Redshirting and MCPS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for the feedback. To clarify, I would never delay solely because she's small. We're considering it because she's slow to warm and still mostly parallel playing at age 3.5.

So you're not talking about the 2018-2019 school year, but the 2019-2020 school year? OP, this is not a decision you should make now. Wait until next spring.

OP again. Yeah. It's early, I know, but it affects where we send her to preschool next year so I'm starting to think about it. (Whether we send her to a place where she can stay 2 years without repeating the same classroom, etc.). But we know we have time and things can change. Just wanted a sense of whether MCPS is so unchallenging no one would do this, because that's what reading this board makes me think sometimes!

I don't get why you'd do that but if you do you may want to switch schools and go with a jr. K vs. preschool. We find the curriculum very slow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have a one-week before the cut-off DD, who we did not enroll to start as a just-turned-5 year old. She was, and is, very academically advanced, but at age just 5 still had a lot of separation anxiety and clicked with very few kids. (Tolerated kids well generally, but friends needed to be actual friends from a younger age). We made the right choice for her. She really started to blossom in 2nd grade. Yes, she was very bored at times, but now she has been identified as GT and is with her people. Turns out the preschool friends were GT, too. She has always been gravitating to the same type.

We did a transitional K program at a different school when some of her older preschool friends went off to K. That worked out to be a terrific year.

If you are a year older than other kids, its very easy to be identified as gifted. About 40% of the kids at MCPS are identified in 3rd for gifted and test but there are very few slots so an easy way to get into the gifted program is to hold back a year, but why not send on time and then they will be challenged better being a year ahead. My kid who we sent early was identified as gifted. The gifted school was too far away so we had to turn it down.

First of all - that isn't true. Second, tests are age-normed.

PP with the August Daughter - above poster is correct. DD had to get more questions correct than younger peers (they do this by birth month & year) to achieve same score.

Are you sure about that? My child took the gifted test and said two kids got extra time and two finished at about the same time. He's the youngest so it doesn't make sense and I know the other kids don't have IEP's SN. The tests are supposed to adjust by how the questions are answered and number of correct questions, not by birthday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"OP again. Yeah. It's early, I know, but it affects where we send her to preschool next year so I'm starting to think about it. (Whether we send her to a place where she can stay 2 years without repeating the same classroom, etc.). But we know we have time and things can change. Just wanted a sense of whether MCPS is so unchallenging no one would do this, because that's what reading this board makes me think sometimes!"

For us, part of what made MCPS seem unchallenging is that K was so academic and therefore challenging. Our kids had summer birthdays and were interested in learning to read. MCPS K encouraged that interest. Our kids took off reading wise and picked it up quickly then languished (from first to fourth at HGC) in the top reading groups with little teacher interaction.

For your situation I would ask the question is she going to learn to read during the extra year of preschool on her own/from you? Obviously, learning on her own won't be as efficient as learning in class, but even so if she learns enough then even K won't be challenging and her first years of school will ingrain the idea that school is boring.

We must be at an alternative MCPS. I'm not seeing at all how the academics are challenging. But, my child was an early reader and we worked at home on foundation stuff to make sure they were ready for school, which some parents choose not to do. It may be challenging if you had no academic exposure prior to MCPS, but its not at all challenging if you come in knowing how to read and basic math concepts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have a one-week before the cut-off DD, who we did not enroll to start as a just-turned-5 year old. She was, and is, very academically advanced, but at age just 5 still had a lot of separation anxiety and clicked with very few kids. (Tolerated kids well generally, but friends needed to be actual friends from a younger age). We made the right choice for her. She really started to blossom in 2nd grade. Yes, she was very bored at times, but now she has been identified as GT and is with her people. Turns out the preschool friends were GT, too. She has always been gravitating to the same type.

We did a transitional K program at a different school when some of her older preschool friends went off to K. That worked out to be a terrific year.

If you are a year older than other kids, its very easy to be identified as gifted. About 40% of the kids at MCPS are identified in 3rd for gifted and test but there are very few slots so an easy way to get into the gifted program is to hold back a year, but why not send on time and then they will be challenged better being a year ahead. My kid who we sent early was identified as gifted. The gifted school was too far away so we had to turn it down.

First of all - that isn't true. Second, tests are age-normed.

PP with the August Daughter - above poster is correct. DD had to get more questions correct than younger peers (they do this by birth month & year) to achieve same score.

