In Kansas (at least in all of the districts in my area) they will not test
for learning disabilities until 2nd grade. If a child is receiving high
grades in all of their classes then Spec.Ed will not test. I disagree that
giving a child an N is detrimental. The only students I have ever given Ns
to knew they were not performing as well as their classmates. These are the
students who just cannot figure out how to manipulate scissors, who by end
of 1st grade still cannot grasp the concept of drawing a small, medium, and
large circle, and whose level of frustration mounts because they know they
will be expected to perform in my class and simply are unable. These
students are below grade level and need additional help to "catch up", or at
least perform to the best of their abilities. Often, these students will
receive additional help and then they "blend in" with the remaining
students. Personally, my problem is not with the N (because by 3rd grade
when we have to start giving percentage grades and those N's begin to become
A's & B's because of the additional help), but with the O's, because those
parents often have unrealistic ideas of what their children are capable of.
Early childhood teachers have a unique set of challenges! :-)
~Michal (who teaches them all, and finds unique challenges at EVERY level!
*L*)
> M. Austin wrote:
>> We use O (Outstanding), S (Satisfactory), I (Improvement Shown), N (Needs
>> Improvement). The N's are good for helping diagnose those children who
>> are developmentally delayed, have learning disabilities, etc. And the I
>> shows that the student is making progress, but still not performing at
>> grade level.
>
> Michal,
> I have one concern with your districts 4 part grade system. While
> I have no problem giving a 2nd grader an "N" for lack of participation
> or fooling around, I would hate to give that mark to a child who has
> learning disabilities or who is developmentally delayed. If the child
> is doing the best they can I would prefer a grade of "S". If we spot
> children who need intervention we can refer them for evaluation rather
> than using grades as an identifier. On a students IDP, I always indicate
> if the grade given was based any special criteria or on my normal
> grading system. Our IDP forms usually had a box to check indicating
> this. All in all I find the 4 level grading much better than just
> S or N.
> Woody
