"Grade Level"

[nov05mama]

So, most everyone knows this is the time of year for all the curriculum threads to pop up (many already have!!) and I am wondering something :)

 

How do you 'answer' those threads? Do you base your child's 'grade level' on the work they are currently doing? Or do you base it on the actual 'grade level' that they would be in PS?

 

I know 98% of the time, it doesn't matter what grade level they are, most all homeschoolers do schooling at whatever level the child is in (which can also vary just by subject, not by year), but what do YOU base it on when you answer curriculum threads or answer questions in passing?? TIA :D

[angela in ohio]

The grade level they would be in if they were in school by their age.

 

Students in school in any given grade are working at various levels, but they are still in the same grade (except for a very, very few who are held back or grade skipped.)

[Annabel Lee]

:iagree: Students in PS turn in a wide array of quality of work, esp. in higher grades. Just because one struggles or is totally disinterested in something and someone else excels at it doesn't mean they aren't in the same grade.

 

I go by age-grade level no matter what number is on the front of curriculums we're using. Most of society uses it as an age identifier. For ex., the new friend at the park asks ds, "What grade are you in?". The kid is clearly not asking to know what level my son is working at in various subjects. He wants to know if they are a similar age.

 

Also, we have friends whose dd is the same exact age as my youngest, but works a grade ahead in one subject. Because of that, this family has decided to say she's in the higher grade. My son is most aware that their birthdays are only days apart, and until I explained it, he was made to feel very "behind" by this little girl's overinflated sense of pride & competition. God help her if she begins struggling in that subject, because she pins so much of her self-esteem & identity on being ahead. Nothing wrong with *good* pride in a job well done, but that's not what's going on in this situation.

 

There's my half-dollar.

Edited March 24, 2011 by Annabel Lee

[Down_the_Rabbit_Hole]

Depends on what the OP is looking for, but for the most part I go by the grade they should be in if they were in public school.

[JudoMom]

The grade they'd be in if they were in public school.

[Just Robyn]

The grade level they would be in if they were in school by their age.

 

Students in school in any given grade are working at various levels, but they are still in the same grade (except for a very, very few who are held back or grade skipped.)

 

:iagree: And a lot of homeschool curricula don't even have grade levels on them. For example my oldest ds is doing Island level MCT this year as his main LA; I would think that would be appropriate for many different grades. Also, I chose history for next year based on content/time period and because of that the grade level on the material doesn't match the grade level my ds will be in, but I don't believe that means he's skipping a grade level in history.

 

One more reason, if we went by level, we would have to say things like, "He's in 3rd grade for math and 4th grade for LA." Although I guess in an ideal world that wouldn't seem so weird.

[RahRah]

In our PS system, DS would be in kindergarten this year due to his missing the cut-off on August 1st (he's born mid-Aug). Starting this year was also 'optional' since cumpolsury age is 7 and DS turned 6 after the cut-off date. He was already doing things at home and was ready for first grade though.

 

When we started with HS, we started him as first grade and outside activities are registered as a first grader (ie. cub scouts, museum programs, etc.).

 

If we lived in a different district, or even state, or if he were born two weeks earlier, he'd be first grade - so I don't feel it's a big leap to have him a first grader. When we start our new school year July 1st, he'll be second grade.

[Mommee & Baba]

The grade they'd be in if they were in public school.

 

:iagree:

[DarlaS]

The grade level they would be in if they were in school by their age.

 

Students in school in any given grade are working at various levels, but they are still in the same grade (except for a very, very few who are held back or grade skipped.)

 

:iagree:

 

We were definitely not all working at the same level in all subjects when I went to school.

[Harriet Vane]

We identify as the grade of their age-mates. The work they actually do is all over the map though.

[NanceXToo]

Well, my daughter WAS originally in public school, and she's continuing to do work at her original grade level, so I just answer with that.

[Koerarmoca]

the grade they would be in school. Though my 3rd grader loves to tell people she is in 5th grade math & reading :glare:

 

dd12 is a bit trickier. She is a grade level ahead and she is 12. a lot of activities at church are for the "teen" group which is 13 year old 7th graders and up. They have no issue with her in this group because she is mature and is in the 7th grade in pvt school. some other activities out side of church I have put her in a lower grade/age group for sports and such. I base that on skill though.

