Question: Holding a student back

I am a parent volunteer at my daughters school, and I have held my kid back once in first grade, she was the youngest in her class and 4 days from the cut off date. She had been in kindergarden classes all year and 1st grade classes. Now she is in 4th grade and is in an after school program for subtraction which she should already know struggles everyday with homework and I dedicate all my time to helping her and so does her afterschool program. Looking at how she struggles every year I have asked to meet with the principle and her teacher. Her grades from the start of school year and now the end of year have not changed. Her teacher had a red folder in action about her struggle with her studies which I am not quite sure what that is. I want to hold her back again because I don't feel she is ready for 5th grade. I don't want her to continue to struggle and scrape by every yr with low self esteem and her confidence dropping about herself. I feel it will get worse. What should I do? I don't think the priciple will let me hold her back again.

Asked by Anonymous

Answers:

Community Advice

CPerry writes:
Perhaps it's time to have her evaluated outside of the school system? I'm not exactly sure how that would go about, but I'm pretty sure your family doctor could recommend someone. That way you can rule out a learning disability or maybe discover one. Once you know for certain if what is going on with her is medical you may find that you have a ton more resources available to you. Either way, explain to the school exactly what you plan to do, why you need to do it and what you are hoping to gain from it. Perhaps the school nurse would have some suggestions for you as well. Whatever you do, just keep reminding your daughter that you love her, and I wish you tons of good luck and blessings!!!!

Advice from PTO Today

Rose H writes:
Your concern for your daughter is so evident and it sounds like you are on the right track by reaching out to both her teacher and the principal. We are not experts in this area, but I can say to you that advocating for your daughter and seeking help from her teacher means you are on the right track. Working with them you should be able to determine what the correct strategy should be. I'd also like to direct you to our sister site, www.schoolfamily.com, where you will find lots of articles and expert advice on working with teachers and helping your child in school. For example, this article on the www.schoolfamily.com site gives tips for talking to teachers about your child's progress.