oldest or youngest in class?

[Anonymous]

DD had a late november birthday and was one year younger than other kids because of DCPS's old Dec 31st cut-off. For example, DD was 3 going into PreK, 4 going into Kindergarten. Other kids were turning 6 a month after she had just turned 5. She was way way too young in every way. We had her repeat a grade and it worked out great. She is now just the right age with all the other kids in the class and the same behaviorally, socially and academically. Before she repeated she was an outlier in all areas.

[Anonymous]

Don't hold your child back if there isn't a medical issue. My son is the youngest in his class. I was pressured by the school and OTHER PARENTS to hold him back. I rejected this advice. My son is in 4th grade and is thriving.

[Anonymous]

I would follow the cut-off date of September 30th. Most states have September 1st as the age cut off. This is NOT holding a child back. ( Holding back or redshirting would be having a child turn 5 in June and sending them to pre-k.) Most school districts now have age cut-offs that follow the school calendar. This way children are 5 when they start kindergarten.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If she is 6, turning 7 in November then she'll be up to 15 months younger than some of her DC classmates. The cut off is Sept 30th here but our experience in a good (JKLM) public is that most of the Septembers and many Augusts are held. So your child would be 15 months younger than the August birthdays who were held and 14 months younger than the Septembers. We have a September birthday child who we held and across the grade at our school (100 kids) I'd say that 70% of Septembers were held and 25% of Augusts. So you are talking about very few kids over-all. So your child will definitely be the youngest but there will only be a 15 month spread.

The DC privates are a different scene all together and your child might be up to 20 months younger than kids who were red shirted with late spring birthdays. But in our DCPS experience, kids really aren't held back with early or mid summer birthdays and definitely not with spring birthdays.

I have an August 30 boy and I just always assumed we would have him to Pre-K twice to hold him back (he is 3 and in preschool now, so we would do one year at private PreK and then one year at public). This would make him 6 by the time K started (by a few days). I called DCPS and was surprised that they told me by law he must be in K by 5, so starting him at 6 was not an option. For posters who are saying August birthdays are held back, what does that mean? Are they starting late, or repeating K or 1st grade?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If she is 6, turning 7 in November then she'll be up to 15 months younger than some of her DC classmates. The cut off is Sept 30th here but our experience in a good (JKLM) public is that most of the Septembers and many Augusts are held. So your child would be 15 months younger than the August birthdays who were held and 14 months younger than the Septembers. We have a September birthday child who we held and across the grade at our school (100 kids) I'd say that 70% of Septembers were held and 25% of Augusts. So you are talking about very few kids over-all. So your child will definitely be the youngest but there will only be a 15 month spread.

The DC privates are a different scene all together and your child might be up to 20 months younger than kids who were red shirted with late spring birthdays. But in our DCPS experience, kids really aren't held back with early or mid summer birthdays and definitely not with spring birthdays.

I have an August 30 boy and I just always assumed we would have him to Pre-K twice to hold him back (he is 3 and in preschool now, so we would do one year at private PreK and then one year at public). This would make him 6 by the time K started (by a few days). I called DCPS and was surprised that they told me by law he must be in K by 5, so starting him at 6 was not an option. For posters who are saying August birthdays are held back, what does that mean? Are they starting late, or repeating K or 1st grade?

This might be what centralized DCPS said but it is not the reality. We held back a September birthday in DCPS (sent to PK at 4 turning 5) and there are kids in my child's grade who did the same with August birthdays. This is a JKLM school. I know some principals are firm about the PK cut-off but others (including ours) is flexible with Aug/Sept birthdays.
I actually the person you spoke with is entirely incorrect. K is not required by law, but first grade and on is.

[Anonymous]

Holding a child back just because of her birthday is ridiculous. She is doing well academically and has completed first grade. How boring to do everything again and the blow to your self confident not move on to the next grade like all your friends. And for no real reason other than your mom thinks you should fail a grade because your birthday is in November.

My 6 yr old is also a November birthday and in grade 2. I can't imagine telling him he is going to need to repeat because he wasn't born in September. The rest of his siblings will move on to the next grade because their birthdays are in better months.

[Anonymous]

For the rest of her life she will have to tell people she was held back and had to repeat first grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If she is 6, turning 7 in November then she'll be up to 15 months younger than some of her DC classmates. The cut off is Sept 30th here but our experience in a good (JKLM) public is that most of the Septembers and many Augusts are held. So your child would be 15 months younger than the August birthdays who were held and 14 months younger than the Septembers. We have a September birthday child who we held and across the grade at our school (100 kids) I'd say that 70% of Septembers were held and 25% of Augusts. So you are talking about very few kids over-all. So your child will definitely be the youngest but there will only be a 15 month spread.

The DC privates are a different scene all together and your child might be up to 20 months younger than kids who were red shirted with late spring birthdays. But in our DCPS experience, kids really aren't held back with early or mid summer birthdays and definitely not with spring birthdays.

I have an August 30 boy and I just always assumed we would have him to Pre-K twice to hold him back (he is 3 and in preschool now, so we would do one year at private PreK and then one year at public). This would make him 6 by the time K started (by a few days). I called DCPS and was surprised that they told me by law he must be in K by 5, so starting him at 6 was not an option. For posters who are saying August birthdays are held back, what does that mean? Are they starting late, or repeating K or 1st grade?

God knows who is answering the phone when you talk to dcps. Could just be one of Marion Barry's cronies.

[Anonymous]

I was like your DC. We moved from a state with a late start to a state with a very early start when I was 8. As a result, I was always the oldest in my class by at least a year. The kids my age were in the class ahead of me. My folks did a good job of helping me keep perspective (they didn't dwell on it and I didn't really care because I knew it was because of the move. Different places have different rules.) Your move gives you the perfect out and explanation for your DC. The rules are different here.

Looking back, I am so glad I was on the older side of things. I am now a middle school teacher and am more often confronted with the issues of having a kid who is too young for the grade. I've rarely had a developmental issue with a student who was old in the grade who wasn't held back for academic reasons.

Ultimately, it's a personal decision for which I doubt there is an absolutely correct answer, but I hope this perspective is helpful. Good luck with the decision.