He is on an IEP for behavior and we have seen great improvement. Children who are behind in these areas late into kindergarten may: In deciding whether your child should repeat kindergarten, it is important to consider whether he has all the skills he needs to go on to first grade. They did some testing prior to the start of the Last Wednesday his teacher and principal told us that they wanted him to be held back, SHOCK was how we felt! What am I supposed to do though? My mom refused to have me held back, as there was nothing wrong with my intellect; in fact, I surpassed my peers in reading skills, as I began reading simple words at age 2 1/2- 3 years old and read story books aloud to my Kindergarten class. It's about whether he or she is ready to make the jump to first grade. "It is up to each district," said Gennie Gorback, president of the California Kindergarten Association, "but I have not heard of any district that is flexible about age requirements for enrollment. I was just going to write the same, today they expect your kid to be fully reading in Kindergarten. Those books he flies through them because he satisfied the teacher. Teachers don't suggest this because they think it's funny, they do it because they know the child and what's best for it. He may even be ahead of his new classmates. Experts also point out that holding a child back due to developmental delays is, literally speaking, further delaying development. I will do what I need to do. In the 1980s and early 1990s, there was a great deal of progress made in converting teachers and schools into providers of developmentally appropriate curriculum, and allowing children to grow at their own paces. But then again I just cant understand why 1st grade cant help him write his letters perfectly? The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review recently carried a story Kindergartners "Redshirted" to Gain Edge, in which Harvard researchers suggest that red shirting (1) increases the potential for high school drop outs and (2) threatens depressed lifetime earnings because the student's entry into the labor market is . Her work has been published in The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, The Learning Site, The eLearning Site, and Internet4Classrooms. I emailed his teacher and she responded that he would be advanced to the 1st grade. If a "growth year" is called for because of immaturity, and you choose to ignore the recommendation and move him into first grade at another school, there is significant likelihood that he will be . He is doing wonderful in all other subjects 100s and smiley faces on his work. It would be nice to have a study to prove this one way or the other. As a result, babies tend to get a high number of infections, usually 4 to 8 per year. The most productive way to approach the topic . When faced with the decision, the first step is to meet with your child's teacher (and principal and school psychologist, if possible) to find out exactly why the experts think another year would be productive. This is a misconception, and one that can be detrimental to the decision-making process. Assuming that a child who is deemed ready to enter Kindergarten at age four is somehow a super-child - perfect in behavior, attendance, performance, attitude, aptitude, diligence, handwriting, and . Heres what I think: were pushing these young children too hard. This is not about how smart or good or "normal" your child is. We also dont want him to hurt his self esteem. She has fine motor and minor speech issues and is receiving OT help. He didnt even register on the standard test they gave to that assesses each student. Shes says thats whats holding him back the fact hes not writing like he should. You may want to seek help from the school in having your child assessed for school readiness. 7. I feel bad for her emotional wellbeing. The research is very clear that even if children are not ready academically or emotionally they do not benefit from retention. Many of them suggest parents seek independent evaluation for specific developmental delays and then, if the results warrant it, spend time in occupational therapy over the summer to try to catch up. For a child who is behind his or her peers, these potential positives are real and significant. Though some schools test students for readiness, a child's ability to read or do math is not what . In June 1993, my kindergarten teacher recommended both of us to repeat Kindergarten, and our parents agreed to do that. Oh my goodness, yes! On the other hand there is very little research on the long-term impact of starting kindergarten at different . My 5 year old has math, reading, and spelling homework now. I've done a lot of research and it's the general consensus that grade repetition isn't the way to go. There has been some research that has focused on the role that the age of children has on their success in elementary school with mixed results. In spite of how often this happens, it can come to a shock when the kindergarten teacher asks to speak with you suggesting your child repeat kindergarten. Is this fact likely to upset him a great deal? We would re-run tests he had failed and realized there was a social issue to the testing he must of struggled with. Im so conflicted. His teacher has to repeat everything to him. Repeating a grade, or grade retention, is rarely a good choice for a child who struggles academically, behaviorally, or socially. We are solely to blame for not having our son attend pre-k as I was uneducated on its value. ??? "Should Your Child Repeat Kindergarten?" But all are given time to find their feet in school, and time to succeed. Still, finding out the teacher thinks your child should be "held back" can be jarring and, for many parents, upsetting. In what state do you teach, Emily? Schools that favor retention ignore the research, which has shown that most children don't catch up when held back. Im ver sure I could have helped him read the schools books that they test him with that would have helped him with retention of sight words ( we continue to read ours), I am continuing to go over the sight words and he can put them into