Post by imojoebunny on Feb 11, 2016 21:31:15 GMT -5
I have one kid who would be fine with being the absolute youngest, and one who would not. The problem is you really do not know in advance which one will rock the classroom, until they are there. I would have voted for the one who sucked wind in K and 1st, not the one who is currently campaigning to skip a grade next year in 1st, and though I am not doing that, he is skipping some math and reading based on his performance. I would stick to the recommendations, unless you have some really specific child based reason for skipping forward. Long term, it can be cheaper than having problems later, either social or academic.
From the other post: Our district g&t testing does not include IQ beyond the cogat for referral, in first grade. It is strongly biased toward the affluent and cooperative. There are also a number of challenges that high Intelligence g&t kids can face that a lot of people don't get, like asynchronous development (why can you read on a 5th grade level in 1st, but also lose marbles when you miss one math problem out of 60. or your jacket is on wrong, or we want you to write your name ten times, and it is so boring you lose your mind for 30 minutes) High IQ does not equal model student, it can equal pain in class and disruptive. I won't get started on the twice exceptional kids. 1/2 DD's private school class is there for that reason.
My daughter missed the cut-off by a month and I really feel I did the right thing by letting her sit out and enroll the next year.
I talked to a few teachers who said it would benefit her later because she'd be more prepared and better adjusted. Now, the 1st half of the school year she was bored because she learned all the basics of writing in PreK, but overall it was a positive experience for her.
Post by DarcyLongfellow on Feb 11, 2016 21:53:13 GMT -5
Am I reading your post right in that she has never attended preschool? There is no way I would send my kid to kindergarten without at least one year of preschool. I know she's learning a lot of similar stuff in daycare, but in my area kids are expected to know sight words when they enter kindergarten.
Both of my girls have summer birthdays, and DD1's is late July, so she turned 6 less than two weeks before starting first grade. There are kids in her class this year who will turn 8 before she turns 7. She's thriving academically, but there's no way I would have pushed her if she had been just on the other side of the cut off date. I would have loved for her to have another year of play-based learning before she was forced to sit at a desk all day.
I would follow the cut off. As a high school teacher it is often very obvious which kids are younger than their peers (usually socially not academically). This is especially obvious at transition years (6th grade and 9th grade). I also think that kids need at least a year of preschool to learn how to behave in a classroom, which is very different than a daycare setting.
Post by marclovesme on Feb 12, 2016 9:36:51 GMT -5
We sent DD on time, though she barely made the cutoff (Jan 1). We are now dealing with the question of retention, not because she can't keep up academically, but because the curriculum is going to get really challenging really quickly. I've seen what they do in 1st grade, and it's above and beyond what I would ever expect a child of that age to be capable of learning/accomplishing. Definitely stick with the extra year of preschool and your kid can always be tested to advance at a later date.
Option 4 Let the baby play and be happy another year. Let them truly enjoy going to "school" at daycare. I've seen far too many defeated early elementary students (who now hate school) in traditional public CC/ high stakes testing environments to get me to suggest moving your kid forward into K this year.
Also, side mother fucking eye to school districts that GATE test Kindergarteners. Seriously, I'm livid reading that part.
A lot of the kids who were "gifted" in K actually just peeked early. A kid that can read at 4 isn't necessarily going to be a better reader at 3d grade than the kid who starts reading at 7. While early reading can be sign it isn't the end all be all sign and a lot of kids get kicked out of gifted when it is time for their IEP re-evaluation which can be emotionally crushing.
Post by earlgreyhot on Feb 12, 2016 9:56:22 GMT -5
My K'er has a July birthday and is finding K really hard and I am finding myself wondering if I should've redshirted. But he has a couple classmates that have "skipped" PK4 who are running circles around him. I have a friend's kid in another school who's bday is 8 days past the cutoff who is the size and reading on the level of a first grader (she's 5 in PK4).
I'm really blown away by the expectations of K. But also the range of "normal" within the 3-6 range. Some kids are absolutely ready and willing to read and write, when my kid isn't. He's curious and engaged with content, but shuts down when trying to write sentences. And I believe that the focus on that is holding him back in building other skills like math. (I'm trying to get him back into a Montessori setting)
As for you...I don't think there is harm in testing. I was the oldest in my class (missed the cutoff by two days) and always gravitated to friends a grade ahead of me. I did enjoy turning 21 earlier than my classmates in college though. My sister started at 4 and she did great too...but there was a certain dynamic that was different. I was always tall and and the works as always pretty easy so I was able to work independently...while she was given more attention and got used to asking for and receiving help.
