How common is redshirting in APS and FCPS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In ACPS it's gotten ridiculous. I know of two 13 year olds in my son's 6th grade homeroom. They're almost two years older than some of their classmates. I can't believe the school system tolerates it.

These boys could be 19.5 at HS graduation. Think about that.

What I fins amusing is how the parent's narrative has shifted over the years. When the kids were in K, or 1 it was all " Ohh, you're not redshirting him?! You do know that boys mature more slowly, right?! You're denying him an advatage!"

Now, when people give odd looks at the thought of an eighth grader with a learners permit they stay completely mum. It's like theyre embarrassed.

Please, this is not redshirting. If they are going to be 19+ at graduation, they they stayed back for two years. Rethink your calculations. Something else is going on here.

OP here. Nope. They were not held back. This was intentional. These are white boys of affluent educated parents. The boy in my son's class was born in March of 2005. My son was born in September of 2006. Same grade. My wife and I loosely run in the same social circle and I have personally heard the mom go on and on about how well little Timmy is doing in middle school. It's cringeworthy and reminds me of that Seinfeld episode where Kramer brags about his karate skills. Turns out he was competing against kids.

Redshirting a March birthday boy is a little outside the norm but not by that much. He’ll turn 19 senior year of HS and be 19 at graduation. He’ll turn 20 freshman year of college. Not a huge deal IMO. Just worry about yourself and your own kid. Maybe there was something going on with that child early in elementary that you didn’t know about and he ended up repeating K or something like that.

OP stated that they knew the family. The boy was fine, came from a privileged family, and was looking to extend their privilege further by redshirting. This is an actual issue. I don't think anyone has qualms with a disabled kid getting some help but most people do object to people using the 'normal aged kids' as fall guys for their own child's success.

No, it is not an actual issue. "Fall guys?" Good gravy, you need some perspective on actual difficulties in life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In ACPS it's gotten ridiculous. I know of two 13 year olds in my son's 6th grade homeroom. They're almost two years older than some of their classmates. I can't believe the school system tolerates it.

These boys could be 19.5 at HS graduation. Think about that.

What I fins amusing is how the parent's narrative has shifted over the years. When the kids were in K, or 1 it was all " Ohh, you're not redshirting him?! You do know that boys mature more slowly, right?! You're denying him an advatage!"

Now, when people give odd looks at the thought of an eighth grader with a learners permit they stay completely mum. It's like theyre embarrassed.

Please, this is not redshirting. If they are going to be 19+ at graduation, they they stayed back for two years. Rethink your calculations. Something else is going on here.

OP here. Nope. They were not held back. This was intentional. These are white boys of affluent educated parents. The boy in my son's class was born in March of 2005. My son was born in September of 2006. Same grade. My wife and I loosely run in the same social circle and I have personally heard the mom go on and on about how well little Timmy is doing in middle school. It's cringeworthy and reminds me of that Seinfeld episode where Kramer brags about his karate skills. Turns out he was competing against kids.

Redshirting a March birthday boy is a little outside the norm but not by that much. He’ll turn 19 senior year of HS and be 19 at graduation. He’ll turn 20 freshman year of college. Not a huge deal IMO. Just worry about yourself and your own kid. Maybe there was something going on with that child early in elementary that you didn’t know about and he ended up repeating K or something like that.

I am worrying about my kid. I don't want him competing against a kid almost two years older. Not in sports or academics. It's a gross abuse.

Education is not a competition. You don't know what was going on. Maybe the mom is just really proud that her kid got through some hard times when he was younger and is pleased that her kid has actually made it into middle school.

Unless of course you are making this up wholesale, which is what I sort of tend to think.

+10000

[Anonymous]

You know all these people out there fighting against Trump and shouting about Nazis and against white supremacy should take a long hard look at issues like red shirting.

The majority of folks who red shirt and going to be white upper class. You here excuses about kids not being mature enough, not wanting them to be behind, wanting to make sure they can compete, but what you really want is for your kid to maintain their supremacy. I am tired of hearing of what is best of "my kid" or "our family" maybe we should take a minute and ask ourselves what is best for society. What is best for all the kids and what can we can personally do to close the achievement gap.

