Hellobee Boards

It's the same at our school. E is consistently reading at least a grade level above expectation and was already multiplying in 1st grade. He only ever received one 4 in K or 1st. We talked about it with his teachers but neither really had a great explanation for why they didn't give out 4s. In the end, it doesn't really mean anything. His teachers have confirmed that he's on the watch list for the G&T program (doesn't start until 3rd grade) and at this point, his report card doesn't really mean anything. I can see how it may mean more to parents who have kids who are struggling though.

Hmm interesting... I will let you know when we get our report card! We had conference last week and DD is also reading above level. I do agree with you; why have report cards if you're not going to use certain grades, and also not have the report card match what you're hearing during conference!

This was my experience with our report cards too (1st grade). The PT conference, we were told that kiddo is reading at the highest first grade level (and based on my volunteering for their take-home reading program, she is one of three kids who are at the highest DRA level in the class) and that she's doing second grade level math, but the report card reflected whatever the "meets expectations" number was. I honestly just shrugged it off, but I did pause and wonder why the discrepancies.

@Ajsmommy: We got our report cards about a month ago, and DS who is doing wonderfully in K, in the most advanced reading group, interacting really well with teachers and peers, etc. only got 3s and Meets Expectations and no EE. There were some things he was assessed on like letter recognition that I know he “exceeds expectations” on based the definition provided. As a teacher I have had excellent observations yet they couldn’t give me a perfect score because they have to show improvement over the course of the year. When I saw DS’s report card I just immediately thought of that and rolled my eyes. I know he is doing a fantastic job.

Interesting. Our report card only have a + / or - so it’s like usually, sometimes, rarely

Our Kinder report card had no grades. Just comments to say how they were doing. Your comments kind of remind me of our work’s performance reviews. We never get a “4”. That’s because a “4” means that you are putting in tons of overtime, putting out fires right and left. You are basically the biggest superstar in the world. A “3” means “meets expectations”, which is to do your job and do it well. I think that’s probably how your kid is doing. She’s doing kindergarten and she’s doing it well. A “4” would probably mean that she should be moved to first grade now and be expected to graduate from high school at 14.

@Ajsmommy: As a former primary teacher, this sounds very standard. While doing 1st grade work in K is awesome, it’s also just not that uncommon. I’ve had kids that could literally do Middle School grade level stuff at this age. A child who could qualify for Gifted & Talented or we consider skipping a grade I could see getting consistent 4’s. There is such a wide range of abilities from kids in a given grade level, that just one grade ahead isn’t all that noteworthy. It’s awesome that she will likely keep excelling and hopefully continue to do well, but keep it in perspective. It sounds like the school interprets a 3 as “Where they should be” which is how I would look at it too. There is such a range of what kids in her class are able to do and I would bet kids who can do more than her and less still got 3’s. Why? Because that’s all still “normal” for this grade level.

@Ajsmommy: I think that "the point" is there's good evidence to show that teaching in a way that encourages intrinsic motivation rather than external motivation (say, being motivated by trying to get a good grad) is a good idea. There is a move to do this more in higher grades as well, in an effort to get kids focused less on a subjective grade and more focused on learning and being good citizens just because thats the right thing to do. Being good even when no one is looking, being good even when no one is grading you, you know?

@JCCovi: i didnt share it with my DS!

@Ajsmommy: Just got our kindergarten report card, and she is all 3 out of 4, and S which is one step down from E. I totally get it though; this is 1 out of 3 trimesters, so it's kind of hard to improve if you start out with the highest score. I def take to heart more with what they talked about during PTC and also the little blurb they wrote as that means so much more than the standard "grading" they get.

@Ajsmommy: I mean they did say she is above reading level, but I can see why if she got the best score already in the very first marking period, then there's really no where to go. And I also think being literally the first 3 months in kindergarten, as amazing as all the kids are, I am sure there's room for improvement...?

@Ajsmommy: I only consider that “not rewarding those who excel” if they are also giving the kids who are below the expected reading level MEs and 3s.
If everyone in the class is getting the same thing regardless of their performance, then yeah, I’d be annoyed. But I would assume there are some kids who are below where they should be and they are getting 2s or whatever is below ME. I KNOW we had some kids last year in his PreK class who they would never have been able to give 3-4 or ME-EE to. It would be truly misleading and wrong. Parents deserve to know if their kid needs a little help in a certain area. So, unless you know that everyone got 3s and ME along the entire spectrum of kids, I wouldn’t call it “leveling the playing field”.