Post by CheeringCharm on Feb 12, 2016 9:56:46 GMT -5
I would shoot for #3 and see how she does on the assessments and then make a decision, especially since your kindergarten is only half day. I would be concerned about sending a 6 yo to half day kindergarten and having it be "enough" stimulation, kwim?
Fwiw, my older son has a Sept. birthday and we sent him "on time" (our district's cutoff is in Dec) even though people recommended red shirting and it was truly the best decision for him. He really needs the intellectual, social, and physical outlet that a full 6.5 hours of school provides. He almost literally bounces off the wall with energy on days off.
I would follow the cut off. As a high school teacher it is often very obvious which kids are younger than their peers (usually socially not academically). This is especially obvious at transition years (6th grade and 9th grade). I also think that kids need at least a year of preschool to learn how to behave in a classroom, which is very different than a daycare setting.
This is my concern as well. When I think about her as a 13 year old in class with 14-15 year olds, who are more developed and mature I get panic attacks on her behalf. I was the youngest in my class AND a late bloomer and it was really rough. I asked our elementary principal her opinion and she concurred that it's best to wait the extra year.
My daughter misses the cutoff by two weeks for both K and public preschool, so we'll probably pay for some kind of program when she's 3, mostly because preschool = 3 yrs in my mind and waiting until she's four seems too long.
Post by curbsideprophet on Feb 12, 2016 10:32:10 GMT -5
Well this thread shows why so many people redshirt.
I am not a fan of red shirting based solely on birthday. If everyone followed the cutoffs I think we would reduce some of the issues mentioned here.
DD has a late Aug birthday with an end of Aug cutoff. We will be sending her on time this fall. If she had been born in Sept we would have waited a year and not pushed for early entry.
Option 4 Let the baby play and be happy another year. Let them truly enjoy going to "school" at daycare. I've seen far too many defeated early elementary students (who now hate school) in traditional public CC/ high stakes testing environments to get me to suggest moving your kid forward into K this year.
Also, side mother fucking eye to school districts that GATE test Kindergarteners. Seriously, I'm livid reading that part.
Sits with @kirkette. It was very inappropriate to GATE test Ks.
Send her to preschool. Do you not have a daycare in your area with a preschool curriculum? That is what my working mom friends typically utilize, or a traditional part-time preschool and a nanny (which is a much pricier option). It sounds like you would like to move her closer to where you live anyway.
Thanks everyone, it's good to hear other opinions. This is our first child so there is a lot we don't know. Our daughter is very bright (in our opinion-compared to the few other 4 year olds we know) and I think part of the reason we were thinking K next year is because many of her friends start next year (they don't miss the cut off) but I can see the advantages of waiting a year. We are still going to go forward with the test just to see. I sent an email to a friend's sister (who is a K teacher and knows my daughter) to get her take on the situation. I appreciate all the feedback.
(side note: Our school district does full day K but only for students who are considered "at risk" and then there is a lottery for all other students, so even if we wait a year there is no guarantee that she will get full day K-some of the charter schools in our area offer full day K but I would like to keep her in her home school)
Option 4 Let the baby play and be happy another year. Let them truly enjoy going to "school" at daycare. I've seen far too many defeated early elementary students (who now hate school) in traditional public CC/ high stakes testing environments to get me to suggest moving your kid forward into K this year.
Also, side mother fucking eye to school districts that GATE test Kindergarteners. Seriously, I'm livid reading that part.
Sits with @kirkette . It was very inappropriate to GATE test Ks.
Send her to preschool. Do you not have a daycare in your area with a preschool curriculum? That is what my working mom friends typically utilize, or a traditional part-time preschool and a nanny (which is a much pricier option). It sounds like you would like to move her closer to where you live anyway.
Her current daycare does pre-school curriculum, but it's a short part of the day, and it's not a classroom setting. It's an in home daycare and there are only 3 kids her age so they get 1-1 preschool time. I do like it there but I would like to find a place closer to home. I wish I could afford a nanny.
Well this thread shows why so many people redshirt.
I am not a fan of red shirting based solely on birthday. If everyone followed the cutoffs I think we would reduce some of the issues mentioned here.
DD has a late Aug birthday with an end of Aug cutoff. We will be sending her on time this fall. If she had been born in Sept we would have waited a year and not pushed for early entry.
