Milestones for gradeschool age children

[jtjt]

I have been able to locate several resources listing different milestones for infants and toddlers.  However, I cannot seem to find any that list educational milestones for gradeschool aged children.  I know my son's reading GLE because he was tested.  I would like to know where he stands in other areas too.   I know the school can test him, but we are waitng to do that until the end of the school year. 

Are you able to suggest any resources?  Thanks!

[moominmamma]

Well, where he's at depends on what he's being taught. I don't they'd be considered "milestones" so much as curriculum-based educational outcome expectations. I'm not sure what other areas you're interested in knowing where he stands. Math is one parents are often curious about but even it has a lot of variability depending on how it's being taught. My kids' 1st grade math program introduces all four operations. Other programs don't get to multiplication until 2nd or 3rd grade, division until 4th.

There are standardized achievement tests available, but they're based on the assumption that your child is being taught a particular curriculum at a standard rate. 

Miranda

[Roar]

Not sure if this is exactly what you are asking but there are many "scope and sequence" lists out there. They are just lists of what is typically covered in each grade. If you are in the U.S. you could also go to your state's Department of Education website and find the standards for each grade.

[ollyoxenfree]

When you are considering "educational milestones", whatever they are, you may want to keep in mind the difference between achievement and ability. There can be quite a gap between the two, particularly with gifted children, depending on things like exposure to information and learning opportunities, interest level, and other exceptionalities. 

[whatsnextmom]

Just keep in mind that when looking at the state standards, they are bare minimums. A good portion of your average class is going to be ahead of that or doing very different things.
 

Originally Posted by Roar 

Not sure if this is exactly what you are asking but there are many "scope and sequence" lists out there. They are just lists of what is typically covered in each grade. If you are in the U.S. you could also go to your state's Department of Education website and find the standards for each grade.

[LynnS6]

What age is your child?

The PBS Child Development Tracker goes through age 8.

There are a number of theories of child development that go later, for example:

Erikson's Stages of Social Development

Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development

Many states have adopted some version of the Common Core Standards for Academic achievement -- but these aren't milestones.

[jtjt]

This child is 5.  His teacher tells me he is way ahead of his peers, but I would like to know how far ahead.  The only thing we have had tested is his grade level for reading, which was a 4.0 grade level.  I would like some sort of idea as to what grade level he would be on in other areas. 

Thank you for your responses.

[moominmamma]

I think the problem people are facing in answering your question is that much of what is learned in school is content, not skills ... and as such it doesn't translate into levels very well. Reading is primarily skill-based, so it's easy to measure a KG'er and say "he's at a 4th grade level." That's why reading levels are often measured in children.

With other subject areas he'd only be at a 4th grade level if he'd been taught 4th grade material. Social studies, science and second-language subject areas are primarily content-based (math has a bit of skill-based learning in it too). If your child hasn't happened to be exposed to information about xylem and phloem, he's got a gap in his 3rd grade science knowledge in my jurisdiction. Yet he may know all about evolutionary changes in the hip structure of pre-dinosaur lizards, something that might not be taught until college in most places. Does that make him "not yet at a 3rd grade level," or "at a college level"? Neither, really. I don't think you can talk about being at a particular level in content-based subject areas. All you can say is that he is "capable of handling content and academic expectations at a ____ level." So for example I have a 2nd grader who is working capably through a 6th grade science curriculum: she reads the material, answers questions independently and accurately and scores near perfect on the tests. Because of that I would probably say she is "at a 6th grade level" but only in the sense that she is clearly capable of handling the course material at that level. If she hadn't worked through the curriculum I couldn't have said anything meaningful about her science level.

Miranda

[Mom2Grace]

Our school only tests for math and reading and I believe it started in second grade.  There is a series that tells you expectations of different grades.  You can also buy assessment tests to see where they test--maybe ask on the homeschooling board.