- mom of a July boy going on time.

[Anonymous]

We are in APS at one of the immersion schools. I only know of one kid in my son’s grade who was redshirted (I’m sure there are others I don’t know about). My kid has a summer birthday, and I know of several other boys around his age or a little younger who all went on time. There’s a set of (girl) twins whose bday is literally the cut-off date, & they went on time. So, at our school, I don’t think it’s common to redshirt.

[Anonymous]

When will maturity level set? DS is right on cut off and I sent him on time 9/30. I couldn't justify holding him back because he was academically advanced. However, he's the smallest and less able to control his emotions and gets teased about it.

[Anonymous]

Reading comprehension skills appear to be in short supply in this thread.

Reread what the OP stated. The mom of the 13 year old 6th grader admitted it was for advantage. So, take all your 'you don't know what theyre going through' rationalizations and shove them someplace dark and stinky.

For the poster claiming it's not a competition, get back to me when your kids are applying to college. It is ABSOLUTELY a competition, by definition even. Christ, getting into TJ is cut throat and that's just a HS.

UVA doesn't take every senior from every HS. If you have kid A that's 19 and been competing against kid B who is 17 you can damn well be sure the 19 year old will have a better shot at admission.

Maybe this cuts too close for some of you. You don't like be called out for gaming the system.

[Anonymous]

N Arlington mom of a 3.5yr old (July BD) and Falls Church preschool.
My experience with neighbors and friends is that a lot of people talk about holding kids back or wonder out loud if they should, but ultimately in my circle most kids go on time. A lot of these families contemplate it to get their kids closer together in school to minimize dual drop off years. These are families where it is truly a choice - the cost of preschool for an extra year is not part of the choice that anyone has mentioned.

Personally for my family, we will send our son on time at 5yrs 2mo. Someone’s kid has to be the youngest and I see no reason it shouldn’t be mine. Holding kids back that don’t have developmental or social maturity deficits exacerbates the socioeconomic divide in our public schools. As a poster noted, affluent families consider it a choice to be weighed. Families who need a parent to go back to work full time or who are struggling to pay for preschool or daycare don’t have a choice to wait. I realize I am privileged because I have a tall, verbal, social kid, but I think holding a kid who is otherwise ready is selfish and places low income kids at a disadvantage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:N Arlington mom of a 3.5yr old (July BD) and Falls Church preschool.
My experience with neighbors and friends is that a lot of people talk about holding kids back or wonder out loud if they should, but ultimately in my circle most kids go on time. A lot of these families contemplate it to get their kids closer together in school to minimize dual drop off years. These are families where it is truly a choice [b]- the cost of preschool for an extra year is not part of the choice that anyone has mentioned.

Personally for my family, we will send our son on time at 5yrs 2mo. Someone’s kid has to be the youngest and I see no reason it shouldn’t be mine. Holding kids back that don’t have developmental or social maturity deficits exacerbates the socioeconomic divide in our public schools. As a poster noted, affluent families consider it a choice to be weighed. Families who need a parent to go back to work full time or who are struggling to pay for preschool or daycare don’t have a choice to wait. I realize I am privileged because I have a tall, verbal, social kid, but I think holding a kid who is otherwise ready is selfish and places low income kids at a disadvantage.

Bolded. Bingo.

Are we to think that the children of lobbyists and lawyers in N Arlington and Old Town aren't going to game the system ? That's what their parents do on a daily basis. The naivety is almost cute.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You know all these people out there fighting against Trump and shouting about Nazis and against white supremacy should take a long hard look at issues like red shirting.

The majority of folks who red shirt and going to be white upper class. You here excuses about kids not being mature enough, not wanting them to be behind, wanting to make sure they can compete, but what you really want is for your kid to maintain their supremacy. I am tired of hearing of what is best of "my kid" or "our family" maybe we should take a minute and ask ourselves what is best for society. What is best for all the kids and what can we can personally do to close the achievement gap.

- mom of a July boy going on time.

You are a complete hypocrite unless you've deliberately moved to a low-performing school district, do not supplement your child's education, and sent your child to the neighborhood public school.

