My son's first grade class

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Second, I definitely think, that with the exception of a few privates and some cases where there are developmental issues, the whole phenomenon is due to hoverers.

I don't agree that it's just "a few" private schools - especially when it comes to boys. There are, of course, exceptions, but many private schools think that if a boy has a birthday June or later, he is likely not to be "ready," or "developmentally mature," or whatever label they want to put on it.

[Anonymous]

From http://www.kidsource.com/education/red.shirting.html:

Effects of Redshirting

Research on redshirting has so far failed to provide a clear picture of its short- and long-term effects. Some studies have examined the effects of redshirting that occur immediately or within the early elementary years. Others have examined its long-term effects. Proponents and opponents of redshirting often use the same evidence but reach opposite conclusions. It is therefore unclear whether redshirting solves problems of school readiness.

Immediate Effects. Research on academic redshirting suggests that in the short term, redshirting (1) raises the child's academic achievement (math, reading, general knowledge) and conduct on par with or above that of younger classmates (West, Denton, & Germino-Hausken, 2000); (2) increases the child's confidence in social interactions and popularity among classmates (Spitzer et al., 1995); and (3) may simply add to the normal mix of ages and abilities within the classroom. However, there is also some speculation that, in classes where there are children who have been redshirted, some older children may feel alienated from their younger classmates, and some older classmates may have an unfair advantage over younger classmates in size and in psychomotor and social skills. The presence of children of a wider age span may also make the class too diverse for a teacher to manage well.

Effects in Grades 1-3. Researchers have observed other effects of redshirting within the first three years of elementary school, including (1) academic achievement that is nearly equal to that of their grade-level peers (West, Meek, & Hurst, 2000), (2) a lower likelihood of receiving "negative feedback from teachers about their academic performance or conduct in class" (Cromwell, 1998; West, Meek, & Hurst, 2000), and (3) less need for special education than classmates who were retained as kindergartners (Kundert et al., 1995; May et al., 1995). However, there is also evidence that some first- through third-graders who were redshirted as children required greater use of special education services than their non-redshirted and non-retained classmates (Graue & DiPerna, in press; May et al., 1995).

Long-term Effects. Proponents of redshirting often point out that there is no definitive evidence to show that redshirting harms children in the long term. However, Byrd et al. (1997) found that adolescents whose school entry had been delayed exhibited more behavioral problems than their classmates. Moreover, in light of evidence of a higher use of special education by redshirted youths, there is a great deal of speculation that many individuals who were redshirted as kindergartners may have had special needs that were misdiagnosed as immaturity and that should have been treated by some form of direct intervention other than delayed entry (May et al., 1995; Graue & DiPerna, in press).

[Anonymous]

From http://www.isteve.com/2002_Redshirting-A_Kindergarten_Arms_Race.htm:

Marilou Hyson, an executive with the National Association for the Education of Young Children, is not terribly enthusiastic about redshirting. She feels a key overlooked question is, "What are the redshirted children doing in the year they are not in kindergarten?" If the child is not spending that year at a first-rate preschool or being expertly home-schooled, he might not be maturing as fast as he would be if he were in kindergarten.

She cited the finding by Deborah Stipek, the dean of the Stanford school of education, "That the studies comparing age and school effects suggest that educational intervention found in schools contributes more to children's cognitive competencies overall than does maturation."

Hyson agreed with Stipek's suggestion that, "We would do a much greater service to children if we focused more on making school ready for children than on making children ready for school." Hyson contended that if boys were having a harder time with the demands of modern kindergartens, such as displaying good penmanship, then the curriculum should be reformed to be less biased against the male sex. "Perhaps kindergarten shouldn't emphasize penmanship," she recommended.

Overall, Hyson feared that we were creating a vicious cycle. Kindergarten might continue getting more advanced, causing the average age of kindergarten students to go up in response, which in turn would allow the academic demands to be ratcheted up further. Eventually, after much turmoil, kindergarten might turn out to be simply first grade under a different name, with the same curriculum and the same age students as first grade traditionally had.

[Anonymous]

There was a great piece on this in the NY Times Magazine a couple of years ago:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/03/magazine/03kindergarten-t.html?scp=3&sq=redshirting&st=cse

I read some of the research cited in here as evidence that redshirting often does have a cumulative effect on a child's leadership abilities for years (into middle school I think, but I read the article a long time ago).

To say it has no effect is just silly. Aren't some strangely high percentageg of professional baseball players born in August and doesn't little league have a July 31 birthday cut-off. Funny how most great baseball players just happened to be the oldest in their "class".

Why oh why didn't I plan better and have spring babies.

[Anonymous]

The devil is in the details. Show me the data...not old wives tails! Silly! Your mount a porous argument indeed.

[Anonymous]

My kids are still too little to go to school, but when my daughter goes, she will be turning 7 a week or so after she starts first grade. I don't have a choice in the matter. The cutoff is 9/1 and she doesn't make it. Testing her in is a whole different problem because our schools are already so impacted. I didn't realize this policy will be "hindering" other children in her classroom. What gives OP? It's not like it's my decision. There has to be a cutoff.

[Anonymous]

I think the redshirting does impact the social dynamic in the classes, especially as the kids get older. There is plenty of anecdotal evidence in the schools I am familiar with to demonstrate this.

However, I will leave it to others to articulate their experiences with their children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids are still too little to go to school, but when my daughter goes, she will be turning 7 a week or so after she starts first grade. I don't have a choice in the matter. The cutoff is 9/1 and she doesn't make it. Testing her in is a whole different problem because our schools are already so impacted. I didn't realize this policy will be "hindering" other children in her classroom. What gives OP? It's not like it's my decision. There has to be a cutoff.

We're not talking about kids who don't make the cutoff - we're talking about kids who ARE within the cutoff but do not attend school the year that they are age-eligible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids are still too little to go to school, but when my daughter goes, she will be turning 7 a week or so after she starts first grade. I don't have a choice in the matter. The cutoff is 9/1 and she doesn't make it. Testing her in is a whole different problem because our schools are already so impacted. I didn't realize this policy will be "hindering" other children in her classroom. What gives OP? It's not like it's my decision. There has to be a cutoff.

Consider yourself fortunate that an arbitrary date from officialdom will keep the tut-tutters (who rarely have experience with the decisions about which they tut) away from you. God forbid if your child's birthday was yesterday!