Kindergarten and holding your kid(s) back?

[raincoast]

I was a late November baby, in a place with a December 31 cutoff. I wasn't held back - instead, I was registered in a French immersion program where the teacher made us ask to go to the bathroom in French in the first week! I don't regret it. I was always ahead of my class academically, even if I was smaller until puberty and a bit awkward socially (though I think this had less to do with age and more with intellectual mismatch with my peers). In high school, I skipped a grade in math and accelerated my science and English classes. Being in my "age appropriate" classroom was bad enough. Being held back would have been miserable.

Basically, it's all very individual. I know I had classmates (mostly boys) who probably benefitted from starting school a little later. I think it should be about how ready the kid is to learn in that environment, not about the desire to make them "competitive" or to not be the youngest in their class. Kids who are the youngest in their class can be the best readers, or the first to master the multiplication tables, just as much as the oldest kid can.

[slappy]

I haven't read all the comments, but I am currently experiencing  the same concerns. My son has a late Aug birthday, currently he is 3.5. We actually just had a meeting with his school last week and they are going to proceed with some testing that will likely result in an IEP and some additional services being offered. This is for his language skills. My school district does not allow red shirting. I expressed concern to the principal about him being a young first grader and she said that he won't be the only one. Since the district doesn't allow red shirting, there will be others who are young as well, and the teachers will be able to accommodate that. Hearing that actually made me feel better about it. Of course, there may be the option of holding back in kindergarten if it become necessary, but we aren't there yet, so we don't know.

[StarBright]

I haven't read all the comments, but I am currently experiencing  the same concerns. My son has a late Aug birthday, currently he is 3.5. We actually just had a meeting with his school last week and they are going to proceed with some testing that will likely result in an IEP and some additional services being offered. This is for his language skills. My school district does not allow red shirting. I expressed concern to the principal about him being a young first grader and she said that he won't be the only one. Since the district doesn't allow red shirting, there will be others who are young as well, and the teachers will be able to accommodate that. Hearing that actually made me feel better about it. Of course, there may be the option of holding back in kindergarten if it become necessary, but we aren't there yet, so we don't know.

FWIW - I think it can be a good thing when a school does not allow red shirting. The kids, theoretically should be developmentally in the same realm as each other.

Our district allows redshirting and also testing to get kids into K early (which is easier than it should be). Both of my children have about a 2.5 year stretch between the oldest and youngest kids in their class. Even though mine should be the "oldest" in their class (their bdays are days after the cut off) they are right in the middle age-wise.

As I've worked with and observed my daughter's K class this year I've come to think redshirting sets unrealistic and age inappropriate expectations in many cases.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

I haven't read all the comments, but I am currently experiencing  the same concerns. My son has a late Aug birthday, currently he is 3.5. We actually just had a meeting with his school last week and they are going to proceed with some testing that will likely result in an IEP and some additional services being offered. This is for his language skills. My school district does not allow red shirting. I expressed concern to the principal about him being a young first grader and she said that he won't be the only one. Since the district doesn't allow red shirting, there will be others who are young as well, and the teachers will be able to accommodate that. Hearing that actually made me feel better about it. Of course, there may be the option of holding back in kindergarten if it become necessary, but we aren't there yet, so we don't know.

FWIW - I think it can be a good thing when a school does not allow red shirting. The kids, theoretically should be developmentally in the same realm as each other.

Our district allows redshirting and also testing to get kids into K early (which is easier than it should be). Both of my children have about a 2.5 year stretch between the oldest and youngest kids in their class. Even though mine should be the "oldest" in their class (their bdays are days after the cut off) they are right in the middle age-wise.

As I've worked with and observed my daughter's K class this year I've come to think redshirting sets unrealistic and age inappropriate expectations in many cases.

Redshirting is a logical response to the unrealistic and age inappropriate expectations that are now part of kindergarten!

Kindergarten SHOULD be appropriate for five-year-olds... but it has gotten very academic, kids are expected to come in knowing the alphabet and go out reading, there is no nap and limited play time. I can't fault parents who, the spring before, look at their four-year-old and think, "No way."

My parents chose a private kindergarten for my sister, back in the day, because it was a cheap half-day option and they didn't think she was ready for full-day. Of course, that was a privileged choice in a lot of way...

[Sugaree]

I haven't read all the comments, but I am currently experiencing  the same concerns. My son has a late Aug birthday, currently he is 3.5. We actually just had a meeting with his school last week and they are going to proceed with some testing that will likely result in an IEP and some additional services being offered. This is for his language skills. My school district does not allow red shirting. I expressed concern to the principal about him being a young first grader and she said that he won't be the only one. Since the district doesn't allow red shirting, there will be others who are young as well, and the teachers will be able to accommodate that. Hearing that actually made me feel better about it. Of course, there may be the option of holding back in kindergarten if it become necessary, but we aren't there yet, so we don't know.

FWIW - I think it can be a good thing when a school does not allow red shirting. The kids, theoretically should be developmentally in the same realm as each other.

Our district allows redshirting and also testing to get kids into K early (which is easier than it should be). Both of my children have about a 2.5 year stretch between the oldest and youngest kids in their class. Even though mine should be the "oldest" in their class (their bdays are days after the cut off) they are right in the middle age-wise.

As I've worked with and observed my daughter's K class this year I've come to think redshirting sets unrealistic and age inappropriate expectations in many cases.

Redshirting is a logical response to the unrealistic and age inappropriate expectations that are now part of kindergarten!

Kindergarten SHOULD be appropriate for five-year-olds... but it has gotten very academic, kids are expected to come in knowing the alphabet and go out reading, there is no nap and limited play time. I can't fault parents who, the spring before, look at their four-year-old and think, "No way."

My parents chose a private kindergarten for my sister, back in the day, because it was a cheap half-day option and they didn't think she was ready for full-day. Of course, that was a privileged choice in a lot of way...

I agree.  Grade levels seem to be at least a year ahead of where they were even just 10 years ago, much less when we were kids. 

[StarBright]

@La Bibliotecaria Feroz - a couple of months ago in this same thread I had actually said I wondered if redshirting was a chicken/egg scenario. I wonder this because when people started red shirting in my hometown it was due to sports and not academics. But the older athletes certainly brought up the general average and allowed teachers to go through material faster than they otherwise would have.

But in my reply to slappy when I said "sets unrealistic and age inappropriate expectations in many cases" I specifically meant with the teachers. This year I have seen people who are aware of what is pedagogically appropriate still get visibly frustrated when part of the class isn't making connections as quickly. I think redshirting creates unrealisitic expectations even with people who should know better (aside from it being a logical reaction to increased expectations :) )

I was just hoping to point out the positives of no redshirting to slappy and hopefully make them feel a bit better about their child's upcoming school year.