Anonymous
Post 04/08/2026 13:16     Subject: Early Entrance to Kindergarten Experiences (Montgomery County)
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:When did this even become a thing? I have a late August birthday and no one ever questioned me being one of the youngest in the class - I even had a friend in high school with an October birthday!


And the cutoff to start K was probably end of November. It isn’t anymore. It’s Sept in most districts now.


The cut off is 9-1, with test in till 10-15. Crazy to be 18 all of senior year.
Anonymous
Post 04/08/2026 13:15     Subject: Early Entrance to Kindergarten Experiences (Montgomery County)
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:He's currently in a private pre-K school and seems pretty academically prepared.

OP a classic DCUM flaw is to focus on academics over emotional intelligence and social skills. Academics are easier to measure but the emotional and social skills are just as important.

Early entry means your kid might be shorter, slower and less coordinated than most of their classmates. It means they might be later than their peers to hit puberty (including prefrontal cortex development and abstract thought), to be ready for the social world of the middle school lunch cafeteria, for friendships, to handle frustrations (including how to self-regulate with screens), or to drive. Academics won't help for these, but social and emotional skills will. If the early entrance test doesn't assess for this, you should assess it yourself.


Worst advice ever.
Anonymous
Post 04/08/2026 13:12     Subject: Early Entrance to Kindergarten Experiences (Montgomery County)
Anonymous wrote:When did this even become a thing? I have a late August birthday and no one ever questioned me being one of the youngest in the class - I even had a friend in high school with an October birthday!


This is a "thing" because this parent is trying to get their child in early to kindergarten. Your child went on time - because they were born before September 1, the cutoff date.

This child was born Sept 3 - after the cutoff so they should go next year, making them basically 6 when a child born on August 30 would be barely 5.

Personally, I always think children could use one more year, because school is so academic now, not play-based at all in kindergarten, so why push your child to do that a year early?
Anonymous
Post 04/08/2026 12:31     Subject: Early Entrance to Kindergarten Experiences (Montgomery County)
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:When did this even become a thing? I have a late August birthday and no one ever questioned me being one of the youngest in the class - I even had a friend in high school with an October birthday!


And the cutoff to start K was probably end of November. It isn’t anymore. It’s Sept in most districts now.


Wrong and dependent on area
Numbskull
Anonymous
Post 04/08/2026 12:15     Subject: Early Entrance to Kindergarten Experiences (Montgomery County)
Anonymous wrote:When did this even become a thing? I have a late August birthday and no one ever questioned me being one of the youngest in the class - I even had a friend in high school with an October birthday!


And the cutoff to start K was probably end of November. It isn’t anymore. It’s Sept in most districts now.
Anonymous
Post 04/07/2026 10:03     Subject: Early Entrance to Kindergarten Experiences (Montgomery County)
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:He's currently in a private pre-K school and seems pretty academically prepared.

OP a classic DCUM flaw is to focus on academics over emotional intelligence and social skills. Academics are easier to measure but the emotional and social skills are just as important.

Early entry means your kid might be shorter, slower and less coordinated than most of their classmates. It means they might be later than their peers to hit puberty (including prefrontal cortex development and abstract thought), to be ready for the social world of the middle school lunch cafeteria, for friendships, to handle frustrations (including how to self-regulate with screens), or to drive. Academics won't help for these, but social and emotional skills will. If the early entrance test doesn't assess for this, you should assess it yourself.

No, a classic DCUM flaw is bumping very specific, timely threads, YEARS LATER to add nothing of value.

I missed that. Stepping out now.
Anonymous
Post 04/07/2026 09:35     Subject: Early Entrance to Kindergarten Experiences (Montgomery County)
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:He's currently in a private pre-K school and seems pretty academically prepared.

OP a classic DCUM flaw is to focus on academics over emotional intelligence and social skills. Academics are easier to measure but the emotional and social skills are just as important.

Early entry means your kid might be shorter, slower and less coordinated than most of their classmates. It means they might be later than their peers to hit puberty (including prefrontal cortex development and abstract thought), to be ready for the social world of the middle school lunch cafeteria, for friendships, to handle frustrations (including how to self-regulate with screens), or to drive. Academics won't help for these, but social and emotional skills will. If the early entrance test doesn't assess for this, you should assess it yourself.


No, a classic DCUM flaw is bumping very specific, timely threads, YEARS LATER to add nothing of value.
Anonymous
Post 04/07/2026 09:30     Subject: Early Entrance to Kindergarten Experiences (Montgomery County)
Anonymous wrote:He's currently in a private pre-K school and seems pretty academically prepared.

OP a classic DCUM flaw is to focus on academics over emotional intelligence and social skills. Academics are easier to measure but the emotional and social skills are just as important.

Early entry means your kid might be shorter, slower and less coordinated than most of their classmates. It means they might be later than their peers to hit puberty (including prefrontal cortex development and abstract thought), to be ready for the social world of the middle school lunch cafeteria, for friendships, to handle frustrations (including how to self-regulate with screens), or to drive. Academics won't help for these, but social and emotional skills will. If the early entrance test doesn't assess for this, you should assess it yourself.
Anonymous
Post 04/07/2026 08:47     Subject: Early Entrance to Kindergarten Experiences (Montgomery County)
Anonymous wrote:Hello! My child turns 5 on Sept. 3, right after the Sept. 1 cut off for entry into Kindergarten. He's currently in a private pre-K school and seems pretty academically prepared. He still has another year of pre-K ahead of him but my husband and I are trying to decide if we should have him take the early kindergarten entrance assessment for Montgomery County and try to start kindergarten next year. He'll be 5 next Sept. 3rd.

Also, could anyone share experiences with that assessment? The types of activities they have the kids do. Thanks!


