Why don’t schools make you just through some hoops for redshirting?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You’ll have to reach out to your school board. A redshirted spring/summer birthday would be turning six before K not 7.

I’m talking about our current class. 3 kids are 7 already and it’s February. This is a Sep 1 cutoff public school.

If these kids are 7 by February 2024 that means they were 5 by February 2022. You’re telling me THREE kids were redshirted so they would start K at age 6.5 going on 7? That seems crazy to me for even 1 kid let alone 3. What is going on in this class?

The oldest kid in my K kid’s class has a June 2017 birthday and will turn 7 the last week of school. He also has SNs so it was deliberate to hold him (I know the mom and it makes sense the family didn’t start him on time). I always thought June redshirting was the absolute limit. Normally it’s July/Aug kids who need just a little longer to mature. And usually boys.

I have an August bday (graduated HS at 17) and as a girl was fine being younger.

That's great that's your experience, but it's not been mine (I'm not PP you are quoting). MOST redshirts are June/July/August, but I know of plenty of spring redshirts across multiple grades. I have heard people ask if they should redshirt January/February kids, which is really taking it too far. My late July girl was sent on time and she's doing just fine, so I just think it's odd to have such little faith in your kid's abilities that they need to be 18 months older than the youngest kid in the class.

+1
It’s really being pushed further and further back as a surefire advantage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You’ll have to reach out to your school board. A redshirted spring/summer birthday would be turning six before K not 7.

+1 this is something else going on, if they’re 7 at this point in the year, in kindergarten

Makes even less sense that the school would put all of these kids in a single class instead of spacing them out!

They very well could be spaced out and they just have that many old kindergartners. This happens at my kids’ school. Mine all have spring/early summer birthdays and holding them back didn’t cross our minds.

They each have many kids in their grade that are 12 -16 months older than them. They are not sn kids (which would be understandable). They are neurotypical kids whose parents are looking for an advantage. Unfortunately, it works as there is 1 “advanced” class (not dc area) in each grade and these classes are dominated by the kids who were held back to start, so of course they seem more mature and “smarter” at the end of kindergarten. There’s not a test to get in, it’s based on teacher recommendations.

Yes, we have the same at the teacher’s discretion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just enroll your kid in kindergarten already. Yes, your kid will be among the youngest and the early years of grade school will have more twists and turns, but in the long run it's better. That way, your student graduates from high school at 17 instead of 19 or 20.

Our summer birthday started college at almost 18 and will graduate with a bachelor's at 21. A lot of her redshirted peers in the same grade are already 23. They'll graduate with a bachelor's at 24/25/26. Half their 20s are already over, and now what? Grad school? They'll be almost 30 by the time they hit the workforce...

Look ahead 20 years, OP. Redshirting actually holds your kid back later.

This is….objectively not better. Also (and, again.) if they’re graduating in May at 20 - or, in the vast majority of cases, at 19…it’s not redshirting, something else is going on

That’s what you’re missing. There are now kids who have Jan/Feb birthdays with a Sep 1 cutoff held back for “the gift of time” and the kids are tough additions in the grade. In this case, they boss around the younger kids and there have been issues with teasing. It’s not ideal for the other kids.

Yup, this describes our situation perfectly. Teachers can’t be asked to teach 16-month chronological and developmental age spans, especially in K and 1st. There are huge differences between a 5.5 year old and a 7 year old and it’s insane to have them in the same classroom unless it’s a true Montessori program.

I posted about my April bday DD who is 8 and in 3rd grade. She has a classmate who just turned 10 and a few others who then 10 in April and May. She was teased relentlessly by 2 of these girls in K-2nd- they called her short, a baby, and some other stuff that was genuinely mean. My DD struggled with comebacks and sticking up for herself in K especially because she was developmentally normal for her age but 14 months behind these girls.

A boy my DD’s age has been teased by one of the soon-to-be 10 year olds both his size and athletic ability. Of course he’s shorter and slower- he wasn’t even alive when his classmates were walking!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just enroll your kid in kindergarten already. Yes, your kid will be among the youngest and the early years of grade school will have more twists and turns, but in the long run it's better. That way, your student graduates from high school at 17 instead of 19 or 20.

