Assigning Grade Levels?

[mamawaabangi]

Question... do you assign your child's grade level based upon their age and by your states cut off for starting kindergarten? Our state doesn't have a "cut off" date for starting school (usually I think it is October 16th).

 

I have some major issue with knowing where to "put" three of our kids (well, really 2 of them).

 

We have two 6 yo boys. One of them came into our family via adoption and he is REALLY 6 and 6 months currently (he has always called himself this age and he looks, acts and has had medical test to prove this is accurate), but his legal DOB would put him at 5 and 6 months (a full year off/behind). We made the hard choice not to adjust his legal DOB because it has the potential of causing him issues with immigration later on as an adult... and it would keep him in our care a year longer... however, he is very much 6 and 6 months of age in every other way.

 

Technically he should be starting kindergarten this coming fall... if he were going to PS we'd have waited for this year anyway.... but last fall we "did kindergarten". Should I just call it kindergarten again this year?

 

Similarly, he has a brother who just turned 6 a month ago... and is "below" him in skills and ability... same thing, we wouldn't have started him in PS until this fall.

 

Lastly our 4 yo will turn 5 on October 9th... even through she is doing school with her brothers should I not call it "kindergarten" until next year? I kind of feel bad doing this, because she is really doing EVERYTHING everyone else is doing anyway... but she is young and would NOT go to school in the fall if we did PS.

 

Maybe making a mountain out of a mole hill... but I have talked to some older HS moms who encouraged me to keep them behind a year and to ensure that they aren't leaving our home until they are really 18 ish...

Thoughts?

 

Do you even talk about "grades"???

Seriously, sometimes its the little things that bring me most stress! haha!

[SilverMoon]

I'd call the actually older boy a first grader, the second one a kindergartner, and the girl a preschooler, but put them in the developmentally appropriate schoolbooks regardless what number is on the cover.

 

For what it's worth, I have a second grader using fourth grade books. She's very much a seven year old and not a fourth grader. Her grade is just to sort her in the right category at scouts and sports, and accomplishes nothing else. When people ask her grade they're simply asking what tidy box they can sort her into, not what number is on her math and English book.

[Coco_Clark]

I'd call the actually older boy a first grader, the second one a kindergartner, and the girl a preschooler, but put them in the developmentally appropriate schoolbooks regardless what number is on the cover.

 

For what it's worth, I have a second grader using fourth grade books. She's very much a seven year old and not a fourth grader. Her grade is just to sort her in the right category at scouts and sports, and accomplishes nothing else. When people ask her grade they're simply asking what tidy box they can sort her into, not what number is on her math and English book.

 

I agree. My 5 yr old would have started k in public this coming year so I will call him a K on paperwork, even though we did our first year of homeschool last year. He's using 1st grade writing, K reading, and 2nd grade math as far as curriculum goes, *shrug*. It's mostly a social thing.

[craftyerin]

 

 

Lastly our 4 yo will turn 5 on October 9th... even through she is doing school with her brothers should I not call it "kindergarten" until next year? I kind of feel bad doing this, because she is really doing EVERYTHING everyone else is doing anyway... but she is young and would NOT go to school in the fall if we did PS.

 

 

We had this same issue in our home this past year. My 5yo who was kindergarten age was barely ready and able to do kindergarten work. My twin 4yos who were pre-k age were doing full kindergarten work, and are in many ways more advanced than their older brother academically.

 

As far as anyone outside our home knows, last year my oldest was in kinder and my twins were in PK, just like they would have been if they went away to school. They do whatever level work at home they are able to do , regardless of their "grade". Their grade is irrelevant in my curriculum and materials choices. They do what they're ready for.

[ErinE]

When do you want the older "six" year old to be done with high school? His legal DOB or his real DOB? I'd work backwards from there with the understanding that, in my experience, acceleration is easier for older children than repeating a year. I've seen families (in PS) who were advised to hold off putting a child in kindergarten and yet choose to enroll the child anyways. The kids hit a developmental wall in 4th/5th or 8th grade. A child in K doesn't much care if the work stretches over 2 years. A 10- or 13-year old will care about repeating a grade.

[Ellie]

On paper, whenever I have to designate a grade level, it is always, always according to the cut-off date in my state and my dc's bdays. Always. No exceptions. And each year they get "promoted" to the next grade. Always. No exceptions.

 

Designating a grade level has nothing to do with what the dc are actually learning. Dc learn what they are capable of learning, based on when they are able to do it, not based on when their birthdays are, or what "grade" they are "in" when September rolls around. When we finish something, we go on to the next thing, whenever that is.

[NittanyJen]

I say . . . we're homeschooling. Unless you have 30 or more kids, you really don't need "grades." The only grades you need to worry about are the last four before graduation, because that is when you need to keep a transcript going for college applications. Otherwise, the entire notion is kind of nonsensical to the homeschool universe.

