A little stressed getting 5 dc ready for school this fall.

[Renee in NC]

The list of who needs to get what done is overwhelming at times, especially considering the possibility of my getting a job soon and continuing to study for the CPA exam.

 

My 5yo needs to learn to read and write (to go on to 1st grade.)

 

My 9yo needs to learn to read (significant LDs, but making great progress.)

 

My 11yo needs to learn his math facts (all 4 operations) and to write paragraphs.

 

My 14yo is going to "fail" the 8th grade if he refuses to put forth the necessary effort. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to care.

 

On top of that, my 3yo needs to be potty-trained before *he* goes to preschool.:tongue_smilie:

 

Just a little overwhelmed by all that needs to be done in the next 13 weeks.:001_huh:

 

ETA: HA! Forgot the 8yo. She needs to ....do nothing. She's ready for 3rd grade. So, just continued reading and writing for her, which she loves.

[MomatHWTK]

Have the 8 y.o. show the 5 y.o. how to read, and the 5 y.o. show the 3 y.o. how to potty. ;)

 

Seriously, programs that my kids can use independently to review are Jumpstart and MathBlaster, Alway IceCream/Clever Dragons, Khan Academy, IknowThat.com... Skills Tutor will help too, but there's no "tutor" it's just quizzes for the most part. There's a free math tutor program available over the summer from Homeschool Buyers Coop and some of the other programs are discounted for a summer subscription.

[Princess Peach]

Just curious - how do you know they need these things? I'm genuinely asking because I'm hoping my kids are prepared to go to PS in the fall. Are you going from hs'ing to PS or have they been in PS?

 

I have devised a summer school program for my kids with some rewards. My 10 yo needs to learn her math facts (we are using xtramath) and read every day and my youngest needs to continue reading/writing. My oldest is fine, but I'm having him read just to be a part of the group and to be an example to his younger siblings.

[lineinthesand9]

No "tangible" advice, but something that has spiritually helped me on those nail-chewing occasions is the poem "Do The Next Thing," as quoted by Elisabeth Elliot, wife of Jim Elliot (one of the five missionaries who was killed by South American tribesman in 1956)...you can Google it. I've posted this on my fridge many-a-times!!

[jenbrdsly]

:grouphug: Take a deep breath! I'm going to sound lilke a bad parent here, but I'm wondering if the TV and the computer could help you out here while you study for your CPA exam. (Good luck btw!)

Leap Frog and Preschool Prep videos from the library for your 5 year old.

A one month subscription to Dreambox Math this summer for your 11 year old.

Maybe suggest to your 14 year old to start a daily blog and try earning money (yeah right :glare:). But that might work in writing practice without a struggle.

I wish I had ideas for your other kids, but I don't.

 

:)

[JenniferLynn]

I second Leap Frog for the 5YO. We have an easel by the tv and all 3 of my kids started writing by copying on the chalkboard when Prof. Quigley shows the letters. My DD5 only had about 1/2 the alphabet going into kindergarten and that was a primary thing they worked on the first months of school. Maybe your 8-year old could help the 5YO with phonics too. DD5 is reading at a 2nd grade level and is enjoying doing phonics lessons and Bob Books with my almost-4 year old twins. Good luck!

[Renee in NC]

Thanks, everyone!

 

My dc have been in school in the past. Two have IEPs, and their summer goals are the goals I have for them, not necessarily what the school expects.

 

My 5yo needs to be able to read or she will likely have to repeat K. That was the case in FL, anyway. I downloaded a "Promotion Checklist" for K to 1 from another school district, and I am using that as my guide.

[LibraryLover]

When is the 5 yr old's b'day? Why is repeating K a problem? I would not stress on that.

 

Does your area have free summer school? Ours doesn't have much traditional summer school, but they do have things like creative writing etc. Maybe that could help the older ones? Do they have remedial summer programming for the child who needs math work?

 

I wouldn't be above M & M bribes for the 3 year old. Or bribes of any sort. ;)

Edited June 2, 2012 by LibraryLover

[LibraryLover]

Thanks, everyone!

 

My dc have been in school in the past. Two have IEPs, and their summer goals are the goals I have for them, not necessarily what the school expects.

 

My 5yo needs to be able to read or she will likely have to repeat K. That was the case in FL, anyway. I downloaded a "Promotion Checklist" for K to 1 from another school district, and I am using that as my guide.