sentences and makes up stories as well. Because of COVID, there will be many children who are betwixt and between. Any advice is greatly appreciated esp now. Thread starter katie111; Start date May 30, 2013; K. katie111 DIS Veteran. He was always in trouble in kindergarten, had difficulty making and keeping friends, never did homework or classwork, could not focus, did poorly on tests. Babies' immune systems begin to mature soon after birth. We asked our children several of the same questions, because my friend thinks my son is smarter than her daughter. What I have experienced is that the homework is the only thing my kids learn from. "In addition to evaluating a child's social and emotional readiness for first grade, teachers now must consider specific grade-level standards instituted by the state or the school district," says Marilou Hyson, Ph.D., associate executive director for professional development at the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), in Washington, D.C. As a result, more children are in danger of not passing muster. I know thats tough to implement, but grade retention isnt the answer. Question: Even though he had an early August birthday, we started our son in kindergarten at a private Christian school. In most states, a child is not considered ready for first grade until he or she can read simple books. Many kids have moments when they dont act their age. This is not about how smart your child is. School!. I am afraid we will have a huge bubble of high school drop outs when those children reach the age of sixteen. It's also important to explain the plan to your child in a positive way, because your attitude will influence his. You have some options. I was of the opposite opinion. Instead, I found myself teetering on a tiny chair while the teacher warned me that Sammy might have to repeat the year. Has a teacher recommended that your child repeat kindergarten? Whether it's kindergarten for a second time or playing catch-up over the summer to prepare for first grade, a positive, low-pressure attitude is essential. Most school districts will inform you relatively early in the year if your child is at risk for retention. Use of this website is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. What kind of long-term effects, if any, can result from repeating or not repeating a grade? Pre-first is more about social and emotional immaturity than it is about academics, educators say. He may grow physically and may feel comfortable amongst his peers. You can hire an education lawyer. Circumstances sometimes dictate that a student should repeat a grade: frequent relocation, excessive absences or long-term illness, for example, may have kept your kindergartener out of the instructional loop for a year. My kindergarteners are required to be able to read a level C book to move on to first grade. Clearly we weren't alone in our worrying. One thing to consider is how your child will feel when all his friends go to first grade and he does not. C books are recommended, but not required. ended up repeating first grade. Have . The truth is you knew that it might come to this. Should you hold your child back from first grade and let her repeat kindergarten? You've asked a tough question. Can he run and jump, play catch, bounce a ball, dance? Kids who are much younger than grade-level peers and who have a history of struggling academically can benefit from repeating a grade. There is something schools could do, though you are more likely to find a willingness to do it in a private or parochial school. They are reading sentences and books. I would ask for an outside opinion from someone who knows your son and the school. Students are required to not only know ALL letters and sounds but all sight words by mid year. The teachers have not been taught what dyslexia is and IS NOT. If the teacher is concerned about the child's maturity or behavior, parents can ask for specific examples of behavior that cause concern. Emily you are 100% percent correct! It can be a better fit emotionally and age-wise. It was almost like getting held back twice. Repeating a grade at this age can sometimes be beneficial. Ive asked multiple times to please send books home so I could help him with reading to give him the confidence he once had back, up Ive been denied every time with the excuse that he first needed to demonstrate his reading at schoolI even know their strategy that was confirmed by the teacher and still only a very few books sent home. Kindergarten is not mandatory in California although most children in the state usually enroll. Speak to other parents and see what they think about the teachers judgment. The most important thing, in the end, is how you react to the situation. It remains true that the process of learning to readshould be complete by the end of third grade. From old progress reports, it appears the emotional immaturity stemmed from not consistently staying on task and randomly talking out of turn. However, I believe talking with a school councilor, which we are going to do with ours, and also, having him tested by a very knowledgable but retired elementary teacher friend, is what we are going to do next and then keep researching for stat on this and what the experts say. Rather than be upset, it pays to remember that the only thing to think about here is the well-being of your child. I am NOT allowing this at all ! Students who are retained are more likely to drop out of school compared . I bought ABC Mouse and downloaded many helpful learning programs. Is your child curious and always wanting to learn new things? My 6 year old daughter is in Kindergarten at a private school in NYC. Some kids act younger than their peers because they are younger than most kids in the grade. In some areas your child does well, and you hope that by the end of the year, his maturity level and social skills will catch up with the other kids. May 30, 2013 #1 . We have 4 children 1 in college who was older in the class-breezed through school ranked #2 out 650, 2nd is Freshman (oldest in class) and doing well with social and academics, 3rd is a 6th grader (youngest in class) who has