Our summer birthday started college at almost 18 and will graduate with a bachelor's at 21. A lot of her redshirted peers in the same grade are already 23. They'll graduate with a bachelor's at 24/25/26. Half their 20s are already over, and now what? Grad school? They'll be almost 30 by the time they hit the workforce...

Look ahead 20 years, OP. Redshirting actually holds your kid back later.

This is….objectively not better. Also (and, again.) if they’re graduating in May at 20 - or, in the vast majority of cases, at 19…it’s not redshirting, something else is going on

That’s what you’re missing. There are now kids who have Jan/Feb birthdays with a Sep 1 cutoff held back for “the gift of time” and the kids are tough additions in the grade. In this case, they boss around the younger kids and there have been issues with teasing. It’s not ideal for the other kids.

Where do you live??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just enroll your kid in kindergarten already. Yes, your kid will be among the youngest and the early years of grade school will have more twists and turns, but in the long run it's better. That way, your student graduates from high school at 17 instead of 19 or 20.

Our summer birthday started college at almost 18 and will graduate with a bachelor's at 21. A lot of her redshirted peers in the same grade are already 23. They'll graduate with a bachelor's at 24/25/26. Half their 20s are already over, and now what? Grad school? They'll be almost 30 by the time they hit the workforce...

Look ahead 20 years, OP. Redshirting actually holds your kid back later.

This is….objectively not better. Also (and, again.) if they’re graduating in May at 20 - or, in the vast majority of cases, at 19…it’s not redshirting, something else is going on

That’s what you’re missing. There are now kids who have Jan/Feb birthdays with a Sep 1 cutoff held back for “the gift of time” and the kids are tough additions in the grade. In this case, they boss around the younger kids and there have been issues with teasing. It’s not ideal for the other kids.

Yup, this describes our situation perfectly. Teachers can’t be asked to teach 16-month chronological and developmental age spans, especially in K and 1st. There are huge differences between a 5.5 year old and a 7 year old and it’s insane to have them in the same classroom unless it’s a true Montessori program.

I posted about my April bday DD who is 8 and in 3rd grade. She has a classmate who just turned 10 and a few others who then 10 in April and May. She was teased relentlessly by 2 of these girls in K-2nd- they called her short, a baby, and some other stuff that was genuinely mean. My DD struggled with comebacks and sticking up for herself in K especially because she was developmentally normal for her age but 14 months behind these girls.

A boy my DD’s age has been teased by one of the soon-to-be 10 year olds both his size and athletic ability. Of course he’s shorter and slower- he wasn’t even alive when his classmates were walking!

It would be more than 16 months if you are talking a newly turned 5 year old and a 7 year old. The problem comes in when they have unrealistic expectations of the 5 year old who is developmentally appropriate for 5, and comparing them to a 7 year old. It's not healthy. My kid is the youngest and its never been an issue but its strange when friends are a year+ older with similar birthdays in the same grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You’ll have to reach out to your school board. A redshirted spring/summer birthday would be turning six before K not 7.

I’m talking about our current class. 3 kids are 7 already and it’s February. This is a Sep 1 cutoff public school.

If these kids are 7 by February 2024 that means they were 5 by February 2022. You’re telling me THREE kids were redshirted so they would start K at age 6.5 going on 7? That seems crazy to me for even 1 kid let alone 3. What is going on in this class?

The oldest kid in my K kid’s class has a June 2017 birthday and will turn 7 the last week of school. He also has SNs so it was deliberate to hold him (I know the mom and it makes sense the family didn’t start him on time). I always thought June redshirting was the absolute limit. Normally it’s July/Aug kids who need just a little longer to mature. And usually boys.

I have an August bday (graduated HS at 17) and as a girl was fine being younger.

These kids aren't immature per their age. People have unrealistic expectations of them. And, I'd worry more about a mature K, as kids, by the nature of being a child, aren't mature.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You’ll have to reach out to your school board. A redshirted spring/summer birthday would be turning six before K not 7.

I’m talking about our current class. 3 kids are 7 already and it’s February. This is a Sep 1 cutoff public school.

What do you want the school to do?

This is a serious question.

Those kids didn’t attend kindergarten last year. Do you want them to start school in 1st grade? What are their teachers supposed to do?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Schools can’t have it both ways either - in one breath they say that there’s no need for a kid to start early or skip a grade because they can differentiate just fine, and in the next they say you can start as late as you want if you aren’t “ready”
Either they can differentiate for kids within a 12 month birth range, or they should base class placement on something other than age.

