Tough Curriculum or Is My Child Behind?

She is at school to learn. She will do great.
It will be amazing to you how she knows so much more than some of her classmates and not as much as others, but by Christmas she will know a ton.

Then by the end of the school year she will be doing all sorts of things we used to learn in first and second grade.

When a teacher gives you information, just take it as information.. They are not criticizing or concerned, they are just informing.

If there is a problem or a concern believe me they will let you know very clearly. Otherwise this is what they do.

So I would ask her Teacher "What exactly IS 'basic skills instruction'...." and what do you/the kids do in it?
And the next question I would ask is "why was my child found to be needing this?"

My son is in Kindergarten.
Your child's curriculum... sounds similar to my son's.
But my son has homework everyday.
His is a full day too.

Kindergarten, is where they learn... and learn the school's curriculum and requirements. Thus, it is not expected, for the parent, to know that PRIOR to their child entering said Kindergarten, nor to teach their child, everything... that is GOING TO BE taught, in said Kindergarten, per the school's requirements.

Your child is prepared.
Your child is age appropriate.
Your child is in fact, also, ahead of other kids that same age... because, by nature, there is a wide RANGE of kid's skills... who enter Kinder and with Preschool experience or not.

I would not worry.
At all.

It might help put you at ease if you ask what % or how many students are placed with your daughter. Our school has a basic and an advanced, no between so it wasn't surprising that about 50% of the students were in the basic and the other half was in the advanced. Of course I didn't know until I asked and was all "OMG! Have I ruined my 5 year old!" until I asked. After that I didn't give a second thought. My daughter is doing just fine now.

Sometimes education (in all its infinite wisdom) changes the names of things. For example, we now call our "low" students "accelerated learners". To most people, when they hear this term, they'd think those students were "gifted", but actually, the term is meant that their learning needs to be accelerated.

I know, I know... if only the bureaucrats spent all the time it takes to come up with terms to actually DO something about all the problems in education.

So... basic instruction could simply mean, grade level, kindergarten instruction. Just ask for clarification.

I am also in NJ and have Kindergartener and the work sounds almost the same as what my son is doing. I don't think my son is any more advanced in what he knows although he had 2 years of preschool. In his class they are reviewing letters, colors, etc. now. I sent my son to preschool because I was sent to K without preschool and felt lost most of the year--but it was socially and getting used to being in school.

Why not talk to the teacher about this a bit more? Hopefully it will answer your questions better.

Sounds typical to me. My daughter's K curriculum (through K12, online schooling) had what sounds like a lot more...in K, she had a full history course in which they not only learned the continents and oceans, but about 50 countries, flags, cultures, rivers, etc...and that was just history. In Language Arts they covered a variety of literature I would've never thought to read to a five year old. By the end of her K year she had her math facts memorized and could read.

Now, at the beginning of first grade, she's adding and subtracting two digit numbers where you have to carry a number, history has moved on to ancient Mesopotamia (for now), Language Arts is literally covering (for now) subject vs. predicate, nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, alliteration in poetry, and complex critical thinking questions about literature. Phonics is going into the crazy rules...in science, they are measuring with grams, centimeters, milliliters, etc...and school just started a few weeks ago. In Art they are studying famous works and concepts/methods, in Music she is doing solfege and listening/critiquing classical music...and like I said, we're only about three weeks into first grade.

You aren't specific about what her school considers basic skills. I do know our local public K school teaches one letter a week, is doing "paint by numbers" to learn numbers and colors...and apparently, that's what they consider worthy of K. That's one of the reasons I chose online schooling, for the more advanced curriculum.

It actually sounds to me like your daughter is fine...at the start of K, it sounds like she knows everything she needs to. What are they saying she needs help with?

And I wouldn't be too concerned if they want to give her a little extra help...better that, and that she catch up and fly by everyone, than she fall behind.

The great thing about Kindergarten is that while everyone starts at different places in the beginning, by the end of the year, everyone is on the same page.

I wouldn't worry about it unless your child starts dreading school or the teacher says she's falling significantly behind. It sounds like she's right where she needs to be.

And yes, this sounds like typical Kindergarten curriculum.

That is exactly everything that my son is learning this year also. Just work with her at home on reading and sign word cards.

exactly what my daughter has in K and she sounds like your daughter and in fact her pre-k teachers called her VERY advanced BUT now in K I see on her tests she gets J. a little above avaerage or avaerage, I think some kids freeze on questions and tests. Anywho it doesn't matter if they're in basci or advanced J. make sure to work at home too (i know where do they think we have the time to do that?) I think its all too fast and too early, they should have play time not homework every night and J. have pre-1st after K to make it up.

Updated

exactly what my daughter has in K and she sounds like your daughter and in fact her pre-k teachers called her VERY advanced BUT now in K I see on her tests she gets J. a little above avaerage or avaerage, I think some kids freeze on questions and tests. Anywho it doesn't matter if they're in basci or advanced J. make sure to work at home too (i know where do they think we have the time to do that?) I think its all too fast and too early, they should have play time not homework every night and J. have pre-1st after K to make it up.

I know it sounds difficult, but the science isn't quite organic chemistry at this point. It will be things like weather or watching a caterpillar turn into a butterfly. Sounds like she is exactly where she should be. In our kindergarten, they teach reading skills, but they don't really teach reading until first grade. In kindergarten, they learn the sounds the letters make. Some kids will be reading by the end of the year, some won't. (I have twins in 1st grade... one reads very well, one is just starting to read now). Math will be age appropriate. Things like counting pictures of birds and maybe showing that there are more birds than nests.

If she didn't go to pre-k, probably the only hard part will be dealing with social aspects and classroom procedures (circle/story time, raising hand, sharing etc....)

Don't sweat it. She will be fine. Sounds like she has a great foundation and will learn a great deal this year!

I would bet that Basic Skills Instruction is just that--Basic Skills for Kindergarten.
You get AL different levels of abilities in K. This is where lots of parents assume their kid is gifted....not so! LOL
They really level out in K, but kind of have to "teach down" to the kids on the lower end of the skill set. My son's K class was reading well by Christmas. Some could read when they arrived, some couldn't.
As for the class load, that sounds typical. My son had homework M-Thursday every week and he had O. "special" every day (art, music, Spanish, gym or library).
She's probably just fine. Exhale.