[Desert Strawberry]

I start thier school years on their birthday. So my 8yo is 3rd grade from December to December, my almost 5yo will be K from April to April, etc. We school year round, and it really doesn't matter what grade I assign. No one knows (or cares or, I would imagine, even considers) that we don't use a traditional school calendar. Using thier birthday keeps it simple. My 1yo is born in June and my new baby is due in May. All of my kids would be oldest/youngest in the class, if hey went to school. Most people use grade level as an age indicator, so using thier age is more accurate than randomly assigning a level based on a system we are not a part of.

[Ellie]

I try to figure out the age of the child involved first, then consider grade level if necessary.

 

I *always* recommend that people when talking to outsiders that they use the grade-level label their dc would be in if they were going to the local public school, based on the dc's birthdays and the cut-off date in their state, but that they teach their dc according to their abilities. I *always* refer to dc by their ages, not their supposed grade levels (a 9yo as opposed to a 4th grader).

[Dmmetler]

The grade she'd be in had she continued in her prior school. Since DD was grade skipped, that's a year higher than her age would put her, but it's not the grade at which she's currently working in most areas.

[elegantlion]

The grade they'd be in if they were in public school.

 

This. Nothing we are using this year is marked for a specific grade. His abilities range over about five grade levels, but all intents and purposes he's in 7th grade.

[Mandy in TN]

How do you 'answer' those threads? Do you base your child's 'grade level' on the work they are currently doing? Or do you base it on the actual 'grade level' that they would be in PS?

 

The grade-level printed on the front of a book is not as relevant to most people as a child's age. The grade levels of my children's material may be different for every subject, but that doesn't change their age. In my state I have to be registered with someone (state, umbrella school, CRS). The two at home are registered based on the cut-off for my area.

 

Even if I didn't have to register, if someone asked what grade the kids were in, I would just tell them based on the cut-off. I do this because when most people ask this they don't want to listen to me talk about curriculum they just want to know about how old my children are.

 

Here when someone posts asking what everyone is using for <blank> grade I feel like they are wanting to see the wide range of products and skills at that grade/age level, so I just post what we are doing based on the grade for which we are registered. OTOH, when someone asks what to use for math in K, I figure they are wanting to know about beginning level math programs and answer with those products.

 

HTH-

Mandy

[Jenny in Florida]

Most homeschoolers have the freedom to work at varying levels, subject by subject. But, for kids working ahead across the board or mostly so, the whole grade question gets trickier.

 

There's actually a lot of feeling on both sides of this. There are a number of parents of accelerated learners who insist that the grade the child's age peers are in is all that matters and that saying anything else is bragging. There are those on the other side who are adamant that giving the grade of the child's age peers when the child is clearly not doing any work at that level is lying.

 

I fall somewhere in between.

 

What I generally try to do is to come up with a kind of average of my child's age and the level(s) at which he is actually working and what his plans are for the future.

 

So, for example, my son is 7th grade by age. He is doing a mix of subject levels ranging from 8th to 10th. On these boards, I generally refer to him as an 8th grader, because he's planning to transition to a full-time high school level next year. After that, it will get tougher, because he also plans to finish high school in three years.

 

With my daughter, it was even stranger.

 

In general, though, I respond to the threads in which I think I can be helpful or where I think I will get the most help. For example, there have been a number of threads here over the years in which a few parents will express their feelings of sadness, doubt based on the fact that some kids the same age/grade as theirs are doing so much more, academically. I don't want to contribute to that. On the flip side, if I ask for help with my 7th grade son, and all of the suggestions are for things we did two or more years ago, that's not helpful to me.

 

The truth is that, even within a single "grade," there are kids working at different levels, and no one is exactly the same age. So, I try to participate where I think it makes the most sense, for myself and others here.

Edited March 24, 2011 by Jenny in Florida

[Mandy in TN]

Most homeschoolers have the freedom to work at varying levels, subject by subject. But, for kids working ahead across the board or mostly so, the whole grade question gets trickier.

 

There's actually a lot of feeling on both sides of this. There are a number of parents of accelerated learners who insist that the grade the child's age peers are in is all that matters and that saying anything else is bragging. There are those on the other side who are adamant that giving the grade of the child's age peers when the child is clearly not doing any work at that level is lying.

 

I fall somewhere in between.

