In one study, researchers associated this poor academic performance with repeating kindergarten. Some young children attain the age of reason, the ability . What's more, kindergartners can range in age from 4 to 6 because about 5 percent of kids repeat the year and another 7 percent wait a year before starting, according to the latest figures from the National Center for Educational Statistics. 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 . At first he loved reading our books and felt very important that he could read, but since January that has become a fight to get him to read. She also maintains a private practice in the evaluation and teaching of children with learning disabilities and attention deficit disorders. That should help him quickly acclimate to the situation, and feel better about it, too. Few of them will be deeply affected by (or even remember later on) repeating kindergarten. As others have written these standards are not whats currently expected of Kindergarteners anymore. The teacher has let him build legos, blocks pretty much all year. I wish he were only going 1/2 a day but that wasnt an option where we live. 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. If the teacher is concerned about the child's maturity or behavior, parents can ask for specific examples of behavior that cause concern. They did some testing prior to the start Acting immature can be a sign that kids are struggling and need more support. Repeating kindergarten is not apocalyptic. His kindergarten teacher wants to keep him back next year. Social interactment, discipline, only basic skills as for letters and numbers, and becoming more mature are the only skills needed for first grade. Red, yellow, green, blue with red being the worst. He has an attention issue. It should be criminal to do that to these kids. 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. He is doing pretty well academically, but he's on the young side and is rather immature: difficulty focusing/paying attention in class and acting silly in class or on the playground. They needed less remediation, and they earned higher grades while enrolled. 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. I found out that a bunch of kids in my grade were like 21 months younger than me. Repeating a grade, or grade retention, is rarely a good choice for a child who struggles academically, behaviorally, or socially. 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. Perhaps students with learning disabilities who repeat kindergarten do better in school than they would have had they not repeated kindergarten. Joined Jan 1, 2006. On the other hand there is very little research on the long-term impact of starting kindergarten at different . How Ethical Is It To Move to A Neighborhood for Its School Rating? After a month and realizing school was done for the academic year, I grew concerned with our sons placement next year. Our son repeated pre-k due to his maturity level. In my case, I benefited from grade retention, but after doing some research, I honestly believe it does more harm than good for most people. School!. If the speech therapist agrees with the teacher, youll know what to do. Julia Layton Kids who are already the oldest in their grade will be almost two years older than the rest of the class. Reassure him that you think he'll have a happy and successful year, and work with the teacher to help make that happen. He where he should be academically. Hi Jeanie, Scholastic.com. The first time around first grade was really stressful for him, although we were slow to pick up the clues. I bought ABC Mouse and downloaded many helpful learning programs. 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. Entering kindergarten children have already learned to appreciate the feel and look of books, and the sound of language. A 14-year study conducted by the Texas A&M University College of Education and Human Development has determined that Texas students who are held back during elementary school are almost three times more likely than their peers to drop out of high school. Still, finding out the teacher thinks your child should be "held back" can be jarring and, for many parents, upsetting. The major problem Im having is not only did the teacher tell me, my son would be in many encore programs but that they would be advancing the curriculum quickly to catch up. However, research is questioning whether repeating truly helps children. etc. And 4th we have our 5 year son who has ADHD and maybe ODD. It was mostly a year for "play-based learning," and the idea of a child being "held back" to repeat the grade might have seemed a little silly. Talk to your child's teacher about whether repeating a grade would be helpful or hurtful at your child's age. In what state do you teach, Emily? He or she probably could have used a bit more time before going to kindergarten, but you took a chance. Your use of the site indicates your agreement to be bound by our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law. Parents can ask to see examples of their child's work compared to the work of other children of the same age. Many kids have moments when they dont act their age. 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. Repeating Kindergarten. Can he run and jump, play catch, bounce a ball, dance? Sammy, for instance, could discuss ancient Troy but couldn't draw a stick figure. There can be an age difference of a year (or more) in class. You've asked a tough question. 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. I never went to Kindergarten, but only knew the alphabet and numbers but not any math and could not read sentences at age 6. Your gut reaction may be to defend your child. "Children who are retained may do better at first, but many fall behind again if their areas of weakness haven't been addressed," says Sandra Rief, a resource specialist and author of Ready . This is not about how smart your child is. But there is very little out there about holding a child back in kindergarten to wait another year before starting first grade. He's doing so much better. My parents had me repeat 1st grade. The students in this study, however, had a far higher rate of learning disabilities than their peers. Sometimes, a repeat with interventions is still the better option. I know that my oldest was not required to read at this level until she was in 1st grade. The kids are expected to write sentences and use inventive spelling (spell phonetically) for words that they havent learned yet. When my son Sammy started kindergarten, I looked forward to our first parent-teacher conference, imagining all the wonderful things the teacher would say about his interest in history and his precocious verbal skills. Some go to second grade. Get in touch! Students who are retained are more likely to drop out of school compared . I dont agree with keeping him behind, we do homework and practice every night. So, if a child's birthday falls into dates . He also needed time to mature socially and to learn ways to connect with his peers. There is something schools could do, though you are more likely to find a willingness to do it in a private or parochial school. I taught gifted children in my career as a teacher who were held back in kindergarten by demanding and close minded teachers and parents. oh and for the record Ive taught in Florida and Michigan. You may want to seek help from the school in having your child assessed for school readiness. The reason? Ideally, a kindergarten program will be flexible enough to meet the diverse needs of all its students. Here is what a teacher does in most classrooms. I would love to get your opinion concerning my 5 year old grandson. Why is it still being suggested then? 