Help! Appeal for MCPS Early Kindergarten

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t get why you would want to. It isn’t a rush to finish k-12. Better for her be the smartest in the class than middle of the pack

+1

You can still be the smartest and one of the younger students. What kid wants to be 18 all of senior year and be the oldest? Someone hast be the oldest, someone has to be the youngest. In HS, with a lot of elective and math classes, the kids are mixed age anyway. Mine will be in an elective with seniors as a freshman.

What? First of all, your premise is wrong…it was great to be one of the very first ones to turn 18 (and 16, and 21…) - that is pretty universally seen as a great thing.

But also, that’s not what we’re talking about here. OP’s kid would turn 17 at the very beginning of senior year, and wouldn’t turn 18 until she’s already moved into college

It’s not great but you tell yourself that. You are lecturing someone with a September kid. I understand all about it. My kid will turn 18 a few week into college. No big deal.

My nephew repeated second grade with a spring birthday. My sister regrets it. He had a terrible time in HS. Getting his license as a freshman was not a good thing. He wanted so much more freedom than he had in hs as a 19 year old.

Did you…….even read the OP? Yikes.

Yikes! Yes I did. Many people are saying it is better to be older. In this case, it was not better. Obviously, it is just one data point.

Being held back is something research has consistently shown to be be harmful to kids. The takeaway from this is that kids should go on time. Not early, not late.

Why are you guys talking about holding back?? That’s not relevant to what OP is trying to do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, if your child is not even in preK at the moment how could you possibly think they are ready for K. There are kids who have had 3 years of academic preK plus the socialization that comes with that...while your kid has been in a daycare. Seems like you didn't really do a lot of research on this as the kids who are admitted early, as many pps note, are surpassing K expectations and harmed if not allowed to start K. This means they can read well likely and are doing low level maths AND have the social and emotional maturity to keep up.

Day care is the same as preschool.

LOL. No.

You don't have much experience with early childhood care facilities if you don't understand there is significant overlap between daycare and preschool for 3-5 year olds. In many cases it is simply a branding strategy for a daycare to call some of its classes preschool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t get why you would want to. It isn’t a rush to finish k-12. Better for her be the smartest in the class than middle of the pack

+1

You can still be the smartest and one of the younger students. What kid wants to be 18 all of senior year and be the oldest? Someone hast be the oldest, someone has to be the youngest. In HS, with a lot of elective and math classes, the kids are mixed age anyway. Mine will be in an elective with seniors as a freshman.

What? First of all, your premise is wrong…it was great to be one of the very first ones to turn 18 (and 16, and 21…) - that is pretty universally seen as a great thing.

But also, that’s not what we’re talking about here. OP’s kid would turn 17 at the very beginning of senior year, and wouldn’t turn 18 until she’s already moved into college

It’s not great but you tell yourself that. You are lecturing someone with a September kid. I understand all about it. My kid will turn 18 a few week into college. No big deal.

It is universally seen as better to turn 19 a few weeks into college versus 18. Lol.

I actually avoided peers in college who were out of sync with me age-wise. It usually suggested they had different priorities (drinking, jail time, community college).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t get why you would want to. It isn’t a rush to finish k-12. Better for her be the smartest in the class than middle of the pack

+1

Not the smartest just the oldest. Waiting a year does not make you any smarter it just makes you less challenged.

Nope. There are so many ways to challenge students intellectually. Academically talented programs, duel college enrollment, AP classes. Your “smartest in the class” kid won’t be bored in middle/high school, if you find them the right programs, regardless of if they are youngest or oldest. But what you can’t give them or predict at 5, is their maturity and social/emotional needs when they will be a tween/teen. All the kids from college I know that took 5 years to graduate, or changed majors and delayed graduation, or just had harder adjustments were the ones that were 16-17 starting in college. You can always supplement rigorous academics to suit your child, but you can’t supplement maturity. I see zero downside in OP (or anyone) sending her child “on time” and not appealing for early entry.

What are you rambling about? In MCPS, in ES, the only thing we got was compacted math and in MS accelerated math. There was no nothing other than that and the curriculum was really bad. You only get AP classes in HS. You cannot predict a child's outcome but holding back doesn't fix anything including maturity. Maturity cannot be sped up or forced and holding back a year with peers a year younger makes them less mature but you artificially think they are more mature as they are the oldest. These kids age-wise don't really fit in anywhere but holding them back isn't the answer.

For the millionth time, OP isn’t holding back...she is trying to send EARLY.