But OP isn't redshirting. Her kid actually misses the cut off by weeks. IMHO people who red shirt for sports or out of personal adult insecurities, are making this problem worse. They are just as guilty as the asshole policy makers who have ruined elementary education.
People who redshirt for true medical, or true developmental needs (as outlined by trusted professional who know the child, and have been working with the child and monitoring the child for years) are fine as well. That's what redshirting is supposed to be for after all.
I know she is not red shirting. My child makes the cutoff by a couple of days and will potentially face all the negatives mentioned... Boys 18 months older, unrealistic expectations of a five year old, etc. If we have the same cutoff our kids could be within a month in age of each other. So I can easily see why someone reading this would think they should hold their kid back a year. It starts with a a month or two before the cutoff and moves to six months.
Sits with @kirkette . It was very inappropriate to GATE test Ks.
Send her to preschool. Do you not have a daycare in your area with a preschool curriculum? That is what my working mom friends typically utilize, or a traditional part-time preschool and a nanny (which is a much pricier option). It sounds like you would like to move her closer to where you live anyway.
Her current daycare does pre-school curriculum, but it's a short part of the day, and it's not a classroom setting. It's an in home daycare and there are only 3 kids her age so they get 1-1 preschool time. I do like it there but I would like to find a place closer to home. I wish I could afford a nanny.
Have you looked at actual daycare centers? Most offer actual preschool curriculum for a portion of the day. It would be the same that she'd get in a traditional part-time preschool.
Her current daycare does pre-school curriculum, but it's a short part of the day, and it's not a classroom setting. It's an in home daycare and there are only 3 kids her age so they get 1-1 preschool time. I do like it there but I would like to find a place closer to home. I wish I could afford a nanny.
Have you looked at actual daycare centers? Most offer actual preschool curriculum for a portion of the day. It would be the same that she'd get in a traditional part-time preschool.
I have gone to both full time centers that are near where I live. They both offer Pre-K. I liked both of them. They are very pricey but they both offer a good mix of play/school. They are both still an option.
I would respect the cut off and send her to pre school either full day or half day. There is a big leap in expectations in kindy and I wouldn't want to start my kid off with having to potentially struggle. Your earliest school experiences impact so much of how you view school and your self in terms of smarts. Set her up for success and let her have a transition year in pre-k/preschool and she can go into kindy excited and confident and continue to succeed With the ridiculous reading expectations and 90 minute blocks of solid class time and minimal recess I wouldn't go out of my way to start my kid early.
Totally agree with this. I don't know what the cut off date is for your state, but I wouldn't push for advance placement. My son has a late spring birthday and even then, he struggled in Kindy. Academically he was fine, but Kindergarten is not crayons and singing anymore. He really struggled not to be a normal 5 year old boy who wanted to run, play, be loud, and not sit still for 90 minutes at a time. I think, in general, girls fare a little better at this, but I still think it's a lot to ask of any young child.
My recommendation is to do a little more digging on your preschool options (#2) and reevaluate after that. This is one of those "you have to make the best decision for YOUR child" things, where there are lots of different anecdotal stories (mine included!) but you know your child best!
All I have to add is that I'm glad your district at least gives you the option of testing. Ours is like, "nope. Sorry your kid reads at a 2nd grade level and does math up to the 1000s...kindergarten for her!" UGH.
Post by downtoearth on Feb 12, 2016 11:24:14 GMT -5
I sent one kid early at age 4 to K (missed the cutoff by a week) and one kid late (basically red shirt b/c his birthday is the cutoff day). I don't know if there is an answer you can source here about each kid.
DS#1 - Doing great, high achiever, Type-A person, etc., Oh and is also G&T (we had to test into K early for him and he registered then, but our program is different and starts at 3rd grade level, so he's only been in it for a few years now).
DS#2 - Doing great, high level reader, math concepts come easily, great at art and design/problem solving, very social, etc. Had some speech delay at ages 2-4, but tested out before K, so it wasn't that much. I don't know if he'll test into G&T when they test in 2nd grade.
However, my kids on paper seem the same (and look alike), but they are still very different learners and we had to make different K decisions for each of them.
Oh and hopecounts and tres3 have good info on the different types and focus of G&T - it's not how well they KNOW anything, it's how the think and process that they test, so a super bright, smart kid might not get into G&T. Good luck. Those first few K decisions are hard and our school situations don't make them easy since you have to make them so early before the next school year.