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. They are reading sentences and books. One thing to consider is how your child will feel when all his friends go to first grade and he does not. As a rule, school professionals strongly avoid this practice of . I have read all the comments you made about holding a kindergarten back. Through the year he attended, we had several conferences to discuss his progress. You may be right that the primary problem is an inexperienced teacher. For all anyone knows, your child could end up perfectly on track by the fall. Grade retention has a negative impact on all areas of a child's achievement (reading, math, and language) and socio-emotional adjustment (peer relationships, self-esteem, problem behaviors and attendance). But are concerned he will act out if he is bored. Pros. Our son barely showed up on it. Holding your child back a year in the beginning of their school . For more than 20 years, Eileen Marzola has worked with children and adults with learning disabilities and attention deficit disorders, and with their parents and teachers. Q. . . I will do what I need to do. What can cause kids to seem immature. They also were 3.3 percent more likely to graduate from . (June 7, 2012) http://www.change.org/petitions/help-children-succeed-make-kindergarten-mandatory-in-all-50-states, Mlyniec, Vicky. Colors perfect gets along with other kids good, writes his name and letters and much more. Heres what I think: were pushing these young children too hard. Q Even though he had an early August birthday, we started our son in kindergarten at a private Christian school. Question: Even though he had an early August birthday, we started our son in kindergarten at a private Christian school. Holding back in those first 3 years is very detrimental for most who are not lower IQ, have a disability, or cannot adjust. Some children might suffer from the social stigma of repeating a grade and end up feeling embarrassed and ashamed, leading to a negative self-concept. Sandbox Learning is part of Sandbox & Co., a digital learning company. They are pushing kids too hard these days and are expecting way more than when I was in kindergarten 22 years ago. We work with an OT for sensory issues and a psychologist to assist with ADHD/ODD, parent management training. Should I trust the professionals or my instincts. Is this a public or private school? 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. You have some options. June 1, "immature" boys suddenly become those with birthdays after March 1. Please help! He is in kindergarten and to our knowledge he has been doing good all year in school. He can build master structures with a huge number of plastic blocks of all sizes and do things with triangular and square magnets that are amazing. Being retained had no effect on students' chances of graduating. The exception to these concerns is if a student repeats kindergarten, when immaturity may be a concern. We are questioning ourselved non stop, and havent made a decision yet. His pediatrician suggested that I keep him in daycare and wait until the following year to send him to kindergarten, but she did not mention that until his 5 year well visit which was a week before school started. Backing up . 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. Do you often have to repeat the instructions for even a simple one-step task? Not sure what to do, you speak to a few experts, do your research, and decide to chance it and send your child on to kindergarten. (June 5, 2012) http://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/starting-preschool/curriculum/child-repeat-kindergarten/, Perets, Abbi. My 6 year old daughter is in Kindergarten at a private school in NYC. Language: Does the child have trouble pronouncing words or expressing ideas? I want my child to succeed. We are confident that she will be prepared for 1st grade by September. An estimated 5 percent of kindergarteners spend a second year in the class [source: Mlyniec]. 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. It could just as well be learning disabilities that make it hard for these children to get good grades. Take a closer look at the immature behavior and see if you pick up on patterns. When a teacher or other education expert recommends repeating kindergarten, it's seldom (if ever) about a single skill your child is behind on. (June 5, 2012) http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=987, Help Children Succeed: Make Kindergarten Mandatory in All 50 States. Was he uninterested or just bored? A school psychologist should do a battery of tests to determine why a student isn't progressing. And didnt want to be at school. His teacher comments about his immaturity-- he is very well behaved, but does seem to be immature compared to the other kids. What could be wrong with taking more time to grow up? Rather, a younger child's lack of maturity may make ADHD symptoms more obvious. Some kids just do not progress as quickly that young, but in no time, I have read, take off and catch up the majority of the time. Long story short, even with academic support over the summer our son bombed in first grade, and ! This is especially true for children who turned 5 just before they started school or those who have limited experience interacting with other kids. I have secondary education background and we spent a semester on Special Ed and never ONCE was dyslexia mentioned. We sent him to Kindergarten, which was against what his preschool teacher recommended. Kids develop at different rates, and some need more time than others to gain skills. I may just decide to revisit the topic and include the study in my piece. Most of the other students were 6 years old and much more mature than my 5 years old who already had developmental delays (and he was born 6 weeks pre mature, so if he had been born on time, he would not have made the kindergarten cut off anyway). Thanks in advance for any help you can offer! - My son will graduate high school and only be 17 years old. He developed stomach aches all the time, even on weekends, which threw us off. Keep in mind he was mostly virtual in pre-K during the pandemic and started face to face in December 2020 for kindergarten. He may grow physically and may feel comfortable amongst his peers. Babies are born with immature immune systems. Im so conflicted. Find out what they notice, and work on ways to help kids develop skills like self-control. Thread starter katie111; Start date May 30, 2013; K. katie111 DIS Veteran. Like many parents, I hadn't realized that success in kindergarten depends on many factors, not just intellectual ability. 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