3.6

Caution: unabashed and totally biased parental bragging ahead. Don't say that you were not warned.

Report cards for the second nine weeks of school came home this week. Once I got over the shock that we are halfway through the school year and regained consciousness, I took a look at the results. Overall, not too bad. Aidan is performing at or above grade level in all academic subject areas. In academic and behavior traits, he is considered satisfactory in all areas except one: uses self-control. Yes, he continues to struggle with not acting on the first impulse he considers, so we still have work to do. However, since that was the only "blip" on his report card, we were pleased.

Yesterday Aidan came home with a report that details the results of a STAR Reading diagnostic. According to this measure, Aidan scored a national percentile rank of 99 among students in his grade. Additionally, his grade equivalent score is 3.6, which means that his reading skills are comparable to those of an average third grader after the sixth month of school. Wow! Our six year old (seven in two months) who has been in first grade for five months reads at the level of a third grader after six months!

Based on my experience giving Accelerated Reader quizzes to the students in Aidan's class, I know that he is one of the best readers in his class. But I had no idea that his reading was as good as it is, and I am so pleased and proud. We have worked since birth to instill a love of reading and it is really starting to show: he adores reading, and reads anything and everything, every chance he gets.

As a rule, we don't reward academic success - it is, as we tell him, his job to do his best in school - but in this instance we are going to give him a special treat. We will take him to the bookstore this weekend and let him pick out a brand new book. If I know my child as well as I think I do, he will be thrilled. And we will, of course, be proud.