I have a relevant question. When does studying start? My kid is only in first. When do I need to expect that tests require at home prep?
C is in 4th, and so far the only tests we have helped him study for are spelling tests (which he had in 2nd and now in 4th). Any other tests have been studied for in class.
I mean this seems crazy to me but it’s very different than our school so I may have the weird expectations. We have k-8 schools, 6th is the start of middle school (DS2 is in 6th this year). 6th grade is the first year with letter grades, first year changing classrooms, and expectations for homework are higher. But so far he’s had very manageable homework (like 15 minutes a night) and had his first test of the year yesterday, which he didn’t even study for lol. It’s a very “let’s ease them into middle school” type system. It seems to work because we have a very well regarded and challenging high school and DS1 was very prepared when he started there. I personally think crazy homework and tests isn’t beneficial at all at this age. It’s more about practicing organization and time management etc
On the other hand, junior year of high school is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen. These kids are going to be so burned out.
As a 5th grade teacher, “we have to prepare them for middle school” was my biggest pet peeve. Focus on where they are at and the gains they need to make this year. Give them a developmentally appropriate level of autonomy and responsibility. The best way to prepare them is to do it incrementally so they can master these things over time, not throw them in the deep end, especially when you don’t even actually know what that deep end is like.
OP, I’m sorry y’all are having a hard year. 5th was a low key one for my DD; 4th is the harder year here because they learn a ton of new concepts in math. It seemed like kids either spent 15 minutes on math hw or 2 hours, just depending on what kind of student they are (and if they had memorized their multiplication facts yet).
Does your district have a policy on HW time? Ours is 10 minutes per grade, so a max of 50 minutes a night including 20-30 minutes of required reading. That is still too much nightly, imo.
My suggestion to elementary parents is to set a timer for (grade x 10) - 20. Work diligently on hw for that amount of time then write a note that this is what your child was able to compete in the allotted time and to call you if they have any questions or concerns.
As far as the test timing, I personally wouldn’t say something but it’s fair to do so. I will say that sometimes there are things going on with the schedule outside of the teachers control and it just ends up this way. It’s not ideal but sometimes you are choosing from the best of the bad options, so I’d just be open to that being the case. Dd has 3 tests this week in MS, plus an orchestra concert. It was rough but we are off next week, they have a school-wide event today, and it’s the end of the grading period. It happens.
I have a relevant question. When does studying start? My kid is only in first. When do I need to expect that tests require at home prep?
I think it totally depends on the school. For us it’s very light until 6th/7th grade. Our schools don’t even really do homework until 5th and even then barely any.
Post by steamboat185 on Sept 29, 2023 12:39:15 GMT -5
DD is in 5th and we have a weekly spelling test, but that is it. They do comp checks for math weekly, but those require no studying. Your workload sounds like a lot. Our homework is about 15minutes of math and 45 of reading a night.
OP- I may have missed this while reading the replies but does your child rotate teachers for these classes or have 1 teacher for all core subjects?
I guess the difference to me is whether it's a communication issues between the teachers they may not be aware of vs 1 teacher who is slamming them with exams which needs approached differently
This is so different from what my son is experiencing in 5th grade this year. There is no homework, no graded work, and so far no mention of any big tests etc.
Similar for my 5th grader. Except now I'm worried that I might be missing something! But we do get class newsletter 2x per week so I'm pretty sure I haven't missed anything...
Also what exactly are they working on? We are doing long division, before that it was multi digit multiplication and volume.
I just helped DD, also 5th grade, with long division homework on Wednesday.
This is the first time I have had to help her with homework since she started public school in 2nd grade. I had to refresh her memory on how to do long division - she said she learned it in third grade which doesn't make sense to me why it wasn't touched on in fourth grade but anyways. Report cards from grades 2 - 4 were graded with "rainclouds and rainbows with participatory hues" (a reference from the TV show "Fresh off the Boat") which to us meant nothing. She also almost never had homework until the second half of fourth grade where she would occasionally have to work on something at home like a book report page. Very infrequent. We were never told when tests were being given and we never received any feedback besides these occasional mailed reports of statistics and standards that we didn't really understand.
