Anyway, back to our conference today. Jack is in an accelerated Math program at his school called PACE. A little background - he was in PACE in first grade, did well. At the end of the year he was tested and didn't perform too well on the test. His first grade teacher said that he didn't qualify for PACE for second grade on his test scores but since he did so well in PACE all year she was going to recommend that he be put in PACE anyway for 2nd grade. Fast forward to this year - at the beginning of this year, his second grade teacher sends us a note home saying that Jack didn't qualify for PACE on his test scores and would be put into regular (I hate that word but can't think of another way to put it) math. I emailed her and explained what his 1st grade teacher told us and that while I'm not pushing for him to be in PACE and I will go with whatever she decided, I wanted her to know that his first grade teacher thought he did well enough to be put into PACE in 2nd. She thanked me for the info, spoke with his 1st grade teacher and his 1st grade PACE math teacher and it was decided that he be put into PACE. His 1st grade teacher felt that it provided enough of a challenge for Jack whereas regular math would be too easy and he would get bored. So we all agreed to move ahead with PACE and if it ever got too hard or he got frustrated we would reevaluate our decision.
So - his 1st report card came out last week. He made the A/B honor roll - he was so proud! This was his first "number" report card - very cool to actually be able to understand his report card!
He got an 85 in PACE math - so I felt good about our decision to push him into it - obviously it was challenging him enough that he's not making a 100 but he's not struggling and failing either. By the way - he has never complained about being in PACE or that it's too hard. So again, I felt we made the right decision.So - onto why we got called in today. His 9 week assessment test scores are low - especially in PACE. And this is where my No Child Left Behind gripe comes in - here he has an 85 average in PACE math but with the "teaching to the test" that schools are having to do now, he may be held back one year. Not this year and we're not talking about that happening now but if he can't get his test scores up, it could be a problem in the future. Now, granted this is the first time he's had to do a multiple choice test and everything but still, it's enough of a concern that our teacher felt she needed to have a conference with us. I don't know if he freezes on tests or just doesn't understand it or and this may very well be the main thing - he is trying to be the first to turn his test in. He is competitive and doesn't want anyone to "beat him" or think that he can't do it. His teacher said that she tested him a few weeks ago with a timed math test and they had 5 minutes and he only answered 2 of the questions. 2 in 5 minutes! And it was simple subtraction - it wasn't like he couldn't do it. Then after school that day she saw Jackson crying in the hall - apparently someone made fun of him for only answering 2 questions and it hurt his feelings. She said he was sobbing. That broke my heart! And he never even told me about it!
She told us this a few weeks ago and I started questioning whether PACE was too hard for him but when I got his report card, I thought he was doing great and felt it was good for some challenge for him.Jack is very bright but every teacher he has had since he was 2 years old has said the same thing to me, that he is very lucky to be so smart and that things come naturally to him but the first time he has a problem learning something it's going to hit him VERY hard because he doesn't want to take the time to "learn" it. KWIM?
So - I know I'm all over the place in this post and I don't know if I'm asking for advice here or not. Like I said - I'm not a parent who insists or pushes my child into advanced classes but I want them to get the best of their education. Jack's teacher said again that she feels that if he were put into regular math he would be terribly bored. It's not the work he has a problem with - it's the tests. But after all - with NCLB it's all about the tests! So - how do you help someone become a better test taker?
Also - would his medication help him with this? I have been very happy not to have him on his meds this year but I'm not opposed to it either. Jack was never really on it for school work (but he was younger and didn't really have school work) he never had a problem focusing on something it was mainly for impulse control (which I'm happy to report that I feel like we have finally gotten under control - for the most part!) But maybe he needs it now for school work? I don't know - part of me says NO, he does well in school - he made the A/B honor roll for pete's sake! Ugh - it's never easy, is it?
But like I told Don today - I would much rather be called to the school for this rather than because he tackled some kid or pulled a girls skirt up or something equally as bad! I'm glad his behavior is on track this year and I'm so proud of him for how far he has come!
If you read this entirely too long book - thank you! Any thoughts are welcome!
No comments:
Post a Comment