Anonymous wrote:What about Andrea Zuckerman? She was thirty-one when she was the valedictorian of West Beverly High School?

lol

What about Andrea Zuckerman? She was thirty-one when she was the valedictorian of West Beverly High School?

I was the oldest in my class (24.5 hours post cutoff) and nearly all my friends were a grade ahead of me. And school was always easy...and when I was actually challenged I clammed up instead of ever having to work to excel.

I have two July kids, one who is starting K in the fall. He is totally middle of the pack, if a little behind his peers. I'm not terribly worried since I know we have the ability to support him if he starts to struggle. It's assuring that there is evidence that he and his sister will do just fine.

I was valedictorian of my high school class and an August birthday so I was always one of the youngest. I didn't redshirt my children in spite of both my boys being summer births. Both are doing very well academically, socially and in sports as rising 5th and 7th graders.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the issue in this area is that the older kids are ahead earlier and the aap pipeline is earlier. So people feel like they need to redshirt so their kid doesn't miss out on aap.

So, I'm not in VA but someone said in another thread that redshirting is actually not an advantage for AAP applications because the test is age-based. So, if your kid is kid is 9 but has only finished 2nd grade, they will still be compared against other 9 year-olds who have another year of learning under their belts.

Oh, I meant to add that this was in the thread of the woman who wanted to redshirt her kid with an April birthday, if anyone wanted to look.

Hmm. I have an Oct birthday, cutoff in my state was Dec, so I was always among the youngest. Though I have always been academically successful, up till college, my closest friends were always a grade below me, no matter where I was in school. I felt like I fit in better with those kids in terms of interests, maturity etc. There are pros and cons to everything.

Anonymous wrote:I think the issue in this area is that the older kids are ahead earlier and the aap pipeline is earlier. So people feel like they need to redshirt so their kid doesn't miss out on aap.

So, I'm not in VA but someone said in another thread that redshirting is actually not an advantage for AAP applications because the test is age-based. So, if your kid is kid is 9 but has only finished 2nd grade, they will still be compared against other 9 year-olds who have another year of learning under their belts.

My very tall DS was born on September 7th and the strictly enforced cut off in his school is September 1st. He is so much taller than his classmates and I have seen people treat him like he was slow or special needs because of his height. I would have absolutely sent him to school young if his birthday was August 31st.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone read this article?

http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/youngest-kid-smartest-kid

OP, that article from 2013 has been posted many, many times on pretty much every forum that deals with this subject.

Does that make it less true? Are their subsequent articles/research in the last two years that disprove it?

Anonymous wrote:Anyone read this article?

http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/youngest-kid-smartest-kid

OP, that article from 2013 has been posted many, many times on pretty much every forum that deals with this subject.

Yes!! Thank you for posting OP.

True for me! I had a Nov birthday, was always young for my grade and graduated college in 3 years, at 20.

I think the issue in this area is that the older kids are ahead earlier and the aap pipeline is earlier. So people feel like they need to redshirt so their kid doesn't miss out on aap.

Interesting. DD is a late August birth and will always be among the youngest in her class.

Anyone read this article?

http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/youngest-kid-smartest-kid

In sum: Redshirting may have a benefit in school performance early on. But by 8th grade it evens out. And by college, it's actually the youngest ones in the class who end up being the most successful, and end up earning more than those who were held back. Theoretically, it's because the youngest ones always had to reach and strive, and this gave them the life skills to be more successful. Whereas the ones who were held back, get used to having everything come easily to them and are less equipped to overcome obstacles.