 

 

What do the IEP folks suggest?

[Renee in NC]

When is the 5 yr old's b'day? Why is repeating K a problem? I would not stress on that.

 

Does your area have free summer school? Ours doesn't have much traditional summer school, but they do have things like creative writing etc. Maybe that could help the older ones? Do they have remedial summer programming for the child who needs math work?

 

I wouldn't be above M & M bribes for the 3 year old. Or bribes of any sort. ;)

 

No, there is no summer school here. Since we are homeschoolers at this point, their IEPs are not valid for services. When they start school the school will be held to them. Goals are supposed to be re-done every year, and they didn't go to school this year, so they weren't updated. So, I don't know what the IEP people say because we have no access to them.:tongue_smilie:

 

Why shouldn't my 5yo repeat K? Because she is HUGE for her age, and very mature. She'll be 6 at the end of June, and the cutoff is August 31st. I've broken down the necessary skills into 13 weeks of summer, and it looks doable. We'll see how it goes.

 

ETA: At greater than the 97th percentile for height/weight for her age. I know she wouldn't be the oldest (due to redshirting), but I don't think she would fit in the average K class. However, she does have issues with sitting still and paying attention (surprise, surprise.)

Edited June 2, 2012 by Renee in FL

[LibraryLover]

Sorry. crazy double posting.

Edited June 2, 2012 by LibraryLover

[LibraryLover]

Renee, how fluent do they expect the 5 year old to be? Are they expecting all first graders to be reading? How well?

 

You've got a lot going on! If you have opportunity yo check in, we will try to help you stay sane! :)

 

Edited. I need to come in here and clean up phone typos and clarify. :)

 

Btw, it's frustrating to me that K start dates are so random. Our town is Sept 1, but the next town over is Jan 1. Lots of 4 yr olds in K there, and there is also a fairly high drop out rate at age 16. That should tell them something...that either the kids are too young, or the material inappropriate. Sure, some familes can't be reached, but many children are saved by good schools and good teachers.

 

Anecdotally, I know 2 students, now turning 24, who started K at age 6. Both were in the Sept 1 town. One child had a b'day of Aug 31, and her mother said , 'No way" and kept her home. The other, a boy, was another late summer B'day. Today, they are outstanding young people, both in graduate school. They were the oldest in their families and very mature at age 5. Both had already been to Europe as preschoolers, fwiw. They went to school eager and ready. (Btw these are friends of my oldest, not my own children.)

 

About 20 years ago, a terrible thing called MASS Minutes was adopted. It cut out recess, reduced art and PE etc to add more minutes in the 3 Rs. Fortunately, recess is back and so are the other things (for the most part). No matter, K changed here, at least, all those years ago. Parents are frustrated. You see more families than ever holding 5 year olds out of K. The kids who go are the ones whose parents must both work, and can't afford another year of day care. We are creating something unfair. I know great teachers - they are working so hard with these kids-- and they know the curricula is often too advanced. They do what they can.

 

That was a rant better for another thread, but there it is. Sorry. :)

 

Little ones come in all sizes, especially these days. Don't let her size worry you too much, although I do understand the concern. You want what is best for her.

Edited June 2, 2012 by LibraryLover

[Renee in NC]

Renee, how fluent do they expect the 5 year old to be? Are they expecting all first graders to be reading? How well?

 

You've got a lot going on! If you have opportunity yo check in, we will try to help you stay sane! :)

 

Btw, it's frustrating to me that K start days are so random. Our town is Sept 1, but the next town over is Jan 1. Lots of 4 yr olds in K. I know 2 kids, who are now turning 24 who started K at 6. Both were in the Sept 1 town. One child had a b'day of Aug 31, and her mother said 'No way" and kept her home. The other boy was Aldo a late summer B'day. Both are outstanding young people, both on graduate school. They were the oldest in their families and very mature at age 5. Both had already been to Europe by that age, fwiw. That year served them well. (these are friends of my dest, not my own children.)

 

Little ones come in all sized, especially these days. Don't let her size worry you too much, although I do understand the concern. You want what is best for her.

