Anyone moved their child up a grade?
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Anonymous
| My son has been accepted into our IB DCPS next year for PK. However, the teachers and director at his current PS are strongly recommending that we enroll him in kindergarten. He's an October birthday, so just misses the cutoff, and a very tall boy who looks older as well. They say he is more than ready academically and emotionally for K (reading, writing, advanced at math, plays with the older kids who are also heading to K) and that PK will be a wasted year for him. The principal at our DCPS allows October birthdays to enroll in K and has at least one other boy doing so next year. We were initially reluctant to the idea of making him the youngest in his grade, especially knowing that the trend is for the opposite, for some parents of boys to red shirt. (The principal does not all that at our school.) But I'm thinking more seriously about it now. I know a lot of DCUM parents would say this is a bad idea, but I'd love to hear from any parents who have actually done it. How has it worked out? Any regrets, especially as your child has gotten older? I know my son will be fine in early elementary, but my concern more is for middle and high school, having him be younger than his peers. TIA |
Anonymous
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Someone is always the youngest and that doesn't necessarily have any link to maturity. Your child could easily be more mature in middle school than a child 5 months older than him.
Both my boys were the youngest or almost youngest. Neither had any problems at all but we didn't ever expect them to struggle for being younger. Wasn't something we talked about or made a big deal out of. Really they didn't even know how old their friends were exactly. Neither of my sons kept track of their friends birthdays to know who was a few months older or younger. It was just a non issue. |
Anonymous
| I haven't, so I am not really answering your question. But I will offer that my reading of the education literature is that red-shirting may (not will, may) help athletic performance -- child is older, bigger, better coordinated and hence gets more play and practice time in sports and thus on margin is a better sport player -- but that being the youngest in the grade may (again not will) help academic performance -- child is in a peer group that may be a little more advanced, mature, focused and this on the margin pulls their performance up. The effects are small for both -- it won't turn your awkward kid into a sports star nor your developmentally challenged kid into a genius -- and will not necessarily show up for all kids (there is a distribution of outcomes and these are the average effects). But still you have to decide for your particular kid whether it makes sense. The literature is only background for a larger number of kids. It doesn't mean that it is the right decision of any one kid. In fact, it could be quite wrong. |
Anonymous
| I don't think you can do this in DC. Sept. 30th is an absolute cutoff. |
Anonymous
| DC laws will not allow you to do this for the PK-1st grades, you can however request it in the later grades. |
Anonymous
| The way around this is to attend a private K (not preschool) this year and then enroll in 1st next year. The requirement for registering in 1st is to have completed K. But the requirement for K is the birthday cutoff. Good luck. |
Anonymous
| Our DCPS recommended my kid jump from PK3 to K, so it can be done. Depends on whether they have room, etc. |
Anonymous
| This is the OP. I don't know what DC laws say, but our principal allows it so this is an option for us. I know other children in our IB school who have done it in K. |
Anonymous
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It can be done (maybe not officially, but I've seen it happen.)
I might wait and see, though -- give him a couple months in pre-K and see how it's going before you move him up. |
Anonymous
Did you do it? |
Anonymous
| OP, there are many, many threads about this. One thing to think about -- what do people in your neighborhood do? In mine EVERYONE redshirts, so that would mean that you son could be up to 18 months younger than the rest of the grade. |
Anonymous
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If the teachers know his work and have observed him in the classroom, I would listen to the teachers. They know your son's capacity perhaps better than you do.
Way back in the day I skipped K and went to first grade as a five year old (Feb birthday) and have been fine ever since. A non-issue. |
Anonymous
+1 My kids skipped a grade. Done with consultation of school staff, and they made the recommendation based not only on academics, but also what they thought would be best socially and emotionally. Absolutely the right call. |
Anonymous
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In terms of what is allowed and not, you should ask the principal. Unless you already know him/her, do so humbly and with the expectation of a 'no', as I'm sure they're being asked this question all the time, by many, many parents who naturally think their kids are super-special. And it sounds like you'll be transferring schools and that school does not know your son yet, so couldn't make any promises. I highly doubt DCPS will allow you to 'enroll' your child in K, if only for the fact that this be a huge auditing flag. However, it is possible that they will consider a transfer up within the first 3-4 weeks, once they've run all the initial assessments and everyone (parents, teacher, principal) agrees on the course of action.
I think you'd be in a different situation if you weren't switching schools. In that case, you'd be having that conversation now with the principal of your school and that principal could deliberately plan for a transfer into K. Re-enrollment isn't quite as big a deal. (On the substance, my son was always among if not the youngest and that was never a problem.) |
Anonymous
The OP has now stated twice that the principal of the school her child will be attending allows this. |