Everyone benefits by positive relationships between the parent, teacher, and child trio. Parents can take steps in preparation as a positive advocate for your child.
Develop a reading portfolio: Start a reading log of the books that your child has read. As your child learns to write, encourage your child to continue with the reading log or reading notebook. The log should include the Title, Author, Date Read, and Short Comments about the book. Include results of past reading tests, reading logs, any self-assessments by your child, and writing samples.
Show Reading Logs to Teachers at the Beginning of the Year: Gifted children often hide their abilities. You need to share your child's capabilities with your child's teacher at the beginning of the year. Show your child’s reading log & portfolio to their teacher. Do not wait until the end of the year, or the parent/teacher conference to communicate that your child is not being challenged. Talk to them at the beginning of the year.
“Do you believe a child should be able to progress at a pace of which they are capable?:” This, or a similar question, can engage your child’s teacher in a discussion focused on how you can work together to encourage your child's progress at a rate of which they are capable. The Advanced Academic Division of the Texas Education Agency created a task force to investigate the reading needs of gifted students, and one of their findings was that advanced readers that are limited to a grade-level reading program can regress in their pace of progress.
Come to a meeting with your child’s teacher, prepared for suggestions for a plan for your child: Bring your child's reading portfolio. Ask the teacher how your child can continue to build their fluency & comprehension skills and how your child can learn to take responsibility for their reading progress. Kids can learn to assess themselves and to put together a portfolio of their best work throughout the school year. Although it is a substantial document, the task force report by the Texas Education Agency has examples of how kids can assess themselves via rubrics.
- Reading Choices: Talk to your child’s teacher which strategies s/he plans to use with your child and other advanced readers in the classroom, in grouping and making reading choices. Strategies that may be reasonable include compacting, tiered assignments and flexible grouping.
- Building Comprehension Skills without Limitations: If your child’s writing skills are not as advanced as reading comprehension skills, suggest that your child provide oral summaries that demonstrate reading comprehension skills and more advanced interpretations of stories read. Oral summaries can be provided via tape recorder.
- Self-Assessments: Most teachers are familiar with the concept of rubrics for assessments. Advanced readers can be trained to perform self-assessments using rubrics, when assessing their work.
- Portfolios: You can suggest that your child be responsible to organize a portfolio of their best work.
Next Article: Book Clubs for Kids
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