 

Honestly, I don't know what they want. When we were in FL, my other girl had to be tested to see if she would be in K or 1st. She was reading Dr. Seuss, but I was told her reading level was too low because she hadn't yet learned to guess at a word by looking at the picture. The word was "art" and she was supposed to guess based on the picture of an open classroom door where you could see paintbrushes on the desk. Because of that, and her inability to narrate well enough (not the short narrating of WTM, but a complete repeating of the story with as many details as possible), she scored really low in reading. The did put her in 1st anyway. Once she was there (and I had 2 first graders, so two different classes) it was apparent that many of the first graders couldn't read at her level. So, they were holding her to a higher level because she was homeschooled?

 

On the promotion checklist I have, she should be able to:

 

Write first and last name (she can do first, but not last)

Write all uppercase and lowercase letters.

Know all letter sounds and names (out of order).

Be able to count, write, and compare numbers to 31.

Know a list of 20 sight words (reading and writing.)

Be able to read the color words.

Read at a DRA Level 2.

Write at an "Emerging Writer" level, which has its own list of composition goals.

 

I've looked at DRA Level 2 books, and there is no way she could read them unless she *finished* phonics. I don't get it - they are supposed to be able to read these books, but they go way beyond the phonics taught in K.

 

I don't know that she can get there by the end of the summer. It's really too bad because it is my fault, not hers. If I had more time, less other children, less going on...she would be able to do those things. She is the one that got "left behind" because the others take so much work.

 

It's hard transitioning from hs to ps. Hopefully it won't be a big deal.

 

I'll be glad to stop homeschooling. There are definite pros, but the pressure of trying to be everything to everyone is too much for me. I know others do well homeschooling with multiple children, but not me!;)

Edited June 2, 2012 by Renee in FL

[LibraryLover]

I do wish you all the best. Sometimes I feel I am nearing the end of my hs road, although my dc doesn't want to go to school.

 

btw, I cleaned my up my post. I shouldn't type on my phone.

 

Honestly, I don't know what they want. When we were in FL, my other girl had to be tested to see if she would be in K or 1st. She was reading Dr. Seuss, but I was told her reading level was too low because she hadn't yet learned to guess at a word by looking at the picture. The word was "art" and she was supposed to guess based on the picture of an open classroom door where you could see paintbrushes on the desk. Because of that, and her inability to narrate well enough (not the short narrating of WTM, but a complete repeating of the story with as many details as possible), she scored really low in reading. The did put her in 1st anyway. Once she was there (and I had 2 first graders, so two different classes) it was apparent that many of the first graders couldn't read at her level. So, they were holding her to a higher level because she was homeschooled?

 

On the promotion checklist I have, she should be able to:

 

Write first and last name (she can do first, but not last)

Write all uppercase and lowercase letters.

Know all letter sounds and names (out of order).

Be able to count, write, and compare numbers to 31.

Know a list of 20 sight words (reading and writing.)

Be able to read the color words.

Read at a DRA Level 2.

Write at an "Emerging Writer" level, which has its own list of composition goals.

 

I've looked at DRA Level 2 books, and there is no way she could read them unless she *finished* phonics. I don't get it - they are supposed to be able to read these books, but they go way beyond the phonics taught in K.

 

I don't know that she can get there by the end of the summer. It's really too bad because it is my fault, not hers. If I had more time, less other children, less going on...she would be able to do those things. She is the one that got "left behind" because the others take so much work.

 

It's hard transitioning from hs to ps. Hopefully it won't be a big deal.

 

I'll be glad to stop homeschooling. There are definite pros, but the pressure of trying to be everything to everyone is too much for me. I know others do well homeschooling with multiple children, but not me!;)

[Spy Car]

Renee, I would not dream of putting the 5 year-old in 1st Grade if he's not reading. Take the "gift of a year."

 

Bill

[Renee in NC]

Renee, I would not dream of putting the 5 year-old in 1st Grade if he's not reading. Take the "gift of a year."

 

Bill

 

He is a she. I'll be honest and say I would have red-shirted a boy with an end-of-June birthday without a second thought. My now 8yo had no issues with being a Ker at 5 and 3 months, but this one is more like her brothers. Her PreK teacher did have concerns about her reading as she could not learn her letter sounds.

 

Maybe that gift of a year would be best. I held back another child and regret it now, though, so it's a hard decision for me to make.

[Spy Car]

He is a she.

 

My apologies.

