DECIPHERING THE PROGRESS REPORT

This year we initiated the use of a rubric for parents to use to help them understand what the letter meant in each box. I am wondering what parents thought of it--was it easy/hard and helpful/not helpful?

As I filled in the boxes, I found myself becoming frustrated for a number of reasons I will elaborate on:

First, the choices limited me. For many of the boxes I wanted to put "Introduced," because we have introduced the material/activity, but the child just hasn't shown any interest towards it yet. However, it appears we have not covered the material because I put "NI" (not introduced) instead of "B" for Not Yet, so parents wouldn't think they were trying to get it but just couldn't.

Second, I wish we had put "M" for any "Yes" in the rubric; that way, you would (and I would) know the child had mastered the essential skill. Now I have to look back at the rubric for each item to find out if they know the essential skill. In a lot of cases, that's a P, and that's misleading to me.

Third, it's easy to put an I for introduced, D for developing, and an M for mastery; with this rubric I have to be so specific that I spent days on filling it in rather than hours. I had to look back so much that I started thinking parents would have to, too, and decided to share my thoughts about it via the blog.

My biggest problem, though, is the emphasis on the academic skills and the fear that parents will a) also focus on this with their child and b) compare their child to others. Your child is a WORK IN PROGRESS, and life is the journey. He or she will get there when he/she is ready. To me, the most important thing to develop as a Preschooler is operating in a room that allows for freedom within limits and developing social ettiquette with each other. As a Kindergartner, I feel I have helped your chld if he/she learns to read IF they are interested in learning, and I am hopeful they will all be able to do 4-place simple addition with the Golden Beads. Everything else is icing on the cake!

I know from listening to E1 teachers that their rooms are full of materials that require reading, so that is why I hope everyone will be interested in reading. At home, you can instill a desire to read by 1) modeling it! 2) listening to each other read and 3) taking time each day to have your child read his/her book to you and signing and sending it back so we can replace it with another. Suzanne and I never send home a book until they have read it to us, which gives them practice with the words before they read it to you. We start with the pattern books, then the Bob Book series, then the Mac and Tab series, with a phonogram series put in there when the time is right to move them beyond simple phonetic words.

During the summer, the best thing you can do for your child is to KEEP THEM READING! We send home books and workbooks so they retain all they have gained over the year.


I would love to hear your response to the use of the rubric so we can make changes either this year or, at least, for next year.