Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Blahhhh

Kind of down today. I found out my kids are, on average, at between a 5th grade reading level and a 6th grade level. This is significantly lower then my kids from last year (they were at about an 8-9). I am not sure what to do about it.

I was excited to teach a lot of novels, but now I am seeing that they are even having trouble breaking down a short story written in complex vocabulary. I think I am going to have to scratch the unit I already planned (4 weeks of planning.... down the drain), and just start with simpler things. Then at least they will have foundational skills to work from.

How do certain (ie entire CLASSES) slip through the cracks like that? How does an entire grade function at such a lower level then others? It's an interesting pattern you can begin to notice amongst the different groups within the school. It's a frustrating moment for me, as this is a pivotal year for these students-they must pass my End of Course exam at the end of 11th grade. But really, how can I expect them to truly pass that exam, if they can not even read NEAR a high school level?

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