 

 

I'll be honest and say I would have red-shirted a boy with an end-of-June birthday without a second thought. My now 8yo had no issues with being a Ker at 5 and 3 months, but this one is more like her brothers. Her PreK teacher did have concerns about her reading as she could not learn her letter sounds.

 

Maybe that gift of a year would be best. I held back another child and regret it now, though, so it's a hard decision for me to make.

 

All I know is at our school (which is a highly-functioning public school) most of the Kindergarteners come in knowing how to read. The ones who don't tend to struggle. A First Grader that did not know how to read would be lost.

 

I would quickly get to know the reality of expectations at the school. But I really don't see the upside of First Grade.

 

Bill

[Hannah]

All I know is at our school (which is a highly-functioning public school) most of the Kindergarteners come in knowing how to read. The ones who don't tend to struggle. A First Grader that did not know how to read would be lost.

 

Am I understanding this correctly? 5-year old kids are STARTING kindergarten already knowing to read? So they learn to read before kindergarten when they are four?

 

Here children start first grade in the year they turn 7 (cut off is 31 Dec) and they are not expected to know even their letter sounds on the first day of school.

[Renee in NC]

Am I understanding this correctly? 5-year old kids are STARTING kindergarten already knowing to read? So they learn to read before kindergarten when they are four?

 

Here children start first grade in the year they turn 7 (cut off is 31 Dec) and they are not expected to know even their letter sounds on the first day of school.

 

It's crazy, isn't it? It doesn't seem that the push here in the US to "ramp up" the lower grades has led to anything remotely resembling increased achievement in the upper grades.

 

Some are ready to read at young ages. I was reading before K. However, in my K class, only a small number of children were even included in reading instruction. Most did not get taught to read until 1st.

[Roadrunner]

Yes, it will be very difficult to put a child in the first grade if she can't read. My biggest surprise in the first grade was the amount of writing kids did (you need to be able to read before you can write I think). By the end of first grade my son produced his first research report (he wrote 10 sentence report on a chosen sea creature). I am not kidding you. I was shocked at the demands placed on first graders when it comes to writing. However, other subjects were very easy. Basically I found a huge mismatch in expectation levels between different subjects.

Honestly, I would go talk to somebody at school and maybe they can show you samples of work first graders are expecting to produce. We are in CA, so there could be significant differences and our experiences might not apply to NC.

Good luck!

[Spy Car]

It's crazy, isn't it? It doesn't seem that the push here in the US to "ramp up" the lower grades has led to anything remotely resembling increased achievement in the upper grades.

 

I don't think that is true actually. While granting that we have a bifurcated educational system where there are too many failing schools and "drop-outs, at highly functioning schools the expectations are for multiple AP classes, completion of Biology, Chemistry, and Physics, and math through Calculus. To say nothing of high academic standards in History, English, and Foreign Language instruction.

 

I'm aware that there is a "race to nowhere" debate taking place. Many feel the academic push in the upper-levels (as with the lower) is "too much." But don't get the idea that highly functioning schools don't have high standards for academic achievement, or you may be in for a rude surprise.

 

 

Some are ready to read at young ages. I was reading before K. However, in my K class, only a small number of children were even included in reading instruction. Most did not get taught to read until 1st.

 

Same here. But things have changed. Today's K standards are at least as high as First Grade was in the time of yore. One may or may not like this situation, but that's the way it is.

 

Bill

[Spy Car]

Am I understanding this correctly? 5-year old kids are STARTING kindergarten already knowing to read?

 

It is not the case in economically disadvantaged schools, but in schools serving students from the upper-middle class it is certainly the case.

 

So they learn to read before kindergarten when they are four?

 

Some when they are 4. Some when they are 5. And some wait to enter children (especially summer-boys) until they are 6.

 

Here children start first grade in the year they turn 7 (cut off is 31 Dec) and they are not expected to know even their letter sounds on the first day of school.

 

The advancement of academic expectations (if that is what we want to call it) is a matter of some controversy here. I'd say, in the main, the "advancement" sits well with the zeitgeist of the times for most (but not all) of today's driven high-expectations type parenting.

 

And there are certainly those who think it is madness. But at this point the "conscience objectors" are in the minority. The tide could change. There is currently some back-lash against "home-work" overload.

