Early entry to kindergarten
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Anonymous
Except September-October kids miss out if they cannot go to K. |
Anonymous
Why can't they go to K? |
Anonymous
Either their parents think they know what they need from K or not. Why does Sep or Oct matter? |
Anonymous
Because mcps cut off is 9/1 and the test is subjective. |
Anonymous
How would you like the process to go? |
Anonymous
The bolded part made me laugh. How many K kids do you know who entered "on time" that listen well, follows directions well, and sits still when they start school? My kid has a mid-September bday. MCPS pre-k teacher said she would never recommend DS for early entry. She was shocked we even asked. Turns out we ended up moving to a county with a later cutoff. DS started K that same year. Also, the end of K skills requirement makes no sense when the vast majority of kids in K will be learning those same skills. What it really seems to come down to is will a kid seeking early entry be a burden on a teacher/resources or not? |
Anonymous
This is very true. We heard that from a lot of people and I think its often about the teacher/school vs. the child. Older kids aren't doing that so they are holding September kids to an unreasonable standard. Most preschool teachers cannot predict the future and I have to wonder why they generally insist kids be held back. If kids need another year, I have to question how good the preschool was in preparing these kids for K. You pay for preschool to prepare them and by the 4 program, they should be able to sit, follow directions and be able to handle being in a group. And, they should have basic pre-reading and math skills. |
Anonymous
I would like a very clear entrance exam and parent be able to get feedback/appeal the decision. I'd like it so that every child is allowed to test and it not be left up to the principal (we were not even allowed to test). Or, I'd like the cut off changed to 10/15 to allow fall kids the opportunity to go if the parents feel its best. |
Anonymous
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Don't push, but instead be pulled by your kid's overall need. And, if you decide to pursue it, don't take no for an answer without pushing to understand why (but then be willing to hear them out if they have good reasons). Room in a class is a school management problem, not a student need problem, and MCPS is supposed to focus on the latter. What if they had one extra kid move in to the area over the summer and register who was within the cutoff age? They'd have to make room.
K can be a step down in many ways from pre-K learning at a child care center, but getting used to school and having age peers is a consideration, too. As one past poster said, while there might be little difference in getting through K/1st/2nd as a late 4/5/6-year-old to younger 5/6/7-year-old, there can be a big difference in readiness for what happens in 6th grade as a late 10-year-old to younger 11-year old. That said, that poster shouldn't be beating themselves up about it. It was probably the right call at the time, especially if they had peers/friends to follow, and it's hard to predict that a kid *won't* be ready in later grades. There are plenty of kids (and not talking about slow learners -- really anyone) that are in the standard age range but don't handle the changes in one or other grade well. |
Anonymous
There’s an appeal process. |
Anonymous
Did you apply timely because MCPS policy requires that your child be assessed if you make a timely application. Also results of the assessment are provided to parents within 15 days. |
Anonymous
No matter when the cutoff date is, there will be kids whose birthdays don't align with it. And at this age, kids develop at wildly different speeds. Just because a child can read or compute or tell you a thousand things about insects or hit an overhand baseball pitch or get everyone else to join in a game they just made up doesn't mean they are necessarily going to be bored or under-served if they start school with their age group. That is why the evaluation process for early K or early 1 (as MCPS describes it) is not supposed to involve just an academic test. It is ideally a longer process that involves observation, evaluation, and consultation of both parents and teachers, including a discussion of potential long-term consequences (both pro and con) to an early start. Having been through this myself, I would not in any way recommend that it be reduced to an exam. I would, however, support the idea that a formal written application should be permitted from anyone who believes their child might need it, and should be met with a formal written response whether or not the evaluation is continued. |
Anonymous
Huh? A lot of kids. Are you bananas? There are tons of kids in my DCs preK can do all those things but all these kids parents are pushing to have them jump the cut off date. Smh |
Anonymous
If a child's been in preschool, they should have the skills to do well in K. |
Anonymous
The kids aren't being pushed. They are basically 5 and ready. There is no good reason to hold back kids except if you are ultra competitive for sports or want to push your kid to be a leader. If they've done 2-3 years of preschool, an extra year of preschool is pretty pointless. |