Child "Behind" but Had All A's Every Year????

It happens when you switch schools.
Some present information on year while others do it the next year.
It happened to me when I went from one state to another. I was behind and had to be set back a year.
One school I went to 3rd grade I believe , was teaching German.
Another , my k-2nd grade school taught sign language from K - up.
Makign a big deal out of it will not do anything.

It's the switching schools. Even amongst different districts in the same state the scope and sequence of the curriculum can be vastly different from each other. I should know, I changed schools every 2 years. I did things in 7th grade that were "AP" 12th grade work in one school. My 5th grade math was the same as 1st grade math at another.

Then you throw in private schools, and everything can REALLY change. Private schools *on average* teach 1-2 years ahead of the local public schools.

You son got all A's because he excelled. No one has lied. There are just different performance and expectation levels at the different schools.

3 schools (that I went to)

4th Grade: Algebra (calc to start in 9th)
7th Grade: Algebra (calc to start in 9th)
10th Grade: Algebra (calc an optional AP12 class)

All 3 schools were "top" public schools in the states that we lived in. Some schools taught shakespeare in elementary, some don't. Some had their 3rd graders reading Anne Frank, some have their highschoolers reading it.

There is no state standard, much less national standard. It's all set by school boards.

Make an issue out of what? It sounds like you have moved your child to a school with higher expectations. How is that the public school's fault?
If you like the private school and want your child to excel there then take advantage of the tutoring offered.

My kids had to go from private to public school, and I'm amazed at the parents at the public school who go on and on about how great the school is. They really have no idea that the school is below average academically. My kids are skating through barely trying, and are still getting straight A's.

The problem is, public schools have incentives to get "below average" children up to "average" (and I'm sorry, not EVERY child will be above average - it's not mathematically possible). However, there's no incentive to challenge bright children. Bright children are all but ignored in public school. But challenging bright children is what private schools do, so those kids WILL be way above their public school counterparts.

So, have your husband raise a stink about it, but the bottom line is, I'd bet the subject your child is behind in is one where there is no standardized test. If the kids aren't tested on it, the teachers can't spend a lot of time on it in public school. They drill the subjects that will be on the state tests, and that's about it.

Good for you that you're getting your son out of that situation. I hope to do the same for my kids soon!

Curriculums at schools, varies.
That is why.

Tutoring for $50 and hour, is on the low-end.
MANY tutors charge a lot more, per hour.

That's what happens when you go from public to private school. I don't think you were misled, but you just now will have her at a school with more rigorous academics. Take the tutoring, whether you have to pay for it with the one school or get it free with the other, catch her up, and then enjoy knowing that your daughter is continuing on a great academic path!

Each school district is different, each school within the district is different, even the same school can vary from one year to the next, or from one teacher to the next. Private schools usually have higher standards than public schools, so they will consider someone coming from a public school to be behind.

Doesn't OH have a standard state wide testing? In CT we have the CMT for grades 4,6 and 8 and the CAPT for grade 10. Since all public schools in the state are using the same test, I find this to be a good gauge.

Have you seen the test results that were given to your child? How does your child compare to others?

No. I would not make an "issue" of it. However, I do understand hubby's point of view and beleive that if he has questions and concerns he should address them.

It's NOT a "shame on you" as another poster said. Yes, kids can learn at any school (or not in school at all), but if she's topping the expectations with all A's, she is doing the best she can with what is presented to her, and you are doing the best you can with helping her study what is being presented to her. Ask your neighbors? The ones that are going to the same school already? That answer was off base.
Your child made A's at a school where the standards were lower and easier. It's like that all the way to university levels---you can go to a public university with ease, or really have to make a mark to be accepted into some private universities. That's what you're paying for in a private school: the edge, to have more doors open to you. An example even at my preschooler's level: there are preschools where you can be real proud to send your child to kindergarten knowing how to write their name, the alphabet, and some colors. Other preschools are a lot more rigorous and will teach them how to read and some math by the time they go to kindergarten. Still others will have them beginning conversational Spanish. My son is a smart, engaging, funny, happy little guy....well behaved, just started pre-K and is already beginning how to read. But I shopped one place where the cow giving me the tour sneered and said "You do realize this is for ACCELERATED students, right?" I said "That's the third time you've said this, and you have not even spoken to him yet. Please enlighten me on how you can judge him on anything but height, until you let him play with something, take a test, or at least converse with him." She couldn't answer, and when I went on my tour, there were NO classes AT ALL going on (I had specifically requested to see class when making the appointment). She said the entire school was out because of swine flu, so I said "Interesting. The non-"accelerated" schools I've shopped know how to maintain hygiene and don't have an epidemic". We didn't go there since her attitude was gross......I can't imagine my son having "fun" there, which is what he should be doing in the preschool years. (Er, I know this went a little off track, but that was an example of a private preschool that obviously had some pretty high standards, off base or not, they thought my son might be "behind" and he's far from that).
Don't sweat this. Just realize that you've put her in a new school with higher expectations, but when you get her caught up she will have some great college testing and a good school for her college "resume".

