Just like I would rather her be a young 6 than a young 5 when starting kindergarten, I would rather her be a young 19 than barely-older-than-17 when she begins college (especially if she attends away from home). It is also seen that being older in the class may help your . Red, yellow, green, blue with red being the worst. I have read all the comments you made about holding a kindergarten back. Who wants to hear their child is average? Long story short, he did not do well in kindergarten. She's been a teacher for over 20 years, and says she . Being one of the youngest in the class can play a role. I would love to get your opinion concerning my 5 year old grandson. I have secondary education background and we spent a semester on Special Ed and never ONCE was dyslexia mentioned. She will be older when she starts college. I was Also told as a child that i had Hi Jeanie, In 2010, 6.2% of children in the US who were eligible to begin school were held back by their parents. I dont think my daughter will handle being held back well. Andrew mined two large data sets in a way no researcher has done before and concludes that kids who repeat a year between kindergarten and fifth grade are 60 percent less likely to graduate high school than kids with similar backgrounds, and even . Is he good at sharing? The data also suggests that in spite of having all these resources and manpower, kids who repeat kindergarten dont do as well as their first or second grade classmates once they make it into those grades. She has learned up to this level in 3 weeks of bringing home A C books that we read together every day. . She doesn't know her letters, their sounds, or her numbers. These questions concerned me, but I knew that repeating kindergarten was the right thing for my son. Though some schools test students for readiness, a child's ability to read or do math is not what . Holding your child back a year in the beginning of their school . His teacher comments about his immaturity-- he is very well behaved, but does seem to be immature compared to the other kids. They need specific intervention. You're right that normally repeating the grade is not helpful. Was a stronger speaker, reader, simple math, etc. Me and his dad are leaning towards repeating. After multiple evaluations and what not the school has basically been recommending to promote. Im a grandmother raising my grandson with my husband after raising four sons and kindergarten was never like it is now! Is your child curious and always wanting to learn new things? This makes it difficult to get a sample group of very young students with diagnosed learning disabilities we can study. We were told today that we should leave her back because she isnt progressing at the pace of other Kindergartners. Kindergarten students spend a great deal of time on their pre-reading and reading skills. Here is what a teacher does in most classrooms. This is by far the hardest decision Ive ever made. I did not know these words at 6, nor could I build and create what he does without my help. You knew that your child was close to the cut-off date for kindergarten. And if the issue is counting and numbers, or poor early reading skills, perhaps giving a child more time to learn numbers and letters; to hear stories read; and play with making rhymes, is indicated. My sons school sends graded test and work hes done through out the year and hes been doing great! Although these initial benefits faded over time, students who had been held back entered high school performing at a higher level relative to their grade level than similar students who'd been promoted. oh and for the record Ive taught in Florida and Michigan. 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. Why had his teacher not told us earlier that he was having issues so we could have worked more with him on blending or got him more help? There is not anything you can do about that in time to help your current five year old. 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. 6. Babies are born with immature immune systems. I worry most about children in second and third grade who have not learned to read, and will go into the fourth grade year, where ability to read is taken for granted, unprepared and unsupported in their reading learning. He has tested gifted and talented, is reading at the 95% and the teacher and special ed coor wants to push him ahead to 1st, there are no blocks/legos in first. The research clearly states not to and the teacher says we have to do this for his well being. Social interactment, discipline, only basic skills as for letters and numbers, and becoming more mature are the only skills needed for first grade. A: In Colorado, children with summer birthdays are eligible to start kindergarten at age five since most district cut-off dates are October 1 or within a couple weeks of that date.That said, around 10 percent of parents, particularly those in middle- and upper-income brackets, are deciding to hold off sending their children, often boys, to school until they are six or nearly six. http://family.go.com/parenting/article-sk-773400-should-your-child-repeat-kindergarten--t/, Special Offer on Antivirus Software From HowStuffWorks and TotalAV Security, 5 Things to Know on the First Day of Kindergarten, Family.com: Learning Disabilities in Your School Age Child. His academics are really good. Is he flexible? Besides the pandemic delays he does good in my opinion and has . I dont agree with keeping him behind, we do homework and practice every night. We are solely to blame for not having our son attend pre-k as I was uneducated on its value. https://today.tamu.edu/2018/03/27/14-year-study-holding-students-back-in-grade-school-hurts-their-chances-of-graduating/. These same problems are an issue when repeating any grade; but regarding such an early grade as kindergarten, some people question whether the potential benefits can outweigh the potential drawbacks. ALL kids can learn to read the Orton Gillingham method. As a teacher, I have seen many students struggle as they are younger and immature compared to their cohort. There is typically little-to-no social stigma with repeating kindergarten; kids are often all too happy to get to do so. 7. As a speech language pathologist, I . Some go to second grade. (June 7, 2012) http://www.change.org/petitions/help-children-succeed-make-kindergarten-mandatory-in-all-50-states, Mlyniec, Vicky. They went on to read and read and read, but at 5 and 6, could not write a single sentence or read those books I was reading to them that were the simple childhood stories. Ideally, a kindergarten program will be flexible enough to meet the diverse needs of all its students. We sent him to Kindergarten, which was against what his preschool teacher recommended. They needed less remediation, and they earned higher grades while enrolled. And the social stigma of being held back can have a major impact on a child's attitude. You've asked a tough question. 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! He developed stomach aches all the time, even on weekends, which threw us off. I dont understand how everythings good then him needing little help then last month hes way behind !?? 