Re: study of red****rting (late entrance to kndergarten)

"Nikki" <skavanagh@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message 
news:z-Cdnc7dmMLOTx3VnZ2dnUVZ_qTinZ2d@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> The problem we are also dealing with is that when it becomes soooo
common 
> the typical age really is a young age.  My kid was born in April so
nearly 
> 5.5yo when he started kindy.  He was the youngest boy in the class.  He 
> repeated a grade and he is the oldest of course but there are a few in 
> there with him.

So true.  DS is a June birthday against a December 2 cutoff and he was one

of only two boys in class not red****rted.  That made him among the
youngest 
of the class and the second youngest boy.

The oldest boy was a mid-December birthday who was red****rted.  He is
bright 
(though not as bright as it would first appear considering his age),
reading 
at the third grade level when kindergarten started.  The kindergarten 
teacher was nice and developed an special customized curriculum for him. 
He 
had homework different from the class for the entire year.  The mother was

very upset this year that the teacher did not challenge him, gave him 
regular class homework with enrichment she didn't like.  She complained he

was bored, that she should have done what kindy teacher did for him.  He 
made no progress the entire year in his academic skills because he was so 
far ahead.  Really, this is a hole she dug for herself and her child and 
should have foreseen.  I asked why she didn't skip him up a grade (which 
would have put him at least in the proper grade and he would have been 
learning multiplication and division, which he did not know), and she said

she didn't even think of it.  But that kid didn't learn anything new the 
entire year.  What a waste of two years of schooling (the year he missed 
being red****rted and this past year in first grade).

I understand the teachers should challenge the students who are gifted,
but 
what about all these gifted red****rted kids?  Is it reasonable to expect 
that if you red****rt your kid, that the teacher will always develop a 
special curriculum specially tailored for the entire year?  I do feel for 
the kid, but what do the parents expect when they pull something like
this?

Honestly, my opinion is that there is a test for skipping grades, make a 
test for red****rting.  There are kids who need it, but only kids who need
it 
should be red****rted.  My guess is some of these competitive parents (not 
all are competitive, but it can get that ways some places) wouldn't  want 
their kid to be officially declared not ready for school by anyone but 
themselves and will stop with the red****rting already.