This age discrepancy due to "redshirting" is ridiculous

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Your child is a good example of why people end up redshirting. There are many kids who aren't quite ready for kindergarten at 5. In Finland, kids don't start school until 7 and Finnish kids consistently rank at the top academically. Redshirting is not an easy decision for many reasons, including paying for another year of private pre-k, but we all try to do what's best for our kids.

A good example for redshirting is that a child might be considered to have poor hand writing in 1st grade when compared to children who are old-for-grade?

I find that ludicrous.

I agree that redshirting is not an easy decision. I imagine it's no easier than deciding NOT to redshirt when the trend is strongly in favor of redshirting. However, I think when teachers and administrators use phrases like "the gift of time" and claim they've never had a bad result from redshirting a child (look further, seriously, look further! Don't just look at first, second, even 3rd grade. Find the high schoolers who were held back and see if every single one of them feels they needed "the gift of time." While I found that within the lower elementary grades redshirting was universally praised by the parents and the children had no issues, I found that some high schoolers felt it had been an unnecessary step and were frustrated.) it convinces parents. After all, the educational experts are advising it (for summer, and even spring birthday children)! Even though longitudinal studies don't support the glowing beliefs, unreservedly. And even though the school has a vested interested in encouraging an additional year for a large percentage of their students, not just for tuition for privates, but for better sports and testing performances when older children are judged against younger children within their grade.

If the redshirting trend were accompanied by paths to let children get "back" to where they "should" be as/if they matured, I'd think it was less self-serving for schools. It would also demonstrate an understanding that children matured at different rates, and a child who matured quickly as a youngster might need additional time as a young teen, or a child who matured slowly as a youngster might rocket ahead as a young teen. Unfortunately, within educational circles that seems to be a rare understanding.

[Anonymous]

From what I have seen, high school benefits of redshirting are great. I know one who is now in Ivy grad school. Another President of his high school class. Another law school grad.

[Anonymous]

On the other hand, I know a couple who were advised to redshirt their son by preschool and k teachers. High school did not turn out well even though he had been in GT center in elementary.

[Anonymous]

^^forgot to add that parents did NOT redshirt him. They thought he was too smart. He was very immature.

[Anonymous]

Hmm, maybe I should redshirt my child so he can start KG at 7. Then he will really be ahead of his peers. You people are idiots with your anecdotal evidence.

[Anonymous]

Son was President of Student Council elected school wide in this area (2,000+ enrollment) late July birthday, did not red shirt.

[Anonymous]

Is it only a problem when a tall child gets redshirted instead of a short child?

[Anonymous]

You people are idiots with your anecdotal evidence

I am not going to sift through research studies in order to comment on this board. I have been a teacher and a parent. I did NOT redshirt my kids, but I think there is high value to doing so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people who freak about this seem to be parents with kids with summer bdays who do not hold back. My take is that's great and I respect your decision, now either respect others or at least calm down about it.

The extent of "redshirting" is really exaggerated in the minds of these parents. We did hold our kid back - in my child's K class three kids had been held back - all 3 were Aug / Sept bdays. Almost all the other hold backs I am aware of are late summer bdays.

So a 12 month range has been shifted to say 15 months. This is not a "problem" (except to a few crazed parents) from the school's perspective. Frankly when talking to school officials we felt slightly encouraged to hold back if in doubt (i.e. - a school official said they are aware of no one who regretted holding back).

So be happy with your decision - you saved money now and your kid will make an extra year of money later in life. And just calm down about everyone else.

I am frustrated by the redshirting trend, and yes, it's likely I talk about it because I am the parent of a child with a summer birthday. It's the trend that distresses - if one or two children were redshirted, it would be lost in the noise. But in my child's school, summer birthday's are redshirted as a matter of course, and spring birthday children are occasionally redshirted for specific reasons (e.g. social/academic immaturity).

Not only is my child the youngest in her class, she's the youngest by a few months. Her closest age peer is 3 months older than her. No other child in her class has that wide of a gap. Since it's common to redshirt, it's not just a few kids who are >1 yr older, it's almost 1/4 of the class. That contributes to the tendency to have higher (even inappropriate) expectations. When she was in early grades, the consequences of this were aggravating, and if she weren't a bright child who wasn't particularly academically focused, they might have been more dire for her. For example, her handwriting was on the "poor" side of acceptable for her age. If she had been in a class with standard age distribution, she might still have had the poorest handwriting, but she would have had some near-peers. But since the next youngest children were 3+ mos older than her, in 1st grade her handwriting looked atrocious in comparison.

I'm not going to redshirt simply because my child has poor handwriting, but it does annoy me that because redshirting has become the standard, things like poor handwriting among younger children stand out more than it otherwise would. Teachers focus on it more than they would, in my opinion, if they had a more standard age grouping. I also knew that my child's deficits in comparison to other children would fade as they aged, and I decided it would be better for her to be the kid-with-poor-handwriting in early elementary rather than the bored-and-disruptive-kid in middle and high school. But that doesn't change that when you're in the moment, when your child is held to standards that are stilted, in part because of redshirting, when your child is feeling she's doing something poorly when really she's on or close to target, you might be frustrated with a trend.

If this were one or two kids, it really would get lost in the noise. But like I point out, at my kid's school, she's the youngest by 3 months, and she has a June birthday. It's ridiculous.

What school does your child go to?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it only a problem when a tall child gets redshirted instead of a short child?

It's more noticeable in the earlier years when a tall child is redshirted. However, by the end of K, regardless of height, the redshirted child will start noticing that other kids his/her age are going into second grade the next year while he/she will be going into first grade. I think over the long run the child knowing he/she is a year behind is a bigger deal than how tall the child is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm forced to hold DD back - her birthday is 10/15 and stupid ass FCPS won't let her test into kindergarten 2 weeks before she turns 5. Nope, let's waste an entire year and do NOTHING (with regard to her as she has to sit home for a whole year whereas in MOCO she'd be in K). Even if she reads, writes, adds, subtracts, they DON'T GIVE A F.

FCPS elementary school bureaucrats are the laziest bunch in the DC area I swear. God forbid they had to actually work a FULL 5-day workweek. God forbid they actually had to put some kind of effort into testing students to see if they are ready to enter kindergarten a couple weeks before their 5th birthday.

Poster, if you are still reading. I know you are angry but this post made me laugh out loud. FWIW, I started K (private, full day) when I was 4 b/c I was ready for it so I understand the frustration of not being able to do what's best for your child. I would have been a PIA to my mom if I was home all day...but she had to work which is why I was in the private full day K. (it wasn't here and wasn't expensive/exclusive or anything...just private).

[Anonymous]

Yes, we had a friend who started her child at 4 in pvt because she was a single mom and her daughter was VERY bright. Years later we moved back and she asked us: Why didn't anybody tell me about high school?

[Anonymous]

cont. She felt her daughter--while academically fine--was hanging out with people who were older and more mature. Her daughter was not emotionally ready for some of the stuff in her life.

[Anonymous]

There's a big difference between redshirting a child who is immature and redshirting a child who is not. If you are doing it just to make your child the best in the class--that is not a good reason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And why does it anger you so?
Your kid is where you think he should be... so what if there are a few older kids?
Actually, that is embraced by the Montessori method.

Yes, the Montessori method. No public school is using pedagogy designed for a purposefully mixed-age classroom.