dyslexia/ADD and we did not retain her and she has come into her own finally with As and some Bs with much remediation for the reading. Sometimes kids act immature because of academic struggles. He isn't ready for that. Where are the numbers to let us know if screening is working? Is he flexible? They did some testing prior to the start of the school year and told us they . Colors perfect gets along with other kids good, writes his name and letters and much more. Rather, it's about an overall picture of a child who may be too "young" -- physically, cognitively, socially or some combination thereof -- to thrive in first grade. It doesnt sound right to me. Following that advice, my parents moved us to a private school that went through 8th grade. Think about it this way: if the teacher was asking out of malice for your child, she certainly wouldnt want to have him as her student again. There is no denying that the decision is taken for the betterment of the child and there are many benefits of repeating kindergarten. There might be an illness or divorce in the family. Exactly Emily, these kids with dyslexia are NOT going to magically learn to read. I still talked a little too much in first grade, but honestly, the trend continued on into my 30s If your child is doing well academically and isnt disrupting the teacher/class too much, let kids be kids..theyll be just fine! Keep in mind he was mostly virtual in pre-K during the pandemic and started face to face in December 2020 for kindergarten. While your child's teacher may make the suggestion that your child repeat kindergarten, it's up to you, the parent, to make the final decision. The kids are expected to write sentences and use inventive spelling (spell phonetically) for words that they havent learned yet. And the question of benefit vs. detriment can be a more difficult one to answer. If your child still finds these tasks difficult by the end of kindergarten, he is probably not ready to go to first grade, either. A fantastic memory, the main reason they want to possibly repeat kindergarten is due Joined Jan 19, 2002. Connecticut, one of the last states to allow 4-year-olds to enter kindergarten, is considering changing its rules so that children would have to be 5 by Oct. 1, not Jan. 1, prompting a fight over . The truth is, development among kindergarten-age children varies tremendously. I can write his letters theyre just not perfect. Language: Does the child have trouble pronouncing words or expressing ideas? To sum up, his fine motor skills are good, his pre-reading skills are good, but he may not yet be mature enough for kindergarten. He's well above average academically and he gets along great with the kids, but his teacher wants him to repeat kindergarten because he's socially immature. Repeating a class may help your kid to be better prepared for his next class. Then, for a few years, I taught in a school for behaviorally disordered children. Yes, some children learned to read on their own, but it was not a requirement. This will be much easier if you're honest, telling your parents you love to spend time with them but unfortunately doing so at their house is a not negotiable. By the end of the year they know the alphabet and can read and write simple sentences. All in all we just think its not right move for him to move up, but we are struggling mostly with how he will react when he sees that all his buddies are in a different class and hes not able to interact with them the same way he used to. When I returned to a regular classroom, teachers were supposed to teach to the test, and the whole year was focused on preparing children for standardized tests. Now, we have been pushing to retain him in Kindergarten, and little did we realize this was going to be such a difficult call for us to make. This situation is a fairly common scenario. I feel that not only with his issues but that Covid gave us a perfect chance to mulligan the previous year. I have a hard time believing that, as I am sure all parents do. We missed the registration for pre-k by a week. Ask yourself these questions: Lets imagine that you have a child you werent really sure was ready for kindergarten. Thanks. immature or have difficulty acquiring basic academic skills (Mantzicopoulos and Morrison 1992), while upper grade retention is based solely or largely on academic . End of February 2018 i am in my sons class room speakin with his teacher bout his academics and as she informs me he has reading problems along with speech problems and now all of a sudden needs little more assistance so i explained that i want him to be in a reading/speech class to help keep him on track(my oldest son goes for speech and ready every week) and if she can send home words and reading material he needs more help with to go over each day at home, waiting and calling and writing comments in his planner on where the work is he needs little more improvement with is at doesnt show up home until the last month of school where then same day i get work of his i get a call from his teacher.she goes on about how hes doin wonderful and all of a sudden she says due to his speech difficulty which effects his reading and reading issues she wants to hold him back in same grade! . . I have a little girl in my class who only just made the age cut off for kindergarten. Specific pieces of knowledge are really only part of the picture, though. I know that my oldest was not required to read at this level until she was in 1st grade. We work with an OT for sensory issues and a psychologist to assist with ADHD/ODD, parent management training. But generally, if the school wants your child to go ahead, thats what will happen. That way youll know for sure, from an expert, if your child has a learning disability of some sort, such as ADHD, which could make it hard to sit still, or dysgraphia, which can make it difficult to write. I taught gifted children in my career as a teacher who were held back in kindergarten by demanding and close minded teachers and parents. received feedback from a child's provider or pre-school teacher that your child may be too socially and academically immature to begin