Skipping kindergarten in MCPS?

[Anonymous]

My DS is 5 and has a December birthday. He is supposed to go into K this fall at a MCPS. At his parent-teacher conference today, his current teacher (he is in a Montessori preschool) said she strongly suggested I look into seeing if he can go directly into first grade. She felt that he would be really bored in K. Physically, he is huge, so would not be the "runt" of first grade, and socially he would probably be ready by the fall. Has anyone managed to do this for their DC, and if so, what has the experience been like?

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I don't think they will let you do this for a December birthday. If your son is likely to be bored in MCPS K maybe you could look in to private K and then switching over for 1st when the kids even out a little more. I have a few friends who have done this and it has worked well.

[Anonymous]

Why does she think he is bored? (E.g. what skills does he have that they feel they'd be repeating in kindergarten?) Does she have a good understanding of what MoCo kindergarten is like these days?

[Anonymous]

Send the kid to K, he will enjoy it, make friends and have fun. Stop stressing the academic stuff at such a young age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Send the kid to K, he will enjoy it, make friends and have fun. Stop stressing the academic stuff at such a young age.

No offense, but I disagree. I have a December birthday and was a grade ahead and was still a bit bored (different school, different days, of course). If your child is reading and doing math a couple of grades ahead for MoCo, I don't know why he can't make friends and have fun at a grade level more appropriate for his abilities. It's not being obsessed with academics, it's making the best use of these years so your kids have fun AND learn. That said, I have no idea how or if you can do it. I started in private school like a previous poster mentioned, but many of the good privates around here also hold fast to age requirements.

[Anonymous]

You'll have to start him off in K and let it be known that you are interested in the possibility of moving him to 1st. The school will probably want to consider not only his academic ability, but also maturity and social skills.

I don't think he will necessarily be "bored" by K work that is below his level--there is always the option of going to 1st for reading groups and/or math, while still being in kindergarten. Personally, that would be the option I'd choose in your place, but it's obviously your decision. Don't count on being able to start the year in 1st grade, though.

My sister has a December birthday and went to K at age 4 in 1979... and to this day, she claims it was the worst mistake my parents could have ever made for her education. But who knows, she's a bit of a drama queen as well!

[Anonymous]

Don't cut his childhood short. He will love kindergarten!

[Anonymous]

Frankly K is really all about the social/emotional transition to elementary school, and that's a huge deal, even for kids who have been in FT preschool or daycare programs. It doesn't matter if your child has already mastered all of the 'academic' skills that are part of the K curriculum - most of their education is going to be learning how to manage themselves in a classroom of 20-28 other children (smaller if it's a private school.)

The big difference is the amount of responsibility on the kids themselves - unlike preschool or preK, they have to learn to do their work on their own (while surrounded by other kids), to solve interpersonal problems on their own, to manage lunch and the bathroom and going to/from various activities without constant intervention by the teachers. It sounds like nothing, and yet you'll see that it's a massive change for almost all kids. (I speak as the parent of a first grader who wrongly thought that my child would have an easy time in K.)

Also in MCPS, tons of kids are working way above grade level - my impression was that anything other than this is abnormal. It's not a problem since the reading work in particular tends to be done in small groups, differentiated by ability.

And I wouldn't worry about size one way or another - there are so many redshirted kids in MCPS (at least in the western MoCo schools) that my son who is 95% and has always towered above his peers looks pretty average-sized among his classmates.

[Anonymous]

OP, I wanted to suggest that you look into Feynman School. They are geared towards kids working at least 2 grade levels ahead. If your child's teacher thinks he's advanced enough to start 1st now he may surprise you if challenged more. It may or may not be a good fit but worth considering.

The great part about it is that your child can be in kindergarten with kids the same age with a curriculum designed for advanced learners. He'll be with both age and cognitive peers.....best of both worlds. You don't have to trade one for the other.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Frankly K is really all about the social/emotional transition to elementary school, and that's a huge deal, even for kids who have been in FT preschool or daycare programs. It doesn't matter if your child has already mastered all of the 'academic' skills that are part of the K curriculum - most of their education is going to be learning how to manage themselves in a classroom of 20-28 other children (smaller if it's a private school.)

The big difference is the amount of responsibility on the kids themselves - unlike preschool or preK, they have to learn to do their work on their own (while surrounded by other kids), to solve interpersonal problems on their own, to manage lunch and the bathroom and going to/from various activities without constant intervention by the teachers. It sounds like nothing, and yet you'll see that it's a massive change for almost all kids. (I speak as the parent of a first grader who wrongly thought that my child would have an easy time in K.)

Also in MCPS, tons of kids are working way above grade level - my impression was that anything other than this is abnormal. It's not a problem since the reading work in particular tends to be done in small groups, differentiated by ability.

And I wouldn't worry about size one way or another - there are so many redshirted kids in MCPS (at least in the western MoCo schools) that my son who is 95% and has always towered above his peers looks pretty average-sized among his classmates.

3 yo DD is doing this now in Montessori school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Frankly K is really all about the social/emotional transition to elementary school, and that's a huge deal, even for kids who have been in FT preschool or daycare programs. It doesn't matter if your child has already mastered all of the 'academic' skills that are part of the K curriculum - most of their education is going to be learning how to manage themselves in a classroom of 20-28 other children (smaller if it's a private school.)

The big difference is the amount of responsibility on the kids themselves - unlike preschool or preK, they have to learn to do their work on their own (while surrounded by other kids), to solve interpersonal problems on their own, to manage lunch and the bathroom and going to/from various activities without constant intervention by the teachers. It sounds like nothing, and yet you'll see that it's a massive change for almost all kids. (I speak as the parent of a first grader who wrongly thought that my child would have an easy time in K.)

Also in MCPS, tons of kids are working way above grade level - my impression was that anything other than this is abnormal. It's not a problem since the reading work in particular tends to be done in small groups, differentiated by ability.

And I wouldn't worry about size one way or another - there are so many redshirted kids in MCPS (at least in the western MoCo schools) that my son who is 95% and has always towered above his peers looks pretty average-sized among his classmates.

3 yo DD is doing this now in Montessori school.

I'm not surprised. These skills are a big priority in Montessori classrooms so many of these kids are way ahead of the pack when it comes to personal management.

[Anonymous]

Obviously I don't know your kid, but K is all about transition-- not that they don't cover a lot more "substance" than I did at the time-- but the school is focused on integrating the children into the school in a way that I don't think is true of first grade.

Also, with a lot of kids being redshirted, your child could end up 2 years younger than others in his class and even if he is physically large I still think there are coordination and maturity issues that can come up with such a wide age range.

[Anonymous]

Sadly, I think Montgomery Co. has a strict policy against it anyways so even if your child was working 5 grade levels ahead it wouldn't be an option so it's a moot point.

You may have some wiggle room in later years for a grade skip.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sadly, I think Montgomery Co. has a strict policy against it anyways so even if your child was working 5 grade levels ahead it wouldn't be an option so it's a moot point.

You may have some wiggle room in later years for a grade skip.

However, he may not still be ahead by then since he was made to spend a year learning nothing new....but I digress.

[Anonymous]

OP here. These are really helpful comments, everyone. I was frankly surprised when the teacher suggested it. And I completely agree with PPs that school is not just about academics, but that the social/self-management component is at least equally important. I have a call into the school to just discuss the matter and get some thoughts. Thanks again!