I have a fall birthday kid. Out cutoff is sept 1 and I didn’t try to appeal to send him early even though he was smart enough and already ahead. He is in 6th grade now and finishing up Alg I. Elementary years, he was always ahead and teachers asked if we wanted to skip, but we chose not to and just supplemented at home to challenge. Now that he is in middle school, there are so many advanced opportunities for him. We are very happy we didn’t send him early or skip.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t get why you would want to. It isn’t a rush to finish k-12. Better for her be the smartest in the class than middle of the pack

+1

You can still be the smartest and one of the younger students. What kid wants to be 18 all of senior year and be the oldest? Someone hast be the oldest, someone has to be the youngest. In HS, with a lot of elective and math classes, the kids are mixed age anyway. Mine will be in an elective with seniors as a freshman.

What? First of all, your premise is wrong…it was great to be one of the very first ones to turn 18 (and 16, and 21…) - that is pretty universally seen as a great thing.

But also, that’s not what we’re talking about here. OP’s kid would turn 17 at the very beginning of senior year, and wouldn’t turn 18 until she’s already moved into college

It’s not great but you tell yourself that. You are lecturing someone with a September kid. I understand all about it. My kid will turn 18 a few week into college. No big deal.

It is universally seen as better to turn 19 a few weeks into college versus 18. Lol.

I actually avoided peers in college who were out of sync with me age-wise. It usually suggested they had different priorities (drinking, jail time, community college).

Haha okay then. Lol.

But, I suppose that means you agree OP’s kid should not go to K early

[Anonymous]

There's a cutoff for a reason, and exceptions should be made for exceptional kids. OP's daughter sounds bright, not not exceptionally so. She wants to be an exception to the exception.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's a cutoff for a reason, and exceptions should be made for exceptional kids. OP's daughter sounds bright, not not exceptionally so. She wants to be an exception to the exception.

OP daughter is bright enough to go. The exam is arbitrary and most principals don't support it because they know those families will go private for a few years and less kids for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t get why you would want to. It isn’t a rush to finish k-12. Better for her be the smartest in the class than middle of the pack

+1

Not the smartest just the oldest. Waiting a year does not make you any smarter it just makes you less challenged.

Nope. There are so many ways to challenge students intellectually. Academically talented programs, duel college enrollment, AP classes. Your “smartest in the class” kid won’t be bored in middle/high school, if you find them the right programs, regardless of if they are youngest or oldest. But what you can’t give them or predict at 5, is their maturity and social/emotional needs when they will be a tween/teen. All the kids from college I know that took 5 years to graduate, or changed majors and delayed graduation, or just had harder adjustments were the ones that were 16-17 starting in college. You can always supplement rigorous academics to suit your child, but you can’t supplement maturity. I see zero downside in OP (or anyone) sending her child “on time” and not appealing for early entry.

What are you rambling about? In MCPS, in ES, the only thing we got was compacted math and in MS accelerated math. There was no nothing other than that and the curriculum was really bad. You only get AP classes in HS. You cannot predict a child's outcome but holding back doesn't fix anything including maturity. Maturity cannot be sped up or forced and holding back a year with peers a year younger makes them less mature but you artificially think they are more mature as they are the oldest. These kids age-wise don't really fit in anywhere but holding them back isn't the answer.

For the millionth time, OP isn’t holding back...she is trying to send EARLY.

I have a fall birthday kid. Out cutoff is sept 1 and I didn’t try to appeal to send him early even though he was smart enough and already ahead. He is in 6th grade now and finishing up Alg I. Elementary years, he was always ahead and teachers asked if we wanted to skip, but we chose not to and just supplemented at home to challenge. Now that he is in middle school, there are so many advanced opportunities for him. We are very happy we didn’t send him early or skip.

Ours went "early" and did Algebra in 6th too. Your child could have had the same track and gone early. That is the only acceleration we had in MS. It's not really early as the child will be five for all of K. That's a normal age to start.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, if your child is not even in preK at the moment how could you possibly think they are ready for K. There are kids who have had 3 years of academic preK plus the socialization that comes with that...while your kid has been in a daycare. Seems like you didn't really do a lot of research on this as the kids who are admitted early, as many pps note, are surpassing K expectations and harmed if not allowed to start K. This means they can read well likely and are doing low level maths AND have the social and emotional maturity to keep up.

Day care is the same as preschool.

LOL. No.

You don't have much experience with early childhood care facilities if you don't understand there is significant overlap between daycare and preschool for 3-5 year olds. In many cases it is simply a branding strategy for a daycare to call some of its classes preschool.

