Similar to building a home on a solid foundation, children should have a well-structured educational foundation. When construction workers lay the foundation of a house, they don’t begin to build up when the foundation is only 70% complete. It would be foolish to begin adding stories to any home that didn’t have a 100% rock-solid foundation. Yet, we do this as standard practice when educating our children. A 70% passing grade is sufficient to move on to the next grade level. Interesting, isn’t it? We are building our children’s future on a foundation that is not rock-solid.
The Parent Teacher Association (PTA) developed the Parents’ Guide to Student Success which provides expectations of what students should be learning at each grade level in order to be prepared for college and their career. Below are some samples from various grade levels:1
Kindergarten:
- Naming letters & matching them with sound
- Correctly naming shapes regardless of orientation or size (e.g., square/diamond)
- Adding with a sum of 10 or less
- Stating an opinion about a topic in writing
Second:
- Determining the lesson or moral of stories
- Writing an opinion about a book he or she hasread, using details to support that opinion
- Building, drawing & analyzing 2-D/3-D shapes
- Quickly adding with a sum of 20 or less
Fourth:
- Conducting short research projects
- Describing the basic elements of stories
- Quickly adding & subtracting whole numbers
- Adding, subtracting & multiplying simple fractions
Sixth:
- Understanding ratios and rates
- Dividing fractions & solving word problems
- Working with variables and expressions
- Determining the correct meaning of a word based on the context in which it is used
Eighth:
- Building writing around strong central ideas
- Using strong, active verbs to create a picture
- Solving linear equations
- Interpreting figures of speech (e.g., irony)
High School:
- Writing a literary analysis, report or summary
- Making strategic use of digital media
- Solving real-world and mathematical problems
- Proving theorems about triangles & figures
Parents, teachers, education experts, family members and supportive stakeholders can all take a proactive role in ensuring our children are educated at a standard that will build a rock-solid foundation for our future. By properly educating children at every grade level, we will equip them for success and all benefit as a society. If you are interested in becoming a member and gaining access to our Resource Center ($10/month or $99/annually), visit https://advocatefortheinnocent.org/memberships/ to learn more.
1 – https://www.pta.org/home/family-resources/Parents-Guides-to-Student-Success