 

I do think the situation where you've either got failing-type schools where the academics are sub-par or highly functioning schools where the academics are advanced contributes to the decision of many to homeschool.

 

Bill

[LibraryLover]

Some consider this class warefare. The 'gift of a year' is often limited to the wealthy and (shrinking) middle class.

[jenbrdsly]

I just wanted to throw in there, that when I used to teach Kindergarten we would tell parents that it was not expected that there children entered Kindergarten knowing their ABCs. However, my experience is that in a wealthier district, most of the kids did know their ABCs and a couple could read already. In a poor district, this was not the case.

[Sneezyone]

Echoing Bill, the norm in our area is, at minimum, for students entering K to know all consonant, consonant blend and vowel sounds. By the end of K, students are expected to indepedently read at GRL D-F (Rookie Reader level). By the end of first grade, they expect kids to read at GRL L-M. And by the end of second grade, students are expected to read at GRL Q-T.

 

The goals are the same at DD's private school in the south. There, the assigned summer reading is, for rising 2nd graders, 1.5 years above grade level and for rising 3rd graders, three years above. :blink:

 

My neighbor's child, almost 6, was nearly retained in K because she could not read Bob Books series 1.:glare: Neighbors moved to the area unaware of the expectations here (taught kids Spanish as primary language too) and the teacher poo-pooed the need for tutoring assuming, like most parents here do, that this parent would read between the lines and get help. Now the poor girl is headed for Kumon this summer!

Edited June 4, 2012 by Sneezyone

[jenbrdsly]

Yes, it will be very difficult to put a child in the first grade if she can't read. My biggest surprise in the first grade was the amount of writing kids did (you need to be able to read before you can write I think). By the end of first grade my son produced his first research report (he wrote 10 sentence report on a chosen sea creature). I am not kidding you. I was shocked at the demands placed on first graders when it comes to writing. However, other subjects were very easy. Basically I found a huge mismatch in expectation levels between different subjects.

Honestly, I would go talk to somebody at school and maybe they can show you samples of work first graders are expecting to produce. We are in CA, so there could be significant differences and our experiences might not apply to NC.

Good luck!

 

 

So funny! Right now my DS 1st grader is writing a research report on Squid. :)

[Roadrunner]

So funny! Right now my DS 1st grader is writing a research report on Squid. :)

 

That is funny! My son picked mimic octopus.

[Caroline]

So funny! Right now my DS 1st grader is writing a research report on Squid. :)

 

My DD 1st grade didn't have to pick a sea animal. Her research report was on elephants. (Maybe that's the difference between GA and CA standards.):)

 

The reading in kindergarten vs. reading in first grade here is definitely split along socioeconomic lines. We moved from a Title I school to an upper middle class/wealthy school between my first and second sons' elementary school experiences. At the first school, most kids were reading by the end of first grade. At the present school, most kids are reading by kindergarten Christmas break, if not before they start kindergarten.

[Princess Peach]

Sincere question here, I'm not being snarky at all--I'm not understanding how being in a wealthy district translates to kids reading earlier. Several posters have commented that this is the case. I just can't figure it out. What does socioeconomic status have to do with developmental readiness in a child?

[Renee in NC]

Sincere question here, I'm not being snarky at all--I'm not understanding how being in a wealthy district translates to kids reading earlier. Several posters have commented that this is the case. I just can't figure it out. What does socioeconomic status have to do with developmental readiness in a child?

 

It isn't about developmental readiness, but about the constant push for extraordinary achievement. It's about wealthier kids having been sent to academic preschools. It's about wealthier parents having the option of "red-shirting" a child because either there is a parent at home or they can afford another year of preschool/daycare.

 

The debate centers around whether you think that pushing children to achieve at younger and younger levels is a good thing or not. I marvel at the fact that we are pushing our young children, and keeping our teens/young adults children (more so those at the middle to upper income levels.)

 

Could my dd have been at the higher level? Probably. If I didn't have the special needs in her older brothers. If I hadn't been earning my Masters' and studying for the CPA exam. Would she have been better off in school? No. Until we moved, our zoned school was extremely poor, extremely underachieving, and had safety issues.