 

What I generally try to do is to come up with a kind of average of my child's age and the level(s) at which he is actually working and what his plans are for the future.

 

So, for example, my son is 7th grade by age. He is doing a mix of subject levels ranging from 8th to 10th. On these boards, I generally refer to him as an 8th grader, because he's planning to transition to a full-time high school level next year. After that, it will get tougher, because he also plans to finish high school in three years.

 

With my daughter, it was even stranger.

 

In general, though, I respond to the threads in which I think I can be helpful or where I think I will get the most help. For example, there have been a number of threads here over the years in which a few parents will express their feelings of sadness, doubt based on the fact that some kids the same age/grade as theirs are doing so much more, academically. I don't want to contribute to that. On the flip side, if I ask for help with my 7th grade son, and all of the suggestions are for things we did two or more years ago, that's not helpful to me.

 

The truth is that, even within a single "grade," there are kids working at different levels, and no one is exactly the same age. So, I try to participate where I think it makes the most sense, for myself and others here.

Jenny is right. When my youngest approaches a level where I am going to need to promote him to high school in order for him to graduate, I will move over to the high school board and rather than respond to what is your <blank> grader doing I will respond to what are you using for <blank> subject.

 

If you are far off the spectrum, then many threads become difficult to answer based on age-level cut-off.

 

OTOH- my oldest (19yo college freshman) is mildly dyslexic, mildly gifted and my middle ds (17yo junior) and my extra student (Cuppycake newly 11yo) are average no issues, so there are many threads (struggling, average, accelerated) where I feel like I can relate!

 

Mandy:D

[MaMa2005]

The grade they'd be in if they were in public school.

 

:iagree:

[Crimson Wife]

Grade by age, and usually just a general name of the curriculum (i.e. MEP, Singapore, AAS) rather than specifying which particular level (that's less relevant as HS kids tend to be all over the map in terms of where they are).

[RahRah]

Originally Posted by JudoMom

The grade they'd be in if they were in public school.

 

 

:iagree:

 

For us that doesn't work well since my DS missed the cut-off here by two weeks and would be K by cut-off date standards and I would be unable to register him for many of the programs in our area designed for children in first grade (where they specify grade to register) like we have at one of the local musuems.

 

For example, this year, while we've been doing SOTW 1, the local musuem's kid program had some perfect fits for us - a one-day, three-hour program on Ancient Egypt, another on Ancient China, and one on the Maya. Registration was open to first to third grade only. If I'd designated DS as K, he would not have been allowed to participate.

 

Same with cub scouts - he needed to be in first grade to start, he's doing first grade work, so why let two weeks mean he has to wait a full year? He shouldn't have to....and he's totally aligned emotionally and academically with the boys in our den, is second tallest in the den, so the two weeks obviously haven't mattered. He just doesn't talk about what he's doing in math since he's way ahead of the boys in math.

 

I do think if it were a big difference - like if he was 4 or still 5, then it might be a problem or issue....but two weeks? Nope - not when in other counties and states he'd be first grade.

[tarahillmom]

It depends on who's asking. Since, as stated, kids are all over the board I think it depends on the situation. For instance if it is the local sport or mom assessing age, I would go with the age of his/her peers at PS; however if you have an adult who is interacting with your child in some educational way I feel it is important to express where they are falling on the spectrum. My son who was doing Algebra at home and reading Jules Vern, was placed in a class at church with coloring sheets due to his age/grade level. It is truly tricky when you have a child who is at either end of the spectrum in my opinion since ability may not match people's perceptions. JMO

[mammaofbean]

i go by age.

 

you always hear about 9th graders who can't read or add without fingers, just as much as i wouldn't refer to them as a preschoolers i wouldn't refer to my 3yo as a high school freshman.

 

while many people are willing to accelerate skill areas, i know none who think their 9 year old should read lady chatterly's lover or take 8 hours of course work followed by 3 hours of homework. i generally think one of the benefits of homeschooling is keeping presentation and content developmentally appropriate while still challenging the student.

 

if someone is working with my kid academically i can just say, "she is in the first grade but has the handwriting of a kindergartener and can't tell left from right." or whatever else is appropriate to the situation.

 

we did have a dance class situation where the preschool dance class was ages 3-5, with only 2 and 3 year olds enrolled and the homeschool dance class was listed ages 7-16. age grouping fail. ha!

