Where are you on sending your '05er to kindy this fall?

happylib · Guru

RE: Where are you on sending your '05er to kindy this fall?

CoffeeQueen · Guru

happylib wrote:

About the testing and Montissori, from what Dorian said it sounds like it is a public school. All public schools are required to do standardized testing or they lose government funding. It is also tied to the No Child Left Behind Act. The scores of the school most likely are not just the scores of the younger grades (many states test kindergartners and first graders), but all of the grades in the school.

Also, there is a pure Montessori, and then there are schools that mock but not exactly follow that model that claim to be Montessori. Regardless of the model, if it's public, they have to test.

I think the bigger issue about the test scores is that it seems they are not being honest. Districts generally mandate the curriculum that will be taught in accordance with state standards. Individual schools may get to choose within a chosen variety of curriculum, but it would all address the state standards.

For the record, I am not advocating that all this testing is a wonderful things or that kids should be pushed into reading a math when they are not ready.

Makes sense. I have never heard of a Montessori public school. Do you have them where you live?

Montessori schools seem to popping up all over, but very few follow the true Montessori philosophy. I have visited many and they tend to use the Montessori name and the curriculum and teaching method does not go hand in hand.

I totally understand that public schools have to have a benchmark to get funding.

D, I would look more into that school in question.

dorian · Senior Member

mctex wrote:
I'm assuming you're talking about public Montessori schools, yes? Because private Montessori schools probably wouldn't be testing at all (and thus you would be unlikely to hear anything).

I'm curious to get Melissa's POV on this, but the way things are taught at this early age are pretty different in a Montessori program. For example, the sounds letters make are taught before the actual name of the symbol, math is taught using number cubes, etc. I'm not particularly familiar with the standardized tests at this age -- I have no idea what the content is or how they're administered -- but I would imagine this could potentially make a big difference.

In fact, we were cautioned in going into a Montessori program that if we didn't stay with the program for the whole 3-6 yo block, Alexandra would potentially be behind in some areas in school. (And now that I think about it, I seem to remember Chef commenting that she could always pick the Montessori kids out in her incoming K classes, but that might have had something to do with circle time, ICR.)

IDK, I guess I just hate to see people fired up about test scores, especially at such a young age. I think they're one piece of data to consider, but I wouldn't get too worked up about them. That's JMO, though.

Sorry, late to get back to this discussion.

Yes, public montessori. I think my beef was that the Montessori label seemed to be their 'no questions asked' crutch. What you've explained makes sense, but in the way the teacher said "we're montessori and that's why our test scores are below normal" I felt like maybe she didn't understand, as you do, WHY they weren't normal, and that simply added to my discomfort with that rationale.

dorian · Senior Member

CoffeeQueen wrote:

happylib wrote:

About the testing and Montissori, from what Dorian said it sounds like it is a public school. All public schools are required to do standardized testing or they lose government funding. It is also tied to the No Child Left Behind Act. The scores of the school most likely are not just the scores of the younger grades (many states test kindergartners and first graders), but all of the grades in the school.

Also, there is a pure Montessori, and then there are schools that mock but not exactly follow that model that claim to be Montessori. Regardless of the model, if it's public, they have to test.

I think the bigger issue about the test scores is that it seems they are not being honest. Districts generally mandate the curriculum that will be taught in accordance with state standards. Individual schools may get to choose within a chosen variety of curriculum, but it would all address the state standards.

For the record, I am not advocating that all this testing is a wonderful things or that kids should be pushed into reading a math when they are not ready.

Makes sense. I have never heard of a Montessori public school. Do you have them where you live?

Montessori schools seem to popping up all over, but very few follow the true Montessori philosophy. I have visited many and they tend to use the Montessori name and the curriculum and teaching method does not go hand in hand.

I totally understand that public schools have to have a benchmark to get funding.

D, I would look more into that school in question.

I'm so glad you're here to talk this all out with M.

This schools is run by the public school district, and must follow the curriculum, but is allowed to take whatever liberties they need to, to continue with the montessori style of teaching. It is the first public school of it's kind in this area, it is a FULL montessori program through the 8th grade.

There is a NFP called "friends of montessori" that helps the school and it's administration in properly implementing the montessori ways. Additionally, each teacher is certified montessori, though I don't really understand wtf that means.

Here is a link to a news story done last year on this school, if you're interested.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/5569453.html

It's actually *the* school to get into these days, and we are zoned to it, but i'm just not sure the hype is warranted. but who knows.