 

Ironically, if she had gone to school there, she would've passed K and be in 1st next year, no questions asked (reading and writing or not.) The only reason it is a question is because she was homeschooled.:tongue_smilie: However, I haven't talked to the school directly yet, so I am not sure what the criteria will be. The two with IEPs will go in the grade they are in based on that. My 8yo will go into 3rd without any issues. It's just the Ker that is a toss up. I "tested" her yesterday, and she was able to read many of the sight words on the list, and is able to sound out more. The whole family is invested in her meeting the promotion requirements, so she may get there yet.

 

I am well aware that "high-functioning schools" have high academic expectations. I am not sure that is good, though.

Edited June 5, 2012 by Renee in FL

[Princess Peach]

Renee - Thanks for answering. That makes sense, I guess. I don't really agree with it either. I have a different philosophy of early learning. I really think there is a developmental component that gets pushed aside. After teaching 3 very different kids to read, it seems clear to me that some kids just aren't ready in K. They can be taught phonics and blending, and so on, but it will take longer to "click". And I think that's ok. I've had experiences with teachers that agreed with me and those that did not.

 

My kids were in private school, then brought home, and now they will be going to PS next year. I understand the transition is difficult. Good luck with everything, including your CPA exam!

[jenbrdsly]

It isn't about developmental readiness, but about the constant push for extraordinary achievement. It's about wealthier kids having been sent to academic preschools. It's about wealthier parents having the option of "red-shirting" a child because either there is a parent at home or they can afford another year of preschool/daycare.

 

 

Yes!

I'd also add that sometimes wealthier families choose "play-based" preschools, and then Afterschool on the side. I remember Spycar or Kubiac saying that sometimes the more expensive a preschool is, the less academics is taught.

When I taught at a Title 1 school in CA many of the parents could not read themselves. :( Almost all of the families were immigrants. There was also a cultural difference in that they assumed that school was where all of the learning happened.

[Storm Bay]

 

Why shouldn't my 5yo repeat K? Because she is HUGE for her age, and very mature. She'll be 6 at the end of June, and the cutoff is August 31st. I've broken down the necessary skills into 13 weeks of summer, and it looks doable. We'll see how it goes.

 

ETA: At greater than the 97th percentile for height/weight for her age.

 

This is an important reason to work on her reading over the summer & not to redshirt her. It might be very frustrating to her if she's that much more mature & if she towered over them all it might bother her. I've read through all of the posts, so I saw further down that she is already doing a bit of reading.

 

I'll be glad to stop homeschooling. There are definite pros, but the pressure of trying to be everything to everyone is too much for me. I know others do well homeschooling with multiple children, but not me!;)

 

We all have different ablilites & differnt kids. I only have 3 & things got to difficult thanks to my eldest. Each of us has to do what is best for our families, and sometimes that involves compromise (not saying that you're compromising, but I had to :) ).

[Renee in NC]

This is an important reason to work on her reading over the summer & not to redshirt her. It might be very frustrating to her if she's that much more mature & if she towered over them all it might bother her. I've read through all of the posts, so I saw further down that she is already doing a bit of reading.

 

 

 

We all have different ablilites & differnt kids. I only have 3 & things got to difficult thanks to my eldest. Each of us has to do what is best for our families, and sometimes that involves compromise (not saying that you're compromising, but I had to :) ).

 

I think the biggest problem is her attention span - she has very little. That is why learning for her is so hard. She can't seem to focus for more than about 5 minutes at a time. It's gotten better over the last couple of months.

 

We'll just have to see. Part of me wants to redshirt her, and part of me does not. I plan to enroll them mid-August, so I'll have to see where she is by then.

[desertmum]

 

We have been homeschooling our child and trying to teach him phonics and all that since he was 4yo. To be honest he is just getting it now and he is almost 6yo. Some times pushing doesn't mean getting there. Same with handwriting. DS has a lot of trouble colouring and writing and has been a long struggle uphill. He will be going to ps next fall and I'm terrified he will be classified as "slow" simply because he is not writing sentences like the other children we know of his age. When I was growing up nobody expected you to write sentences until you were 6 or 7. Nowadays it seems 5yo are supposed to be writing and completing written assignments.:confused:

Edited June 11, 2012 by desertmum

[i.love.lucy]

FWIW my dd has always been 97% or more. Kids come in all different shapes and sizes. You will be surprised at how well she fits in I bet. I can almost guarantee that she will not be alone being a bigger kid. My dd is now almost 12 and just about all her friends are as tall as her. I don't know who these little petite kids are, but in our circles all the girls are very tall!