Three weeks into fifth grade we've been hammering her every day asking if she has homework or if she has a test and it's still been "no." Until Wednesday when she got stuck on the long division. And then last night I was trying to send both kids to bed at 9:30 and DD started panicking because she had been so busy with other activities after school, she still had to finish the long division stuff from Wednesday and also Thursday's math homework which she started earlier in the afternoon but didn't finish and had to finish her student council speech.
I'm personally ok with her getting more work and being frazzled now because this will be a good way to talk about time management and not overextending ourselves. I believe she hasn't been challenged to her potential so far in elementary school and has been coasting under the radar because she doesn't get in trouble, does her work, and we didn't bother the teachers either. I hear in our district it all gets harder come 7th grade when they get to start taking classes that will affect their high school schedules and academic tracks. I'd rather she start now in learning how to handle studying while attempting too many activities so by 7th she can prioritize school while balancing the activities she truly likes.
For those that asked - she has two teachers. They both know when all the tests are because they both send out a newsletter listing the dates. So Mrs. S lists both hers Mrs. R’s tests and vice versa.
Similar for my 5th grader. Except now I'm worried that I might be missing something! But we do get class newsletter 2x per week so I'm pretty sure I haven't missed anything...
As a non-parent this seems like major overkill!
I don't mind it - it's class specific (she has 2 teachers & they combine to one newsletter) basically here's what we're working on this week sent at the beginning of the week then usually here's what we've accomplished sent towards the end of the week. And reminders of anything coming up events wise. It's a quick scan 1 minute read kind of email.
I'm guessing the teachers think they *did* space the test out by not having them all the same day.
I agree that schedule sounds really intense at that age. However, I'm guessing saying something won't change anything since they know what they planned. They may think they are preparing them for the greater rigors of middle school.
DD regularly has overlapping tests because her teachers don't confer. (6th and now 7th). Her science teacher runs a "flipped classroom" with the learning at home and labs at school. Which could be fine if she didn't expect students to spend equal time on her class out of school as they do during the day. (5+ hours of homework/week just for that one class out of 7).
Post by Leeham Rimes on Sept 29, 2023 16:00:29 GMT -5
5th grade is like this here too. Wesley is legit failing science and I can’t get the teacher to have a meeting with me on how I can help Wesley to fix it before it’s too late. “It’s hard and 6th grade is harder” was the response I was given and it’s a lie bc x is in 8th and his teachers are way kinder and more helpful.
ETA: he had 4 major assignments due today, just in one subject. I know why he’s failing, they’re piling and work and expecting kids to figure it out without giving them a single tool to help manage it.
Last Edit: Sept 29, 2023 16:33:10 GMT -5 by Leeham Rimes
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Post by cricketwife on Sept 29, 2023 16:00:54 GMT -5
I don’t think it’s healthy for kids and parents to feel stressed out about school. I taught MS for many years and we had a “test calendar” so that there was no more than 2 quizzes or one test on any given day, so in that way, it doesn’t sound unreasonable to me. (5th grade is middle school where I am). But I’d also want to know how much studying is expected at home. By the time the test comes, a quick 5-10 minute review so be all that is needed at that age. I wouldn't say anything, but I don’t think it’s wrong if you do. I would probably coach my kid about doing their best, not getting stressed, and saying “this is a lot. We will do our best and be ok with whatever the result is.”
I emailed. I basically said this week was stressful for the students and the families so I was very concerned that in 2.5 weeks it would be even worse. She blamed NWEA but did agree the kids were under a lot of pressure. They moved one of the tests to a week earlier (they originally made the choice to move it to accommodate a class visitor but instead are pushing another subject back). She also said the schedule “evens out” once we get to November. 🤷🏻♀️
I emailed. I basically said this week was stressful for the students and the families so I was very concerned that in 2.5 weeks it would be even worse. She blamed NWEA but did agree the kids were under a lot of pressure. They moved one of the tests to a week earlier (they originally made the choice to move it to accommodate a class visitor but instead are pushing another subject back). She also said the schedule “evens out” once we get to November. 🤷🏻♀️
Oh are some of these tests MAP testing? Don’t even worry about it. The teachers do get data from it, I guess, but it really doesn’t affect grades or anything at all. DD hates these! They are so disruptive and are designed to make you feel dumb. I don’t understand the point.
