How much pressure is there in MCPS to red shirt spring/summer boys?

[Anonymous]

Let me guess this right..If I am sending my child to public kindergarten, I am free to decide wheter to hold him back or not and s/he will stay on that path. But if I hold my child back and enroll him/her in private and then decide to switch to public, my child will have to skip a grade?? I am assuming that is meant for parents who push their children ahead a grade..not held them back..since MCPS allows that.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, I don't get that. We are redshirting DS (whose bday is in November so according to his bday he should go to K this year). He is completely not ready (academically and socially). We are putting him in a private transitional K. Our goal is to have him in public by the 3rd grade. Right now DS does so much better with children who are at least a year younger than him. I would hate for the county to stick him up a grade if we enter public before 4th grade (in DS's case that may set him back and undo everything we are attempting to do to help him). I have to look into this further so I know how to handle things and whether we may be looking at private for a longer time than we thought.

[Anonymous]

PP- A little confused. If you are in MoCO, the cutoff is Sept. 1 so you are not redshirting with a Nov birthday. Redshirting is when you child makes the cutoff but you decide not send him.

To be clear, according to MoCo guidelines. He would have to skip the grade only if you came in for 1st or 2nd grade. For third, they go by the grade they were in previous. See link in my previous post for guidelines.

[Anonymous]

PP, I think 19:24 is actually saying her nearly 6 year old is not ready for kindergarten, and she is in fact red shirting him, even though he would be on the older end of kids this year.

[Anonymous]

I read the link..but that is not the way it happened at least to us We redshirted (by many months June b-day) and went to private kindergarten. Started MCPS the next year...1st grade at 7. We joined several other red shirted kids that started and stayed in the younger year. Why would the policy be carried out any differently for private transfers.. Definitely just guidelines that a reasonable principal would not carry out...

[Anonymous]

19:24 here. We are in fact red shirting. DS will be 6 this november. He should be going to K tomorrow. He is not. He is going to a t/k/pre-K private instead. So he will turn 6 in the fall of pre-k, 7 in the fall of K, 8 in the fall of 1st etc.... It was a very hard decision for us, but the right one for DS. I just don't want to screw things up by moving him to public and having him end up skipping back up to where he technically should be (I don't think he will do well).

[Anonymous]

19:24 again. Our goal is to ultimately move DS to public. There is no way we can afford 13 years of private school. and it wouldn't be fair to send DS to private and DD to public. Our wish is that they both attend public school.

[Anonymous]

19:24. Are you 100% sure redshirting is the best choice? I have no problem with summer birthdays being redshirted, but to have your son start kindergarten when he is 6 going on 7? And he isn't ready now? To me that means he has additional issues that redshirting might not necessarily address.

[Anonymous]

PP, I was thinking the same thing about 19:24. But who knows, maybe the child is already getting therapies, and professionals have advised her to do this. Maybe she just didn't want to get into all that in this thread.

[Anonymous]

19:24 again. Yes, DS is receiving OT right now. Don't know what if anything else he will get yet. I have been guided by 3 different professionals to not put him in K this year as he simply is still in play mode and will not be able to function in a class where he must spend a good part of the day sitting and listening--he just isn't there yet. I do feel bad. I wanted him to go to K this year with his friends. I don't want him to end up being the bottom of the barrel in school though (the struggling kid who has trouble making friends, has trouble with some social interactions and who struggles with school work). I lived that experience with my own sister (who should have been held back but wasn't).

All the people who I have worked with for DS have been professionals who deal with both public and private school children (I do understand that privates are more likely to tell you that redshirting is the right thing to do now).

I have to say.... I am really struggling with my decision. There is a chance I can move DS up to the K class in his school (if they will let me and they see DS should be there). If I feel the decision was not a correct one once we get into the school year I hope I can pull him out and put him in public school (has anyone ever done this) into K.

[Anonymous]

At our MCPS school there is a class for kids who need extra attention with various issues (similar to what it sounds like your DS has). I would make a different decision, I think, but I know you are just doing what you think is best for your son.

[Anonymous]

If you can, I would explore private schools that deal with children for a variety of issues. Not knowing your son's issues, here is a list of schools for kids with learning and behavorial issues.

Katherine Maddox is for kids pre-school through 2nd grade who have learning, speech and mild ot issues.

Mclean School-mild learning issues, mild ADHD.

Ivymont would be for more severe issues.

TLC-Katherine Thomas School is another place for kids with different issues

Kingsbury School starts in k

Lab School starts in K

I also believe that MoCo had a special program for kids with learning issues and also a GT/LD program which starts in 2nd grade.

I would urge you to look at one of these schools for your son. The small classes, extra support and experience in dealing with many learning and other issues would probably be so beneficial for your son. Self esteem is so improtant for these kids and when they feel like everyone else, in makes a huge difference in learning and development.

I have been there and we have used these schools.They have truly helped.

[Anonymous]

My son is going to Maddux school this year. They suggested he be in their pre-K instead of K (they feel he isn't ready for K). I think I'm just second guessing myself 1 week before he starts there.

[Anonymous]

We went to maddux. It is amazing. Their teachers have so much experience and you will get so mich detailed feedback. Your report card is 15 pages!you are lucky to get in!

[Anonymous]

We went to maddux. It is amazing. Their teachers have so much experience and you will get so mich detailed feedback. Your report card is 15 pages!you are lucky to get in!