Grade Skipping in Montgomery county for Kindergarten to Ist Grade
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Anonymous
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Hi
Is anybody have any idea whether Montgomery county allows grade skipping. My DD just started KG. She know everything and she is so bored. Can we skip her to Ist Grade? I'll really appreciate any input in this matter |
Anonymous
I am feeling the same way about my DD who is in K at a parochial school in NoVA. =/ But I am keeping here there b/c everything I've read and heard says it's best for them to stay there for the socialization, getting used to the school routine, etc. But I do know how you feel, OP. I'm not pleased with it either. And I am trying to supplement at home. Which also makes me worry, b/c sometimes I am picking up on things like other kids think she is the strange weirdo who already knows everything? (?) But all the more reason for her to stay there and be socialized with her same-age peers, I suppose. (She was previously in full-day daycare preschool (TCCC) so I just feel she's so much more ahead of the kids who may be just starting school now for the first time.) |
Anonymous
MCPS has a procedure for early entrance to first grade, which may or may not apply to your DD: http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/earlychildhood/early-entrance.aspx But if you think that skipping to first grade is the answer, then why not go ahead and try and see where you get. Meanwhile, however, I would ask for a conference with the kindergarten teacher as soon as possible. Ask the teacher what the teacher's perception is of your daughter relative to the other students in the class, and what the teacher can do to provide enrichment/challenge/interest. (Is DD unhappy in kindergarten?) |
Anonymous
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Snowball chance in hell.
MCPS doesn't care whether your kid is working within their academic ability. This isn't the point. The goal is for everyone to be proficient. Once they are proficient they can sit around for the year. At the local school level, principals care greatly about their test scores and class management. The test scores are higher is all the kids already know the material. Its hard for young kids to sit still in a large class with just one teacher. If younger kids jump up because the curriculum is so low then they will end up with big imbalance. Most kids would skip K and 2nd grade. |
Anonymous
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At our MCPS elementary school, the long-time school administrator told me that in all her years there, no one had ever skipped a grade.
That year, my son did skip between 1st and 2nd, but then he had started K a year late due to his special needs, so the school was more willing to do this because he ended up in his correct age group. Line up all your ducks in a row before you contact the school about this. I think you might have an uphill battle. |
Anonymous
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Won't happen. There are a wide range of abilities in Kindergarten. Things do pick up a bit later in the year. But the sad fact is the kids on the upper end there isn't going to be much challenging.
Have they started reading groups yet? There is actually a HUGE jump in expectations in first grade. I wouldn't immediately jump to grade skipping since that has other implications like being part of social group that will be much older. Your daughter may be advanced now but more middle of the road later (since kids mature at different rates). Good luck. You might also want to get her involved in some after school activities like Chess. |
Anonymous
| I know two kids in Kindergarten who skipped to First grade last year. One was in DS's class so stop spreading false info that it doesn't happen in MCPS or under 2.0. |
Anonymous
| Don't be ready to have your daughter skip K for 1st grade based on the first few weeks of school. September is the easy month - they are still testing everyone and figuring out which kids know what. It will start to ramp up in October. |
Anonymous
| This is OP. Thanks to everyone for their opinions. We already talked to her KG teacher. As per her, she is way ahead at academic level but she is struggling at social level. But she recommended to apply for that. I am going to send application for that. Let's see what happens |
Anonymous
Why on earth would you do this to her? In a few (or one) year the social stuff will be very apparent and she may end up miserable. Just supplement at home. |
Anonymous
| OP my son could read anything ( read at 3 fluently) and do (simple) multiplication before K. I did not accelerate and he was bored out of his mind. I'm thinking magnet is in his future and I don't want him to be a year younger when he takes the test. He's in first now and really I look at it (school) only from a socialization standpoint. It's okay -really. |
Anonymous
OP, my kid did grade acceleration, so I'm someone who has done it, and had a positive experience with it. However, I didn't push for it in kindergarten. As we got near end of first grade, teachers recommended skipping second, so met with a team at the school, including psychologist, and group decided it was the best course of action. So my advice would be... Leave DD in kindergarten for now. As others have said, things will start to ramp up. They will complete assessments and create smaller groups based on kids' levels. Social skills are one of the most important things about kindergarten, and there is less time for that in first grade, so if DD is not "at K level" but actually behind, then I think you might want to wait. As my example shows, if you kid continues to be significantly ahead of all other students, you revisit the issue. |
Anonymous
| OP, where are you from? Is this a problem of expecting American schools to be the same as schools in your home country? |
Anonymous
OP it is not unusual to find kids in KG who can read and your child will probably be bored as a result. DC is in 6th grade now so I am not sure if things have changed but at her ES, she was not sufficiently challenged until she went to a HGC in 4th grade. We never considered a grade skip because we believe (and still do) that socialization is the most important aspect of ES. I know a current high schooler who skipped to 1st grade and it seemed like the maturity gap becomes more of an issue in middle school. Do you want your child to be the youngest kid in MS, HS and as a college freshman? FWIW I was skipped when I was in 4th grade and although I was relatively mature for my age, being the youngest kid in my class was difficult - not academically but socially. I would stick it out but do supplement at home and work with the teacher - perhaps your child can get more interesting assignments or reading material. DC hated the 'busy' work. Some teachers are more accommodating than others. I think MCPS is supposed to try to make sure there is at least one other child at your child's reading level in every grade so really push for that at the end of the year when they are figuring out the class configuration for the next year. One peer can often make all the difference! I guess I am saying don't focus on this year so much but try to see the big picture. Good luck. |
Anonymous
(For what it's worth, I skipped kindergarten and was the youngest kid in elementary school, middle school, and high school, and I never had a problem socially. I think that evidently being the youngest is a potential problem, not a guaranteed problem.) |