[Satori]

When asked by relatives/friends/acquaintances, both my daughter and I say Kindergarten, as they're expecting a grade. That's what she's supposed to be in Colorado and what class she's in on her Monday school. Since she only missed the cut-off by a few weeks, and she's doing work above Kindergarten, at home, we just think of her as in first grade... or even more vague, like K-2.

 

In homeschooling circles I don't think it's so important to tack on a grade, as kids can go at their own pace in subjects and are all over the board. I had in my sig for awhile, but I took that off and just listed her age.

 

I did start one of those curriculum-grade threads, because I'm a curriculum junkie and just love seeing what programs everyone is using. :) I am here to learn and share knowledge, so I do think it's helpful to list what levels we're at and I love seeing the program levels others are at.

[Jenny in Florida]

while many people are willing to accelerate skill areas, i know none who think their 9 year old should read lady chatterly's lover or take 8 hours of course work followed by 3 hours of homework. i generally think one of the benefits of homeschooling is keeping presentation and content developmentally appropriate while still challenging the student.

 

I guess I don't know any homeschoolers, of any age or grade level, who are doing eight hours of schoolwork and another three of homework?

 

I do agree about that benefit of homeschooling, but I happened to have a kid for whom developmentally-appropriate presentation and content were consistently four or more grade levels above her grade, across the board.

 

Things like dance are, obviously, different. No matter how brilliant a child is, physically, he or she is still a child. Although I will say that my daughter dropped out of ballet at age four because she thought the class was so silly and the other children so immature. So, there you go.

 

Honestly, I've never read Lady Chatterly's Lover, either.

 

However, I can tell you that, at age nine, my daughter was doing the following:

 

- Algebra I

- Literature including Cyrano de Bergarac, Anthony and Cleopatra, Othello, Midsummer Night's Dream (all three the original Shakespeare), and a couple of Noel Coward plays

- 8th grade writing materials

 

She also had her own season tickets to the local Shakespeare theatre.

 

Science are art were the only two subjects in which she was working more or less on an elementary level. (Unless you count the museum field trips, during which she corrected guides--politely--when they gave out mis-information.)

 

So, is that kid in any possible way a fourth grader? What help would it have been to others for me to participate in threads here asking what your fourth grader was doing that year? What help would it have been to me to post on the K-8 board asking for curriculum suggestions?

 

 

-

[Satori]

If my child was working 4 or more grade levels above her grade her peers were working, I wouldn't participate in the graded curriculum threads running rampant now. I don't think I'd get much out of the whole K-8 forum even. So I agree with you in not participating in those types of threads.

 

Sometimes I feel funny participating because my daughter is a few levels above what her age calls for, but I still think that is within the norm. I stay out of the gifted forum for now as I don't get much out of it, but maybe there will come a day when I might consider it more relevant for my family.

[MorganClassicalPrep]

I think of DD being in kindergarten this year. We are working on kindergarten topics. Next year, the only curriculum she'll be using that has a grade level on it is Singapore, and she'll be using 1B and 2A. Also, kindergarten is a lot less structured to me, and she is ready (and wants) "real" school.

 

By age, she should be in preschool this year and kindergarten next. But in some states, she only misses the cutoff by a few weeks.

 

Next year will be her 1st grade year. Not only for what is being done right now, but also for planning purposes. Long-term, I hope she'll be able to take CC courses her final year/two of high school. I like having a long-term plan to look to (even if we do end up straying from that eventually). What grade I call her doesn't matter though, I don't have to register her and we will still work at her level.

[Jenny in Florida]

If my child was working 4 or more grade levels above her grade her peers were working, I wouldn't participate in the graded curriculum threads running rampant now. I don't think I'd get much out of the whole K-8 forum even. So I agree with you in not participating in those types of threads.

 

Sometimes I feel funny participating because my daughter is a few levels above what her age calls for, but I still think that is within the norm. I stay out of the gifted forum for now as I don't get much out of it, but maybe there will come a day when I might consider it more relevant for my family.

 

Interesting. So, I shouldn't participate because my child is outside the norm?

 

Okay, I'll admit this hurts my feelings. It's a subject that's more than a little tender for me. But I realize I'm in the minority. So, I'll bow out of the thread now. I thought my point of view might be of interest.

