interest in school if it's too easy.
A good school should monitor progress and not just test and then lock in the grade selection.
I hope you have a good experience and your son settles well whichever class he ends up in.
Oct 1st 2012 | 3:07 am
#32
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 2,673
From: Dancing round my handbag
Re: School grade testing- any experience?
When we first moved to the States 21 years ago, my eldest son was in the same position. He'd already done a year of school in the UK and putting him in Kindergarten didn't seem like an option. He actually went in to 2nd Grade and held his own really well. However, he was young for his own year as his birthday is in June which meant that some of the kids who had September birthdays were almost two years older than him. While it wasn't a problem at that age, I could see it becoming one as they matured and were physically and emotionally developing, getting drivers licenses (which is a Big Deal in the States), going to Prom (another Big Deal), etc. I had two teenage stepdaughters so I could see how things could unfold. I wasn't very happy with the school he was at so, after a year when he'd completed 2nd grade, did some searching around and found a school that we could open enroll to and would accept him in either 2nd or 3rd grade. He was part of the decision and he opted for 2nd grade. I think changing schools helped him not feel like he was being held back and I've never regretted the decision.
Things can be rocky enough for kids in school without the added pressure of trying to keep up with classmates a year or two older physically and emotionally.
Things can be rocky enough for kids in school without the added pressure of trying to keep up with classmates a year or two older physically and emotionally.
