Is Anyone Else's Child Struggling with the Common Core Standards?

I think this is a discussion you need to have with her teachers when the scores come in. She may also be able to do summer work and catch up vs being held back in 1st.

When I come across something like this, I give my child the impression that she CAN do it and I am not worried, even if I am. If *I* doubt her, she will doubt herself.

JC has a good point. If this test is only for stats and not used as an indication of whether or not she continues to second grade, then let them test her and see where their methods work or fail

As a teacher common core is new. It is a big adjustment that needs time. DONT STRESS ABOUT IT! Also she will not be taking the statewide end of the year assessments. Those are only for students in 3-5 at the primary level. Also this year the tests don't count. When the students take them it will a test of the test to see how the process works. Just Fyi when she does take the test it will be on the computer and she will be prepared. Remember you didn't learn to ride a bike on the first try it takes practice same with common core.

I just had common core training by a nationally recognized educator. She said that at mid-year, the kids shouldn't have mastered everything on the test. The late spring tests are the ones that show if the kids are really on grade level or not. So a kid who has say only 55% of the target sight words in January may have 95% in May and shouldn't be seen as a failure in January.
My students are working on writing skills. Our current rubrics use the same measures for the entire year. The CC standards are forcing us to revise the rubrics to reflect that students may fall short of the standards during 1st semester, but have mastery later. CC is a good thing in my opinion because it recognizes growth and doesn't penalize the child who is progressing but not there yet.

My honest opinion: i dreaded this common core thing, though i hardly understood it. day to day homework I am shocked at the math my kids are doing in 4th grade, but I am more shocked to see they hardly have any questions for me, nor do they ask for help (almost ever). they took the IOWA assessment test in october, we already got their results, and both my kids scored 95 and higher in every subject. they are now getting ready to take PSAT (fourth grade), because they qualified due to their scored on IOWA. so, bottom line for us, common core is working way better than I had anticipated. While, I tend to think math is complicated, that is my opinion only, my kids do not think it is. so, give it a chance. see how your daughter performs. what helped (maybe) with us, was prior to IOWA assessment (weeklong), I told my kids that that those tests did not matter at all, and that they only had to try, not break their back trying to do well.

My son is also in first grade. This is our school's first year using Common Core and he hasn't had any sort of mid-year test. I haven't heard of one coming, but can't say for sure that it won't. They have had a few math tests - mostly unit tests - and I feel like the classroom work adequately prepares him for those.

I think you are wrong to assume that your daughter won't do well on the upcoming test. If she's keeping up with the work on a daily basis and her teacher feels she's on target, there is no reason to expect the test to be too hard for her. I know that you've seen it, but maybe she is more capable of passing than you realize.

My son's teacher really stresses comprehension. When we read at night - whether I read to him or he reads to me - we ask each other questions about the book. I ask him a couple and he asks me one or two others. By asking and answering questions, we are preparing for the type of test that you are describing. If you aren't doing this at home, make sure you start. Your daughter should be reading out loud to you for at least 10-15 minutes every day, in addition to the time that you spend reading to her (ideally, at least another 10-15 mins).

Don't stress about it before it even happens. Your daughter will pick up on the stress, feel more pressure, and likely do worse because she's so worried about it. Nothing you said gives me a reason to think she will fail. I do not believe that turning 6 in September makes her too young for first grade. Several children in my son's class have September and October birthdays and do just fine; others have January birthdays (so turning 7) and struggle to keep up.

You are jumping the gun in deciding whether or not she's ready for second grade. You haven't even seen the test results yet. She may pass with flying colors. YOU are the only one who thinks she isn't doing well on the assessments - her teacher has repeatedly told you she isn't concerned and that your daughter is progressing just fine. Stop using her age as an excuse to fuel your worry and question your decision. She is six years old, which is the exact right age for a first grader, and she is keeping up with all the work.

I think that you are worrying too early. Let the tests come back in and then see where your daughter is at. If she is way below standards, then have a discussion with the teacher on what she needs to do to improve - if anything.

Good luck!

You are probably way more worried about this than she or her teachers are.. The teachers will test and give you an honest evaluation..

I think many times parents can underestimate their children. Also many parents will tell you there is a huge learning curve and advancement this last semester of school for 1st graders..

Speak with the teacher, but reassure your daughter as long as she is trying and doing her best your are thrilled.

Frankly, it sounds like many of the kids are in the same boat as your daughter. Seeing as that it the case, I wouldn't even consider holding her back. If many of the kids do poorly on the test, the school is going to be required to intervene and help the lower performers.

I do understand your pain with the common core standards. My oldest is in 2nd and we really struggle through math. Math is being taught way differently now than when you and I were in school. The instructions to the worksheets are really bad...it is pretty common for my husband and I to have a debate as to what the instructions really mean and what our son is being asked to do. We have many, many nights of really intense frustration over this. The Assistant Principal at the school told me that she is unable to help her 5th grader with his math homework and has the same problems that we do. I have a Master's degree...no way should I be struggling on how to teach 2nd grade math...