Too young
Anonymous
Post 04/07/2026 03:30     Subject: Early Entrance to Kindergarten Experiences (Montgomery County)
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I am an mcps k teacher. I will not give details regarding the assessment. I will say that in order to pass your child needs to demonstrate end of kindergarten proficiency levels. In addition he will need to show that he is emotionally and socially ready. He will need to separate from you with ease during the assessment. He will need to engage with the teachers and other children. He will need to begin, sustain attention to and complete a non-proffered task.
If you believe he can do these things, or you’re not sure and want him assessed, make an appointment with the homeschool in the spring.
If the team agrees that he is ready, great. If they don’t, he does another year of prek.
Good luck.


It's bizarre to me that the early entrance assessment is based on end of year meteucsm if you have an almost 4 year old who is testing at the end of kindergarten then by that logic they'd be readyfir first grade


We (k teachers) don’t set the requirements. My team was surprised when the metrics were changed a few years ago. But they are what they are.
However, a 4 year old who scores proficient is absolutely not ready for first grade. There is a lot more to kindergarten than academics. In reality, the social emotional and life skills aspect of k are just as (some would argue more) than the academics.





My thoughts. Also why is everyone saying they'd be the youngest in their class if their child has a late birthday. Your child would still be the same age as every other 5 year old by the end of the year. And then everyone will be five turning 6 by August. Same age group, not much of a difference. It didnt make a difference in daycare. The only odd ages would be the late birthdays of 6 year olds turning 7 being older than the five years if they start late. And why would you want a 5 year old doing 1st grade level with a bunch of 5 years old at kindergarten level in the same classroom?
Anonymous
Post 08/20/2022 09:22     Subject: Early Entrance to Kindergarten Experiences (Montgomery County)
Anonymous wrote:When did this even become a thing? I have a late August birthday and no one ever questioned me being one of the youngest in the class - I even had a friend in high school with an October birthday!


It’s a a thing if you are trying to send your kid before they are supposed to go according to the cut off. I mean I agree that there isn’t much difference between a kid born 8/31 and one born 9/2. It’s also possible the September bday would pass this early entrance assessment and the august one wouldn’t, but the august bday kid goes to K and the sept one doesn’t. There has to be a cut off somewhere, it just is what it is
Anonymous
Post 08/20/2022 08:46     Subject: Early Entrance to Kindergarten Experiences (Montgomery County)
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I am an mcps k teacher. I will not give details regarding the assessment. I will say that in order to pass your child needs to demonstrate end of kindergarten proficiency levels. In addition he will need to show that he is emotionally and socially ready. He will need to separate from you with ease during the assessment. He will need to engage with the teachers and other children. He will need to begin, sustain attention to and complete a non-proffered task.
If you believe he can do these things, or you’re not sure and want him assessed, make an appointment with the homeschool in the spring.
If the team agrees that he is ready, great. If they don’t, he does another year of prek.
Good luck.


It's bizarre to me that the early entrance assessment is based on end of year meteucsm if you have an almost 4 year old who is testing at the end of kindergarten then by that logic they'd be readyfir first grade


Also realize that MANY kids meet the criteria for 1st grade before first grade. My son with dyslexia was always right at grade level for reading...and that was always the lowest reading group. The baseline is not average. It is something that the lower performers can meet.
Anonymous
Post 08/20/2022 08:41     Subject: Re:Early Entrance to Kindergarten Experiences (Montgomery County)
It’s always better to be on the older side of the class than the youngest side, esp for boys. He may be fine academically but he’ll always be physically smaller than the other boys. Do you want your son to have a chance at sports? If so, don’t start him early.

Also, boys in general are slower to mature so that is doubly compounded for a boy who is 12 months younger than the other kids. Why rush to start K?
Anonymous
Post 08/19/2022 23:53     Subject: Early Entrance to Kindergarten Experiences (Montgomery County)
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I am an mcps k teacher. I will not give details regarding the assessment. I will say that in order to pass your child needs to demonstrate end of kindergarten proficiency levels. In addition he will need to show that he is emotionally and socially ready. He will need to separate from you with ease during the assessment. He will need to engage with the teachers and other children. He will need to begin, sustain attention to and complete a non-proffered task.
If you believe he can do these things, or you’re not sure and want him assessed, make an appointment with the homeschool in the spring.
If the team agrees that he is ready, great. If they don’t, he does another year of prek.
Good luck.


It's bizarre to me that the early entrance assessment is based on end of year meteucsm if you have an almost 4 year old who is testing at the end of kindergarten then by that logic they'd be readyfir first grade


We (k teachers) don’t set the requirements. My team was surprised when the metrics were changed a few years ago. But they are what they are.
However, a 4 year old who scores proficient is absolutely not ready for first grade. There is a lot more to kindergarten than academics. In reality, the social emotional and life skills aspect of k are just as (some would argue more) than the academics.


My daughter is a sophmore. These were the metrics when she started school. It’s not new.
Anonymous
Post 08/19/2022 23:37     Subject: Early Entrance to Kindergarten Experiences (Montgomery County)
Anonymous wrote:Are you ok with the other boys being 12-15 months older? Or will you be here complaining that there's such a huge age gap, your kid can't play sports and shine, and other parents are the worst for bending the rules like you are?


This is a good point. It may see, fine now, but it is a lot harder socially when he is 12 and his classmates are 13-14.

The anecdotes of “when I was a kid” don’t really matter anymore. It isn’t the 1980s/90s. School is different. Kindergarten has vastly different expectations. Getting into to good colleges, internships, etc. is much more competitive than it was decades ago. I would send him on time when he is already 5, not early. Being in the 99th percentile is a better place to be than if you start him early and he sits at the 75th percentile...or wherever. Just an example, but point is he will have more advantages to be over prepared for schools than for being simply “ready”