Do kids ever skip grades anymore?

[Anonymous]

Do you know of any? Just curious what leads a parent/teacher to have a child skip ahead a grade. (I'm talking about nowadays; not 20 years ago.)

[Anonymous]

You can skip kindergarten in MCPS if your birthday is between September 2 and October 15 and MCPS assesses you as being ready for kindergarten.

My child did this because I thought that my child was ready for kindergarten.

[Anonymous]

^^^Drat, no, of course EEK is not skipping kindergarten. It's skipping the year before kindergarten.

There is an EE1 process too, though.

[Anonymous]

No.

[Anonymous]

It's very rare and parents don't want that anymore. These days, parents (and kids) really want to be at the head of the class. Who would want to skip a grade just to become average.

Also, a kid can skip because he's ahead in reading and math but there is not way to make up for the lost year of science and social studies, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^^Drat, no, of course EEK is not skipping kindergarten. It's skipping the year before kindergarten.

There is an EE1 process too, though.

That's not skipping anything. It's just flexibility with the cut off date for kids who are ready to start early. What's the opposite of red shirting? Green shirting? It's that.

[Anonymous]

My child was technically skipped ahead because he had repeated a grade previously in a different school system. So he ended back up with his peers. In his case, I think it was a relatively easy administrative thing to do. I've heard that skipping a child within the same school system when that child is continuously enrolled means a lot of justifications and paperwork - but I could be wrong.

[Anonymous]

Yes a kid skipped 2 grades and graduated HS 2 years earlier recently from a local magnet program. I think this kid was 1st or 2nd in the class with a perfect gpa.

[Anonymous]

I know one kid who did in my DC's gifted class. But this kid skipped when they moved schools. The kid is tall, so you'd never know the kid was a full year or in some cases two years younger than other kids.

[Anonymous]

Not here. In other parts of the country, yes.

[Anonymous]

I knew a kid who, after about a month of kindergarten, was moved into first grade in MoCo. He went on to do extremely well in an HGC and a magnet middle school, and is now in 8th grade I think. Not so long ago.

[Anonymous]

That's early admission to 1st which is similar to EEK in MCPS. There's a requirement that they spend a few weeks or longer in K before being allowed to move up. You have to be within a month of the cut off.
There was a boy who did this at our school as well. He had done K at a Montessori the previous year and had an October birthday which made him eligible for this cut off flexibility. Academically I think he was a little behind a few of the other really advanced Kers but the others did not have this opportunity because they were a few months younger.

Anonymous wrote:I knew a kid who, after about a month of kindergarten, was moved into first grade in MoCo. He went on to do extremely well in an HGC and a magnet middle school, and is now in 8th grade I think. Not so long ago.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, my kid did. Those dates are so stupid and arbitrary. Who cares. Just do what's right for your kid, ahead, behind, on time. Every kid is different, just pay attention and give them what they need. And who cares how tall or short your kid is? people come in all shapes and sizes and cut off dates are just a guideline.

[Anonymous]

I've never heard of this happening at our ES. My son was many years ahead in reading and math and this was never suggested. He's happy with his age anyways.

[Anonymous]

My son started K early in MCPS with a November birthday. He was big for his age, athletic, and really active and verbal. so far so good.