Why is redshirting so common around here?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Multiple posters on this thread have posted very rational reasons against redshirting.

Your opinion. Most kids that are redshirted are on the cusp. Why do you object to that?

Not that PP, but I object on principle to making personal exceptions that aren't warranted. I object especially to all the disingenuous reasons given. If your child's behavior or skills are delayed and he isn't where his classmates are, just admit it. And if he would be fine but you want him to have an advantage his peers don't have, admit that too. Only one poster has.

Who decides whether or not they're warranted?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm curious, which school system are most people referring to? We are in mcps and, to my knowledge, you can only request the waiver of your child's birthday falls between June 1-sept 1. That means spring kids have to go on time. And doing k in private and them trying to register for k in mcps doesn't work because (again, to my knowledge) kids are then placed in the grade by age.
Are other md counties different? Is Va?

I don't believe VA has a waiver nor do they allow anyone to start early. I like the way MCPS does it. Allows children 2 months before and after the cutoff date to ask for a waiver to either delay or start early. I bet the redshirting isn't felt as much there as it is in VA.

That's actually not how MCPS does it.

If you will turn 5 between September 2 and October 15, you may apply for early entrance to kindergarten.

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/forms/pdf/271-6.pdf

If you will have turned 5 by September 1, you may apply for a one-year exemption for delayed entry due to immaturity.

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/forms/pdf/560-19.pdf

I know that MCPS does not routinely admit children for early entrance to kindergarten. I don't know if MCPS routinely allows children to delay entry for a year due to immaturity.

[Anonymous]

I don't believe VA has a waiver nor do they allow anyone to start early.

I know a child who started first grade this year without K. Age is K. Very advanced academically. Don't know how it is working out. I hear there are some social issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm curious if anyone can tells us if their on time child has been directly impacted by having a red shirted child in their class. And I mean a direct impact. Not some sort of theory.

Red-shirting caused the first few years of elementary school to be a pretty miserable experience for my niece.

Her birthday is in late August & she started school on time in a district where the cut-off is October1 & red-shirting is rampant (only a few kids in her class had birthdays between Oct-Dec, yet over half the class was 6 by Christmas break). She was on-target developmentally (even a bit advanced for her age in some areas) but began to think of herself as "stupid" because she couldn't keep up in certain ways with the older kids in her class (of whom there were a disproportionately large number, thanks to red-shirting). Comparing herself to so many kids who were significantly older than she was really caused her feel like a failure, never mind the fact that she had the cards stacked against her from the beginning as she wasn't in a class full of her true peers. She's in eighth grade now & doing very well in school (the age disadvantage having dwindled with age) but she has few pleasant memories of school from her early elementary years & it took her a quite while to realize that she is not, in fact, stupid.

Some parents of other non-redshirted kids in that district told my brother & SIL that their kids had the same experience. These were all kids with average to above-average academic capabilities for their chronological ages -- imagine how much more soul-crushing being in a class like my niece's would be for a child who would struggle even in a class full of peers! And, as a few PPs, red-shirting in order to spare their children that kind of self-esteem blow is not economically feasible for all parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm curious, which school system are most people referring to? We are in mcps and, to my knowledge, you can only request the waiver of your child's birthday falls between June 1-sept 1. That means spring kids have to go on time. And doing k in private and them trying to register for k in mcps doesn't work because (again, to my knowledge) kids are then placed in the grade by age.
Are other md counties different? Is Va?

I don't believe VA has a waiver nor do they allow anyone to start early. I like the way MCPS does it. Allows children 2 months before and after the cutoff date to ask for a waiver to either delay or start early. I bet the redshirting isn't felt as much there as it is in VA.

This is a good point. We are in MD and I never see redshirting as an issue. But now you've explained why. We likely don't see the same issues as the VA schools.

[Anonymous]

don't believe VA has a waiver nor do they allow anyone to start early. I like the way MCPS does it. Allows children 2 months before and after the cutoff date to ask for a waiver to either delay or start early. I bet the redshirting isn't felt as much there as it is in VA.


This is a good point. We are in MD and I never see redshirting as an issue. But now you've explained why. We likely don't see the same issues as the VA schools.

