Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Her redshirted child was rejected at the first choice school but admitted at the second choice school. It's a little awkward, because her DC is currently in K and doesn't understand why he will be in K again next year. He may be young, but he's smart enough to know that his classmates are going onto first grade.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A very close relative redshirted her (May birthday) DC this year--WPPSI score in the high 90s and no developmental delays. She just thought that in this competitive admissions process, her DC would appear to be a stronger, more mature and more compelling applicant if compared to "younger" kids. So for those of you pretending that anyone who redshirts must be doing so for "honorable" reasons, you can drop the Pollyanna act.

Did it work? Why do schools go along with this? Can't they push back? At our school, I know of at least one case where the parents would have liked to redshirt and the school insisted on placement in the higher grade.

My friend did this to her child. She couldn't understand why she was repeating K either. Some people want to game the system. Others want to play by the rules. It's a choice. IMHO it is unfair when kids like these (smart, capable) are held back for an edge. They do have the advantage academically and often make the regular aged childten look dumb by comparison. It's too bad the teachers forget the age spread.

The cut-off in our area is September 1st, and DS was born September 9th. At first, we were somewhat relieved that he would have to wait till he was almost 6, but in the months leading up to his 5th birthday, it was very clear that he was ready for K and that waiting another year would drive him crazy. So we had him take an early entrance and he passed with flying colors, so he started kindergarten right before he turned 5. So technically, we didn't follow the rules either. Why? Because if we had just blindly followed the guidelines, he would be bored to tears. He's now 8 and in 3rd grade, reading at a 5th grade level, gets his work done early, and his teacher still has to find extra work to give him. I can't imagine what it would be like if he were in 2nd grade. The bottom line is that not one size fits all. If we had a child who made the cut-off, but had not been ready for K, we would have held him or her back. Kids need to be grouped by ability, not age. Just because a child misses the cut-off does not mean that he or she isn't ready for K, and just because a child makes the cut-off does not mean that he or she is ready for K. It all boils down to the individual.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Her redshirted child was rejected at the first choice school but admitted at the second choice school. It's a little awkward, because her DC is currently in K and doesn't understand why he will be in K again next year. He may be young, but he's smart enough to know that his classmates are going onto first grade.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A very close relative redshirted her (May birthday) DC this year--WPPSI score in the high 90s and no developmental delays. She just thought that in this competitive admissions process, her DC would appear to be a stronger, more mature and more compelling applicant if compared to "younger" kids. So for those of you pretending that anyone who redshirts must be doing so for "honorable" reasons, you can drop the Pollyanna act.

Did it work? Why do schools go along with this? Can't they push back? At our school, I know of at least one case where the parents would have liked to redshirt and the school insisted on placement in the higher grade.

My friend did this to her child. She couldn't understand why she was repeating K either. Some people want to game the system. Others want to play by the rules. It's a choice. IMHO it is unfair when kids like these (smart, capable) are held back for an edge. They do have the advantage academically and often make the regular aged childten look dumb by comparison. It's too bad the teachers forget the age spread.

The cut-off in our area is September 1st, and DS was born September 9th. At first, we were somewhat relieved that he would have to wait till he was almost 6, but in the months leading up to his 5th birthday, it was very clear that he was ready for K and that waiting another year would drive him crazy. So we had him take an early entrance and he passed with flying colors, so he started kindergarten right before he turned 5. So technically, we didn't follow the rules either. Why? Because if we had just blindly followed the guidelines, he would be bored to tears. He's now 8 and in 3rd grade, reading at a 5th grade level, gets his work done early, and his teacher still has to find extra work to give him. I can't imagine what it would be like if he were in 2nd grade. The bottom line is that not one size fits all. If we had a child who made the cut-off, but had not been ready for K, we would have held him or her back. Kids need to be grouped by ability, not age. Just because a child misses the cut-off does not mean that he or she isn't ready for K, and just because a child makes the cut-off does not mean that he or she is ready for K. It all boils down to the individual.