There is literally no evidence that redshirting has any impact on the achievement gap. None whatsoever. What has a huge impact on the achievement gap, however, is what school you send your child to. So unless you've taken that step, you are just another hypocrite bleating on about how other people should fix the achievement gap but certainly not you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Reading comprehension skills appear to be in short supply in this thread.

Reread what the OP stated. The mom of the 13 year old 6th grader admitted it was for advantage. So, take all your 'you don't know what theyre going through' rationalizations and shove them someplace dark and stinky.

For the poster claiming it's not a competition, get back to me when your kids are applying to college. It is ABSOLUTELY a competition, by definition even. Christ, getting into TJ is cut throat and that's just a HS.

UVA doesn't take every senior from every HS. If you have kid A that's 19 and been competing against kid B who is 17 you can damn well be sure the 19 year old will have a better shot at admission.

Maybe this cuts too close for some of you. You don't like be called out for gaming the system.

No, I just find anti-redshirt posters on DCUM to be so free of critical thinking skills that it's entertaining to engage. Though it is rather like shooting fish in a barrel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When will maturity level set? DS is right on cut off and I sent him on time 9/30. I couldn't justify holding him back because he was academically advanced. However, he's the smallest and less able to control his emotions and gets teased about it.

Sounds like the kids around him aren't that mature, either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reading comprehension skills appear to be in short supply in this thread.

Reread what the OP stated. The mom of the 13 year old 6th grader admitted it was for advantage. So, take all your 'you don't know what theyre going through' rationalizations and shove them someplace dark and stinky.

For the poster claiming it's not a competition, get back to me when your kids are applying to college. It is ABSOLUTELY a competition, by definition even. Christ, getting into TJ is cut throat and that's just a HS.

UVA doesn't take every senior from every HS. If you have kid A that's 19 and been competing against kid B who is 17 you can damn well be sure the 19 year old will have a better shot at admission.

Maybe this cuts too close for some of you. You don't like be called out for gaming the system.

No, I just find anti-redshirt posters on DCUM to be so free of critical thinking skills that it's entertaining to engage. Though it is rather like shooting fish in a barrel.

Funny, I find proponents of redshirting to be closet racists. Doesn't even take critical thinking skills to see it. We get it. You don't like your kids being around brown kids doing as well as yours so you hold them back so theyre a year older.

[Anonymous]

What BS some of you spew! To each his own. I agree with the poster who said that there is no evidence that redshirting has an impact on achievement gaps. None of this matters when they enter high school. There is some difference in early elementary but by the time they reach middle school no one can ever tell! If anything one can argue that the redshirted children have the disadvantage of losing a year of income. Something I have heard from parents who have fought to have their October born children start K when they were 4!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reading comprehension skills appear to be in short supply in this thread.

Reread what the OP stated. The mom of the 13 year old 6th grader admitted it was for advantage. So, take all your 'you don't know what theyre going through' rationalizations and shove them someplace dark and stinky.

For the poster claiming it's not a competition, get back to me when your kids are applying to college. It is ABSOLUTELY a competition, by definition even. Christ, getting into TJ is cut throat and that's just a HS.

UVA doesn't take every senior from every HS. If you have kid A that's 19 and been competing against kid B who is 17 you can damn well be sure the 19 year old will have a better shot at admission.

Maybe this cuts too close for some of you. You don't like be called out for gaming the system.

No, I just find anti-redshirt posters on DCUM to be so free of critical thinking skills that it's entertaining to engage. Though it is rather like shooting fish in a barrel.

Funny, I find proponents of redshirting to be closet racists. Doesn't even take critical thinking skills to see it. We get it. You don't like your kids being around brown kids doing as well as yours so you hold them back so theyre a year older.

Exh. A for lack of critical thinking skills.

[Anonymous]

NP here, DH and I don't have children yet but fully intend to redshirt once we do. In some European countries school doesn't really start until 7. Privilege will always exist for someone, I'm not sure why people are getting so upset. Just like there will always be someone who can afford private tutoring, a nanny, private school, language classes, the best summer classes and or vacations. We can't afford all of those things but you can be sure we will provide our children with some advantages, as any loving parents would do the same.