Do kids ever skip grades anymore?

[Anonymous]

My son started K early in MCPS with a November birthday. He was big for his age, athletic, and really active and verbal. so far so good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son started K early in MCPS with a November birthday. He was big for his age, athletic, and really active and verbal. so far so good.

How was he able to start K early with a November birthday? I thought they only let you start early if you were within 6 weeks of the Sept. 1 cut-off.

[Anonymous]

I know a parent who gamed the system by enrolling K age child in 1st grade at Catholic school, and then enrolled in MCPS for 2nd grade. Too soon to tell whether there will be any long term consequences.

[Anonymous]

My oldest niece (in Florida) skipped 1st grade, and could have skipped 2nd but mom and dad decided to have her go through 2nd grade. The way her birthday falls, she will be a few weeks before age 17 by the time she graduates HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know a parent who gamed the system by enrolling K age child in 1st grade at Catholic school, and then enrolled in MCPS for 2nd grade. Too soon to tell whether there will be any long term consequences.

That's not gaming the system. That's enrolling a five-year-old in first grade at a Catholic school, and then, after that child has completed first grade, enrolling the child in second grade. Unless the parents enrolled the five-year-old at the Catholic school under false pretenses, like claiming that the child was actually six?

[Anonymous]

I meant gaming the MCPS system, not the Catholic School system. Parent was straight with the Catholic School, to the best of my knowledge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I meant gaming the MCPS system, not the Catholic School system. Parent was straight with the Catholic School, to the best of my knowledge.

MCPS admitted to second grade a child who had completed first grade. That's not gaming the system. That's the MCPS policy.

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/policy/pdf/jebra.pdf

[Anonymous]

Here they have a whole philosophy about keeping kids in their specific age class as part of a social curriculum. That's what you get with the public school system.

[Anonymous]

My friend move here midyear and mcps did not recognize their preschool program as K, so he had to repeat K.

Then, MCPS let him skip 7th. I am not sure how it all went down, but K-6 he was 1 year behind my son... but they played sports together because it is based on age and then magically he was in 8th grade with my son.

I never asked why or how.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I meant gaming the MCPS system, not the Catholic School system. Parent was straight with the Catholic School, to the best of my knowledge.

MCPS admitted to second grade a child who had completed first grade. That's not gaming the system. That's the MCPS policy.

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/policy/pdf/jebra.pdf

Ok, if you don't think it is gaming the MCPS system to specifically seek out a private school for one year that will let your kid start 1st grade at 5 so you can then put them in public school at 6 in the 2nd grade, that is fine with me.

[Anonymous]

Yes. My 9 yr old and almost 12 yr old both skipped first grade. One has a birthday in mid-October and the other, late September.

We met with the teacher and the assistant principal. We were basically given a long weekend to think about it with both kids. One was able to start the new grade on the first day of school, but the other started in the second month of the school year and they wanted to be very distinct about which day that was - had to do with lesson plans and projects being given out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. My 9 yr old and almost 12 yr old both skipped first grade. One has a birthday in mid-October and the other, late September.

We met with the teacher and the assistant principal. We were basically given a long weekend to think about it with both kids. One was able to start the new grade on the first day of school, but the other started in the second month of the school year and they wanted to be very distinct about which day that was - had to do with lesson plans and projects being given out.

Did you ask for this, or did the school suggest it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. My 9 yr old and almost 12 yr old both skipped first grade. One has a birthday in mid-October and the other, late September.

We met with the teacher and the assistant principal. We were basically given a long weekend to think about it with both kids. One was able to start the new grade on the first day of school, but the other started in the second month of the school year and they wanted to be very distinct about which day that was - had to do with lesson plans and projects being given out.

Did you ask for this, or did the school suggest it?

In one case the teacher floated the idea past us very briefly in the midst of a hectic event, and we thought she wasn't serious and was just being kind of effusive in her complimenting so we said, "Oh thank you" but then the AP followed up. After the second or third day DH asked DD how she thought her new class was going and she nodded and said, "This feels right. I'm among my people now."

In the other case, the AP called us a few days before school started and told us he'd met with the kinder teacher DD had, the first grade teacher she was slated to have, and one of the second grade teachers and they all agreed this would be best for DD so it was up to us. They put her with the second grade teacher older DD had had, and all of a sudden she wasn't bored with school anymore like she had been in kindergarten.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I meant gaming the MCPS system, not the Catholic School system. Parent was straight with the Catholic School, to the best of my knowledge.

Its not gaming the system. We are at a private so our child can stay age appropriate as she has a September birthday and is doing well. We will switch in 2nd or 3rd to MCPS.

[Anonymous]

I know of a classmate from Preschool who skipped a grade in elementary school in a JKLM school. The child was very talented and moved to a more competitive school since DC does not have a program for gifted students.