What Id love to see is a small window (2 weeks on either side? Maybe a month?) when parents have discretion either way.
After that, you don’t have to send your kid, but when your April birthday kid shows up, they’ll be placed into the age appropriate grade. So redshirting basically means skipping K.

What's more lovely is come HS, when you have mixed grade classes and your 14 year old is with 18/19 year olds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just enroll your kid in kindergarten already. Yes, your kid will be among the youngest and the early years of grade school will have more twists and turns, but in the long run it's better. That way, your student graduates from high school at 17 instead of 19 or 20.

Our summer birthday started college at almost 18 and will graduate with a bachelor's at 21. A lot of her redshirted peers in the same grade are already 23. They'll graduate with a bachelor's at 24/25/26. Half their 20s are already over, and now what? Grad school? They'll be almost 30 by the time they hit the workforce...

Look ahead 20 years, OP. Redshirting actually holds your kid back later.

This is….objectively not better. Also (and, again.) if they’re graduating in May at 20 - or, in the vast majority of cases, at 19…it’s not redshirting, something else is going on

That’s what you’re missing. There are now kids who have Jan/Feb birthdays with a Sep 1 cutoff held back for “the gift of time” and the kids are tough additions in the grade. In this case, they boss around the younger kids and there have been issues with teasing. It’s not ideal for the other kids.

Where do you live??

This is what I want to know. I have three kids ranging elementary to high school and they’ve attended different schools each, and I’ve NEVER seen redshirted kids with Jan/Feb birthdays in their classes. My youngest had an April bday, but otherwise it’s been May-August birthdays for those kids.

[Anonymous]

^an April redshirted kid in his class I mean.

[Anonymous]

Why are you all so obsessed with other people's kids? Maybe your problem is really with colleges and competitions with artificial grade-based boundaries for giving out prizes. Attack the real problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just enroll your kid in kindergarten already. Yes, your kid will be among the youngest and the early years of grade school will have more twists and turns, but in the long run it's better. That way, your student graduates from high school at 17 instead of 19 or 20.

Our summer birthday started college at almost 18 and will graduate with a bachelor's at 21. A lot of her redshirted peers in the same grade are already 23. They'll graduate with a bachelor's at 24/25/26. Half their 20s are already over, and now what? Grad school? They'll be almost 30 by the time they hit the workforce...

Look ahead 20 years, OP. Redshirting actually holds your kid back later.

This is….objectively not better. Also (and, again.) if they’re graduating in May at 20 - or, in the vast majority of cases, at 19…it’s not redshirting, something else is going on

That’s what you’re missing. There are now kids who have Jan/Feb birthdays with a Sep 1 cutoff held back for “the gift of time” and the kids are tough additions in the grade. In this case, they boss around the younger kids and there have been issues with teasing. It’s not ideal for the other kids.

Where do you live??

This is what I want to know. I have three kids ranging elementary to high school and they’ve attended different schools each, and I’ve NEVER seen redshirted kids with Jan/Feb birthdays in their classes. My youngest had an April bday, but otherwise it’s been May-August birthdays for those kids.

Agreed. There was some weirdness around Covid and virtual instruction with kids starting late, but I'm otherwise unaware of anyone redshirted with a birthday earlier than June, and really it's usually July-September birthdays who are redshirted. I'm pretty sensitive to this as someone with a kid with a labor day birthday who wasn't redshirted, but there aren't a lot of kids who are more than 12 months older than her. She also has several friends with August and September birthdays who weren't redshirted.

I do think K and 1st grade teachers often have unrealistic expectations for younger students and those were really hard for my kid. My 4-5yo kindergartner was sent to the office almost daily that first month of kindergarten for pushing to get to the front of the line when lining up. The principal told her if she came back, that she'd call her parents. My kid thought that would be a reward, as she'd get a private party with the principal and her parents. Totally didn't get it.

It ended up being a really traumatic start to school with a 4-5 yo who was crying and upset about going to school every day. Kindergarten was too much seat time and the behavior expectations didn't work for her. She's always been far ahead on academics, so that was never the issue. It's was the other expectations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You’ll have to reach out to your school board. A redshirted spring/summer birthday would be turning six before K not 7.