Are you sure about that? My child took the gifted test and said two kids got extra time and two finished at about the same time. He's the youngest so it doesn't make sense and I know the other kids don't have IEP's SN. The tests are supposed to adjust by how the questions are answered and number of correct questions, not by birthday.

You would have to look into how they compute the SAS (standard age score) for the CogAT to understand how the test is Age-Normed. The amount of time given to a child to complete a section should be standard, and how the test is administered in a specific classroom is another matter. IEP/504 kids allotted extra time are usually separated out in order to smooth test administration for everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have a one-week before the cut-off DD, who we did not enroll to start as a just-turned-5 year old. She was, and is, very academically advanced, but at age just 5 still had a lot of separation anxiety and clicked with very few kids. (Tolerated kids well generally, but friends needed to be actual friends from a younger age). We made the right choice for her. She really started to blossom in 2nd grade. Yes, she was very bored at times, but now she has been identified as GT and is with her people. Turns out the preschool friends were GT, too. She has always been gravitating to the same type.

We did a transitional K program at a different school when some of her older preschool friends went off to K. That worked out to be a terrific year.

If you are a year older than other kids, its very easy to be identified as gifted. About 40% of the kids at MCPS are identified in 3rd for gifted and test but there are very few slots so an easy way to get into the gifted program is to hold back a year, but why not send on time and then they will be challenged better being a year ahead. My kid who we sent early was identified as gifted. The gifted school was too far away so we had to turn it down.

First of all - that isn't true. Second, tests are age-normed.

PP with the August Daughter - above poster is correct. DD had to get more questions correct than younger peers (they do this by birth month & year) to achieve same score.

Are you sure about that? My child took the gifted test and said two kids got extra time and two finished at about the same time. He's the youngest so it doesn't make sense and I know the other kids don't have IEP's SN. The tests are supposed to adjust by how the questions are answered and number of correct questions, not by birthday.

extra time has nothing to so with the scores being age-normed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have a one-week before the cut-off DD, who we did not enroll to start as a just-turned-5 year old. She was, and is, very academically advanced, but at age just 5 still had a lot of separation anxiety and clicked with very few kids. (Tolerated kids well generally, but friends needed to be actual friends from a younger age). We made the right choice for her. She really started to blossom in 2nd grade. Yes, she was very bored at times, but now she has been identified as GT and is with her people. Turns out the preschool friends were GT, too. She has always been gravitating to the same type.

We did a transitional K program at a different school when some of her older preschool friends went off to K. That worked out to be a terrific year.

If you are a year older than other kids, its very easy to be identified as gifted. About 40% of the kids at MCPS are identified in 3rd for gifted and test but there are very few slots so an easy way to get into the gifted program is to hold back a year, but why not send on time and then they will be challenged better being a year ahead. My kid who we sent early was identified as gifted. The gifted school was too far away so we had to turn it down.

First of all - that isn't true. Second, tests are age-normed.

PP with the August Daughter - above poster is correct. DD had to get more questions correct than younger peers (they do this by birth month & year) to achieve same score.

Are you sure about that? My child took the gifted test and said two kids got extra time and two finished at about the same time. He's the youngest so it doesn't make sense and I know the other kids don't have IEP's SN. The tests are supposed to adjust by how the questions are answered and number of correct questions, not by birthday.

You would have to look into how they compute the SAS (standard age score) for the CogAT to understand how the test is Age-Normed. The amount of time given to a child to complete a section should be standard, and how the test is administered in a specific classroom is another matter. IEP/504 kids allotted extra time are usually separated out in order to smooth test administration for everyone.

+1 Also, to the PP. You almost certainly don't KNOW that other kids don't have IEPs unless you have at some point asked their parents if they have IEPs. But, this isn't about time. It is about age norming.

[Anonymous]

See, OP, this is why you should stay off DCUM for now! Eventually every thread turns into a discussion of the chances of getting into an application/gifted magnet program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You know your kid best. Go with your gut.

Agree with this poster! We have two kids. Younger child has a September birthday, and we chose to do EEK. Child is now in 4th grade and is doing very well academically and socially. Child was a little behind socially but caught up by 2nd/3rd grade. Having a larger pool of classmates as potential buddies in elementary vs pre-school really helped too.

