I got permission to share one of my kids’ in-school assessments from when they were also 9 years old!

Within the classroom, ████████ is comfortable answering questions and contributing to discussions but may opt out of activities with which ███ is unfamiliar and ███ does not feel are necessary for academic growth such as partner games or activities. This tendency has also been noted in the gymnasium, where uncertainty about rules or procedures can cause ████████ to prefer to sit out.

At present, we are allowing ████████ to observe and learn activities as above in the classroom and the gym, to ease ███ apprehension and allow ███ to gather the information required to have ███ participate. In one instance in the classroom, ███ had initially opted out of an activity, but then saw how it worked, and the fun others were having and said “I think I want to try now” and joined in with a safe adult as a partner first, then a peer. Similarly, we had a gym occurrence that mirrored the classroom example and we seem to gain greater participation from ████████ through the following strategies:

• do not pressure ████████ into participating
• allow ███ to observe the activity
• watch to see if ███ shows any interest
• ask ███ if ███ would like to try (with you or another safe adult)
• this allows for guidance and practice of the skills in a safe environment if desired
• once ███ is comfortable and confident, see if ███ will attempt this new task with a supportive classmate or peer

STRENGTHS AND INTERESTS

• ████████ voluntarily participates in class when answering questions and contributing
• ███ has an expansive and diverse vocabulary compared to ███ peers
• ███ has a sense of humor and has shared things that ███ finds amusing based on the current conversation’s context
• ███ enjoys reading
• ███ is able to express ███self in terms of needs

LEARNING NEEDS

████████ has presented as exceptionally capable in all subject areas, and is predominantly working on social and emotional regulation strategies, such as:

• Social participation (as outlined above)
• Risk-taking in regard to new activities
• Self-regulation and calming strategies

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• ████████ has become dysregulated in the classroom on occasion, but was receptive of help from supportive peers; and seems to respond to the teacher and a calm request or question to ascertain what is bothering ███.
• ████████ has presented as a very capable student who completes individual activities quickly. At times ███ has decided that ███ is “good enough” at a particular skill and is “bored”; including during tests.
• ████████ is raising ███ hand to share in class discussions, but to date these are statements or fact corrections and not yet requests for clarification or assistance.
• ████████ is supported by the peers around ███, and ███ has friends in the class who are willing to help ███ if ███ becomes dysregulated.

Things really have come a long way over the last 40 years. Not quite as funny as yours, but I did like the subtle, “this fourth grader is fucking fact checking me in-class, what the fuck?” note. It’s not mentioned in the document, but we also had a few in-person conversations about how this kid will not shut the fuck up about axolotls.

We never addressed that last point. AXOLOTL GANG! They’re almost old enough to get a tattoo without my permission, and I suspect an Axolotl sleeve is in the works given what I’ve spied in their sketchbook recently.