WHAT A LOAD!!!

Our staff is excited to announce that your child is invited to participate in an Extended Learning Opportunity. The extended day program is designated for students who are in need of some additional instruction needed to help him/her reach their grade level goals. Instruction will occur in small groups with emphasize in reading and/or math.
Your child is invited to receive extra academic help every Tuesday and Wednesday beginning January 6th, 2009 and continuing until March 25th. The sessions are after school from 3:15-4:15 pm...

This is the letter I found in my mailbox after picking Big Bro up from school on Friday. I thought about it for less than a minute and then loaded the kids back up and headed back to school where I confronted his teacher. First I asked if every child received one of these letters, to which she replied "no". Then I asked how it was possible that I spend time in his classroom each week and don't know that he is falling behind. (Here's where my tears began.)

Instantly the teacher said that he wasn't behind. "He is a very smart child," she said. "These letters went out to 14 students in my class (a class of 25). They were sent to all the children who were in the mid-range for their reading," she explained. She assured me that this had nothing to do with how my son was performing in class or how I was parenting. She told me not to let this question my parenting skills or my sons brightness. And she let me know that it was fine not to sign him up for this "Extended Learning Opportunity".

She was trying to head out of town for her niece's graduation but took the time to ease my fears. Then last night at 8 pm I received a call from her. She had just gotten back in to town and went straight to the school to go over Big Bro's scores. She said that she had been thinking of us since Friday afternoon.

She told me that this was an event the school district put on for the children at an average reading level to give them the boost they need to score well on the reading test. She explained to me that the students who are reading at a below-average level aren't invited, this includes 4 children in Big Bro's class. Seems a little backwards, doesn't it? I am assuming that they want to boost the scores of the average children to counter the scores of the children that have little hope of passing the test.

So what is average? These scores are based on the Dibels test. They tested the children at the beginning of Oct and will be testing again at the end of Jan. Big Bro is already at the level he needs to be at in Jan in all aspects of this test except nonsense words (boj, fek, nef, kej). The goal set by the school district is 54 of these words read correctly in one minute. Big Bro has been testing between 49 and 51 in these past few weeks. This test does NOT take into account that many children in Big Bro's age range (including Big Bro) still have trouble correctly pronouncing certain sounds, such as the sounds for "th" and "r" and "w". This is not something that can be "fixed". It just comes as the child develops.

So how will 2 extra hours a week at school help Big Bro's reading? I work with him at home each night. We try to make it fun..."you get to read the bedtime story tonight" or "try reading this book to your sister". He loves to read but after a long day at school, he is done by the time he arrives home. So I give him time to be a 6-year-old kid and we read at night. I believe another hour at school will push him over the top. And is it really necessary? Will this make him a more well-rounded person?

So my next question was "What happens if he doesn't reach the 54 word goal?". To which I was told that he will then be pulled from class 25 minutes several days a week to give him extra practice. But what if I don't want him missing science or math or whatever. I guess the teachers and parents have a little say on this, so it's possible that he won't have to be pulled. However, his teacher thinks that he will most likely hit the goal in a month. He was at 33 words in October, so he has learned an amazing amount already.

Is it just me or does this whole thing seem like a load of B.S.? At what expense are we pushing these children to reach pre-set test scores? And how is it fair that we help the children who are in the middle but push those that are really in need of some extra instruction to the side? How is this not leaving children behind? Are we producing good, well-rounded children with this method of teaching or just children who can test well on nonsense words? (And how often in real life do you use nonsense words?)

As for me and my son, I think we will take our chances. We will continue to do what we are doing at home and hope that he passes the test come January. If he doesn't it, believe me I will not stand by quietly while he is pulled from class for additional help. I want him to love reading but that's not going to happen if we make it too much work for him. I am angry that I let this letter and the school district's testing make me question my child's reading abilities and my own abilities as a parent.

On the positive side, I really love Big Bro's teacher and am so grateful that she cares as much as she does. I know she is on my side and just wants what is best for my son. For that I am utterly grateful.