Is it possible to move kid to higher grade (very close to Sept 30 cutoff)?

[Anonymous]

I have a 2nd grader who was born in the first week of October, right after the Sept. 30 age/grade cutoff. Is it possible to get an exception to this baseline rule and have my kid to move up to 3rd grade? Has anyone here done that before, and has that been successful?

[Anonymous]

Not likely. If this is going to happen, it usually happens by sending your kid to a private kindergarten program as a 4 yr old, and then when they successfully complete that, they are evaluated by the public school for entry as a 1st grader (even though they are younger than all the other 1st graders).

Once you are in the graded system, you can go down the grade, but you can't go up. You just accelerate with AAP or outside academic work, and stay with your age-peers.

[Anonymous]

Ask your principal. But it's very very very unlikely.

[Anonymous]

I’ve never heard of it happening.

[Anonymous]

Too late (you would have had to do that by kindergarten), and you’ll come to appreciate them being one of the oldest in the class as he progresses through school. Especially if you have a son.

[Anonymous]

I taught school for a number of years. Only once did I suggest a child move up. She had transferred into our system (with a Dec 31 cutoff) from a system with a Sept 1 cutoff. She was very bright and this was first grade. I suggested she move up shortly after school started. But, she was moving into second grade and was the age of a second grader.

I would recommend that your child stay with his peers. In other words, don't put him up unless the teachers have suggested it.

[Anonymous]

My kid did but it was several years ago; there was another kid in the same year who also skipped kindergarten. The principal had discretion. I’m so glad my daughter was moved. She would have been bored academically and socially if she stayed with the grade based on her birthday.

[Anonymous]

Your kid will go to third grade in August with the rest of their class. Why would you want to move them in May?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your kid will go to third grade in August with the rest of their class. Why would you want to move them in May?

Pretty sure the idea is that if she moves to 3rd now, she'd proceed to 4th grade with her new class in August and remain a year ahead of her current cohorot.

[Anonymous]

Our neighbors got our principal to approve this for their son for this school year.

[Anonymous]

I have a friend whose child skipped a grade, but it's exceedingly rare (per the principal). She was able to demonstrate that her child was intellectually and socially ready for an older classroom.

[Anonymous]

I think you could do it if you jump through a million hoops and your child is very advanced. I don’t know why you would even consider doing this.

[Anonymous]

Why would you want your child to be 16 months younger than some kids in the class?

[Anonymous]

Your child will be the youngest in their class. Everyone else delayed kindergarten a year. My daughter has an October 1 birthday and she is far from the oldest in her 8th grade classes. Tons of 15 yo boys in 8th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a 2nd grader who was born in the first week of October, right after the Sept. 30 age/grade cutoff. Is it possible to get an exception to this baseline rule and have my kid to move up to 3rd grade? Has anyone here done that before, and has that been successful?

So you want to move your son from being one of the oldest in the class to be the YOUNGEST in the class? Why?