[FairProspects]

For us that doesn't work well since my DS missed the cut-off here by two weeks and would be K by cut-off date standards and I would be unable to register him for many of the programs in our area designed for children in first grade (where they specify grade to register) like we have at one of the local musuems.

 

For example, this year, while we've been doing SOTW 1, the local musuem's kid program had some perfect fits for us - a one-day, three-hour program on Ancient Egypt, another on Ancient China, and one on the Maya. Registration was open to first to third grade only. If I'd designated DS as K, he would not have been allowed to participate.

 

Same with cub scouts - he needed to be in first grade to start, he's doing first grade work, so why let two weeks mean he has to wait a full year? He shouldn't have to....and he's totally aligned emotionally and academically with the boys in our den, is second tallest in the den, so the two weeks obviously haven't mattered. He just doesn't talk about what he's doing in math since he's way ahead of the boys in math.

 

I do think if it were a big difference - like if he was 4 or still 5, then it might be a problem or issue....but two weeks? Nope - not when in other counties and states he'd be first grade.

 

I hear you, and we had this problem too, but the cutoff has to be somewhere so we have chosen to sit this year out. Ds is in K, and next year when he is in 1st, he will be able to do much more. It is not like he won't be able to get just as much out of these programs next year, if not more, by having an additional year of maturity under his belt.

 

Also, we have seen this actually cause huge problems with a family friend, when she went to do dual enrollment in community college (which goes by grade, not by age). She was wanting an additional year of classes free under the dual enrollment policy, which was technically correct by her age, but she was forced to pay out of pocket since she had already done her 12th grade year on paper. So sometimes, choosing to participate early on the front end can kick you out of participating in other activities on the back end of the educational plan. It may be silly, but that's the way it goes for out of the home activities and classes.

[Satori]

Interesting. So, I shouldn't participate because my child is outside the norm?

 

Okay, I'll admit this hurts my feelings. It's a subject that's more than a little tender for me. But I realize I'm in the minority. So, I'll bow out of the thread now. I thought my point of view might be of interest.

 

I'm so sorry Jenny, I totally didn't mean to hurt your feelings! I probably could've worded it differently, but I type very fast and didn't think of the consequences. I'm just saying I wouldn't worry about participating in the graded curriculum threads if my child was working 4+ grade levels above the grade she was supposed to be in. So since my daughter is technically first grade, I wouldn't peek into those types of threads if she was doing 5-8th grade work. I actually feel really stupid even starting a graded curriculum thread!

[FairProspects]

Interesting. So, I shouldn't participate because my child is outside the norm?

 

Okay, I'll admit this hurts my feelings. It's a subject that's more than a little tender for me. But I realize I'm in the minority. So, I'll bow out of the thread now. I thought my point of view might be of interest.

 

I think the point is just that when I ask a question by grade or by age on the K-8 board, I'm generally trying to get a feel for the median or average that a child should be able to do by a given age. Its not that you can't participate (and your participation might even give me a feel for the upper end of the range), however, if everyone with accelerated kids responds, it will skew the data upwards, and I will get a false picture of average.

 

I've had this happen several times, and for those of us with kids working accurately at grade level, it gets very discouraging and makes me think I'm doing something wrong, when really we may be right on track. I'm glad we have an accelerated board to help those whose kids are way above the norm, and I occasionally pop over there so I can see where people are coming from when they comment on the K-8 board.

 

Ugh, maybe I should just stop seeking any comparisons at all, but its so hard in our current test-driven environment!

[mammaofbean]

I guess I don't know any homeschoolers, of any age or grade level, who are doing eight hours of schoolwork and another three of homework?

 

I do agree about that benefit of homeschooling, but I happened to have a kid for whom developmentally-appropriate presentation and content were consistently four or more grade levels above her grade, across the board.

 

Things like dance are, obviously, different. No matter how brilliant a child is, physically, he or she is still a child. Although I will say that my daughter dropped out of ballet at age four because she thought the class was so silly and the other children so immature. So, there you go.

 

Honestly, I've never read Lady Chatterly's Lover, either.

 

However, I can tell you that, at age nine, my daughter was doing the following:

 

- Algebra I

- Literature including Cyrano de Bergarac, Anthony and Cleopatra, Othello, Midsummer Night's Dream (all three the original Shakespeare), and a couple of Noel Coward plays

- 8th grade writing materials

 

She also had her own season tickets to the local Shakespeare theatre.

