Entering Kindergarten at 6

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, Kindergarten is mandatory in DC, so if your child hasn’t done it they likely will not send him to first, but definitely check with principal.

For those complaining about redshirting, the admins and policy makers changed Kindergarten 10-15 years ago. That much seated time and explicit instruction is not developmentally appropriate for 4 and young 5 year olds. We have a late September child and when we toured for K I thought we were in a thrid grade classroom. I am an educator so i know what it should look like. If your child is advanced maybe... for those complaining about the age gap, it’s not the older kids, it’s the curriculum/approach.

www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/news/answer-sheet/wp/2018/04/06/in-massachusetts-a-disturbing-trend-in-kindergarten/we

Then homeschool if you don't like the rules.

The “rules” are arbitrary. Different in MD, different in privates. If a kid is a few days on one side of the cutoff or another it’s no big deal for the class a whole, but it can make a huge difference for that child. And if a kid goes too early it can be disruptive. I know of a child whose parents “followed the rules” even though they knew their kid wasn’t ready for that much seated time and teacher talk. The result is the kid is super disruptive, doesn’t focus and needs the resources of specialists, not because he likely has a disability, but because he developmentally is t ready for what Kindergarten is now. IMO changing kindergarten isn’t “following the rules”.

Also, I know what the cutoff is, but it is also a “rule” per osse that kids start K by 5. For many redshirted kids, they are still
Following this rules. The “rules” allow it.

[Anonymous]

There is a parent in my kid’s K class who brags constantly about her kid being the youngest in the class.

[Anonymous]

I’m wondering the racial breakdown of red shirted kids. Because this seems like white foolishness to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^ Oh, and DCPS cannot retain or move a child forward without parental consent.

Right, but when OP goes to register her kid, the registrar will look at the birth certificate and put the kid in the correct grade for her age, which will be 1st grade.
DCPS does not need a parent's permission to put a kid in the correct grade for their age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And back on track.....

OP you need to speak with the Principal. We moved from out of state where everyone redshirts. My #3 was going to enter Kindergarten as a 6 year old which wasn't even the oldest in our previous school. When I went to register they said I had to put him in 1st grade which freaked me out. I met with the Principal who said they would start him in 1st and if he needed to move down they would move him but their policy is no redshirting. He stayed in 1st grade and was fine.

Was this a charter? JKLM?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^ Oh, and DCPS cannot retain or move a child forward without parental consent.

Right, but when OP goes to register her kid, the registrar will look at the birth certificate and put the kid in the correct grade for her age, which will be 1st grade.
DCPS does not need a parent's permission to put a kid in the correct grade for their age.

You are speaking on assumption. Let me tell you what i know: In DCPS, kids must complete kindergarten. They may have to prove they did not do K before (letter from preschool, but because all kids must conplete K they can’t make them do first.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m wondering the racial breakdown of red shirted kids. Because this seems like white foolishness to me.

I think you’re largely right. I only know one black kid (affluent family) who was redshirted. All the rest are white families.

[Anonymous]

DD is very short-statured. For a while, people thought I had a baby genius just because she was developmentally appropriate, but looked significantly smaller. She'll turn 3 this summer, entering a mixed age Pre-K in the fall, and will undoubtedly be the smallest and perhaps one of the youngest in her class.

I'm glad she's getting the exposure to mixed ages now, because it's ridiculous that she'll be in a K class with 6 and 7 year olds because a bunch of UMC families want to give their kids some imaginary advantage. I shouldn't have to hold my kid back so she can physically grow another year to be around your kids.

How about everyone just follow the same rules and standards (unless otherwise indicated by need), and then you won't have to worry about pursuing this elusive, non-existent advantage?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m wondering the racial breakdown of red shirted kids. Because this seems like white foolishness to me.

I think you’re largely right. I only know one black kid (affluent family) who was redshirted. All the rest are white families.

"[Redshirting] is also significantly more common among white students – roughly 6 percent of white students are redshirted, compared to less than 3 percent of Asian students and 2 percent or less of black and Hispanic children."
https://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2016-06-16/how-much-does-it-benefit-a-child-to-delay-kindergarten-entry-for-a-year

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m wondering the racial breakdown of red shirted kids. Because this seems like white foolishness to me.

I think you’re largely right. I only know one black kid (affluent family) who was redshirted. All the rest are white families.

"[Redshirting] is also significantly more common among white students – roughly 6 percent of white students are redshirted, compared to less than 3 percent of Asian students and 2 percent or less of black and Hispanic children."
https://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2016-06-16/how-much-does-it-benefit-a-child-to-delay-kindergarten-entry-for-a-year

I figured.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If everyone would just send their kid to school when they are supposed to, we wouldn't have these large age gaps is the classroom. My kid entered kindergarten at 4 and turned 5 two weeks later. If you hold yours back it creates unfair age gaps for those of us who follow the rules.

I don't understand how the age gaps disadvantage your child.

We redshirted our early summer birthday kid because it was obvious she wasn't ready for K when she had just turned 5. No diagnosis, so we couldn't have gotten a letter from the doctor or "proved" that red shirting was correct, it was just obvious to us and her preschool teachers. Fast forward several years, she has an IEP for a learning disability and is academically one of the weakest kids and is absolutely in the right grade. I don't understand how her presence is hurting your kid.

Are you people not reading? People have said not to red shirt unless you have a reason given by teachers or doctors. You just started your preschool teachers thought she shouldn't start on time.

I don't know a single person who decided to red shirt without first talking to their preschool teacher. With an exception that big, you guys are beating a straw horse.

Preschool teachers almost always recommend redshirting.
$$$$$

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They should have a rule about it. Unless there is a documented reason by a school or doctor, there should be no red shirting.

What’s it to you?

Jerk.

What's it to me? People who red shirt for no specific documented reason put the other, age appropriate kids in that class at a disadvantage throughout schooling.

Yup, my kid is a young K who is still 5 until the end of the summer and a K classmate of his turned 7 three months ago. Unless there's a good reason (and I admit I don't know it), I'm not thrilled with the age spread.

In what world are kids turning 7 in January of their K year?

A redshirted one. Have you read the thread?

They generally turn 7 the summer after K starts, or MAYBE in the spring. Never heard of a kid turning 7 in January of K (and I know a LOT of redshirted kids).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m wondering the racial breakdown of red shirted kids. Because this seems like white foolishness to me.

I don't think it's white foolishness. There are several black kids who had to repeat K in my child's class - they would likely have been better off having been shirted and started in our school's excellent PK4 to gain literacy skills. But the whole lottery system doesn't allow that, so they get 2 years of K.

[Anonymous]

My daughter started K at 5y10m and it's been great for her. She's on track with academics but not ahead, and still one of the smallest in her class. If she had an earlier birthday, I think it would have been good for her if we had held her back to start at 6.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m wondering the racial breakdown of red shirted kids. Because this seems like white foolishness to me.

I think you’re largely right. I only know one black kid (affluent family) who was redshirted. All the rest are white families.

"[Redshirting] is also significantly more common among white students – roughly 6 percent of white students are redshirted, compared to less than 3 percent of Asian students and 2 percent or less of black and Hispanic children."
https://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2016-06-16/how-much-does-it-benefit-a-child-to-delay-kindergarten-entry-for-a-year

And what's the racial breakdown of being retained/held back? that's right, disproportionaly African American. https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2010/2010015/indicator4_17.asp

White kids get "redshirted" by their parents proactively; black kids get retained. What we should actually be doing is making sure more black kids can be redshirted if necessary and placed in excellent PK programs.