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. He has an attention issue. Increasing pressure to do well on standardized tests in elementary school has pushed the first-grade curriculum down to kindergarten. You dont really have a fallback plan. You can point out how their words or actions made you feel and ask them to be more sensitive in the future . There is a vast amount of scientific research showing that children do not benefit by being held back in grade school. Once I got to middle school I started to notice that all the other kids looked really little. Through the year he attended, we had several conferences to discuss his progress. It's about how developmentally ready he or she is for first grade at this moment in time -- and children will reach their milestones when they're ready. Then, for a few years, I taught in a school for behaviorally disordered children. I just received a letter about a possible retention for my son, i do have a meeting scheduled with the school. we are so lost. My parents told me that I would be repeating and moved me to a different school and that it was to give me extra help. Because differences are our greatest strength. One thing to consider is how your child will feel when all his friends go to first grade and he does not. What am I supposed to do though? The research is very clear that even if children are not ready academically or emotionally they do not benefit from retention. Repeating Kindergarten. She also maintains a private practice in the evaluation and teaching of children with learning disabilities and attention deficit disorders. My son turned 5 a week before the deadline. He has emotional issues, is not matured, does well with younger kids as is, and just has not yet developed emotionally where he should be for his age. Youd think given all the evaluations and so forth, that the school would back you. Redshirting is the practice of postponing entrance into kindergarten of age-eligible children in order to allow extra time for socioemotional, intellectual, or physical growth. Few of them will be deeply affected by (or even remember later on) repeating kindergarten. Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks.com article: Blend Images/Ariel Skelley/the Agency Collection/. What I have experienced is that the homework is the only thing my kids learn from. 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. But generally, if the school wants your child to go ahead, thats what will happen. Have . They expect them to know all upper & lower case letters and sounds by November or they are considered behind. As far as seeing friends go on, he had very few and I know my son has forgotten about school. The truth is you knew that it might come to this. I found out that a bunch of kids in my grade were like 21 months younger than me. Find out what they notice, and work on ways to help kids develop skills like self-control. . Where are they? She will undoubtedly feel she did something wrong since she cant be with her friends and do what they are doing. Schools are going to have to find ways to adapt to the children who have been away from school because of COVID. School!. 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. 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. We just met with the teacher, her aid, the principal and counselor and were told by the teacher she still couldnt recommend him for first grade because of his poor reading skills and comprehension which surprised me because of how he can tell us all about the stories we read! They might be teased or left out because of their trouble with speech or language. Emily you are 100% percent correct! 4. Lets follow Finlands example. The recommendation to repeat the year is not a comment on your child's intelligence; it's a comment on your child's maturity. If you decide to have your child repeat the year, it's better to switch teachers or even schools. The teachers have not been taught what dyslexia is and IS NOT. If the problems are ignored and a repeat becomes necessary 3 or 4 years later, that becomes a difficult experience for a child. According to 1st grade standards. My son's teachers are suggesting he repeat kindergarten. 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 . Ask about any additional services the school can provide and what you can do at home to help. I've also read children with ADHD are normally immature for their age. Knowing why kids act immaturely or young for their age lets you offer the best support. An estimated 5 percent of kindergarteners spend a second year in the class [source: Mlyniec]. Some children would benefit from repeating kindergarten. My, very young for grade (August 22nd birthday), 5 year old was reading at 3. I totally feel you. When a teacher or other education expert recommends repeating kindergarten, it's seldom (if ever) about a single skill your child is behind on. Sometimes kids act immature because of academic struggles. I have never had such a tough time with something. This study was from Taiwan where the cut-off date, similar to the U.S., is August 31. He has a summer birthday (so he is youngest in his kinder class). 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. Repeating kindergarten is not apocalyptic. 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. 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. I'm a Mom and a Music Teacher: Here's How I Nurture My Children's Love for Music, Bullying Is Harmful to Kids' Mental HealthSchool Solutions to the Problem Often Fail Black Children, Takes care of personal needs (going to the bathroom, zipping jacket), Understands common directional words (below, between, above), Knows alphabet and capital and lowercase letters, Understands story concepts of beginning, middle, and end, Can write a simple sentence with invented spelling. Some kids just need more time to develop. Im so conflicted. But now he should be able to keep up with his friends in the work theyre doing in kindergarten. etc. You need to reassess. Rief also recommends requesting a student-support-team meeting. May 30, 2013 #1 . They do testing of 4 parts. It should be criminal to do that to these kids. Understood is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charitable organization (tax identification number 83-2365235). Some young children attain the age of reason, the ability . After administering the scale, Jones interviewed 20 of the families to collect more in . I could use advice information and anything that could help us!! Kindergarten retention totally ignores what we know about child development.Early childhood is a period of very rapid intellectual growth. Emotional. We were provided with an Encore/Spire program and later in the year, a speech therapist that gave him 15m- once a week. As for seeing his friends going on ahead, I sympathize. There is a whole checklist of things your child should be able to do before going to kindergarten. Your gut reaction may be to defend your child. No matter what you decide to do, keep in mind your child is looking to you to set the tone. 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. It would be nice to have a study to prove this one way or the other. "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. She said he is average but not ahead of the others. That said, its important to note that learning disabilities may not even be diagnosed until the child goes to grade school. She scored green on 2/4, yellow on 1, and red on reading. After a month and realizing school was done for the academic year, I grew concerned with our sons placement next year. And the question of benefit vs. detriment can be a more difficult one to answer. Rather, a younger child's lack of maturity may make ADHD symptoms more obvious. 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