What grade would my child be in...

[genny]

Dh has me second guessing myself...dd is born in mid sept.

 

I've been telling people she's in grade 1. Dh says she's technically K.

 

Not that it matters in the least but I must admit I'm curious...

 

So what grade do you guys think she's in...

[Blossom'sGirl]

In NY, I believe the cut-off is still 6 by Dec. 1st to be 1st grade. Personally, I think it should be more like Aug. 1st.

[Erica in OR]

My DS has a mid September birthday too. For purposes of the homeschool notification form (which actually doesn't need to get sent for our area until the summer before 2nd grade), I put him in the grade he would be in public school, based on their age cutoff of Sep. 1. So this year he would officially be in second grade, age-wise. We go by that if people ask. That's also what his standardized testing schedule is based on.

 

Erica in OR

[boscopup]

Depends what state you're in. In my state, she'd be K, but other states have later cutoff dates. Look up your state cutoff date.

 

But you're right, it doesn't really matter as far as what curricula you use and such. Work at her level.

[Julie Smith]

Where I live she would be 1. The cut off in Ontario is Dec 31st.

[kdownie]

In Georgia, she'd be kindergarten, but probably one of the very oldest in her class. As long as you are working at her level, you can call her whatever grade you prefer.

[Nart]

Here is a link to the kinder cut off dates for each state. In most states she would be in kinder if he were born in mid Sept. of 2006. A few states leave it up to the local district to decide.

 

http://ecs.force.com/ecsforum/mbquest?SID=a0i70000000XkGj&rep=KD01&Q=Q2194

[genny]

thanks...I checked it out and she is grade 1 where I live.

 

It's funny how often the "what grade are you in" question comes up! DD says I'm hs'd and then come the 'oh' and the look like we're aliens :lol: Hs'ing is far from popular where I live.

[Donna]

In my state, Oct. 1st is the cutoff so she'd be in 1st but many people hold back kids with birthdays close to the cutoff so if she were in K, it wouldn't be unusual.

[NotSoObvious]

Here she would be on K. In CA she would be in first.

[TheApprentice]

Based on my state requirements, she would be in K. The cutoff here is Sept. 1.

[Butter]

Totally depends on the state. First grade in MD is 6 by Sept. 1 I think. It's 6 by Sept. 30 in Virginia.

[mamamindy]

In my state it's Sep 1. I am SO GLAD we homeschool because I have 3 children with August birthdays. My current K'er reads way above level, not writing much, doing 1st grade math, but could never sit in a classroom all day and wouldn't be socially ready for public school. I am so thankful I can tailor her schooling to fit her needs. Homeschooling is wonderful! :D

[Meriwether]

My 6 year old has a mid-September birthday as well. If he were in school he would be in K. When we register him, he will be registered by his age. He is doing his 1st grade work for me. We did the same thing with my oldest. It will give us an extra year sometime to do something extra or different.

[SKL]

Depends on where you live. In my state, they recently changed the cutoff from September 30 to sometime in the summer. I'd look it up on the school district website if you need to know for sure.

[chicagoshannon]

In IL she would be in K. They have a very strict Sept 1 cut off.

[Shellydon]

Kindergarten

[AK_Mom4]

"K" here too due to Sept 1 cutoff.

[genny]

dh read on the government website sept 1st cut off...I found dec 31st cut off. One of us must of been looking at old info. :confused1: I'm going to ask him to show me his source and compare to mine. Reading all these posts has me thinking about how crazy it is that a bithday determines what grade a child is in! DD in K ...she would be bored stiff! I guess they do it that way to manage class size :confused1:

[Splash]

In our school district he would be a Kindergartner. Cut off is August 30

[AngieW in Texas]

It depends on where you live. In Texas, you have to be 5yo by September 1st to be in K, so if your dd turned 5yo mid-September, she wouldn't be eligible to start K yet. If she turned 6yo mid-September, she would be in K.

[kohlby]

That would be kindy in my state, but there are some with later cut-offs. More than half of the states have a cut-off at Sept 1st or earlier. I call my kids the grades they would be in public school by age - and then do whatever level they belong on, which is very different than the grade. I have to report what grade my kids are in, otherwise, I wouldn't worry about it at all. With your daughter being so close to the cut-off, it's a more gray area. I know some parents in that situation who did private school to get their sept girls starting school earlier. But you also have to consider long-term, if it's better to have an extra year to play with or not. It is easier emotionally to skip later on then repeat later on. However, with a girl so close, it really could go either way. (Boys biologically tend to be behind the girls with maturity so I'd be far more hesitant to bump a boy up who is on the line).

[itsheresomewhere]

In my state, she would be in first grade.

[Stayseeliz]

Just be aware that since she's on the younger side of things she may hit a wall later and not be able to do her work effectively. This happened with my oldest. His birthday is in the second week of August and I stared him doing kindy work right when he turned five. He did fine until around second grade then hit a wall. I backed him up a year and he's flying through his work now. I decided to err on the side of waiting for my other kids. I have one with an October birthday and she seemed ready to start at almost five but I'm waiting until the fall to start formal K with her.

[garddwr]

Most states have a cut-off right around September 1st. There are a few exceptions, you could ask around locally (in a few states it varies by school district).

 

Where I am she would be in kindergarten.

[Mom22ns]

She would be K here too (cut-off is July 31). If you found 2 dates, the earlier one is almost certainly correct. Moving cut-offs earlier, not later is the trend.

 

My kids gave the same response she did for years. When asked their grade (which they knew very well), they would say "I homeschool." as if that answered everything. People then gave me weird looks like "can't you even teach them their grade level?"

[mamamindy]

I may be in a minority...(?) but I wouldn't even give my children a "grade" except for church activities. And then I just go by our state's guidelines. Both my school age children are just all over the place with their abilities and the curriculum we use. And my oldest just responded with the "I go to homeschool" when asked where she went to school yesterday. The lady responded with, "Wow, you have to be really smart to homeschool your children!" I was flattered, but nope, I don't consider myself exceptionally "smart." :laugh:

 

ETA: of course we have really relaxed homeschooling laws here, so that may be the motivation for some (in other states) to assign a grade. And of course I know it can be helpful (for me!) to kinda know what to expect of them and choosing curricula...

[swellmomma]

My dd5 is also a mid sept birthday. Based on cut offs she would be in K this year IF she was in ps, grade 1 next year BUT due to being a mid-sept birthday I have more say in her grade level even in the ps system so I would be able to enroll her in K next year if I chose to do so with no problem. So short answer, you are both right. Generally speaking you are in K at age 5, grade 1 at age 6, grade 2 at age 7 etc. But with late fall birthdays that all easily bumps back a grade level.

 

As far as homeschooling, I have to register with my province so I register them in a particular grade, and then they just do what they do. whether it is below, at, or beyond grade level. Such as my teens currently registered in grade 7 & 8, but doing some elementary work, some grade level and some high school work depending on the course.

[2_girls_mommy]

In my state she would be K. Our cutoff dates for the different districts range from mid Aug- Sept. 1

[PeterPan]

Dh has me second guessing myself...dd is born in mid sept.

 

I've been telling people she's in grade 1. Dh says she's technically K.

 

Not that it matters in the least but I must admit I'm curious...

 

So what grade do you guys think she's in...

 

You should google state cutoffs. There was a thread some time ago about this and how states had moved them back and that now there's a trend to move them *up* again. So even some of the states that *had* Dec. cutoffs have been moving them back to Sept/Aug. In our area the cutoff is the start of school I think. Doesn't matter. With a boy, I'd use a June/July cutoff, and with a girl probably August.

 

You're going to have the question over and over. The only reason to say 1st is because the dc is either highly advanced or... In general, you're wiser to use the lower grade and adjust later. Eating crow a few years from now can be a mess. You can teach her with 1st or 2nd grade material or whatever she needs but call her the lower grade. Gives you more flexibility later.

 

My boy is right on that line btw (late Sept due date, born early Oct). I'm calling him by the lower grade. I'm with you that it's weird that I'm calling him K3 this year and using the MFW K5 and reading him the Hobbit. Doesn't matter. I know, having btdt, that some FLEXIBILITY later on is really wise. I can always adjust later. He's just going to be really strong for his grade.

[boscopup]

DD in K ...she would be bored stiff!

 

And that's a good reason to homeschool. ;) You can call her K while using 1st or 2nd grade materials. ;) Just gives you more time in the high school years to pursue interests.

 

My oldest is a June birthday (though his due date was Sept. 10), and I did not redshirt him as many do with boys and summer birthdays here. He was one of the youngest in class. He was already reading at a mid-second grade level when he entered K, and he could add/subtract/multiply, and he could even work a little bit with negative numbers. Yes, he was bored in K! The party aspect of K is the only thing that kept him going. He enjoyed K. In 1st grade, the party aspect was gone, his reading had jumped to a 4th grade level, his math was likewise ready to move on, and he was bored stiff. I pulled him out halfway through the year to homeschool, and it was the best choice I could have made for him. I really couldn't imagine him redshirted in K, as he would have been entering K reading at a 4th grade level if I'd done that. :lol: And this was a real "K", where they learn letters and sounds the first half of the year.

 

My 3 year old has a May birthday (so he's almost 4 now). He can read a little bit, sounding words out. I'm sure he'll be reading independently before K age. In fact, even with my "late-ish bloomer" middle son, I used K curriculum at age 4. Once again, I'm glad I'm homeschooling. My middle son is 6 now, in K (November birthday). I use a 1st grade math program with him, and I won't be surprised if he accelerates a couple grades in math in the next year or so like his big brother did. My 8 year old 3rd grader doesn't even have any curriculum labeled "3"... it's all "2", "4", "5", etc. Again, that's why I homeschool!

 

So I personally go by my state's cutoffs for determining my kids' grades. Their curriculum levels do not need to coincide with the grade label on paper. So if your DD were in my state and were my child, I'd call her "K" this year, but go ahead with whatever level work she's ready for. Then I'd reevaluate later if we need to "grade skip" on paper and graduate a year earlier. For my boys... I want them to be at home as long as possible, unless they're unusually mature. My November baby will probably need that extra year, so I'm glad he was born closer to (and after) the cutoff. He's quite intelligent, and I'm sure he'll be accelerated in most subjects by the end, but I would appreciate him being 18.5 when he leaves my home instead of 17.5. And I might even encourage him to take a gap year (we've already talked about it - he wants to travel the world when he graduates high school... loves to travel! And he's only 6!). My other two are fairly mature for their ages, so I think graduating right as they're about to turn 18 is fine. One of both of them may even be ready to graduate early, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. I could see my youngest graduating early, as he is already Mr. Independent. :rolleyes:

[genny]

Okay, I plead ignorant. I didn't know there were different cut offs for boys and girls. Am I understanding these posts correctly?

[genny]

My 2nd is a boy....born in aug.

[PeterPan]

Okay, I plead ignorant. I didn't know there were different cut offs for boys and girls. Am I understanding these posts correctly?

 

No, the gov't doesn't differentiate. However there are differences in development between boys and girls for school skills, so that's just mom wisdom kind of stuff.

[PeterPan]

My 2nd is a boy....born in aug.

 

PS. You have seriously good timing. :D

[genny]

PS. You have seriously good timing. :D

 

:lol:

[garddwr]

 

You should google state cutoffs. There was a thread some time ago about this and how states had moved them back and that now there's a trend to move them *up* again. So even some of the states that *had* Dec. cutoffs have been moving them back to Sept/Aug. In our area the cutoff is the start of school I think. Doesn't matter. With a boy, I'd use a June/July cutoff, and with a girl probably August.

 

You're going to have the question over and over. The only reason to say 1st is because the dc is either highly advanced or... In general, you're wiser to use the lower grade and adjust later. Eating crow a few years from now can be a mess. You can teach her with 1st or 2nd grade material or whatever she needs but call her the lower grade. Gives you more flexibility later.

 

My boy is right on that line btw (late Sept due date, born early Oct). I'm calling him by the lower grade. I'm with you that it's weird that I'm calling him K3 this year and using the MFW K5 and reading him the Hobbit. Doesn't matter. I know, having btdt, that some FLEXIBILITY later on is really wise. I can always adjust later. He's just going to be really strong for his grade.

 

I agree with this. Teach her where she's at, but call her by the lower grade level. Then down the road if you and she decide that she really should be the higher grade level (say she wants to graduate and go to college a year early) it's easy to adjust. Going the other way is more difficult.

