Seems preschool teacher gave innacurate scores on report card. I don't think she assessed him.?

Question

I'm a kindergarten teacher and my son is at another school in a preschool class. I just received a report card and there are several areas reported where the teacher checked the "developing" box instead of proficient.

For example: my son knows all his letters and letter sounds (and is reading beginner books) but for some reason she checked "developing" and not "proficient". She did this is several other areas, too. She didn't rate him accurately for gross motor skills as he's very advance there. Now I completely understand a lower score in fine motor skills since he really needs to work on them, but there should be a huge difference in the grade between his gross motor skills and his writing.

Should I ask for a conference? I'm tempted to ask if I may see the assessment used to evaluate his abilities. I have a feeling she didn't asess them and gave grades by what she could remember.

What would you do? Thanks

Answer 1

As a professional you must know that this kind of assessment is notoriously inaccurate for young children. In my opinion preschools have no business even giving out this kind of report card. In the long run, it makes no difference what he received. Lighten up, and find a preschool that doesn't participate in this particular form of child abuse.

Answer 2

You have every right to ask how students were assessed. If the assessment took place on one occasion it is possible that your son didn't demonstrate proficiency in an area despite the fact that he may really be proficient. He may have been tired, distracted, etc. when the assessment took place. I would definitely ask to speak with both the teacher and the director. Good luck!

Answer 3

I always explain to my preschoolers parents that the academic assessments are only a picture into what I saw at the moment I gave the test. I think testing children at this age is very inconsistent and not necessary. The only reason a school should assess Their students is for teachers to know what areas they need to work on. Not for parent  to stress over.

I do think there are teachers who are not trained to assess students- and don't know what they are doing. In that case it is not their fault- it is the school's. I can tell you the teacher is probably making a tiny salary and is over worked as it is.

I would say talk to her about your concerns, but understand, these scores mean nothing to anyone but you. I'm sure your son doesn't care , and it means nothing in terms off college aspirations.

Answer 4

Proficient generally means that they are stronger than all the other children in one area.  If the child meets the requirements and is on par with other children, then they may still be considered to be developing.  Also, I think that for almost any skill, there is room for improvement and I think that's what "developing" means

Answer 5

Assessment tests for preschoolers can be very inaccurate, this is because a preschoolers performance depends largely on his mood and/or  his surroundings.

It is possible that your son was feeling shy or stressed, tired, hungry, or maybe he wanted to be doing what his classmates were doing.

I have administered assessment tests to children and at times, I have  been forced to score them lower than their ability, simply because they were not in the "mood" to be tested at that time.

I don't like it, nor do I agree with this method of testing, but  I do it because it is a requirement of my job.

Your preschool teacher may be in the same situation

As far as the conference is concerned, of course you have every right to a conference with his teacher, or you could begin by asking some causal questions such as " My son recognizes his all his letters and letter sounds, I was surprised that he scored as only "developing".

You may get the information that you need at that time, then, if you still have concerns call a conference. Even if it's for no other reason than to ease  your own mind.

Answer 6

He might know them, but the way that he was tested, he might not have answered them correctly. Sometimes when young children are drilled, they do not properly answer.  They shut down.  I wouldn't worry about it too much.  You could ask for a conference, and you could talk about it. I highly doubt that she made up the scores.  Sometimes children do not always perform when tested.

Answer 7

I think it is important that, if there are any concerns on your part, you discuss them with the teacher.  BUT...

Realize a certain thing about these reports.  Especially this early in the year.  And I'll openly say this.  When a teacher has ... 30?  60?  However many of these things to fill out, we spend a lot of time thinking about times we have seen your child.  Maybe she has seen him run around and is faster then everyone and knows that, but she's only seen him try to climb a jungle gym 2 times and he was not very comfortable with it those 2 times and he hasn't touched it since.  It might have been something else those 2 times, but she might know he's really fast.  But maybe he just needs some work in that particular area.

Maybe he is doing great in gross motor skills and is fine, but nothing really strikes the teacher as "wow!" in that area.  So "developing" would be a perfectly acceptable answer there.

Or, which is more likely the case, a preschooler (no matter how advanced he is) is still developing in gross motor skills.  Unless the Olympic commitee called him this week for their triathalon, he's still developing.

When I see the word "developing," I automatically think, "he's good in that area and he's getting better."  That, to me, is a good thing.  "Proficient," to me, means "this is the child's strongest area and I'm incredibly amazed at how well this is mastered."  I can't imagine ever giving a child that age "Mastered" for gross motor skills unless they were doing back flips and jumping over trees. :-D

If you really want to find out why he was given what he was given, just ask for clarification on what the teacher thinks the terms mean.  She may have a different idea of what the words mean than you do and that may clear it up right away.

Matt

Answer 8

I am sorry, but you need to lighten up a little. If she is not claiming your child is struggling or behind but that he is developing then he is doing well. Often teachers want to show growth across time. I am not sure what kind of preschool he is in, but it is likely that she is not doing a comprehensive assessment like you have to do as a kindergarten teacher and she very well could be reporting based on his performance in the classroom an not based on individual assessment this is acceptable. Are you afraid that she is lazy, not teaching him or he is not being treated appropriately? Do you want him identified as gifted as a preschooler? I am only for reaching your potential and achieving but to worry about report card grades as a preschool student is a little much in my opinion. I know you just love your son and want the best and I am not trying to judge you, but I just think that as a society we are getting so grade and test centered that we are missing the forest for the trees. Attacking the teacher and accusing her of not properly assessing your child when you know his strengths clearly will accomplish what? Unless you want to burn bridges or truly feel the teacher is a liar and unsavory (in which case you should move your child) it seems like it is less important how he tests or is tested compared to his overall happiness, progress and success in the program with this teacher.