In many schools, this is the time of year for what is typically called “Open House” or “Back to School Night.” It’s a one- to two-hour period during which you parents can come to school in the evening to visit classrooms, see your child’s work, meet the teacher again, talk to other teachers, hear from the principal, meet and talk with other parents who have children in your child’s grade, and generally get a sense of how school’s going so far.

In every classroom, student work is abundantly displayed. Samples of student writing, drawing, math papers, and penmanship adorn the bulletin boards and are out on student desks. There is a natural tendency for parents to look not only at their own child’s work, but also to compare and contrast it with the work of other children in the class, trying to get a sense of what is expected or “proficient” work for that grade level.

It’s important for parents (as well as teachers) to remind themselves to take a developmental perspective. Sure, there are standards for academic achievement in every state curriculum, at each grade level, in every subject area. But teachers do not expect that all children in their class will be meeting the standards at the same time of year in any given subject area. Teachers recognize that children’s intellectual strengths in different subject areas develop at different rates, particularly in the elementary grades. Then, too, when you think about your own child, remember that she or he may be younger or older than most other children in the class. That age difference will affect performance not just because of where children are developmentally, but also quite simply because of the years and months of experience a child has had in the formal learning environment of school.

At parent conference time in a month or so, you’ll have one-on-one time with the teacher to explore your child’s individual academic growth. For now, as long as papers are coming home, and those papers show reasonable effort and overall progress in learning, all is well. Support and encourage your child by reading with her or him and reviewing homework regularly. It’s a great way to stay engaged!