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

toypup wrote:

> 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. 

Sadly this is where my second son is at - only I'm not upset with the 
teachers, only myself.  He'll be in first grade this year.  I think 
there is a combo 2nd/3rd grade class in his school as an experiment and 
I'll probably push for that when the time comes so he can move ahead a 
year if he needs to.  I'd have skipped first grade but to be brutally 
honest - I don't have the time to 'catch him up' to the second grade 
material.  I just don't - even though I know it wouldn't be hard and 
he's perfectly capable.

> 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.

We do have kindergarten screening (and I think most places do) that is 
suppose to work to let a parent know if their child is ready for kindy. 
  I've never met a teacher yet that wasn't totally pro-red ****rting. 
Even with my second son the teacher couldn't thank me enough for red 
****rting him.  Of course he was super easy for her.  He sat just fine 
and new everything she taught before she even started teaching it so 
what is there not to like from her perspective.  Both my kids passed the 
screening and as I said -- I freaked out and red ****rted #2 and #1 has 
diagnosed learning disabilities so academically he was struggling big 
time and repeated a grade.  Of course that didn't help at all.  Time 
does not fix learning disabilities.  Repeating just delayed services 
(that I am providing myself - another vent) although I will admit that 
socially he is a much happier boy.

--

Nikki, mama to 4 boys