Are these standardized tests? Or tests the teacher is creating (or getting from their curriculum texts) and administering? Are the kids stressed because the teachers keep talking about them in advance and they need to study?
I never had to study for anything other than my weekly spelling words or multiplication facts in grades 1-6. Middle school for me was 7th-8th and we started studying for vocabulary weekly. We were tested in math, social studies, and science, but no one really studied for those. In the days leading up to the tests I remember our teachers walking us through taking notes and reviewing notes IN CLASS. We all prepared together, and it wasn't stressful. High school was where we truly needed to begin studying for math, history, and science tests.
This sounds absolutely overwhelming. We homeschool, so I have zero idea what the norm is locally. DS doesn't take tests. I just assumed tests outside of spelling or basic math facts at this age (DS is also a 5th grader) would be for broad assessment, not something that would ever stress a child out.
I emailed. I basically said this week was stressful for the students and the families so I was very concerned that in 2.5 weeks it would be even worse. She blamed NWEA but did agree the kids were under a lot of pressure. They moved one of the tests to a week earlier (they originally made the choice to move it to accommodate a class visitor but instead are pushing another subject back). She also said the schedule “evens out” once we get to November. 🤷🏻♀️
Oh are some of these tests MAP testing? Don’t even worry about it. The teachers do get data from it, I guess, but it really doesn’t affect grades or anything at all. DD hates these! They are so disruptive and are designed to make you feel dumb. I don’t understand the point.
No. They did Map testing last week. She sai that moved subject tests on top of each other this week.
5th grade was awful for both of my kids. The amount of homework, large projects and tests was just ludicrous. They kept saying, we are preparing them for middle school!! They don't understand how hard middle school will be for them!!!
Yeah, middle school was not a big deal and life went back to normal when they hit 6th grade.
I have no advice, just sympathy pains...Both of my sons and I cringe whenever 5th grade is brought up (and it is brought up, from the context of...that was hell.)
D3 5th grade teacher was the same and, just like you said, MS hasn’t been that intense.
Now they do have a 7th grade math teacher that throws stuff at them without even teaching how to do it which has been a complaint with many kids and staff. Some ‘A’ students are failing math for the first time but she blames the kids. She is awful. Her method of teaching is in line with an AP math not 7th grade math. I complained when both of my kids came home crying because they were so stressed and frustrated with math. It is going to be a long year.
I have a relevant question. When does studying start? My kid is only in first. When do I need to expect that tests require at home prep?
It’s so interesting how different school cultures can be. My 6th grader just started having homework this year. It’s maybe half an hour a day. I don’t even know when she has tests. Her grades are either 4 “exceeds expectations,” 3 “meets expectations,” or 2 “working toward expectations.” It’s pretty low-stress.
In fifth grade each October, the whole grade participates in “The Bridge Contest,” where teams of three construct a bridge made of toothpicks. They have to budget and justify their costs, and write a little story about their project’s requirements and goals. It all comes down to this fun day where everyone gathers in the auditorium, all the bridges are brought up to the front, and the teachers add weights until one by one, the bridges collapse. There’s lots of cheering and groaning, and in the end the judges assign a winner based on how well the bridge worked but also on design and cost efficiency. As long as you’re a good teammate, you meet expectations. But I actually think they do learn a lot.
I have a relevant question. When does studying start? My kid is only in first. When do I need to expect that tests require at home prep?
It’s so interesting how different school cultures can be. My 6th grader just started having homework this year. It’s maybe half an hour a day. I don’t even know when she has tests. Her grades are either 4 “exceeds expectations,” 3 “meets expectations,” or 2 “working toward expectations.” It’s pretty low-stress.