Once more, I know a FCPS kid who started first early without K--private or public.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone has a choice. I don't have much pity for parents of may kids claiming them to be the youngest in the class. Someone has to be the youngest. It is not a big deal. You had a choice too.

We sent July DD on time. We are so happy we had that choice. She is thriving and needs the older kids in her class. She is top of the class so to speak, excelling, and we could not imagine her in the grade below.

No, not everybody has a choice. Some people can't afford to pay for an extra year of daycare (or for one parent to SAH an extra year) in order to redshirt their child.

true - but I found the money even though I am a single mom with a lower income (for this area). it was that important to me for DS to have an extra year of pre-k that we nickled and dimed for another year.

[Anonymous]

This is a good point. We are in MD and I never see redshirting as an issue. But now you've explained why. We likely don't see the same issues as the VA schools.

Kids are redshirted in Va, too. I don't see it as a problem. Personal decision.

[Anonymous]

No, not everybody has a choice. Some people can't afford to pay for an extra year of daycare (or for one parent to SAH an extra year) in order to redshirt their child.

So, financially, it is a great advantage to have a September birthday. An extra 11 months of free childcare over the October birthdays! Wow.

[Anonymous]

... red-shirting in order to spare their children that kind of self-esteem blow is not economically feasible for all parents.

What does this mean? Do the public schools require a fee to start a child the next year?

I think it would be wrong for the schools to charge parents a fee to do what they deem best for their children. Parents know their children best and should decide what is right for their own children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

... red-shirting in order to spare their children that kind of self-esteem blow is not economically feasible for all parents.

What does this mean? Do the public schools require a fee to start a child the next year?

I think it would be wrong for the schools to charge parents a fee to do what they deem best for their children. Parents know their children best and should decide what is right for their own children.

No, it means you have to pay to put your child in private K for a year in order to start them late. Your post shows a major lack of familiarity with the basics, yet you have a pro-r.s. point of view. Interesting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

... red-shirting in order to spare their children that kind of self-esteem blow is not economically feasible for all parents.

What does this mean? Do the public schools require a fee to start a child the next year?

I think it would be wrong for the schools to charge parents a fee to do what they deem best for their children. Parents know their children best and should decide what is right for their own children.

It means that the options are sending your child to public school on time vs. paying for another year of pre-K and/or full-time childcare or keeping your child at home with you (which is not an option for people with paid employment).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

This is a good point. We are in MD and I never see redshirting as an issue. But now you've explained why. We likely don't see the same issues as the VA schools.

Kids are redshirted in Va, too. I don't see it as a problem. Personal decision.

Agree. I was just wondering if the people on here who are SO anti-redshirting are in VA and see more redshirted kids than in MD. Who knows. I wish there was some statistics. Because I have a sense it is not statistically significant...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This is a good point. We are in MD and I never see redshirting as an issue. But now you've explained why. We likely don't see the same issues as the VA schools.

Kids are redshirted in Va, too. I don't see it as a problem. Personal decision.

Agree. I was just wondering if the people on here who are SO anti-redshirting are in VA and see more redshirted kids than in MD. Who knows. I wish there was some statistics. Because I have a sense it is not statistically significant...

were

[Anonymous]

It's supposed to only happen if the child falls within the Oct. 15 early entrance window and it's really just early entrance to 1st grade and not grade skipping.

This happened with a child in our school as well but his birthday is in early October. This child was very academically advanced but less so than 2-3 other children at our school who had birthdays outside that window (sent on time with birthdays in April and May) so that October child was allowed to go straight into 1st while the teachers weren't even allowed to consider whether the other 2-3 children should be allowed to do that.

Anonymous wrote:

don't believe VA has a waiver nor do they allow anyone to start early. I like the way MCPS does it. Allows children 2 months before and after the cutoff date to ask for a waiver to either delay or start early. I bet the redshirting isn't felt as much there as it is in VA.


This is a good point. We are in MD and I never see redshirting as an issue. But now you've explained why. We likely don't see the same issues as the VA schools.

Once more, I know a FCPS kid who started first early without K--private or public.