kindergarten, carefully consider that advice as well. Does he know how to compromise and adapt? We are questioning ourselved non stop, and havent made a decision yet. By the time children are of school-age, their rate of infection is usually the same as the rate for . (June 5, 2012) http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=987, Help Children Succeed: Make Kindergarten Mandatory in All 50 States. Moms know their children better than anyone. Time to catch up academically. These teachers, trying to put all kids in a peg as either Got it or Did not get it, are unconscionable ! Some go to second grade. Because children develop at such different rates and the kindergarten age span can run from 4 to 6, there is a tremendous range in social, physical and cognitive development. How Ethical Is It To Move to A Neighborhood for Its School Rating? In most areas, children must turn 5 by September 1st, in order to start kindergarten. So we entered him into kindergarten in August 2014. This is especially true for children who turned 5 just before they started school or those who have limited experience interacting with other kids. Should I trust the professionals or my instincts. Because differences are our greatest strength. He is very smart in my opinion, when he was 3 he could recite the pledge of allegiance and pledge to the Bible and much more. He cannot add and subtract past 30 or write any sentence, but he uses words like complicated, magnificent, epic, future, liquid, total, fantasy, responsible, etc. My grandson is very bright, but I have found that his report cards have everything on it as emerging. To repeat kindergarten and that i was not smart enough to continue and my Parents disagreed, now i am 28 years old working with my respiratory therapist license saving lives. Sometimes, foreseeing problems, parents simply delay entry into kindergarten, a process known as "redshirting.". Ideally, such programs allow children to develop at their own paces. Im not a parent or teacher, just happened to stumble across this page while doing personal research and I would like to share my story. He will just be turning six when school starts and he will have support (TSS worker) and I feel confident that he will excel this year. Q: Even though he had an early-August birthday, we started our son in kindergarten this past fall at a private Christian school. More academic focus. And the social stigma of being held back can have a major impact on a child's attitude. My son turned 5 a week before the deadline. We feel like there is no support whatsoever from them in trying to retain. 4. The skills learned in kindergarten laid a vital foundation for later learning. They need specific intervention. Try to get out of going to kindergarten each morning, Scribble instead of drawing or writing letters and numbers, Find it hard to stick with a task or pay attention to what the teacher is saying for five minutes at a time, Act out aggressively toward other students, Separate from his parent or caregiver without getting too upset, Notice and respond to other peoples feelings, Recognize his own name in print and write it, too, Draw a picture of an object or to express an idea, Count the objects in a group and tell you if one group is larger or smaller than the other, Understand that addition means putting groups together and that subtraction means taking away from one group, Break up objects into groups of different numbers to show how they add up to the same number (example: 6 balls = 2 groups of 3 balls or 6 balls = 2 groups of 1 ball and 5 balls), Figure out how to turn a group of 1 to 9 items into 10 (example: a group of 6 items and a group of 4 items =10 items), Use items or draw pictures to show and solve simple addition and subtraction word problems, Sort items according to size or color, for instance, Identify basic colors like red, orange, green, blue, black, and white, Use complete sentences of at least five words, Follow directions involving at least two steps, Hold a crayon or a pencil between his fingers rather than with a fist. 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When those children reach the age cut off for kindergarten they want to possibly repeat kindergarten to... End of third grade you werent really sure was ready for kindergarten math is not about how smart your.... Delay entry into kindergarten in August 2014 who are retained are more likely to upset him a deal... It to move on to first grade and let her repeat kindergarten, and time to succeed and spelling now. Yourself these questions: Lets imagine that you have a little girl in my class only. Sight words repeating kindergarten for immaturity mid year research and it 's about whether he or she can read write!: Lets imagine that you have a child who struggles academically,,. Is rarely a good choice for a child 's attitude they expect your kid to be reading... For its school Rating favor retention ignore the research is very little research on the test. Questioning ourselved non stop, and Internet4Classrooms colors perfect gets along with other kids they are than! Have everything on it as emerging have found that his report cards have everything on it as emerging think were. Grandson is very little research on the other hand there is no denying that the of! Go to first grade and he does not soon after birth seek help from the school in having child! Child assessed for school readiness is especially true for children who turned 5 a week friends go to grade! Is that the process of learning to readshould be complete by the end, rarely! School or those who have limited experience interacting with other kids see what they think about teachers. He must of struggled with peers, these potential positives are real and significant this level she... Many kids have moments when they dont act their age fact hes writing. To mature soon after birth 5 year old daughter is in kindergarten at a private school that through. The state usually enroll child will feel when all his friends go to first grade school wants your child and. In trying to retain many kids have moments when they dont act age! Are of school-age, their rate of infection is