 

I know you say she's mature, but I would probably let the attention span and the reading readiness play a bigger role in the decision. I think it's so much easier to hold her back now where there is no stigma than to have to do it when she hits 5th or 6th grade and she can't quite keep up academically. My dd went into K as a July birthday 5yo and it's now caught up with us. We do homeschool her, so grade levels shouldn't be an issue (and it's not at home where we can level her work above or behind grade level) but she'd be mortified and heartbroken if I told her she wasn't advancing to 7th with her friends. At K that's not an issue.

 

:grouphug: For all your stresses!

[Renee in NC]

FWIW my dd has always been 97% or more. Kids come in all different shapes and sizes. You will be surprised at how well she fits in I bet. I can almost guarantee that she will not be alone being a bigger kid. My dd is now almost 12 and just about all her friends are as tall as her. I don't know who these little petite kids are, but in our circles all the girls are very tall!

 

I know you say she's mature, but I would probably let the attention span and the reading readiness play a bigger role in the decision. I think it's so much easier to hold her back now where there is no stigma than to have to do it when she hits 5th or 6th grade and she can't quite keep up academically. My dd went into K as a July birthday 5yo and it's now caught up with us. We do homeschool her, so grade levels shouldn't be an issue (and it's not at home where we can level her work above or behind grade level) but she'd be mortified and heartbroken if I told her she wasn't advancing to 7th with her friends. At K that's not an issue.

 

:grouphug: For all your stresses!

 

Thank you! As far as size, I see all these little petite girls when my other dd goes to ballet. I can't get over how TINY they are! My 3yo is TINY to me, but he is average on the charts.:tongue_smilie:

 

Her good friend from this past year was a little girl going into K this year (I think.) I have sent her mom a message to ask her when her birthday is.

 

I keep coming back to Outliers where he talks about the effect of birthdays on future hockey prowess. I think the same could apply to my dd.

 

I think it will really come down to whether or not she is reading by August!

[LittleIzumi]

All I know is at our school (which is a highly-functioning public school) most of the Kindergarteners come in knowing how to read. The ones who don't tend to struggle. A First Grader that did not know how to read would be lost.

 

I would quickly get to know the reality of expectations at the school. But I really don't see the upside of First Grade.

 

Bill

 

Wow. That wasn't true at our charter school at all. Reading was dd's worst subject by far but they wanted to bump her from K into 1st for reading because she was the only incoming K'er to even read the entire passage. It was, if I recall correctly, three CVC sentences. :001_huh:

[Spy Car]

Wow. That wasn't true at our charter school at all. Reading was dd's worst subject by far but they wanted to bump her from K into 1st for reading because she was the only incoming K'er to even read the entire passage. It was, if I recall correctly, three CVC sentences. :001_huh:

 

This is why I suggest to know your local conditions. People can—and do—argue about the wisdom of advancing reading, but (whatever ones position) having a child being "behind" the rest of the class is a bad position to find them in.

 

Bill

[Storm Bay]

I think the biggest problem is her attention span - she has very little. That is why learning for her is so hard. She can't seem to focus for more than about 5 minutes at a time. It's gotten better over the last couple of months.

 

We'll just have to see. Part of me wants to redshirt her, and part of me does not. I plan to enroll them mid-August, so I'll have to see where she is by then.

 

Attention span is also important :). Having been bullied through school (I was tall, skinny, talkative, intense) I was thinking more of getting teased for being so much bigger than everyone else. I'm not sure where I was on the percentiles, but was 5 ft 10 inches at my tallest (that's over 95th percentile for sure, but not even close to the tallest woman on these forums) and was older in my grade. If I'd been in the younger grade I'd have been a giant & taller even than the tallest boys.

 

However, I had a good attention span, and that is very important. I think your plan of deciding in mid August depending on her reading, etc, is a good one. It is easier to wait a year at this age than later on. My brother's friend, who was young in his grade, was held back in K & then later accellerated to his age peers when he was a couple of years older & more ready (plus academically very strong in the younger grade).

[jenbrdsly]

This is why I suggest to know your local conditions. People can—and do—argue about the wisdom of advancing reading, but (whatever ones position) having a child being "behind" the rest of the class is a bad position to find them in.

 

Bill

 

 

:iagree: