What grades would you call this?

[Mélie]

A few threads on here have made me reconsider the "grade" levels that I'd been planning on calling my boys for this fall. So, I thought a vote might help me make a final decision. I do understand how trivial "grade levels" are in homeschooling when they're this young, and we will obviously use materials and learn things that are appropriate for their abilities, not their grade. But, I do want to have set grade levels for activities that are divided by grade instead of age, for them to be able to tell people what grade they're in without a big discussion about homeschooling and a little bit for my mindset and planning.

 

The boys are 11 months apart, with birthdays in January and December. Last fall, when we were living in Canada, we started Max in public kindergarten. He missed the age cut-off by 4 days, but we sent him anyway to avoid the boys being in the same grade level and to avoid having to "redshirt" Dom (which is very uncommon in that district/school). He was the youngest in his class by 8 days, but did very well. Here in Texas, he misses the age cut-off by 4 months, but still thinks he's going to start 1st grade in the fall.

 

My thinking now is that Max can either be going into Kindergarten or 1st and Dom can be going into "Pre-K" or Kindergarten. I'm not taking academics into account too much because everything we'll be using in the fall can be considered "1st grade" or higher and because it's hard to predict how quickly they'll progress at this age. Right now, they're at about the same level in reading, but Max is way ahead of Dom in math.

 

So, if you have a second (and you've made it this far :tongue_smilie:), could you take a second and vote and let me know what you think?

 

Thanks!

[jallison25]

if your kids hadn't been to public school, i would say k and pre-k simply based on their ages. Now, i guess i would say 1st and pre-k.

[Evergreen State Sue]

If my child was 5 on August 31, he would be considered kindergarten starting in September. Age 6 on August 31, he would be considered 1st grade. If you need to adjust due by holding back, I would, but would think long and hard about starting earlier than that, especially if a boy.

[Ellie]

I can't tell, because I don't actually know how old they are. :001_huh:

I'd go by the cut-off date in Texas. Children who are 5 by September 1 will be kindergarten; children who are 6 by September 1 will be first grade.

 

IMHO, it's purely a label used for grouping children of similar ages and has nothing to do with academic acheivement or ability, nor with maturity, nor with how mature they might or might not be in 11 or 12 years.

[Embassy]

I'd do K4 and K5 or Pre-K and Pre-1st. I wouldn't move to 1st if you plan to live in the area a long time.

[Mélie]

I can't tell, because I don't actually know how old they are. :001_huh:

I'd go by the cut-off date in Texas. Children who are 5 by September 1 will be kindergarten; children who are 6 by September 1 will be first grade.

 

IMHO, it's purely a label used for grouping children of similar ages and has nothing to do with academic acheivement or ability, nor with maturity, nor with how mature they might or might not be in 11 or 12 years.

:lol: I guess I should have stated that!

 

Max is 5 and will be 6 in January. Dom is 4 and will be 5 in December.

 

I agree entirely. I just feel the need to "label" the grades and don't want them to be disadvantaged by being in the "wrong" grade, such as my younger son not being able to participate in an activity at the children's museum that is for "K-2" or feeling too young and out of place in a similar situation. And, I don't want to ever lie about their age or grade. I guess it's a balancing act.

 

Thanks to everyone who has voted. :)

[Wabi Sabi]

Based purely on age, I'd go with pre-k and kindergarten. You're obviously going to work at whatever level they're on, but as far as having a grade level for social reasons it makes sense, IMO, to stick with age.

[jallison25]

:lol: I guess I should have stated that!

 

Max is 5 and will be 6 in January. Dom is 4 and will be 5 in December.

 

I agree entirely. I just feel the need to "label" the grades and don't want them to be disadvantaged by being in the "wrong" grade, such as my younger son not being able to participate in an activity at the children's museum that is for "K-2" or feeling too young and out of place in a similar situation. And, I don't want to ever lie about their age or grade. I guess it's a balancing act.