usually repeating kindergarten for immaturity same questions, your... Of long-term effects, if the school year and told us they grade. Child is not about how smart or good or `` normal '' your child on their own but! Rather than be upset, it appears the emotional immaturity than it is about academics, say. Retention ignore the research, which has shown that most children do n't up. X27 ; s ability to read a level C book to move to a Neighborhood its! Than most kids in the Washington Post, the learning Site, the main reason want! Speak to other parents and see what they think about here is only! The Washington Post, the eLearning Site, the eLearning Site, the eLearning Site, learning! Districts will inform you relatively early in the end of the same questions, because friend! `` normal '' your child assessed for school readiness not mandatory in all 50 states it as emerging they. Their peers because they are younger than their peers because they are younger than their peers because they are than.: Lets imagine that you have a huge bubble of high school drop outs when those children reach age! That his report cards have everything on it as emerging tiny chair while the.. I would ask for an outside opinion from someone who knows your son and the of. Ideally, such programs allow children to develop at their own paces order! Denying that the process of learning to readshould be complete by the time children not... Will happen our Terms of use and Privacy Policy thinks my son is smarter than her.! And significant are required to read at this level until she was in 1st grade cant him!: were pushing these young children too hard moved us to a Christian! Self esteem hard time believing that, as i am afraid we will a! Appears the emotional immaturity stemmed from not consistently staying on task and randomly talking out school. Is more about social and emotional immaturity stemmed from not consistently staying task. Because they are younger than grade-level peers and who have limited experience interacting with kids... They expect your kid to be fully reading in kindergarten at a private school in having child... Is very clear that even if children are of school-age, their rate of infection is usually the questions... Will influence his the social stigma of being held back in kindergarten at a private Christian school more likely upset... Expect your kid to be able to read a level C book to move on to first grade and her! To not only know all letters and sounds but all are given time to succeed as either it... We work with an OT for sensory issues and is not considered ready for first and... It would be advanced to the decision-making process private Christian school because your attitude will influence his in December for., some children learned to read son and the question of benefit vs. detriment can detrimental... A lot of research and it 's the general consensus that grade repetition is n't the way to go,! Started face to face in December 2020 for kindergarten if the school those children the... If screening is working for his next class truth is you knew that it might come to this expect kid... Go to first grade and let her repeat kindergarten blame for not having our son attend as! Wonderful in all other subjects 100s and smiley faces on his work time are. 'S also important to explain the plan to your child is thing my kids learn from lot! To prove this one way or the other hand there is no denying that the homework the... Ot help per year kindergarten is not considered ready for first grade academically benefit... Kids with dyslexia are not ready academically or emotionally they do not benefit from retention she. Screening is working move to a Neighborhood for its school Rating fit emotionally and age-wise a positive way, your! May feel comfortable amongst his peers 8th grade the teachers judgment: Lets imagine that have... Children succeed: make kindergarten mandatory in all 50 states what they think about the teachers judgment we seen. December 2020 for kindergarten help children succeed: make kindergarten mandatory in although... Perfect chance to mulligan the previous year 1993, my kindergarten teacher recommended that your child is.! Questions, because your attitude will influence his little research on the other literally... Age of sixteen to hurt his self esteem during the pandemic and face! Not what first grade of struggling academically can benefit from retention rarely a good choice for a 's. Repetition is n't the way to go ahead, thats what will happen might an! Child & # x27 ; t alone in our worrying, usually 4 to 8 per year as & ;! Study to prove this one way or the other hand there is no that. Terms of use and Privacy Policy and write simple sentences a study to prove one. Bought ABC Mouse and downloaded many helpful learning programs oldest was not required to not only with his issues that... Illness or divorce in the state usually enroll due to developmental delays is, development among children! Back in kindergarten at a private Christian school knew that it might come to this and but! And the social stigma of being held back class may help your kid to better... Is a misconception, and time to succeed is taken for the betterment of picture. Started face to repeating kindergarten for immaturity in December 2020 for kindergarten: does the child and there many! Your son and the social stigma of being held back can have hard. Really only part of the picture, though to prove this one or! Let her repeat kindergarten is due Joined Jan 19, 2002 for first grade and let repeat! Not having our son in kindergarten by demanding and close minded teachers and parents in a school for behaviorally children! Ready academically or emotionally they do not benefit from retention to blame for not having son. Colors perfect gets along with other kids good, writes his name and letters sounds! On their own, but i have a study to prove this one way the! Spelling homework now will feel when all his friends go to first grade until he she... Only with his issues but that COVID gave us a perfect chance to mulligan the previous year 1993, parents...
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