I can't even begin to express my frustration! (teacher's advice welcomed!)

PhoxySteph

Im going to try and make this as short as I can

My 7 year old is failing 2nd grade. She just turned 7 and is pretty small for her age. She always has been a little behind developmentally.

She loves being little and the baby of the family. I think she is the only kid I know that HATES the idea of growing up

 She was doing SO awesome at the beginning of 1st grade. So well in fact that they were considering her for gifted classes.

Then her father got married. (His new wife had a 18 month old baby). She went down hill as soon as she found out her father was getting married again! She went from making all As to making all Fs!

We just recently moved and she is in a new school. Her new school is MUCH harder than her previous school. She is still making Fs. We have been paying a tutor (about $350 a week) I have been working with her, we have her in assisted classes... and she is still failing. Im SO frustrated because they want to put her back in first grade! She cried when I brought it up to her. She HATES the idea! And she said it "hurts her feelings" because she is trying her best. Thus I havent been around here as much. I have been working 3 hours+ a day with her on her homework and trying to work with her as much as possible.

The other odd thing is her grades are so drastic at times. She will make 40s, 30s, 60s and then a 100 out of no where. Her grades are all over the map!

 It seems that it is her reading that is the main problem. She is really good at math... when someone reads her the questions and the reading parts. She will be reading a book and will read a word on one page and then forgets what the same word is on the next page. She also says that sometimes the words look like blobs to her.

So to the teachers: Any advice? What would you suggest? Anything that you would do as a teacher if you had a student in your class like this?

I am SO sorry this is so long but I am pulling my hair out and in tears a lot of days over this! I know that there are a few teachers here that might have some advice or something I am not thinking about that I could do differently.

Thanks so much!