Common core is just now coming on board...it is new for everyone and there will be growing pains. I would bring up your concerns with the teacher and take what she says to heart. I really do not think that you daughter's age has anything to do with this...

This first evaluation/test will be the hardest, not just for your kid, but for every kid. It's an adjustment, but like Persimmon said, by the end of this year, it's not going to be a problem. Believe me the teachers, principals and administrators all know that you can't really gage much by the first test. It's the subsequent tests where you're going to see the growth.

Thank god they are bumping the standards by a year (too bad it's not several) since they have fallen so far over the past 40 years. Schools have been ridiculously remedial for so long, hopefully that is changing. If the "new" 1st grade test is too hard for students who are a little too young I should hope it means proper age students are being challenged enough. Hopefully over time the class instruction will catch up to the difficulty of the test. A test from the 50's would be much harder than the new core test. Do whatever you need to for your daughter once you see how she does, and try not to worry about things that have not happened yet.

How are these tests, taken?
ie: paper and pencil? or on a computer?
Because, it can make a difference.
Young kids like that, are OFTEN, not computer able or adept.
Hence they make mistakes, because they do not know how to "type" nor accurately nor do they know how to use a computer, well.
And if/when the tests are "timed"... well that along with the inability of a YOUNG child to use a computer and them not knowing how to "type" accurately, it can really affect the outcome of a kid's test results.

There are summative and formative assessments. They are not the same. And how it impacts a "grade" varies. You need to see how "grades" are DERIVED.

Here is an interesting article:
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2014/01/prweb11469294.htm

First, what a great post from Lola; and thank you Persimmon for breaking it down so nicely.

My son hasn't yet hit the CC assessments, but I am not worried. A test is only one indicator of proficiency, and as many have said, a first test is just that-- the first. Some kids learn slower than others, some faster, and it's good to have the same pars on the first and second tests so that growth can be noted.

I think it's really, really important for us-- as the parents-- not to stress about tests or give them more import than they might deserve. The kids have years of tests ahead of them and we don't want that stress to rub off on our kids at this young age. What we do want is to look at the cumulative information about how your child is doing, the whole picture. Tests only give one part of that picture. Try not to sweat this so much, B.. Talk to the teacher if you need to, but my guess is similar to everyone else's-- the kids still have another five months of learning ahead of them this school year. Chances are, if her teacher isn't talking to you about concerns regarding your daughter staying on grade level in ability, you might not have much to worry about.

Relax. The fact that you even know what's coming up on the test is ridiculous. This is first grade, not the LSAT. She'll take the test, she'll do however she does, her scores will get compiled with those of her classmates and others in her grade, the district will evaluate the scores as a whole to see what areas they need to improve in the curriculum, and everyone moves on.

Testing to common core standards is a test of *curriculum and the effectiveness of the teaching* - it is not a test of your child's aptitude or performance. If her performance in school is considered on grade level, then she's in the right place. If she's not keeping up with her school work, then she isn't.

My oldest son (10th grade) has always scored in the "needs improvement" or "low proficient" range on his MCAS exams (the standardized tests that have been issued in Massachusetts for years) but it's not a reason to consider holding him back.

Relax about this, please.

So let's just say she bombs the test....really so what. Since my personal feeling is these test are ridiculous, my child's score is totally irrelevant to them and me. If my child was receiving "D" and "F" then that would require my intervention. These new test, put together by a bunch a bureaucrats...not worth my time and energy to worry about although I do want these tests abolished.

I can't make heads or tails from this long run on paragraph, I'd really like to understand...

BUT what i got from the parts I could read I think it's good.

If your school district is so far behind where every other child this age is then they need to get them up to the minimum standards quickly.

Common Core is a bad joke. This is why there is a huge movement to get rid of it. Believe me, it will only get worse as your child gets older so stay on top of what your child is learning, but don't over stress about it.

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets

last year my daughter was in first grade.. and she was blessed to have a 37 year veteran teacher..
the teacher was against how hard we were pushing the kids.. she was expected to teach them to tell time to the 1/4 hour.. she said it was too hard for first graders and they just didn't get it.. she was supposed to teach them critical thinking skills inferring from text and finding the hidden meaning in text.. and what the characters in books were thinking and feeling.. the 37 year veteran teacher thought this was ridiculous as most of the 6 year olds in first grade still believed in santa claus.. they were not developmentally ready to understand these critical thinking skills.. they are 6.

you cannot change the curriculum. it is the same in almost every school in almost every district in almost every state.. but it is very hard for you to tell where your daughter is compared to her peers.. it might be that the test is hard for the entire class and most kids do poorly.

ask the teacher.. askt he principal if you have concerns about your daughters grade placement. If she is in the middle of the class.. not struggling so hard that she needs tutoring help. I would let her go on with her peers.. repeating a grade does not help kids in the long run. studies show that it damages the kids self esteem tremendously.. and although the kids do gain a bit academically for a year or so.. in a few years the kids who repeated a grade are not better off thant he kids that did not reapeat a grade..