Tjtellez9
Posts:228
 | | 07/31/2007 2:22 PM |
 Alert | Jodi, I must again disagree.
Taking direction for a four year old is not listening to headphones. Hell, my son barely got his first pair of headphones three months ago. He barely knows what they are...
Secondly, there is a major difference between being attentive to a TEACHER or simply listening to a voice.
Thats fantastic about your friend Jodi, but the realization that my son would have to AGAIN be evaluated in much the same manner at the end of the year to determine if he gets kindergarten or summerschool so he can advance to first grade is BS> plain and simple. Especiailly with the crap they tried to pull yesterday. | | | |
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"JustJodi"
Posts:619
| | 07/31/2007 2:26 PM |
Alert | | Sorry for your bad experiances, I am just going with what I was told! | |
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Tjtellez9
Posts:228
| | 07/31/2007 2:38 PM |
Alert | a direct quopte from the letter which directly counteracts what I was told by Flores this morning
Early kindergarten students born between september 1st and december 31st are being assesed to determine if they have the academic and social skills to be placed in an all day kindergarten program.
How is putting a kid in front of a computer and putting headphones on them testing their SOCIAL skills? You have them sit and do a one on one with a teacher. Thats what they did with my son last year and now this year things are totally differen.t | | | |
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"JustJodi"
Posts:619
| | 07/31/2007 2:44 PM |
Alert | | That is what is happening. They take the computer test and if they pass they are having a one on one with a teacher or principal!! I am sorry you got wrong info and it was not a good situation for you and your son! | |
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Rollergirl
Posts:70
| | 07/31/2007 2:53 PM |
Alert | Rollerbaby is 11 months now but I am worried she won't get into kinder! What is this testing for? What does she need to know? Algebra? Statistics?
Do I need to be like Ari on Entourage and blackmail the principal to get her in? | | | |
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"JustJodi"
Posts:619
| | 07/31/2007 3:00 PM |
Alert | | rollerbaby can just get in on her looks. She is soo cute I am sure she will do great!!! NOW JUST WAIT till you are going through this STUFF with rollerbaby!! LOL | |
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prnces
Posts:64
| | 07/31/2007 3:03 PM |
Alert | We went to PB today for the kindergarten placement and actually had a good experience. Both the principal, vice principal, and 3 other employees were there to help. They asked my son, "Do you know how to work this mouse?", and off he went taking the test. Now his attention span... that's another story. I think he got bored.  So it took longer than I planned.
Do they give the same test to Pre-K and regular K? I think Jodi is right, that even if they are placed into early K, they are evaluated again to see if they are ready for 1st grade. | | | |
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Rollergirl
Posts:70
| | 07/31/2007 3:06 PM |
Alert | <div class='NTForums_Quote'>Posted By "JustJodi" on 07/31/2007 3:00 PM
rollerbaby can just get in on her looks. She is soo cute I am sure she will do great!!! NOW JUST WAIT till you are going through this STUFF with rollerbaby!! LOL</div>
Awww! Thank you!
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icyhot
Posts:34
| | 07/31/2007 3:11 PM |
Alert | It is a different test for Kinder. I saw both, and the kinder was a little more difficult.
TJ- I am only saying this from my own experience, but Dr. Flores and the Board seem to have NO IDEA what is happening with Early Kinder. I am sure they have other things to worry about. If I have ANY further questions regarding it, I will NOT ask them. I would however,talk to them with concerns regarding the program. I guess I am just saying, I know how frustrated you feel that he gave you wrong info.
My son did get tested at Santa Rosa for early kinder, and had a great experience. The Kinder teachers were there to meeet him, and were very friendly! They explained everything, and answered all questions. | | | |
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MommyMac
Posts:47
| | 07/31/2007 4:14 PM |
Alert | The point of early enterance testing for kindergarten is to advance those children who ARE ready, and eliminate those who are not. The curriculum for kindergarten has changed dramatically over the past couple of years. Kindergarten is not just about socializing, learning ABC's and counting. I had my son tested last year, not in Maricopa, but in another district, only because he was reading on first grade level, could count to 100 by 1's, 5's, and 10's, could do simple addition and subtraction, and could accomplish many other kindergarten state standards.
As a kindergarten teacher, I know that most of the tests they give to the "early enterance" kids is geared to see if they can operate on a higher level. This is important so that there is not a problem later in the year when the curriculum picks up speed.
