Why do so many foreigners and minorities skip their kids?

[Anonymous]

I only know two children in DD's class who were skipped ahead. Both Sepember b-days, and they are from other countries. They are smart, but they have trouble standing up against the other smart shirted kids, who are white Americans (3 kids), and nearly two years older.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I only know two children in DD's class who were skipped ahead. Both Sepember b-days, and they are from other countries. They are smart, but they have trouble standing up against the other smart shirted kids, who are white Americans (3 kids), and nearly two years older.

Do you mean you have 7 year olds in your kindergarten class?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I only know two children in DD's class who were skipped ahead. Both Sepember b-days, and they are from other countries. They are smart, but they have trouble standing up against the other smart shirted kids, who are white Americans (3 kids), and nearly two years older.

Do you mean you have 7 year olds in your kindergarten class?!

No, the young kids started at 4, the redshirted kids started at 6.

[Anonymous]

I don't see a big problem with kids of different ages in the same class. In Montessori its all about mixed ages. Advanced children need to be around older kids or academic and social peers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I only know two children in DD's class who were skipped ahead. Both Sepember b-days, and they are from other countries. They are smart, but they have trouble standing up against the other smart shirted kids, who are white Americans (3 kids), and nearly two years older.

Do you mean you have 7 year olds in your kindergarten class?!

No, the young kids started at 4, the redshirted kids started at 6.

Some of these kids starting K at 6 years old do turn 7 during their K year.

[Anonymous]

This happens all the time. The parents with older kids feel self conscious because younger kids can keep up, out shine or surpass their own DC.

[SWolfie]

Two of my students have skipped a class, both are American, i think it really does depend on the individual child as to the benefits. Some kids are not emotionally ready, but others are.

[Anonymous]

It is incorrect to say these kids have skipped a class. If you are talking about kids who are admitted into K early as they may do in mcps, these kids are formally assessed to be ready for 1st grade, this is the determining factor that allows them to start K early. Obviously some parents who have red shirted their own kids would have an issue with this. As the pp stated, some kids are just ready some are not, they are individuals.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I am actually against skipping or red shirting, as both tactics can be harmful in the end. In the old days, many school systems did not have the facility to handle gifted children, so the easiest thing to do was to simply skip them. We have so many options now that I find it to be unnecessary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: The sense I got was that by the time children are nearly 5, the parents don't want to have to pay for daycare/preschool anymore, and for those of us who are firmly (or sometimes shakily) middle-class, paying for an extra year can be a burden.

This is good point that isn't often addressed. My DS was born Sept 3 and will miss the mcps cut-off by 3 days. Although I'm leaning towards letting him stay as is and be one of the oldest, it would be a savings of close to $12,000 in day care costs if we let him take the test and start a year "early". That's a awful lot of money that could go toward other things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I am actually against skipping or red shirting, as both tactics can be harmful in the end. In the old days, many school systems did not have the facility to handle gifted children, so the easiest thing to do was to simply skip them. We have so many options now that I find it to be unnecessary.

MCPS has no differentiated curiculum for gifted kids in the early elementary years. Sure, they have the HG centers in 3rd or 4th grade but prior to that their needs are not accomodated. Some kids get lucky with good teachers that are willing to go above and beyond but they aren't required at all. MCPS doesn't get the important message that early intervention to any exceptionailty is imperative to optimal development when it comes to these children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: The sense I got was that by the time children are nearly 5, the parents don't want to have to pay for daycare/preschool anymore, and for those of us who are firmly (or sometimes shakily) middle-class, paying for an extra year can be a burden.

This is good point that isn't often addressed. My DS was born Sept 3 and will miss the mcps cut-off by 3 days. Although I'm leaning towards letting him stay as is and be one of the oldest, it would be a savings of close to $12,000 in day care costs if we let him take the test and start a year "early". That's a awful lot of money that could go toward other things.

In the long run, that $12000 is negligible, but I can see why you are concerned. He would be best served by being around his age mates. And it helps his self esteem to be one of the older ones.
Consider putting him in K with plans to have him repeat. Just tell him from the beginning that he will repeat, so there is no surprise or concern.

[Anonymous]

Why set such low expectations for a child by telling them that they will repeat a grade without even giving them a chance first. That is very negative.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why set such low expectations for a child by telling them that they will repeat a grade without even giving them a chance first. That is very negative.

I got the impression that she wanted to save money rather than skip her child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: The sense I got was that by the time children are nearly 5, the parents don't want to have to pay for daycare/preschool anymore, and for those of us who are firmly (or sometimes shakily) middle-class, paying for an extra year can be a burden.

This is good point that isn't often addressed. My DS was born Sept 3 and will miss the mcps cut-off by 3 days. Although I'm leaning towards letting him stay as is and be one of the oldest, it would be a savings of close to $12,000 in day care costs if we let him take the test and start a year "early". That's a awful lot of money that could go toward other things.

In the long run, that $12000 is negligible, but I can see why you are concerned. He would be best served by being around his age mates. And it helps his self esteem to be one of the older ones.
Consider putting him in K with plans to have him repeat. Just tell him from the beginning that he will repeat, so there is no surprise or concern.

Sure, over the span of a lifetime, $12,000 is negligible, but in this economy, that amount of money might keep someone in their house, so if a kid is born a week after the (arbitrarily set) cut-off, I can completely see why someone would want to start their child "early." Keeping in mind, of course, that if this same child had been born 30 years ago, the cut-off would have been 3 months later and they'd have started "on time."

And why would anyone assume that a kid with a Sep 3rd birthday would need to repeat K, when if that same child had been born 5 days earlier, they'd just be assumed to be going into the correct grade?