For us, we learned about MCPS KG curriculum b/c of older sibling and felt it was appropriate for younger child. In addition, it's been very nice to have the kids in the same school for a longer amount of time! It will be the case not only for elementary but also middle and high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP here. We actually did the opposite of redshirting. Our child has middle September birthday and we made her take the Early Admission to Kindergarten test. She was able to handle the workload well through ES, MS and HS. Physically she is average and emotionally she is more mature than older kids. She is well liked by teachers and peers.

There are some social aspects of being younger than her classmates that we have noticed, but we have not found that to be a negative. She was the last among her peers to get a learner's permit. Some CIT and volunteering gigs, part-time jobs and some internships applicants need to be 16 yrs old - so we had to work around this in HS. This has not been a big enough drawback. Academically, she has been in the magnet track in STEM throughout.

We did the same with DS. A boy no less, egads! He's now in HS and has done very well academically, emotionally he's on the mature side, physically he was big when we made the decision, and then was small in MS (late bloomer for puberty), slowly getting there in HS. Goes to show size can change drastically and shouldn't necessarily be a factor in the decision. Luckily he's athletic and has made the sports teams.

DS has always loved being the youngest, points to it as a source of pride. It will be harder when many of his friends are driving, some a year before him, but that's a small price to pay. Yes, parents do know their child best, but I think many sell their kids short. Of course starting them early as we did isn't for many people, but starting them on time, in the absence of true special needs or circumstances, is generally good for the majority of kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have a one-week before the cut-off DD, who we did not enroll to start as a just-turned-5 year old. She was, and is, very academically advanced, but at age just 5 still had a lot of separation anxiety and clicked with very few kids. (Tolerated kids well generally, but friends needed to be actual friends from a younger age). We made the right choice for her. She really started to blossom in 2nd grade. Yes, she was very bored at times, but now she has been identified as GT and is with her people. Turns out the preschool friends were GT, too. She has always been gravitating to the same type.

We did a transitional K program at a different school when some of her older preschool friends went off to K. That worked out to be a terrific year.

If you are a year older than other kids, its very easy to be identified as gifted. About 40% of the kids at MCPS are identified in 3rd for gifted and test but there are very few slots so an easy way to get into the gifted program is to hold back a year, but why not send on time and then they will be challenged better being a year ahead. My kid who we sent early was identified as gifted. The gifted school was too far away so we had to turn it down.

First of all - that isn't true. Second, tests are age-normed.

PP with the August Daughter - above poster is correct. DD had to get more questions correct than younger peers (they do this by birth month & year) to achieve same score.

Are you sure about that? My child took the gifted test and said two kids got extra time and two finished at about the same time. He's the youngest so it doesn't make sense and I know the other kids don't have IEP's SN. The tests are supposed to adjust by how the questions are answered and number of correct questions, not by birthday.

You would have to look into how they compute the SAS (standard age score) for the CogAT to understand how the test is Age-Normed. The amount of time given to a child to complete a section should be standard, and how the test is administered in a specific classroom is another matter. IEP/504 kids allotted extra time are usually separated out in order to smooth test administration for everyone.

+1 Also, to the PP. You almost certainly don't KNOW that other kids don't have IEPs unless you have at some point asked their parents if they have IEPs. But, this isn't about time. It is about age norming.

I do know as the principal, teacher and several others told me my child was the only one in the class with an IEP. We refused one classroom where they put all the kids with IEP's regardless of needs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm considering giving my child an extra year of preschool because her birthday is 4 days before the school cutoff and she's on the shy side (and super small). I'm sure she'd do fine academically; I'm more concerned about how she'll do socially, especially down the line. We haven't decided yet, but are strongly leaning in that direction.

From everything I'm reading on DCUM, though, elementary school in MCPS is unchallenging. I don't want to make her bored out of her mind. She's either going to be the absolute youngest or among the oldest. What would you do?? We're not dying to pay for an extra year of preschool, but want to make the best long term decision.

My son had an "average" birthday (May), but b/c of some speech issues and immaturity, we kept him in preschool an extra year. (He's in 3rd now.) Kindergarten is absolutely not what we experienced as kids - or at least nothing that comes close to my experiences. So in his case, it worked out well. He does favor the girls, however, as the girls in his class tend to be much calmer and more mature. But he has friends - both boys and girls -
he's kept since K.

It will work out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP here. We actually did the opposite of redshirting. Our child has middle September birthday and we made her take the Early Admission to Kindergarten test. She was able to handle the workload well through ES, MS and HS. Physically she is average and emotionally she is more mature than older kids. She is well liked by teachers and peers.