The only difference is a preschool is generally 9-3 or so and not all day and a day care is all day. Complete branding.

The question is if a prek/4s program was academic or not. Most are play based which is why so many kids are not prepared for K. So, repeating one like that is not worth much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do you want to send her early, OP?

She doesn’t want to pay for another year or childcare/ preK

Child will be 5. They should go to K. Why pay for an additional year of preK when child should go to K? She is better off paying for a private K vs. preK if MCPS will not allow child to go.

Well, no…by the cutoff, she will not be 5 and she objectively should not be allowed to go, barring extenuating circumstances…which are not present here.

Child will turn five within a few weeks of starting school. Of course, she should be allowed to go. Are you trying to justify holding back your child by telling others they need to hold back theirs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's a cutoff for a reason, and exceptions should be made for exceptional kids. OP's daughter sounds bright, not not exceptionally so. She wants to be an exception to the exception.

OP daughter is bright enough to go. The exam is arbitrary and most principals don't support it because they know those families will go private for a few years and less kids for them.

Yes, bright "enough" that if her birthday were in August, she would probably do fine in K. But not so exceptionally bright that she needs to go. She'll also be fine starting K in 1 year, on time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t get why you would want to. It isn’t a rush to finish k-12. Better for her be the smartest in the class than middle of the pack

+1

Not the smartest just the oldest. Waiting a year does not make you any smarter it just makes you less challenged.

Nope. There are so many ways to challenge students intellectually. Academically talented programs, duel college enrollment, AP classes. Your “smartest in the class” kid won’t be bored in middle/high school, if you find them the right programs, regardless of if they are youngest or oldest. But what you can’t give them or predict at 5, is their maturity and social/emotional needs when they will be a tween/teen. All the kids from college I know that took 5 years to graduate, or changed majors and delayed graduation, or just had harder adjustments were the ones that were 16-17 starting in college. You can always supplement rigorous academics to suit your child, but you can’t supplement maturity. I see zero downside in OP (or anyone) sending her child “on time” and not appealing for early entry.

What are you rambling about? In MCPS, in ES, the only thing we got was compacted math and in MS accelerated math. There was no nothing other than that and the curriculum was really bad. You only get AP classes in HS. You cannot predict a child's outcome but holding back doesn't fix anything including maturity. Maturity cannot be sped up or forced and holding back a year with peers a year younger makes them less mature but you artificially think they are more mature as they are the oldest. These kids age-wise don't really fit in anywhere but holding them back isn't the answer.

For the millionth time, OP isn’t holding back...she is trying to send EARLY.

I have a fall birthday kid. Out cutoff is sept 1 and I didn’t try to appeal to send him early even though he was smart enough and already ahead. He is in 6th grade now and finishing up Alg I. Elementary years, he was always ahead and teachers asked if we wanted to skip, but we chose not to and just supplemented at home to challenge. Now that he is in middle school, there are so many advanced opportunities for him. We are very happy we didn’t send him early or skip.

This isn't anything to brag about as if your child were in 7th they'd normally take Algebra. So, your child isn't really that advanced as they are a year older than mine on the same track.

[Anonymous]

Rules for thee but not for me, huh?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do you want to send her early, OP?

She doesn’t want to pay for another year or childcare/ preK

Child will be 5. They should go to K. Why pay for an additional year of preK when child should go to K? She is better off paying for a private K vs. preK if MCPS will not allow child to go.

Well, no…by the cutoff, she will not be 5 and she objectively should not be allowed to go, barring extenuating circumstances…which are not present here.

Child will turn five within a few weeks of starting school. Of course, she should be allowed to go. Are you trying to justify holding back your child by telling others they need to hold back theirs?

…? What? You’re not a very good debater. Is your argument that the cutoff is the cutoff and no one should vary from it, or the opposite? Because if the argument is that the cutoff is a hard cutoff for a reason (such that no one should redshirt a kid whose birthday is in august / only a couple weeks before the cutoff) then the inverse is true; no one should get to jump grades just because their birthday is a few weeks after the cutoff. Did you read the original post?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's a cutoff for a reason, and exceptions should be made for exceptional kids. OP's daughter sounds bright, not not exceptionally so. She wants to be an exception to the exception.

OP daughter is bright enough to go. The exam is arbitrary and most principals don't support it because they know those families will go private for a few years and less kids for them.

Yes, bright "enough" that if her birthday were in August, she would probably do fine in K. But not so exceptionally bright that she needs to go. She'll also be fine starting K in 1 year, on time.

This