Anonymous wrote:My son is in 1st grade. He has not even turned 7 yet, and there are boys who are already 8.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have read nothing here over 55 pages and 18 months that anyone objects to a parent holding back a child who needs help. It's the nut jobs who hold their perfectly normal May baby back that is objectionable.

The pre May/June redshirting does not exist for NT kids (or at least is the very rare exception and for that kid we should really feel sorry for him). In 55 pages, one poster claims it's happened in her (unnamed) private school. It's just a straw man/boy argument.

Anonymous wrote:What K teacher doesn't know the age of her students? It's on the day the kid brings in the cupcakes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Her redshirted child was rejected at the first choice school but admitted at the second choice school. It's a little awkward, because her DC is currently in K and doesn't understand why he will be in K again next year. He may be young, but he's smart enough to know that his classmates are going onto first grade.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A very close relative redshirted her (May birthday) DC this year--WPPSI score in the high 90s and no developmental delays. She just thought that in this competitive admissions process, her DC would appear to be a stronger, more mature and more compelling applicant if compared to "younger" kids. So for those of you pretending that anyone who redshirts must be doing so for "honorable" reasons, you can drop the Pollyanna act.

Did it work? Why do schools go along with this? Can't they push back? At our school, I know of at least one case where the parents would have liked to redshirt and the school insisted on placement in the higher grade.

My friend did this to her child. She couldn't understand why she was repeating K either. Some people want to game the system. Others want to play by the rules. It's a choice. IMHO it is unfair when kids like these (smart, capable) are held back for an edge. They do have the advantage academically and often make the regular aged childten look dumb by comparison. It's too bad the teachers forget the age spread.

Anonymous wrote:And by the way, don't ask again for the name of school or grade--that's a stupid request and you know it,

Anonymous wrote:I have read nothing here over 55 pages and 18 months that anyone objects to a parent holding back a child who needs help. It's the nut jobs who hold their perfectly normal May baby back that is objectionable.

Anonymous wrote:Obviously both parents and schools have found that redshirting works, or it's popularity would have waned by now. If your kid has a June birthday and you don't want to redshirt him and you don't want him "harmed" by all of those older kids, then don't put him in a school that redshirts. You do in fact have a choice and since information on which schools encourage redshirting is easily ascertainable, if you still choose to put your kid in one of those schools then you have no business complaining. If you don't like those rules, don't play that game BUT don't insult parents who want that game and understand the need to play by the rules. Just go public and quit bellyaching.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son is June birthday and is understandably one of the youngest in his class. What aggravates me is the students in his class that were born in April, May, June and July the YEAR BEFORE my son. I guess I do not fault the parents of the older kids for doing what they think is best for their kid but I fault the administrators who allow these insecure redshirt parents to harm other children like mine

How has your summer birthday son been harmed by being one of the youngest in his class? More specifically, how has your son been harmed by those April-July birthday children who were held back to be in his class?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From my experience (4 kids including July Sept and Oct birthdays), this claim is hype and has no basis in fact. Yes, schools don't forbid it, but I've never found it to be the case unless something more serious was going on with the child.

Oh how I wish you were right. 7 kids from a program we looked at were held back. Another program that my neighbor attends had similar incident with the kids, mainly boys going to transitional k. I had an admission person say that I should hold back my DC because of shyness, no academic reason but that my DC participated during the classroom visit however she seemed tentative. I know two Feb birthday kids held back at the same school, one for academics and the other for size. The parents love redshirting because there kids are now the top of there class or can compete physically because of being held back. Just because you did not experience this does not mean it does not happen. Personally I have seen it at way too many schools.

Anonymous wrote:From my experience (4 kids including July Sept and Oct birthdays), this claim is hype and has no basis in fact. Yes, schools don't forbid it, but I've never found it to be the case unless something more serious was going on with the child.