The data is in. Redshirting makes a difference. The kids get an advantage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If waiting a few months is advantageous, then waiting 18 months must be even better, right? Why not redshirt for a couple of years? You would also be able to physically dominate the class, as well as mentally.

Seriously... this is not news. Has your young child ever played a sport with a kid 1+ years older? Come on. I guess the title is right though, the kids certainly do get an advantage. Whether you really believe that's best for children is another thing.

It 100 percent provides an advantage in sports to be 12-19 months older than the rest.

[Anonymous]

We started our summer kid on time, kid was one of the youngest in the class. The early years were the toughest (the behavioral marks weren't as strong as redshirted peers) but you couldn't tell the age difference by upper elementary. Our kid learned to become a go getter early. Nothing was going to be handed to this kid, no Scooby snack awarded just for being a year or two older. Kid started college at 17, is now in college (honor's college) on the honor rolls and societies.

Never, ever hold your kid. It pays off later!

[Anonymous]

^Never, ever hold your *back*.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We started our summer kid on time, kid was one of the youngest in the class. The early years were the toughest (the behavioral marks weren't as strong as redshirted peers) but you couldn't tell the age difference by upper elementary. Our kid learned to become a go getter early. Nothing was going to be handed to this kid, no Scooby snack awarded just for being a year or two older. Kid started college at 17, is now in college (honor's college) on the honor rolls and societies.

Never, ever hold your kid. It pays off later!

As a middle school teacher - this.

[Anonymous]

Realize that different children have different needs and require different parenting decisions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is more nuance that the link suggests when making a decision for an individual child. Average trends aren't always the best way to make important parenting decisions. The research also isn't entirely black and white. There are advantages of being young and learning from older students, and there are also disadvantages for a child who isn't challenged.

The field doesn't have the consensus that this thread suggests.

My husband is a late July birthday. He went to K on time, graduated from high school early, graduated from MIT early with a double major in math and engineering, and is doing quite well. So yeah, one size does not fit all. Oh, and he was physically small until a huge growth spurt after his sophomore year of high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Or we can age norm all the standardized test scores. So someone who can sit still for the lesson and test at age 7 is not getting an advantage over the barely 6 year old who still has the wiggles.

standardized test scores are a minimal piece of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If waiting a few months is advantageous, then waiting 18 months must be even better, right? Why not redshirt for a couple of years? You would also be able to physically dominate the class, as well as mentally.

Seriously... this is not news. Has your young child ever played a sport with a kid 1+ years older? Come on. I guess the title is right though, the kids certainly do get an advantage. Whether you really believe that's best for children is another thing.

Mine has. They enjoy sports but don’t excell and it’s grouped by age so it’s not an issue. In another activity they are the youngest with a five year age range and one of the better students at it and the older ones don’t like they outshine them. Sone are great and welcoming and others are bullies. Kinda sad 18-19 year olds are bullying a 14 year old instead of improving.

[Anonymous]

Every kid is different. Red shirting is the right choice for some kids and not for others. There are plenty of stories and examples of this and the truth is you’ll never know if you made the right choice or not really because you can only choose one path so you don’t know how the other path would have made your life different.

I’m a summer bday and went on time so I was always one of the youngest and it worked out fine but who knows if maybe it would’ve been better for me to be red shirted? I’ll never know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We started our summer kid on time, kid was one of the youngest in the class. The early years were the toughest (the behavioral marks weren't as strong as redshirted peers) but you couldn't tell the age difference by upper elementary. Our kid learned to become a go getter early. Nothing was going to be handed to this kid, no Scooby snack awarded just for being a year or two older. Kid started college at 17, is now in college (honor's college) on the honor rolls and societies.

Never, ever hold your kid. It pays off later!

Interesting anecdote with a data point of one child. My sons had a different experience as some of the oldest in their class and were later top sports recruits due to this advantage. No one gave them a scooby snack for being older, but they were bigger and more physically mature than their peers and this gave them a lot of confidence that their hard work would be rewarded. No regrets sending them to the Ivy leave at 19.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We started our summer kid on time, kid was one of the youngest in the class. The early years were the toughest (the behavioral marks weren't as strong as redshirted peers) but you couldn't tell the age difference by upper elementary. Our kid learned to become a go getter early. Nothing was going to be handed to this kid, no Scooby snack awarded just for being a year or two older. Kid started college at 17, is now in college (honor's college) on the honor rolls and societies.

Never, ever hold your kid. It pays off later!

As a middle school teacher - this.

As a parent to a middle schooler, nope. I know my kid better than you ever will.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We started our summer kid on time, kid was one of the youngest in the class. The early years were the toughest (the behavioral marks weren't as strong as redshirted peers) but you couldn't tell the age difference by upper elementary. Our kid learned to become a go getter early. Nothing was going to be handed to this kid, no Scooby snack awarded just for being a year or two older. Kid started college at 17, is now in college (honor's college) on the honor rolls and societies.

Never, ever hold your kid. It pays off later!

Interesting anecdote with a data point of one child. My sons had a different experience as some of the oldest in their class and were later top sports recruits due to this advantage. No one gave them a scooby snack for being older, but they were bigger and more physically mature than their peers and this gave them a lot of confidence that their hard work would be rewarded. No regrets sending them to the Ivy leave at 19.

You contradict yourself. They are not working harder, they are bigger and older so it’s not comparable. It’s sad you did not have the confidence in your kid to send them on time and support them. It probably would have been the same outcome if they were talented.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is more nuance that the link suggests when making a decision for an individual child. Average trends aren't always the best way to make important parenting decisions. The research also isn't entirely black and white. There are advantages of being young and learning from older students, and there are also disadvantages for a child who isn't challenged.

The field doesn't have the consensus that this thread suggests.

Like what?

Credible studies show that in Montessori mixed-age classrooms, the younger kids are pulled along further by the older kids while the older kids get no benefit. So being in a mixed age group is a benefit to younger kids compared to same-aged peers who aren't around older kids.

Which would strongly imply that a not-redshirted kid who can handle the academics and social changes would do better than a redshirted kid who could have also handled them, all other things being equal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is more nuance that the link suggests when making a decision for an individual child. Average trends aren't always the best way to make important parenting decisions. The research also isn't entirely black and white. There are advantages of being young and learning from older students, and there are also disadvantages for a child who isn't challenged.

The field doesn't have the consensus that this thread suggests.

Like what?

Credible studies show that in Montessori mixed-age classrooms, the younger kids are pulled along further by the older kids while the older kids get no benefit. So being in a mixed age group is a benefit to younger kids compared to same-aged peers who aren't around older kids.

Which would strongly imply that a not-redshirted kid who can handle the academics and social changes would do better than a redshirted kid who could have also handled them, all other things being equal.

So the lesson is Montessori doesn’t work?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is more nuance that the link suggests when making a decision for an individual child. Average trends aren't always the best way to make important parenting decisions. The research also isn't entirely black and white. There are advantages of being young and learning from older students, and there are also disadvantages for a child who isn't challenged.

The field doesn't have the consensus that this thread suggests.

Like what?

Credible studies show that in Montessori mixed-age classrooms, the younger kids are pulled along further by the older kids while the older kids get no benefit. So being in a mixed age group is a benefit to younger kids compared to same-aged peers who aren't around older kids.

Which would strongly imply that a not-redshirted kid who can handle the academics and social changes would do better than a redshirted kid who could have also handled them, all other things being equal.

The curriculum is designed for mixed age. Apples to oranges.