Starting an August birthday (boy) in K in DCPS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've responded to this sort of thread before, although I can't find the links right now--I looked into this given talk of redshirting on DCUM (had never heard of it before), and also because my 3yo has a September bday.

Anyway, I remember reading that the research doesn't really support redshirting. It basically said that the little bit of an edge redshirting give kids as far as academics and sports early on fades by the time they get to high school. Basically, these kids don't have to try as hard, because they're bigger and smarter and faster than their peers. However, if your kid is the one of youngest in the class, they'll have to try really hard to keep up with their older classmates--and they'll benefit cognitively from that in the long run.

One of the studies I can recall was by Stanford (of Stanford & Binet fame). They looked at kids who had IQs in the top 1% of the population. Kids who were young for their grade were over-represented in the sample.

There are more of these studies, along with a couple of NYT and other articles about the topic, if anyone else can find them (I just got home and have stuff to do).

PP here. I wasn't clear. Should say "Basically, these kids don't try as hard, because they were initially bigger and smarter and faster than their younger peers.

[Anonymous]

My son is a November birthday in K (not the same PP who posted earlier). I'd be cautious of the risks involved in having your son be one of the oldest if you opt to delay: for the first few months of school, my son was considered a behavior problem because he was bored academically. Behavior improved when they started giving him more challenging math work...but point is that being among the oldest can come with its own set of challenges. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I think more than anything you have to look at the culture of the particular school.
At Janney (the school in question), Aug/Sept birthdays are generally held back. Therefore, the entire grade cohort shifts to be 2 months older. Kids aren't bored because all their peers are older too.
At NW DC privates, the entire class is even older still (the private schools often hold back all summer birthdays and have a strict cut-off of Sept 1). Those kids aren't bored because all their peers are older too.
Comments from parents whose kids aren't at Janney aren't really that relevant since it seems like Janney is one of the very few (if not the only) DCPS or Charter win which Aug/Sept kids are commonly held back.

[Anonymous]

Previous poster again--
I'm one of the ones that held back a Sept birthday at Janney. My child came into K reading fluently. But it was no big deal and he/she wasn't bored--I'd estimate that 80% of his/her classmates were also reading fluently upon entering K.
My child wasn't bored---he/she was the norm.

[Anonymous]

The parents with boys born in the spring and early summer will secretly hate you and talk about you behind your back. It's true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The parents with boys born in the spring and early summer will secretly hate you and talk about you behind your back. It's true.

?? I don't understand this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Previous poster again--
I'm one of the ones that held back a Sept birthday at Janney. My child came into K reading fluently. But it was no big deal and he/she wasn't bored--I'd estimate that 80% of his/her classmates were also reading fluently upon entering K.
My child wasn't bored---he/she was the norm.

OP here-- this is what I'm afraid of...that most kids born in Aug/Sept are held back so then my child will be "behind" and, with a large class, unable to keep up or get the personal attention he needs to learn how to read. Again, I'm not interested in holding him back so he can be "advanced" or can any advantage athletically or whatever. Physically, he's already on the tall side for even a 4 year old.

But if he's going to be out of the norm for his K class, then I'd want to know. If I call the school, can I just make an appointment to talk to the principal (sorry, I am new to this; this is my oldest child)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Previous poster again--
I'm one of the ones that held back a Sept birthday at Janney. My child came into K reading fluently. But it was no big deal and he/she wasn't bored--I'd estimate that 80% of his/her classmates were also reading fluently upon entering K.
My child wasn't bored---he/she was the norm.

OP here-- this is what I'm afraid of...that most kids born in Aug/Sept are held back so then my child will be "behind" and, with a large class, unable to keep up or get the personal attention he needs to learn how to read. Again, I'm not interested in holding him back so he can be "advanced" or can any advantage athletically or whatever. Physically, he's already on the tall side for even a 4 year old.

But if he's going to be out of the norm for his K class, then I'd want to know. If I call the school, can I just make an appointment to talk to the principal (sorry, I am new to this; this is my oldest child)?

You know OP, I would talk to the principal before making this decision. I bet your kid will be fine and that you are just (understandably) a little concerned. Why make him a year older when he doesn't need to be. I don't think it sounds like your kid needs the "gift of time" as some have said.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The parents with boys born in the spring and early summer will secretly hate you and talk about you behind your back. It's true.

?? I don't understand this.

It's annoying if people hold their August kids back, making everyone in the class much older than the spring kids. that should not be surprising.

I can't defend people talking behind backs, but I get that it would be annoying, for sure.

[Anonymous]

+1. Exactly. Sorry you can't deal with having an August baby. But please own it and not game the system.

[Anonymous]

What is the cut off for DCPS? I think Aug/Sept is on the cusp and can go either way. Redshirting is when you're talking about late spring/early summer kids that are being held back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Previous poster again--
I'm one of the ones that held back a Sept birthday at Janney. My child came into K reading fluently. But it was no big deal and he/she wasn't bored--I'd estimate that 80% of his/her classmates were also reading fluently upon entering K. My child wasn't bored---he/she was the norm.

Wow!

[Anonymous]

If he is on target with social skills, he will be fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The parents with boys born in the spring and early summer will secretly hate you and talk about you behind your back. It's true.

?? I don't understand this.

It's annoying if people hold their August kids back, making everyone in the class much older than the spring kids. that should not be surprising.

I can't defend people talking behind backs, but I get that it would be annoying, for sure.

and when your child is playing rec sports that are grade based it is really frustrating to watch as the larger / more aggresive (older) players dominate the game. We no longer play co-ed soccer for this reason.

[Anonymous]

Cutoff for DCPS is 9/30. If you hold an Aug/Sept kid back with no developmental delays, it is redshirting.