DCPS exception for birth date-based grade requirements?

[Anonymous]

How hard is it to get a DCPS exception for birth date-based grade requirements?

My daughter's preschool recommended that she repeat PK4 instead of going to kindergarten next year. She is the youngest child in her class (she has an August birthday), is small for her age, and is a little slow at developing gross motor skills. Based on the ASQ-3 questionnaire and a special evaluation by a developmental specialist at the preschool, they drafted a letter recommending that DCPS allow her to repeat PK4.

I contacted the principal for our in-boundary elementary school and he said he is required to follow DCPS policy on on DOB-based grade placement and that I should contact DCPS if I want an exception. I plan on calling the DCPS Enrollment Team (202-478-5738), but does anyone have any tips or experience with something like this?

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Get an IEP

[Anonymous]

It’s nearly impossible, even with letters and recommendations.

[Anonymous]

Get ready to pay for PK-4

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get ready to pay for PK-4

Even if she pays for PK4, when she does to register for K, they can put the kid in first

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s nearly impossible, even with letters and recommendations.

Is this definitely true at all schools? When my DC was at Peabody (admittedly about a decade ago), there were usually 1-2 kids per year who repeated PK4. I don't know exactly how it worked, but I believe that teachers were quite on board -- indeed may have been the ones recommending the repeat because they didn't feel the children were ready for K. Maybe the principal had more discretion than they now do?

Anyway, that's not to contradict those who say it is difficult, just to say that there has at least been some variation in the past.

[Anonymous]

Charter schools have more leeway. Enroll her in a charter through kindergarten and then transfer to your in boundary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s nearly impossible, even with letters and recommendations.

Is this definitely true at all schools? When my DC was at Peabody (admittedly about a decade ago), there were usually 1-2 kids per year who repeated PK4. I don't know exactly how it worked, but I believe that teachers were quite on board -- indeed may have been the ones recommending the repeat because they didn't feel the children were ready for K. Maybe the principal had more discretion than they now do?

Anyway, that's not to contradict those who say it is difficult, just to say that there has at least been some variation in the past.

it's different if a dcps pk4 teacher suggests it than a private school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get ready to pay for PK-4

Even if she pays for PK4, when she does to register for K, they can put the kid in first

that is happening to 3 families at Lafayette now. They were on the news.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Charter schools have more leeway. Enroll her in a charter through kindergarten and then transfer to your in boundary.

that used to be true with Bethune and others but I think with the common lottery it isn't.

[Anonymous]

Several years ago, I wanted my autistic child with a September birthday to repeat PK. DCPS said no. We pulled her to a private SN school for PK-2nd. We came back to dcps for 3rd and no one suggested that she had to be in 4th.

The private SN school was way better for her than DCPS would have been and we were fortunate to have been able to pay for it. But DCPS's inflexibility was frustrating.

[Anonymous]

You would need to keep her in private through 1st grade, I believe. My kid is on the opposite end and was able to enter Bethune at 2.5 in the final year before late bdays weren't an option. She was in private thereafter until HS where it doesn't matter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get ready to pay for PK-4

Even if she pays for PK4, when she does to register for K, they can put the kid in first

that is happening to 3 families at Lafayette now. They were on the news.

I’m not sure it’s the same situation though. I didn’t hear them talk about any special reasons for holding their kids back.

[Anonymous]

Because PK-4 is not yet compulsory education, you are essentially asking the system to pay for your kid to have an extra year of free education/care before compulsory ed kicks in (kinder). I'm not making a value statement here, so no flaming please.

I don't think an IEP will necessarily entitle you to the remedy you are looking for either. Rather, they would determine if accomodations need to be made to the kindergarten placement by adding supports as a first measure. Of course, you could ask and fight them on it...unless you have started your interactions with the Child Find team already, it will be months before you get an IEP that outlines what supports are necessary.

BTW- I also have a kid with an August b-day and we had serious concerns starting them in pk3 when we did, but the $ was super appealing (we got in to a free pk4 spot). In the long run, I wish I would have sucked it up and paid out of pocket for another year and started the kid in Kinder a year later. They would have really benefited from being the oldest (socially/developmentally) rather than the youngest.

Parenting is full of *@$% decisions like this one. In retrospect, I wish I would have done it differently. However, every kid is different. My second kid has a July b-day and has never had any issues. So, listen to your gut based on what your kid needs.

[Anonymous]

Does this also apply to older elementary or middle school students? DCPS would not allow a student to repeat a class? What about charter?