 

Science are art were the only two subjects in which she was working more or less on an elementary level. (Unless you count the museum field trips, during which she corrected guides--politely--when they gave out mis-information.)

 

So, is that kid in any possible way a fourth grader? What help would it have been to others for me to participate in threads here asking what your fourth grader was doing that year? What help would it have been to me to post on the K-8 board asking for curriculum suggestions?

 

 

-

 

what i am saying is that in MY house a nine year old would be a fourth grade student by definition. in every possible way they would be nine years old, thus fourth grade.

 

sometimes people ask what are you are doing in x grade because they want help, but many times they are just bragging and interested. if you were feeling like bragging or sharing, then it would have been a contribution to post to one of those threads.

 

as far as curriculum suggestions go, it never hurts to ask. even if you are the first to try something, it will be nice for the second when they stumble upon your post.

[Embassy]

Grade = age around here. It may or may not have anything to do with the actual schoolwork they are doing.

[Aurelia]

I answer with both the grade my child would be in by age and the level of work she is doing, which are not the same. We usually change grade levels in January, so we're "off" by most people's definitions anyway. It depends on what the original post is asking about.

[Mommy22alyns]

The girls go to a co-op one day a week and they're in the grades they would be in if they were in ps. So, that.

[JadeOrchidSong]

I'm so sorry Jenny, I totally didn't mean to hurt your feelings! I probably could've worded it differently, but I type very fast and didn't think of the consequences. I'm just saying I wouldn't worry about participating in the graded curriculum threads if my child was working 4+ grade levels above the grade she was supposed to be in. So since my daughter is technically first grade, I wouldn't peek into those types of threads if she was doing 5-8th grade work. I actually feel really stupid even starting a graded curriculum thread!

:iagree:Satori's mom's post sounds supportive to your opinion that discussions about 4th graders are not very beneficial to you and therefore you don't have to feel bad not wanting to participate. I see nothing she said would cause hurt to you. Instead I see sympathy and empathy there since her daughter is in similar situation.

 

However, Satori's mom did throw me off when I read her post about 2nd grade curriculum since I know by age Satori is Ker now. :001_smile:I don't mean any harm or hurt to you, Satori's mom. I now fully understand your position about this.

 

For me, to outsiders, I would tell them their grades according the PS system. To people who know us better (if they want to know more what we are learning), we might what history and science they are learning.

[JadeOrchidSong]

I answer with both the grade my child would be in by age and the level of work she is doing, which are not the same. We usually change grade levels in January, so we're "off" by most people's definitions anyway. It depends on what the original post is asking about.

In my mind, I call my ds whatever graders according to their real grades, which means that my ds will be in fourth grade when he turns 9 in Nov. and my younger ds will be a second grader once he turns 7. Still they may work at different levels.

 

But to outsiders, we tell them their grades according to the public school system. They are put in those grades in co-ops and other outside classes.

[nov05mama]

Thanks for the feedback all!! :D I wasn't quite sure what everyone was basing it on, so it's nice to read that the answers really do vary that much! I saw many posts with 5 year olds in a 1st grade thread (and saw other threads as well...that's just the one in my mind b/c it actually pertained to me personally, LOL) so I just wondered how many here were 'calling it' so-to-speak :) Just to get an idea :D I know the answers can vary by state as well b/c in some states, it's much more important for them to be on a specific 'level' b/c it has to be reported as such, whereas in a state where you don't report, it REALLY makes no difference, KWIM?

 

Grade = age around here. It may or may not have anything to do with the actual schoolwork they are doing.

This is what we are basically going by. DS wouldn't be attending public school until this Fall due to his later b-day, but is really a 1st grader on most accounts. In general (well, really for blogging/forum purposes), I called this year K5 and our coming year (August) is Kindergarten.

 

And actually, in real life, it doesn't come up much :) Most everyone either already knows we homeschool, OR if a stranger happens to bring school up at all, they usually say "ohh, must be almost time to start school, huh?" and then I usually just say "we homeschool. :)"

[ocelotmom]

"With age-mates" works for my older two.

 

My youngest was born a month after the cutoff for K, but will most likely be doing K work at the time she turns 5 (rather than waiting until she's nearly 6, as would be the case if she were in public school) unless it seems obvious that she needs the extra year of development first. So she'll be a touch younger than her grade-mates, and I'm not entirely sure how we'll handle that for extracurriculars.