[boscopup]

Okay, I plead ignorant. I didn't know there were different cut offs for boys and girls. Am I understanding these posts correctly?

 

No, the cutoffs are for all children. But parents of boys often redshirt them if they're born close to (before) a cutoff. Boys are often immature at age 5 and do better waiting until 6 to start school.

 

Again, this doesn't really matter if you're homeschooling, because you can do an easier K and ramp things up when the boy is ready for more seat work. ;)

[nono]

Here is a link to the kinder cut off dates for each state. In most states she would be in kinder if he were born in mid Sept. of 2006. A few states leave it up to the local district to decide.

 

http://ecs.force.com...ep=KD01&Q=Q2194

 

 

 

:lol: :lol: I was wondering how they'd manage to boil down our NJ law. Don't blame 'em for not trying! I always like to say I'm following the USVI plan, as my younger is a December baby.

[genny]

 

No, the cutoffs are for all children. But parents of boys often redshirt them if they're born close to (before) a cutoff. Boys are often immature at age 5 and do better waiting until 6 to start school.

 

Again, this doesn't really matter if you're homeschooling, because you can do an easier K and ramp things up when the boy is ready for more seat work. ;)

 

Although he has a lot of energy, he loves doing 'school things'...he gets jealous if I don't do something with him. Nice problem to have :tongue_smilie:

[kristinannie]

My daughter is an October baby. According to the state, she is in pre-K, but starting in October, she was begging to read and to do math so we started K then. I am going to decide when she is older what "grade" she should be in. Right now she just tells people that she is in K which she is.

[vonfirmath]

Okay, I plead ignorant. I didn't know there were different cut offs for boys and girls. Am I understanding these posts correctly?

 

Many moms of boys are more likely to hold them back. Especially August birthdays. But you really need to look at the kid even for this.

 

I was a September 4th girl in Texas way back when. thankfully the school was flexible enough to let me start 1st grade the year I "should" have started K. I do not regret that decision. I was more than ready.

 

We have a August 3rd son, and decided NOT to hold him back. That it would be a disservice to him. I WANTED to homeschool because his academics were already so far ahead of his maturity. But it is not in the cards for us for now. So far we do not regret that decision. He's improved by leaps and bounds within the structure of the school in this last year and we just found out he was one of a small handful that qualified for Gifted and Talented, despite the maturity differences of being the youngest. At least our school is willing to work even with young 5s and has surprised me at how well they have handled and taught him. (And yes, he is learning quite a bit despite the fact he entered K already knowing all the base "academics" stuff.)

[MinivanMom]

Many moms of boys are more likely to hold them back. Especially August birthdays. But you really need to look at the kid even for this.

 

I was a September 4th girl in Texas way back when. thankfully the school was flexible enough to let me start 1st grade the year I "should" have started K. I do not regret that decision. I was more than ready.

 

We have a August 3rd son, and decided NOT to hold him back. That it would be a disservice to him. I WANTED to homeschool because his academics were already so far ahead of his maturity. But it is not in the cards for us for now. So far we do not regret that decision. He's improved by leaps and bounds within the structure of the school in this last year and we just found out he was one of a small handful that qualified for Gifted and Talented, despite the maturity differences of being the youngest. At least our school is willing to work even with young 5s and has surprised me at how well they have handled and taught him. (And yes, he is learning quite a bit despite the fact he entered K already knowing all the base "academics" stuff.)

 

That is a fabulous story. Thank you for sharing. Sometimes the hold-em-back crowd is so loud and shrill that I think I must be the only person on the planet that didn't see a problem with my Aug boy starting K on time. He is working far above grade level so I've never questioned our decision, but I've gotten plenty of comments from public schoolers. Apparently he's not really a 2nd grader if he's homeschooled, because we all know that it's not possible for a boy to cut it when he's the youngest in his grade. It just seems like we have a very low opinion of boys right now.

 

I don't understand where all this animosity toward being the youngest came from. I was a fall birthday and I was always top of my class. No one ever thought anything of it nor was it a big deal when I headed off to college at 17. Why would it be a problem? Someone has to be the youngest, right? It doesn't matter where you move that cut-off date to, someone will be the youngest. How much difference does a couple weeks (or months) make, anyway? I think intelligence, personality, and motivation probably matter much more than whether your child was born in June versus August.