And then there might be some who are TRULY exceeding (like beyond 1st grade level in K - it sounds like 1st grade levels in K is pretty common) who are getting the EEs and 4s. To me, that is valid. Yeah 1st grade level is above K. But if a majority is doing it, is that really exceeding expectations if your kid does it?

I’m not saying any of this to be an a-hole. It’s just a possibility. We also had a fantastic PT conference for our Kindergartener, and while we haven’t received his report card yet, Im not expecting her to give him a perfect across the board. There are always areas of improvement. I feel like “oh she/he is really special, beyond what’s normal and expected” should really be reserved for those who are...special and beyond what’s normal and expected. Maybe my kid is, maybe he isn’t. But I know I’ll always think he’s more special than everyone else so my assessment doesn’t count. until a teacher says it on her own, we’re just doing our part at home and letting the teacher take care of the rest. And, it’s only K 🤷‍♀️

@Ajsmommy: no, what I’m saying is if everyone is reading at 1st grade level, then that’s not very excellent or exceeding anything.

Sounds like this really bothers you. Maybe you should talk to the teacher or even go above her. Despite saying repeatedly that you don’t want to be “those parents”, you are being “those parents”.

I think the terms "excel" and "excellence" are the problem here. In K kids are just beginning their education. I think any grade is made up of the average information in the curriculum that needs to be taught to that grade. So there is more information that a Kindergartener could know/ learn to still be on level but they have to teach to the majority on a broad spectrum. In higher grades then you can go above an really excel and there are special programs for true excellence. Yes as a parent we can see our child doing really well with their behavior /reading /math. And that's great and amazing but excellence to me is another step above that. Its outstanding, superior, brilliance. I think handing out "excellence" without true knowledge of their growth and potential is a bit premature and can add to the problem of kids feeling entitle to things. And parents thinking their kids are deserving of things that have not been earned accordingly like the "everyone deserves a trophy" mentality.

I think K is just too early for all of it. Our school did the same, they don't give out the highest marks for the kids off the bat and I get it. I also get that as parents we think our kids are amazing, and they are

I'm not sure that I'd classify what's happening here as disingenuous or untrue. I teach at the university level, so not K, but I'm sure there are similarities in the fact that there is nuance to grading. (ETA There's a wide swath between "sucking at something" and "excelling at something.") The teachers discussing how they all grade so that they're on the same page doesn't seem outlandish to me. In fact, I'd think it's a good thing, because it helps avoid situations where you could otherwise have one teacher who was known for being an easy grader vs. a hard grader. Wouldn't it make you (or any other parent) more upset to find out that Teacher A was giving EEs to kids similar to your DD while Teacher B wasn't? Consistency here seems like a good thing then, right?

At this age, I'd hope that the focus was less on a formal grade and more on instilling a love for learning, of enjoyment of the classroom, and of excitement for school. You've gotten some good responses here, I think, to help examine the situation from another angle.

@Ajsmommy: a lot f schools also don't give 4s that early in the school year because they want the report card to show some growth over time. I can understand how it seems weird but like others have said I now accept that the number grade is not as important as the teachers comments. Additionally when they get older if they are doing well they get selected for talented and gifted testing. So don't feel that the teachers don't recognize which kids are standing out and exceeding expectation

My work is very much like this, too. You have to be, like, practically the number one employee in the whole company to get exceeds expectations. Seems like if a ton of people get the top grades, then it would be kind of like grade inflation, no? Like grading on a curve? Anyway, I don't really see the point in report cards for kindergartners anyway, so I wouldn't even worry about it. Sounds like she's doing what she's supposed to be doing, which is great! Some things I would consider: What would be the benefit to her of getting the higher ratings? How is this harming her? Are you telling her about the grades, going into the nuances, saying, "Well, you could have gotten higher ratings but got this instead"? I'm assuming not. I'd just tell her, "Your teacher thinks you're doing a great job in school, we're so proud of you, keep up the good work!" and done. Frankly, at this age, the report cards seem more for the parents than the kids. It's not like any universities will not accept a student based on meeting expectations in kindergarten.