 

Thanks to everyone who has voted. :)

 

changing my mind. based on this i would say K and pre-k. You may want to think about where to put them b/c some activities outside of school may be age related, i.e. 5-7 would be considered k-1st/2nd but if you are calling your 7 year old a 3rd/ or 4th grader he may not be able to be with his peers

[fhjmom]

I don't know what part of Texas you are in, but in my area (Dallas/Ft. Worth suburbs) there is no way I would start a child ahead of the designated age cut off. Here, even students who start "on time" are some of the youngest in a class because "redshirting" is so common. The town my parents live in, right next to ours, has the highest percentage of redshirted kindergarteners in the nation. When DS was in private school, he was one of only two boys in his grade that was in the correct grade for age - the rest were all a year older. My youngest has a September 4th birthday and is currently 4. Even though she has already started kindergarten work this past year, I will not call her a kindergartener this year as she will still be 4 on September 1. I am Looking down the road and would much rather have another year to do high school and give her the chance to take more advanced courses if she has "extra time". Plus, if she started "early" she would be competing against some kids a full two years older than her for academics, athletics, etc.

[sparkygirl]

It is not an easy decision to make when you start factoring all of the variables into the final outcome. I would go strictly based on the age cut off date for your state. That way when it comes to activities etc they are in their age cohort.

 

Max will by 5 on the cut off date - Kindergarten

 

Dom will be 4 on the cut off date - Pre-K

[Tap]

For grade level, I always go by the area I am in. Use Texas law to determine you current situation. As a homeschoolers we can adjust academics according to their ability, but for social situations, I would want them to be in their age groups (for good or bad) especially in the younger grades.

 

My son has birthday 5 days before the cut off and has always been advanced in academics. So, while he was in 4th grade doing 5th grade work, I never moved him into 5th grade. The advantage is that if for some reason you get behind due to illness or ability, they will still be on grade level the next year, instead of remedial.

 

While my son was good at academics, he was physically on the younger side. When he played soccer, he was with his age/size peers, but still a bit immature physically. Had we bumped up his grade with his ability, he would have been miserable trying to keep up with the older kids.

 

In your current situation, I would just explain that he is going to stay in what the US calls Kindergarten, due to the law in your area and not his ability. I would keep him in the ability appropriate curricula, not repeat or put him back in K level work.

[craftyerin]

I don't know what part of Texas you are in, but in my area (Dallas/Ft. Worth suburbs) there is no way I would start a child ahead of the designated age cut off. Here, even students who start "on time" are some of the youngest in a class because "redshirting" is so common. The town my parents live in, right next to ours, has the highest percentage of redshirted kindergarteners in the nation. When DS was in private school, he was one of only two boys in his grade that was in the correct grade for age - the rest were all a year older. My youngest has a September 4th birthday and is currently 4. Even though she has already started kindergarten work this past year, I will not call her a kindergartener this year as she will still be 4 on September 1. I am Looking down the road and would much rather have another year to do high school and give her the chance to take more advanced courses if she has "extra time". Plus, if she started "early" she would be competing against some kids a full two years older than her for academics, athletics, etc.

 

:iagree:

In Texas, redshirting is so common. I would absolutely call them kinder and pk based on age.

[newbieoftwo]

I would like to change my answer to kindergarten and pre-k as well. I wasn't taking extra-curricular activities into account. Since most of the kids in kindergarten activities will be 5 or 6, I would recommend keeping the oldest at "kindergarten" status. First graders will be anywhere from 6-7. That may place him with peers up to two years older than him. Thankfully, in Texas no reporting is necessary so you can teach what you wish at home and still keep them with kids close to their age :001_smile:

[myfunnybunch]

It sounds like your children would be considered K and Pre-K based solely on the age cut-off in your state, so I think you should go with those grades. It just makes it easier.

 

My boys started doing K work when they started showing readiness. I just called it K4 and K5, so if I'd had to notify someone, on paper it would look like 2 years of kindergarten. (The boys just liked saying they were in kindergarten. :) )

 

Another issue to consider: If you move to a state that requires testing, that extra year can really make a difference, even if it's in ability to sit and focus on the test.