Your children who will be 6 will do just fine in kindergarten next year. I have had many 6 year olds in kindergarten and they are just as successful as the 5 year olds have been, and even become role models for the younger kids. Don't push your kids to grow up too quick! Let them enjoy school - and give MUSD another year to level out their classroom sizes! <img src='http://www.85239.com/desktopmodules/ntforums/images/emoticons/smile.gif' height='20' width='20' border='0' title='Smile' align='absmiddle'> | | | |
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socrlvr
Posts:88
| | 07/31/2007 6:48 PM |
Alert | | We had the same experience yesterday TJ at Santa Rosa. I spent about 20 min on the phone talking to Pima Butte and Santa Rosa to understand exactly what the testing is about. My son was also taken into the classroom (and he cried) then had to go potty, (they did end up letting my husband sit in the back of the room) then he finally got started. He did the entire test and told me a teacher was talking to him on his headphones. I was intending on him going into Kinder I want him in the Pre K. I know he isn't ready but tested anyways. I do know from experience w/ my older son that age doesn't make a difference in Kinder. I had a teacher tell me being older (6) would help him be more confident (he is a straight A student now). In Virginia, it used to be if your birthday was after Sept 19th you went the following year, period. No testing for the youngins!! It really isn't that big of a deal unless your child is advanced. I am glad to get him in any kind of program until Kinder (better than nothing at all) The testing was confusing today and no one knows anything on the Pre K program. Have to wait until Santa Cruz opens next week, that is where it will be held. | | | |
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maricopamother
Posts:89
| | 08/01/2007 8:53 AM |
Alert | So I finally was able to get ahold of someone about her results, Shes in the early kindergarden and she hardly scored anything, The looks is she didnt know how to use the computer what so ever, its not that she didnt know the answers. So later that evening (after calling and complaining) someone from the school called and said that she can come in today and take a written one on one test to evaluate her. No one in MES got the option to take a written test that day. I am upset that I cant get up to the school for her to take that test, being that my hubby went in late to work on Monday, he couldnt today. So unfortunantly I will be forced to put her in the early K no matter what. But they DO get to take a placement test next year to deturmine if they can advance into the 1st grade or have to go into the regular kindergarden... But in the pre K they are only going to teach you what you need to know to go to kindergarden, not 1st grade. So if you want your child to advance YOU will need to teach them what they need to know for the 1st grade. Im going to call the school to get the kindergarden curriculum and try to teach her what they are learning. But Im not going to stress over it to much, I guess that its not going to hurt her to go into early kindergarden and go into regular kindergarden next year if need be. She knows her phonics and everything like that, but maybe it will help her get real good at it.
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~WARNING: I CANT SPELL!~ | |
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tjtellez45
Posts:86
| | 08/01/2007 9:15 AM |
Alert | | You should take a look at the Legacy Traditional school. they may still have availability for her. | | | |
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icyhot
Posts:34
| | 08/01/2007 9:25 AM |
Alert | I don't understand why so many people are so eager to send their 4 year olds to full day kinder, ready or not. My son is academically very ready. Reading 2 and 3 letter words, adding, counting to 100+. But even with that, I am looking to the future. Do I want him to always be the youngest in his class, be the last of his friends to drive, goto college at 17, be the smallest in his class. I look at it as it's an extra 4 hours I get to spend with him all year! They will goto school all day eventually, but they grow up so fast. I don't see why we need to push them. I hope it is not for convenience only.
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tjtellez45
Posts:86
| | 08/01/2007 9:53 AM |
Alert | my son WANTS to be in school. Every day last year when we sent his brother off he would get dressed in his uniform and want to go to.
I am not pushing my son NOR am I sheltering him. I want my boys to be able to fight over girls, steal each others girlfriends and eat lunch together, play together on the playground on recess, etc....
Only four hours? | | | |
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icyhot
Posts:34
| | 08/01/2007 10:05 AM |
Alert | 3 hours of school vs. 7.
I totally understand that, and I am sorry I didn't mean at all to sound judgemental. I just hear so many parents fighting to get their kids in full day, and a lot of the reasons I hear I guess I just don't personally agree with. | | | |
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tjtellez45
Posts:86
| | 08/01/2007 10:47 AM |
Alert | | Oh I agree some parents dont. no need to apologize. I was just explaining MY situation. | | | |
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maricopamother
Posts:89
| | 08/01/2007 11:16 AM |
Alert | | My daughter turns 5 next month (the 3rd of next mth). If she was going into Kindergarden she would be IN her age group. Not only that, Im afraid she is going to loose so much interest being in pre-K cause they are going to be teacher her the things she already knows. | |
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tjtellez45
Posts:86
| | 08/01/2007 2:31 PM |
Alert | | Well we had registered both of our boys last year with Legacy so we will probably just go there. | | | |
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skoko
Posts:50
| | 08/02/2007 10:19 AM |
Alert | I have to laugh, and try not to sound judgemental, but for the past 2 years all I've heard is why don't they test kinder? Shouldn't they test kinder? Especially the early entry children. And finally they do just that and they are being screamed @.
I agree with JustJody. They first put them on the computer to see if they could sit still, follow direction etc. With 25-32 students in a class one teacher with no designated TA in each class (but that's for an entirely different discussion) can not deal with kids running all over the class clowning around and acting up while trying to teach them #'s, shapes, reading (and yes my kinder 2 years ago did know how to read by the end of kinder year @ Santa Rosa).
If your child had never used the computer they offered a test verbally given by one of the teachers (I witnessed them doing just that). The teachers in the lab also said they had total computer problems earlier and it was a nightmare (but that is to be expected whenever anything is first happening, it's murphy's law).
If the child passed the test either verbal or computer they called and schedule a meeting with the principal to have the child evaluated on their emotional maturity. My child was evaluated for an additional 20 minutes with Mr. Abel. If they passed both tests they were passed onto full day kinder.
I have to commend the dist. effort for trying this all out. They are trying to disperse the classes evenly so they don't have classes that are cakewalk due to the luck of the draw and complete chaos classes next door.
Now don't get me wrong, I've had my issues with MUSD20 and am still dealing with some of those issues i.e. large class sizes but give them a cheer when they are trying to take steps!!!! | |
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." ~ Dr. Suess | |
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