I’m talking about our current class. 3 kids are 7 already and it’s February. This is a Sep 1 cutoff public school.

What do you want the school to do?

This is a serious question.

Those kids didn’t attend kindergarten last year. Do you want them to start school in 1st grade? What are their teachers supposed to do?

The state I live in now doesn't require kindergarten. They absolutely could start school in 1st grade. However, this rarely happens and my area has tons of redshirting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You’ll have to reach out to your school board. A redshirted spring/summer birthday would be turning six before K not 7.

I’m talking about our current class. 3 kids are 7 already and it’s February. This is a Sep 1 cutoff public school.

If these kids are 7 by February 2024 that means they were 5 by February 2022. You’re telling me THREE kids were redshirted so they would start K at age 6.5 going on 7? That seems crazy to me for even 1 kid let alone 3. What is going on in this class?

The oldest kid in my K kid’s class has a June 2017 birthday and will turn 7 the last week of school. He also has SNs so it was deliberate to hold him (I know the mom and it makes sense the family didn’t start him on time). I always thought June redshirting was the absolute limit. Normally it’s July/Aug kids who need just a little longer to mature. And usually boys.

I have an August bday (graduated HS at 17) and as a girl was fine being younger.

That's great that's your experience, but it's not been mine (I'm not PP you are quoting). MOST redshirts are June/July/August, but I know of plenty of spring redshirts across multiple grades. I have heard people ask if they should redshirt January/February kids, which is really taking it too far. My late July girl was sent on time and she's doing just fine, so I just think it's odd to have such little faith in your kid's abilities that they need to be 18 months older than the youngest kid in the class.

+1
It’s really being pushed further and further back as a surefire advantage.

I'm PP you're quoting. I definitely agree that parents are taking advantage and there needs to be restrictions in place. I don't think it's fair to already over burdened teachers to teach to such a wide age range within one grade.

That being said I do not think being older is a surefire advantage. Maybe my kid is an outlier, but I actually think I would've regretted holding her back. Everyone says you'll never regret holding back, but I just don't agree with blanket statements like that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You’ll have to reach out to your school board. A redshirted spring/summer birthday would be turning six before K not 7.

I’m talking about our current class. 3 kids are 7 already and it’s February. This is a Sep 1 cutoff public school.

If these kids are 7 by February 2024 that means they were 5 by February 2022. You’re telling me THREE kids were redshirted so they would start K at age 6.5 going on 7? That seems crazy to me for even 1 kid let alone 3. What is going on in this class?

The oldest kid in my K kid’s class has a June 2017 birthday and will turn 7 the last week of school. He also has SNs so it was deliberate to hold him (I know the mom and it makes sense the family didn’t start him on time). I always thought June redshirting was the absolute limit. Normally it’s July/Aug kids who need just a little longer to mature. And usually boys.

I have an August bday (graduated HS at 17) and as a girl was fine being younger.

That's great that's your experience, but it's not been mine (I'm not PP you are quoting). MOST redshirts are June/July/August, but I know of plenty of spring redshirts across multiple grades. I have heard people ask if they should redshirt January/February kids, which is really taking it too far. My late July girl was sent on time and she's doing just fine, so I just think it's odd to have such little faith in your kid's abilities that they need to be 18 months older than the youngest kid in the class.

+1
It’s really being pushed further and further back as a surefire advantage.

I'm PP you're quoting. I definitely agree that parents are taking advantage and there needs to be restrictions in place. I don't think it's fair to already over burdened teachers to teach to such a wide age range within one grade.

That being said I do not think being older is a surefire advantage. Maybe my kid is an outlier, but I actually think I would've regretted holding her back. Everyone says you'll never regret holding back, but I just don't agree with blanket statements like that.

+1 on this. My DD is an August birthday who is also small for her age and had some social delays, and I still don't regret starting her on time. She was ready for a more structured, academic environment. K was a tough year socially because she was definitely less mature than the other kids, but being around them helped her to mature more and by 1st there was no gap -- she's now on track socially and emotionally. I think being around other kids who were older and more mature helped her learn. If she'd spent another year at home with a nanny, I think there's no way she would have gotten that much peer influence, and I think she would have been starting K as an older kid who still had maturity deficits, which is worse than being among the youngest in the class with maturity deficits.