There are some social aspects of being younger than her classmates that we have noticed, but we have not found that to be a negative. She was the last among her peers to get a learner's permit. Some CIT and volunteering gigs, part-time jobs and some internships applicants need to be 16 yrs old - so we had to work around this in HS. This has not been a big enough drawback. Academically, she has been in the magnet track in STEM throughout.

We did the same with DS. A boy no less, egads! He's now in HS and has done very well academically, emotionally he's on the mature side, physically he was big when we made the decision, and then was small in MS (late bloomer for puberty), slowly getting there in HS. Goes to show size can change drastically and shouldn't necessarily be a factor in the decision. Luckily he's athletic and has made the sports teams.

DS has always loved being the youngest, points to it as a source of pride. It will be harder when many of his friends are driving, some a year before him, but that's a small price to pay. Yes, parents do know their child best, but I think many sell their kids short. Of course starting them early as we did isn't for many people, but starting them on time, in the absence of true special needs or circumstances, is generally good for the majority of kids.

I also know of a boy who is about to go to HS who did the early admissions in Kindergarten. He is also doing well as far as academics is concerned and well adjusted socially, emotionally and physically. For him (and my daughter) it is a source of great pride that they are able to achieve more at a younger age. I do not understand the fears of people who want to redshirt their child. The difference between most students in age is only a few months in a classroom. However, redshirted students are not with their own age peers. I think there would be more pressure to perform better if you were the oldest child? I know that the cutoff is September 1st. But in reality at school age there is no major difference between a child who is born on August 30th, September 5th or September 15th.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:


I also know of a boy who is about to go to HS who did the early admissions in Kindergarten. He is also doing well as far as academics is concerned and well adjusted socially, emotionally and physically. For him (and my daughter) it is a source of great pride that they are able to achieve more at a younger age. I do not understand the fears of people who want to redshirt their child. The difference between most students in age is only a few months in a classroom. However, redshirted students are not with their own age peers. I think there would be more pressure to perform better if you were the oldest child? I know that the cutoff is September 1st. But in reality at school age there is no major difference between a child who is born on August 30th, September 5th or September 15th.

If your birthday is in late August, and you start kindergarten a year late, you are with your own age peers -- just as you would be if you started on time. As you say, there is no major difference between a child who is born on August 30th, September 5th or September 15th.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"OP again. Yeah. It's early, I know, but it affects where we send her to preschool next year so I'm starting to think about it. (Whether we send her to a place where she can stay 2 years without repeating the same classroom, etc.). But we know we have time and things can change. Just wanted a sense of whether MCPS is so unchallenging no one would do this, because that's what reading this board makes me think sometimes!"

For us, part of what made MCPS seem unchallenging is that K was so academic and therefore challenging. Our kids had summer birthdays and were interested in learning to read. MCPS K encouraged that interest. Our kids took off reading wise and picked it up quickly then languished (from first to fourth at HGC) in the top reading groups with little teacher interaction.

For your situation I would ask the question is she going to learn to read during the extra year of preschool on her own/from you? Obviously, learning on her own won't be as efficient as learning in class, but even so if she learns enough then even K won't be challenging and her first years of school will ingrain the idea that school is boring.

We must be at an alternative MCPS. I'm not seeing at all how the academics are challenging. But, my child was an early reader and we worked at home on foundation stuff to make sure they were ready for school, which some parents choose not to do. It may be challenging if you had no academic exposure prior to MCPS, but its not at all challenging if you come in knowing how to read and basic math concepts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:


I also know of a boy who is about to go to HS who did the early admissions in Kindergarten. He is also doing well as far as academics is concerned and well adjusted socially, emotionally and physically. For him (and my daughter) it is a source of great pride that they are able to achieve more at a younger age. I do not understand the fears of people who want to redshirt their child. The difference between most students in age is only a few months in a classroom. However, redshirted students are not with their own age peers. I think there would be more pressure to perform better if you were the oldest child? I know that the cutoff is September 1st. But in reality at school age there is no major difference between a child who is born on August 30th, September 5th or September 15th.

If your birthday is in late August, and you start kindergarten a year late, you are with your own age peers -- just as you would be if you started on time. As you say, there is no major difference between a child who is born on August 30th, September 5th or September 15th.

The difference is that your child was kept back for an entire year at home when he could be learning at school. One year of not learning is a big loss. Few months of being younger than some kids in the classroom is not a big loss.