In fifth grade each October, the whole grade participates in “The Bridge Contest,” where teams of three construct a bridge made of toothpicks. They have to budget and justify their costs, and write a little story about their project’s requirements and goals. It all comes down to this fun day where everyone gathers in the auditorium, all the bridges are brought up to the front, and the teachers add weights until one by one, the bridges collapse. There’s lots of cheering and groaning, and in the end the judges assign a winner based on how well the bridge worked but also on design and cost efficiency. As long as you’re a good teammate, you meet expectations. But I actually think they do learn a lot.
More progressive schools/departments/programs are moving away from letter grades and going to this type of grading. And like your Bridge Program, using modeling activities for students to master concepts. Not only is it more appropriate for measuring standards, it’s also a more effective way for students to learn.
However, parents (and old school teachers/admin) push back HARD on this, because they think ABCDF are the only ways to grade. And they’re afraid college won’t take their kids if they don’t have letter grades (it can all be calculated via the 4.0 GPA system should it need to be).
I have a relevant question. When does studying start? My kid is only in first. When do I need to expect that tests require at home prep?
DS is in 6th, and I have not yet had to help him study. They go over test prep sheets in school, and they have "WIN (what I need)" time during each school day to meet with teachers if they need extra help.
It’s so interesting how different school cultures can be. My 6th grader just started having homework this year. It’s maybe half an hour a day. I don’t even know when she has tests. Her grades are either 4 “exceeds expectations,” 3 “meets expectations,” or 2 “working toward expectations.” It’s pretty low-stress.
In fifth grade each October, the whole grade participates in “The Bridge Contest,” where teams of three construct a bridge made of toothpicks. They have to budget and justify their costs, and write a little story about their project’s requirements and goals. It all comes down to this fun day where everyone gathers in the auditorium, all the bridges are brought up to the front, and the teachers add weights until one by one, the bridges collapse. There’s lots of cheering and groaning, and in the end the judges assign a winner based on how well the bridge worked but also on design and cost efficiency. As long as you’re a good teammate, you meet expectations. But I actually think they do learn a lot.
More progressive schools/departments/programs are moving away from letter grades and going to this type of grading. And like your Bridge Program, using modeling activities for students to master concepts. Not only is it more appropriate for measuring standards, it’s also a more effective way for students to learn.
However, parents (and old school teachers/admin) push back HARD on this, because they think ABCDF are the only ways to grade. And they’re afraid college won’t take their kids if they don’t have letter grades (it can all be calculated via the 4.0 GPA system should it need to be).
Our district went to standards based grading for elementary and middle, and is in the process of transitioning for high school. They also dropped all honors classes and many AP classes. I have to admit I think it's bonkers for high school. But on the plus side until high school math my kids have had basically zero homework which I'm a huge fan of!
devonpow, not to hijack the post, but yes, Junior year is insane. If your kid is a Junior now, just try and be supportive and make sure they get enough sleep. Mine is a Senior now and I am so glad Junior year is over. Four AP classes, a job, a varsity sport and a million hours of extracurricular activities. It was a lot. Pro tip - make your child write their college essays over the summer. Some are announced in the spring or summer and even if they aren't, they don't change a lot from year to year. You can Google "name of school application essay". DS' friends are all working on their essays and applications and we are done with it all. California schools don't allow you to turn in your application until today, but we've had it filled out and ready to go for a while. And we turned in all the Common App applications a few weeks ago. It's nice to just sit back and enjoy the year a bit.
In 5th grade my son had a bunch of projects across all subjects but nothing ever came home, it was all done as group work in the classroom. He had math every night (one double sided sheet) and had to read for 30 minutes.
Assessments happened but they weren't huge deals like yours are and were evenly spread out.
Also, letter grades in elementary school are stupid and pointless. It should ve standards based across the board.
This sounds exactly like the schools where I live. It’s been our norm. Although there was a change during Covid when all kids suddenly started getting A’s and that lingered for awhile, but then it was shocking to all when kids grades started to drop following that period.
The testing schedule you mentioned is our norm, and I hate it. But I never thought of it as out of the norm.