 

But that would be the case if she'd started school in a state with a more later cutoff date, too.

[Snowfall]

We go by the grade she'd be in for PS. However, if I had a very gifted child who was a couple grades ahead in pretty much everything, I'd consider adding one year for the purpose of outside classes that only allow kids in X grade, provided I knew my kid was not only academically capable, but mature enough for the class(es).

[MominIN]

We determine their grade by when we want them to graduate and work back.

 

I have two with summer birthdays that would not have made the cut off at the public school. We started them anyway, because we wanted them going to college at 18 not 19. So, even though if they were in public school (here) they would be a grade lower, the grade they are in correlates with their future graduation date.

[RahRah]

I hear you, and we had this problem too, but the cutoff has to be somewhere so we have chosen to sit this year out. Ds is in K, and next year when he is in 1st, he will be able to do much more. It is not like he won't be able to get just as much out of these programs next year, if not more, by having an additional year of maturity under his belt.

 

Also, we have seen this actually cause huge problems with a family friend, when she went to do dual enrollment in community college (which goes by grade, not by age). She was wanting an additional year of classes free under the dual enrollment policy, which was technically correct by her age, but she was forced to pay out of pocket since she had already done her 12th grade year on paper. So sometimes, choosing to participate early on the front end can kick you out of participating in other activities on the back end of the educational plan. It may be silly, but that's the way it goes for out of the home activities and classes.

 

With his birthday in mid-August, he'd be 19 going into college if we use the PS cut-off, so I think heading off to college just turning 18 should work just fine (unless he is done early), worked for me and millions of others who didn't have red-shirting to deal with that many face today just to start kindergarten. If I thought he wasn't able or mature enough, sure I'd designate him as K....but he was ready for first, so we started first. Incidentally, if I sent him to private school this year, he'd be first grade since the private school doesn't have the same cut-off...go figure?

[angela in ohio]

Thanks for the feedback all!! :D I wasn't quite sure what everyone was basing it on, so it's nice to read that the answers really do vary that much! I saw many posts with 5 year olds in a 1st grade thread (and saw other threads as well...

 

From what I have observed over the years, you see the grade advancement the most in the K/1, then people generally go by their age after that. :001_smile:

[Rivka]

Thanks for the feedback all!! :D I wasn't quite sure what everyone was basing it on, so it's nice to read that the answers really do vary that much! I saw many posts with 5 year olds in a 1st grade thread (and saw other threads as well...that's just the one in my mind b/c it actually pertained to me personally, LOL) so I just wondered how many here were 'calling it' so-to-speak :) Just to get an idea :D

 

It's also only March; I'm sure that many of us who posted about our five-year-olds in the first grade thread will have six-year-olds by September.

 

For me, one of the things I like about homeschooling is that we can un-tether achievement from age. I was acutely aware of how my school abilities differed from other kids my age, and it wasn't good for me. So my child is in her public school grade and will stay there.

[nov05mama]

It's also only March; I'm sure that many of us who posted about our five-year-olds in the first grade thread will have six-year-olds by September.

That's what I was actually basing my question on :D My DS will be one of those you mention (who will be 6 later this year - November) ;) so it got me wondering how everyone was basing it...wondering if I was "weird" or something for still considering him "K" even though many others in the same position were not :D I know nowadays that age 5 is the 'norm' for Kindergarten, but for some reason, I was always thinking 6 was Kindergarten. I was always the youngest in school (have an August b-day) and started Kindergarten at age 5 and thought I was atypical. :D

[Elizabeth in WA]

The grade she'd be in had she continued in her prior school. Since DD was grade skipped, that's a year higher than her age would put her, but it's not the grade at which she's currently working in most areas.

 

I have one (ds13) who was skipped when he was in school. He is still working at the skipped level, but he will be too young for the gymnastics recruiting cycle in his junior year unless I unskip him. Unskipping throws off my high school plans, but gymnastics is his life and 2 of the 3 graduating seniors on his team are getting some NCAA Div 1 scholarship money, so assuming no career ending injuries, unskipping is what we will likely do. I now try to avoid discussion of grade whenever possible. If it confuses me, it's almost certainly more than well meaning strangers asking want to know.