Unfortunately this is a common occurance! It really depends on the public school your child has been attending, but for numerous reasons, especially in elementary school, private schools can often be ahead. We have a public school near our house that everyone here thinks is just wonderful, but anytime a kid transfers to private or some other publics they're behind! A friend of ours has two kids who went there and made all As through 3rd and 4th grades, and she had to have them tutored for a YEAR to catch up to a public school where they moved in the same metro area!

I taught at a private school for 3 years, and have taught at a public school for the past 13 years. I'm sure it varies drastically by area, and by individual school, but when comparing the schools where I taught, the private school was leaps and bounds ahead of the public school. The private school followed an advanced curriculum, and they even used the exact same textbook company, but used the books that were a year ahead. The work was sometimes more than a year ahead, though. Classes were smaller also, so students received more one-on-one attention. That also made a difference.

I don't think there is any point in making an issue of it. I would move your child to the school with the free tutoring, and be thankful that he/she will be receiving a better education from here on out. Good luck!

I'd say it is probably a difference in curriculum and expectations between schools. A public school is not necessarily going to held to the same standards as a private school - that being said, there are fantastic public schools and lousy private schools. Your child may have been earning A's according to the prior schools standards and what they determine to be grade A work - and in the private may have higher standards as to what students are expected to learn and master in each grade. You can't compare apples to oranges.

It depends on the public system you are in, and the private schools you are looking at. We had our kids in private schools for many years (son went Kinder- 5th grade; daughter went K4 - 2nd) and they both learned further than the curriculum in the public school went for the same grades, AND they learned it to a deeper level. In other words, they didn't just memorize dates and facts of a historical event, but learned the context surrounding that event, the important people involved on all sides, some history/background about those important people, what else they went on to accomplish, etc etc etc... MUCH more info.
I will also tell you that our daughter, who is in 5th grade this year, has YET to learn (in public school) the same math that our son learned in 4th grade in private school. The curriculum is just different.
If your son is a straight A student and motivated in general, he should be able to catch up with some tutoring. The schools probably see this alot, so maybe be very familiar with exactly what he is "missing" to catch him up. I don't think it is a "scam" at all. And some may charge for the tutoring and some may not. It just depends... and probably on the amount of tuition you are paying.

ETA: Coincidentally, hubby and I watched a Netflix movie last night (documentary) called "Waiting for Superman". It is about public school education. Very informative and interesting. And sad. It might help explain the discrepancy you are experiencing.

I would go with the second school since they'll tutor at no extra charge. From my understanding, private schools have a higher standard. I'm not too surprised they are finding this, but it must be so frustrating! I wouldn't make a big issue of it. Just get the tutoring done, and get him to school and he'll probably do great.

Every district and school is different in so many ways. You could visit 10 more schools and get a variety of answers. Don't worry. Your child can catch up to where the other students are. Definitely do the tutoring if it's math. My struggles began with math when I moved to a school district that said I was more advanced than I really was. They moved me into a harder class and I never caught up after that.

When my friend took her kids out of private school the public school was nearly a year and a half behind the level expected at the private school. Private schools are good at being ahead. Their standards may just be extremely high.

Please make an appointment with an independent educational psychologist for testing. That way you'll know if it's a learning disability or just lack of it being explained the way he needs it taught.

I can't do upper level math very well. I had testing done by a psychologist and she determined that I had no learning disability but did have some difficulty in some processing areas. I was able to get with a educational tutor that specialized in this and she was able to help me learn how to put fractions over fractions and figure out what to do. It took some time but it worked enough for me to pass beginning algebra.

didn't read all the other responses, but we had a similar experience when we transferred my stepkids to our local public school. One had been in another public school, one had been in private schools. Both of them were making good grades, but had a lot of catching up to do to be at the level expected at our new H.S.

All I can say is, don't beat yourself up over the past - you are obviously doing the right thing by moving your child into a more challenging environment.

When I was younger it didn't matter where you went, kids learned. Because of the funding the public schools had you learned more there than you ever could in a private school. I was in all honors classes when I went to a private high school. It was still going on to some extent when my older two went to high school. They did all private so in high school they were both behind in math, just fine everywhere else.

It makes me sad but I am going to have to have tutors work with my younger two in seventh and eighth grade if I want them to go to private high schools.

I hate to say this but shame on you for not knowing. It isn't that hard to find out, you just have to talk to your neighbors. There is nothing to make an issue of, it is just how it is.