I need to hold my child back in 1st grade (Fairfax County) - please help with next steps!

[Anonymous]

My daughter has dyslexia (can't get an appointment for official diagnosis until October, is the youngest in her class (mid-Sept birthday), and cannot read. I need to hold her back in 1st Grade but don't think I can just ask the principal; principal already shot down the idea a few months ago and I strongly believe it is a "numbers" thing (makes them look bad).

What is the best way to get her Fairfax County school to hold her back? Do I have to hire an advocate? I don't want her to go to 2nd grade only to be returned to 1st within weeks. Her schoolmates are treating her like a baby already and I don't want her to have a complex. Thank you

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter has dyslexia (can't get an appointment for official diagnosis until October, is the youngest in her class (mid-Sept birthday), and cannot read. I need to hold her back in 1st Grade but don't think I can just ask the principal; principal already shot down the idea a few months ago and I strongly believe it is a "numbers" thing (makes them look bad).

What is the best way to get her Fairfax County school to hold her back? Do I have to hire an advocate? I don't want her to go to 2nd grade only to be returned to 1st within weeks. Her schoolmates are treating her like a baby already and I don't want her to have a complex. Thank you

Fairfax will not hold her back. Especially if the principal is not supportive. You might find a private that will hold her back, but by 2nd grade, that ship has probably sailed in FCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter has dyslexia (can't get an appointment for official diagnosis until October, is the youngest in her class (mid-Sept birthday), and cannot read. I need to hold her back in 1st Grade but don't think I can just ask the principal; principal already shot down the idea a few months ago and I strongly believe it is a "numbers" thing (makes them look bad).

What is the best way to get her Fairfax County school to hold her back? Do I have to hire an advocate? I don't want her to go to 2nd grade only to be returned to 1st within weeks. Her schoolmates are treating her like a baby already and I don't want her to have a complex. Thank you

The school system needs to evaluate her on a quicker timeline than October.

Retention as a substitution for remediation is a terrible thing to do to a child with dyslexia.

[Anonymous]

Does your child have an IEP?

[Anonymous]

Do you plan to keep your child in public school assuming she gets a dyslexia diagnosis?

[Anonymous]

Research shows holding her back won’t help. She already saw the material and didn’t grasp it. She needs something different, not a repeat of what we already know didn’t work for her.

I am so glad she has you fighting for her, but choose a different way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter has dyslexia (can't get an appointment for official diagnosis until October, is the youngest in her class (mid-Sept birthday), and cannot read. I need to hold her back in 1st Grade but don't think I can just ask the principal; principal already shot down the idea a few months ago and I strongly believe it is a "numbers" thing (makes them look bad).

What is the best way to get her Fairfax County school to hold her back? Do I have to hire an advocate? I don't want her to go to 2nd grade only to be returned to 1st within weeks. Her schoolmates are treating her like a baby already and I don't want her to have a complex. Thank you

Fairfax will not hold her back. Especially if the principal is not supportive. You might find a private that will hold her back, but by 2nd grade, that ship has probably sailed in FCPS.

This.

It's not the most appropriate way to deal with it anyway. You have summer and you can remediate her reading with a properly trained tutor over the course of the next 8 weeks to a point where she would be in good shape to start second grade. I am surprised she is the youngest child in all of the second grade in your school.

[Anonymous]

OP here: Yes she has an IEP and we plan to stay in FCPS. She is youngest in her class and is developmentally immature compared to other rising 2nd graders AND only reading at DRA level B. Worried about her readiness for 2nd grade even w/ the IEP and extra tutoring that we have in place. The IEP was put in place towards end of 1st so she is only now starting to get some extra help and is SO far behind her classmates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here: Yes she has an IEP and we plan to stay in FCPS. She is youngest in her class and is developmentally immature compared to other rising 2nd graders AND only reading at DRA level B. Worried about her readiness for 2nd grade even w/ the IEP and extra tutoring that we have in place. The IEP was put in place towards end of 1st so she is only now starting to get some extra help and is SO far behind her classmates.

How did thy qualify her for special ed without testing for a learning disability? What is her disability category?

[Anonymous]

Get her tutoring and work with her daily. Being young is not immature.

[Anonymous]

How did thy qualify her for special ed without testing for a learning disability? What is her disability category?

SLD

[Anonymous]

All holding her back will do is maker her known as the kid who failed 1st grade (the kids will know and will talk). Start trying to play catch up over summer and with tutoring during the year

[Anonymous]

Sorry I would work with her all summer and try to get her up to grade level. They don't hold kids back any longer. Even with dyslexia she can learn how to read. You mention tutors, but are you working with her daily too?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
How did thy qualify her for special ed without testing for a learning disability? What is her disability category?

SLD


So then she is diagnosed with dyslexia. Dyslexia is a synonym for SLD that impacts reading.

[Anonymous]

My child has dyslexia too and was diagnosed at the end of first grade. I see the benefit in having her repeat 1st grade. It’s not because the instruction will magically be more targeted this year but because it will give you more time to get outside tutoring that does match her needs and have that start to work. Dyslexic kids struggle in elementary and if she is also socially having a hard time and is the youngest, that can increase anxiety even more.
My daughters bday was late august and I waited an extra year before k. If I didn’t do that, elementary would have been unbelievably challenging for her. So I can completely see your point of view.
I don’t know how FCPS works bc we are in Maryland but if I had it to do over again, I would use an advocate/ attorney as early as possible to get what your child needs.
The one reason I would say not to hold her back is if there is a chance for public placement and you would be interested in that. If that is the case, she will need to be years behind before it is even considered and is more than likely a long shot.
You may be looking at a moderate to severe level of dyslexia and that may take significant outside resources. I do think an advocate would be beneficial for you.
I wish this wasn’t as hard as it is for all the parents of dyslexic kids.