Redshirting pressure from private school!

[Anonymous]

22:52
I was surprised by this, too.
Public schools can be quite strict about holding back students.
Private schools often encourage it. Some have a reputation for doing it more than others.
17:06

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:17:06
Schools could then start recommending that students, especially boys, with October or later birthdays wait a year. It is not so much one student's age on the first day of school but where that students falls among the age span. My point was that there are always going to be "late" birthdays, no matter where you put the cutoff date.
16:45

17:06 here...

I think what I was trying to say (apparently not so well) is that if you create a larger gap between the birthday cut off date and the school start date... say March 31 cut off for b-day... then you at least guarantee that every starting K is at least 5 years and 5 months - more time for kids to develop the motor/processing skills needed for the level of K today (former 1st grade skills). Probably not very practical an idea... better to just stick with the current model of allowing parents to choose to hold back May-Aug birthdays if the individual kid needs the extra development time in order not to be at a disadvantage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What defines "summer birthdays"? I have a son born in June - will he make the cut? OR be the youngest in his class?

We're dealing with a June birthday, too. It's the worst possible scenario. In the last 2 years, I've toured about 15 private Kindergartens, and I have yet to see one June birthday on the birthday chart on the wall. The charts are filled with fall and winter birthdays, with a few spring birthdays sprinkled in. There are often a few July or August birthdays, but they're from the year before (the redshirts). No Junes. It stinks!

I'm surprised that June and summer girls were not on the birthday charts. If schools changed the cut -off dates to bring in older kids [match for curriculum] then parents would hold back even older ones. I have teenagers and met numerous parents at the middle and high school level who speak very frankly now that it's near the endgame. "__ gets to make varsity as a sophomore ." "_ made varsity as a freshman." Discussions on these boards are usually about kindergarten. Super competitive parents redshirt at other points also : entry for middle school or grade 6, high school. Some change schools to redshirt since it has less stigma than repeating on site. Redshirt is an athletic term for Division 1 where a student sits out a year at the college level.

Sometimes in college or pro sports you see 2 or 3 year age gaps for people who are in the same college grad year. That is now moved down to high school . It isn't about a school getting more money by the student taking a 5th or 6th year since there usually is movement and they don't repeat at the same place.

[Anonymous]

6:43 again

The hold back is usually only in higher socio economic groups since lower income persons want to use free public school ASAP . Especially with the large numbers of public schools with full day kindergarten. 1/2 free kindergarten was better than 1/2 day at the parents cost also.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The range of students in a private school class can be 20 months or more.

Pretty unbelievable that the schools would allow this to happen, but I'm sure it's true.

Why so shocked? In DC's public 3rd grade class the range was 18 months.

[Anonymous]

I do not understand why people are doing this. If the child is ready let them go. I was going to apply to private schools, but that would make my son two years older than the other kids. My son has a July Birthday and has skipped a grade. I really don't know what to do!!!
Maybe I should quit my job and homeschool!

[Anonymous]

I mean two years younger than the other children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do not understand why people are doing this. If the child is ready let them go. I was going to apply to private schools, but that would make my son two years older than the other kids. My son has a July Birthday and has skipped a grade. I really don't know what to do!!!
Maybe I should quit my job and homeschool!

I was just reading this very interesting publication on the benefits of acceleration/grade skipping for academically advanced students. You might want to check it out; they specifically discuss skipping kids not just one year but two as necessary.


"A Nation Deceived: How Schools Hold Back America's Best and Brightest"

http://www.accelerationinstitute.org/Nation_Deceived/ND_v1.pdf

[Anonymous]

I've skimmed "A Nation Deceived" before. It strikes me that prob. some of the same kids who could "grade skip" have also been redshirted -- and so are not one, but two, grade levels behind where they should be academically. That's why I am amazed that more people don't regret redshirting -- I've heard very few say they've felt that it was a bad choice. Could the school be that good at differentiating curriculum and accelerating within the grade w/out allowing grade skips?

[Anonymous]

The private schools have a huge stake in redshirting, because older kids do better in school, are more likely to be leaders, are socially more mature, are athletically stronger, and all of that leads to better college placement. Since these schools are judged primarily on their college placement, it makes sense. It's not about having more tractable kindergarteners, it's about what happens down the road.

[Anonymous]

It's college admissions week. A young man I know is getting "fat envelopes" and merit scholarships from a host of colleges that would thrill any family. He's wildly bright, and works sooo hard..and has plenty of other qualities any school would be happy to have. (No team sports, though.)

He was an October birthday, and his parents were thrown for a loop when it was suggested he not begin public school kindergarten at 4 turning 5 in October. His fine motor skills were immature, and he had physical trouble writing. It was an adjustment to rethink things; private school was considered. The school had no tuition to gain with the suggestion. In the end, he started kindergarten in the year he turned 6 in October.

As the" fat envelopes" pile up, I don't think anyone views that as having been the wrong decision.

[Anonymous]

bump

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's college admissions week. A young man I know is getting "fat envelopes" and merit scholarships from a host of colleges that would thrill any family. He's wildly bright, and works sooo hard..and has plenty of other qualities any school would be happy to have. (No team sports, though.)

He was an October birthday, and his parents were thrown for a loop when it was suggested he not begin public school kindergarten at 4 turning 5 in October. His fine motor skills were immature, and he had physical trouble writing. It was an adjustment to rethink things; private school was considered. The school had no tuition to gain with the suggestion. In the end, he started kindergarten in the year he turned 6 in October.

As the" fat envelopes" pile up, I don't think anyone views that as having been the wrong decision.

That is not redshirting. redshirting would be if he was kept back to start kindergarten at age 6 turning 7 in October.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The private schools have a huge stake in redshirting, because older kids do better in school, are more likely to be leaders, are socially more mature, are athletically stronger, and all of that leads to better college placement. Since these schools are judged primarily on their college placement, it makes sense. It's not about having more tractable kindergarteners, it's about what happens down the road.

I actually disagree with this. The older kids I have seen redshirted are simply in the wrong academic environment, and being older than peers will eventually not mask this. Doesn't mean the kid isn't smart, charming etc, but just the wrong environment for a thriving academic pursuit.

[Anonymous]

I think it depends on the child. I sometimes wish I'd redshirted my child. I know another parent who wishes the same. (One child's a boy, the other a girl.) I also know a family that did and don't think they'd do it again if they had it to do all over.

So, lots of stories, no clear predictor as far as I can tell.