definition of red-shirting?

[Anonymous]

My kids are small - 3 and 2 - so I'm new to this whole red-shirt debate. My 3.5 year old turns 5 on September 14, 2017. Enrollment here for K is September 1, so he will miss the cutoff. If I don't enroll him, am I red-shirting him? We can have him tested to see if he could still enroll due to his birthday being so close to the cut off. Or, is this not considered red shirting since he doesn't make the cut off date and would have to test in to K?

[Anonymous]

No, that is not redshirting because he does not meet the cut off day. Redshirting in your district is holding back a child born before September 1. Different districts have different cut off dates.

[Anonymous]

You have it backwards. Redshirting is when you do not send a child in the year they should be in because you want them to have an advantage (the people who do it always deny this is the reason) or you think they're not ready or whatever.

[Anonymous]

That is not. Those of us have to hold the kids back, test in or go private for two years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids are small - 3 and 2 - so I'm new to this whole red-shirt debate. My 3.5 year old turns 5 on September 14, 2017. Enrollment here for K is September 1, so he will miss the cutoff. If I don't enroll him, am I red-shirting him? We can have him tested to see if he could still enroll due to his birthday being so close to the cut off. Or, is this not considered red shirting since he doesn't make the cut off date and would have to test in to K?

It would only be redshirting if your child was born on or before Sept. 1 but you didn't enroll them. Example, if your 3.5 yr old turned 5 on August 31, 2017 but you did not choose kindergarten until September 2018 (because your child would be a very young 5) that is redshirting. So your child would then start K at 6 yrs old.

[Anonymous]

Right, red shirting is holding your child back when he/she COULD have gone to kindergarten. So a child turning 5 years old this August 25, 2016 could go to Kindergarten in Montgomery County because their cut off date is September 1. If you decide to NOT send that 5 year old to kindergarten because he/she isn't really ready (having only turned 5 2 weeks earlier), then you are red shirting and that child will go to school as a 6 year old in Sept 2017. And that's fine, to decide a child really isn't ready to go to Kindergarten. And that's red shirting.

But having a child who "misses the cutoff" by 2 weeks, as your older child will, isn't being red shirted, he's going to go to school when he's almost 6 years old because he missed the Sept 1 cutoff. And that's fine.

Now, some people "red shirt" a child born in freakin' June or July when the cutoff is September 1st. I think that's a bit crazy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Right, red shirting is holding your child back when he/she COULD have gone to kindergarten. So a child turning 5 years old this August 25, 2016 could go to Kindergarten in Montgomery County because their cut off date is September 1. If you decide to NOT send that 5 year old to kindergarten because he/she isn't really ready (having only turned 5 2 weeks earlier), then you are red shirting and that child will go to school as a 6 year old in Sept 2017. And that's fine, to decide a child really isn't ready to go to Kindergarten. And that's red shirting.

But having a child who "misses the cutoff" by 2 weeks, as your older child will, isn't being red shirted, he's going to go to school when he's almost 6 years old because he missed the Sept 1 cutoff. And that's fine.

Now, some people "red shirt" a child born in freakin' June or July when the cutoff is September 1st. I think that's a bit crazy.

Or February. Etc. More than a bit crazy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You have it backwards. Redshirting is when you do not send a child in the year they should be in because you want them to have an advantage (the people who do it always deny this is the reason) or you think they're not ready or whatever.

Most kids who are redshirted actually are identified later as having LDs. DC is a rarified community where people actually might red shirt for their kid's future lacrosse team chances.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Right, red shirting is holding your child back when he/she COULD have gone to kindergarten. So a child turning 5 years old this August 25, 2016 could go to Kindergarten in Montgomery County because their cut off date is September 1. If you decide to NOT send that 5 year old to kindergarten because he/she isn't really ready (having only turned 5 2 weeks earlier), then you are red shirting and that child will go to school as a 6 year old in Sept 2017. And that's fine, to decide a child really isn't ready to go to Kindergarten. And that's red shirting.

But having a child who "misses the cutoff" by 2 weeks, as your older child will, isn't being red shirted, he's going to go to school when he's almost 6 years old because he missed the Sept 1 cutoff. And that's fine.

Now, some people "red shirt" a child born in freakin' June or July when the cutoff is September 1st. I think that's a bit crazy.

+1 Just absurd. I met someone who redshirted a May child. WTF. My son was born Sept. 29th. The cut-off for K is Sept. 30th and we're not red shirting. He's immature but what little boy isn't immature. He'll be fine and I'm sure the youngest in his class. Kids will be turning 6 in K and he will start 1st the day after he turns 6. Oh well.

[Anonymous]

Meant to say: Kids will be turning 6 in K and he will start K the day after he turns 5 and won't turn 6 until after 1st grade starts. Oh well.