Do you think redshirting is happening in K in DC public schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a rising kindergartener and have never heard of anyone redshirting in my EOTP neighborhood. Maybe in upper Ward 3, but from what I can tell, families pulled out of virtual pre-K 4 and reenrolled in daycare, but are now putting their kids back in whatever grade level (K or 1st) they should be in for their birthday.

What does EOTP stand for?

East of rock creek park.

Ha, that makes more sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:aaaaah yeeees, the insane redshirt debate is coming to the DCPS forum! strap in!

Yes it’s definitely never been debated here before

[Anonymous]

Op, I did exactly what you are asking last year. I knew that 2020-2021 was going to be a lost year based on the experience from March-June 2020, so I convinced the principal to allow my child (who was also one of the youngest in the grade) to repeat K last year. It was by far one of the best parenting decisions I have ever made.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My understanding is that you can't choose to have your child repeat a grade in DCPS. The teacher and principal may in rare cases decide it's advisable, but otherwise you'd have to go to private to repeat K.

But as for actual redshirting, I'm redshirting my son. He makes the cutoff by 6 days, but I'd rather he wait a year.

Unless you have some sort of agreement, when you register next year, they will place your child in first grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:aaaaah yeeees, the insane redshirt debate is coming to the DCPS forum! strap in!

Yeah, I don't want to start a debate, just wanted to know if people had any intel such as "No, it's still very uncommon" or "Half the kids in K this year are overage" or whatever.

Once you are in the DCPS system it’s nearly impossible. I didn’t realize this. I should have done a year of private K before enrolling in K.

[Anonymous]

It is extremely uncommon. To repeat a grade in DCPS requires principal consent, which at most school's requires a teacher's recommendation. We have friends w/ a son whose birthday is just before the cutoff (he was actually a premie, so should have been born several months after the cutoff), who struggled mightily in 1st last year (particularly with respect to academics, but also behaviorally/socially, no doubt exacerbated by the pandemic) and their principal basically dismissed them out of hand.

And you can't just wait to start school in DC, because your child is legally required to start at age 5. At which point they will be put in K. The only way to do it is to redshirt via a private and then switch to DCPS post-K.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My understanding is that you can't choose to have your child repeat a grade in DCPS. The teacher and principal may in rare cases decide it's advisable, but otherwise you'd have to go to private to repeat K.

But as for actual redshirting, I'm redshirting my son. He makes the cutoff by 6 days, but I'd rather he wait a year.

Unless you have some sort of agreement, when you register next year, they will place your child in first grade.

Yeah, PP, you better check w/ the school. Your child is legally required to be in school once they turn 5, so you can't just not start them unless you want CPS involved when you try to register. You can probably do this via private school enrollment as long as you're talking about your IB, but confirm with the school. I have a friend whose kid was placed in 1st grade (age appropriate -- late July birthday) after PK4 done privately, because the school principal refused to budge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is extremely uncommon. To repeat a grade in DCPS requires principal consent, which at most school's requires a teacher's recommendation. We have friends w/ a son whose birthday is just before the cutoff (he was actually a premie, so should have been born several months after the cutoff), who struggled mightily in 1st last year (particularly with respect to academics, but also behaviorally/socially, no doubt exacerbated by the pandemic) and their principal basically dismissed them out of hand.

And you can't just wait to start school in DC, because your child is legally required to start at age 5. At which point they will be put in K. The only way to do it is to redshirt via a private and then switch to DCPS post-K.

Good info, thanks. I feel sorry about the preemie family. That's the best justification for holding back that I've ever heard.

[Anonymous]

This is Washington, DC.

If a parent can eke out a slight competitive advantage over their peers by redshirting their precious snowflake, they will.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is Washington, DC.

If a parent can eke out a slight competitive advantage over their peers by redshirting their precious snowflake, they will.

I’ve had two kids go through K in upper NW and I find red shirting in DCPS is not common because you miss out on your PK4 opportunity. The only kids who were not right-aged for K in either of my kids’ classes were children who moved to DC from a district where there was a different cut off. So they lived in a state with a 9/1 cut off, but have a 9/18 birthday, moved to DC without having done K and were able to enroll in K although they would have been eligible the previous year in DC based off DC’s 9/30 cut off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is Washington, DC.

If a parent can eke out a slight competitive advantage over their peers by redshirting their precious snowflake, they will.

My DC has a birthday just after the cut off and has always been the oldest in the grade except for one or two kids held back by the school for academic reasons, not for advantage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is Washington, DC.

If a parent can eke out a slight competitive advantage over their peers by redshirting their precious snowflake, they will.

Wrong. Not in DC proper. Can't speak to the suburbs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is Washington, DC.

If a parent can eke out a slight competitive advantage over their peers by redshirting their precious snowflake, they will.

Agree with others, that's a suburban thing. If you're a DC public school family, you start at pre-k to avoid another $20k preschool tuition year.

[Anonymous]

As the parent of a kiddo born a week before the cutoff, I am SO GLAD it's not done in DCPS. My kid is already young, it's ridiculous that some parents will hold their kid back and then my kid will be with kids more than a year older.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As the parent of a kiddo born a week before the cutoff, I am SO GLAD it's not done in DCPS. My kid is already young, it's ridiculous that some parents will hold their kid back and then my kid will be with kids more than a year older.

ME TOO. I do feel sorry for people in truly exceptional situations, like the struggling preemie boy mentioned upthread. But overall, I'm super glad this is not a thing here.