 

Cat

[Pamela H in Texas]

Honestly, I like the grade based on age as of Sept 1st thing through elementary school. In Jr. High or High School, you may need to adjust it based on levels and goals, but through elementary, it is just better to leave it be, imo. BTW, I say this as a parent who adjusted things too many times when her first two kids were going through. If I just had waited til 7th or 8th grade, I would have made one adjustment for my daughter and none for my son. Easy peasy.

[PeacefulChaos]

It all depends. If he has already finished K, I would say he's in 1st.

 

ETA: Wait, I re-read it. So the oldest won't be 6 until December/January (I can't remember which was which now, sorry!) - I would say K. Especially for all the other stuff that goes by grade level. Astro was a K-er doing a lot of 1st grade work this year ;), but I still counted him as a K-er everywhere. Maturity and developmental-wise, as well as age wise, I would keep them where their age cutoff says they are. :)

Oh, and the younger in pre-k. :)

 

BtW, what is 'redshirting'???? :confused:

Edited June 5, 2012 by PeacefulChaos

[Hope in God]

I would put them both in the same grade if you think your younger child is up to it. In Canada they could be in the same grade because January is the cut off and December is the swing month.

 

If they are both in the same grade you can teach them according to the same learning outcomes which doesn't really factor into lower elementary but when they get older it is nice to have them both doing the same Science learning outcomes or the same period of history. Of course this would only really be important if you had your children enrolled in a distance education type school in the future.

 

So I would vote K and K.

[Tap]

BtW, what is 'redshirting'???? :confused:

 

Purposefully holding a child back a year in school to give them an advantage acedemically or physically in sports. One year of maturity is huge in grade based sports and can make huge differences for the child, due to sports team placement.

[catz]

:iagree:

In Texas, redshirting is so common. I would absolutely call them kinder and pk based on age.

 

:iagree: And I have 2 kids that are wildly working ahead of grade level, but I'm still calling them grade level for now. My oldest was doing 3rd grade math and reading at a 6th grade level at the end of Kindergarten. But I didn't feel confident enough across the boards that I'll be ready to send him to college a year early. It's easy enough to do CC locally as a high schooler too. I figure it's better to adjust up later if need be rather than question it later.

 

There were a good handfull of red shirted boys in my sons kindergarten class (he went to 2 years of PS) and these kids were the most focused and confident in the class and I don't think it's coincidence. Our kindergarten was all day and had very high expectations in terms of reading and output.

[black_midori]

I have a just-turned-6yo ds that recently finished 1st grade work & will be starting 2nd grade next month - I just call him 2nd grade, because the only people I am talking to about it are interested more in his academic level than his age-grade. If I were doing something based on age, like an extracurricular activity, I would just give an age & not even give a grade. For instance, in Cubscouts he can only just now start as a Tiger in the Fall because he had to be 6yo (regardless of grade).

 

In your case, I would (in my own mind) consider them 1st & either K or pre-K depending on progress. In homeschooling circles, that is also how I would refer to them. In extracurricular activities, I would just say how old they are. In fact, I probably wouldn't even have to - every activity I've been involved in just gives an age-range of eligible kids & the only time you might discuss it is if your child is under the age range but fully capable of doing the activity and you want to talk them into it. The only activity I can think of where it might have mattered is 4h - they told me my 8yo could have been in the "main" program IF he had been in 3rd grade at the beginning of the year (but he was in 2nd).

[Mélie]

Thanks for all the votes and comments! :)

 

I was leaning toward Kindergarten and Pre-K for this year just because of the 4-5 month gap that would be between them and the next youngest in their "grade". I have no idea how common redshirting is in our area, but I'd imagine between that and their birthdays they'd be right in the middle age-wise for their grade. If we want to skip them ahead a year later to put them in the same grade or to accelerate, I don't see why we can't.

 

So, as long as Dh doesn't have any major objections, that's what we'll go with.