 

For state registration, I have my kids registered as "ungraded." For any testing, clubs, or administrivia we do, I just list the appropriate grade level by age-- most places (there are local variations, plus or minus a few months) have a Kindergarten cut-off of age 5 by the end of August prior to school year start, and on upward from there, though starting K at 6 years old is not unheard of. Some kids are acadmically ready a year earlier but I don't advocate listing that fact on paper; you can do anything you like socially.

 

But in terms of day to day homeschooling, it's not as if we issue report cards or anything. One year, they asked if they could move up a grade, so I grabbed their Nerf swords and knighted them into the next grade. They loved it, but didn't ask again :)

[EKS]

When I was homeschooling, I called my kids whatever grade they would be according the cut off in our state. I did this when my older son was two years behind and when he was two years ahead. Similarly with the younger one. Now that they're both in school, due to some complicated issues, the older one will actually be adding a fifth year to high school (not for academic reasons) and the younger one is accelerated two years in his b&m school. If I were to homeschool the younger one again, I would change his grade level back to his age-grade level.

[Farrar]

Oh my. Usually I say just go by whatever the cut off is. I think that would be fine here and that's definitely what I would do legally, but if you haven't called it anything yet, I'd just continue to not give them any levels. Maybe put each one in a creatively named "grade." Like, grade blue or grade superman or something.

[catz]

My kids hardly do anything at grade level (all above) but I call them their age appropriate grades. I wouldn't bump up unless I were 105% certain my kids were going to be ready to handle college early. If you're homeschooling, it's easy enough to compact and bump up later if necessary at least where I am. My oldest went to school for 2 years. There are K and 1st graders with skills all over the place too. My son was not the only kid in his class reading years ahead of grade level.

[LisaKinVA]

In your situation, I'd go with your older son's LEGAL age (IOW, K this year), and just do whatever materials are right...that would give you 2 K and one Pre-K. If the older boy were going to be with you "forever" I'd probably tell you not to give it a second thought, but because he will be leaving you and going to a different placement, with different school requirements, etc...they will go be looking at his LEGAL age (based on his BC). I have switched schools, states, etc. enough to know that what is acceptable in one system is not acceptable in another...unless the older child is particularly precocious, people will question why his grade doesn't match his LEGAL age...and could push to (and succeed in) undoing it anyway.

 

What I do personally, has to do with what is (a) common in my area (who my children are competing against)...(B) specific to the needs of each child...and © I can undo at any point until they take the PSAT. I have to declare a grade here.

[boscopup]

I go by state cutoff. My oldest is working above grade level in most subjects, but I don't plan to graduate him until he's about to turn 18.

 

I'd do the two older kids in K and the girl preK4, but let them all work in whatever level curriculum they need . Designating a grade level just tells me how much longer until my kid graduates. That's it. :)

[EKS]

Just a few comments...

 

My son is 11yo and going into 8th grade in a b&m school next year. It is the correct placement *at this particular school* both academically and socially. He knows that if he were to go to another school that we would probably undo the skip for social reasons. FWIW, I am not at all convinced that he should be graduating at age 16 but there are ways to deal with that.

 

Also, you *can* decide to change a high school junior's standing after he has taken the PSAT, you just can't have him take it again as the NMSQT.

[mamawaabangi]

I'd call the actually older boy a first grader, the second one a kindergartner, and the girl a preschooler, but put them in the developmentally appropriate schoolbooks regardless what number is on the cover.

 

For what it's worth, I have a second grader using fourth grade books. She's very much a seven year old and not a fourth grader. Her grade is just to sort her in the right category at scouts and sports, and accomplishes nothing else. When people ask her grade they're simply asking what tidy box they can sort her into, not what number is on her math and English book.

 

While that would make sense from a logistical stand point our boys are very much "twins" and it would be highly hurtful to our same age (younger) son. While he isn't as advanced as his brother they are very much a "unit" and go together.

 

Also, with this set up our actual older son is legally 9 months younger than his younger brother... while ability matters, he'd techinically be leaving our home a full year younger (legally than his brother). So confusing!!! I know that I might not find a perfect solution for the future... but I think I am erring on keeping them all back a year.

 

And you are right... our 3rd/2nd grade daughter is doing 4th grade math and 2nd grade phonics... my bigger concern is putting them at a grade level where they are leaving our house/school at the age of 18... and not younger.

[mamawaabangi]

After talking with my husband I think we will make it an unofficial rule that all kids must be age 6 to officially be called a "kindergartener"... that solves the issue with our younger daughter and with our older son, because it sort of splits the difference in his age...

So, our son's will be official kindergarteners this year and our daughter next year.

I am also thinking of making our 8 yo daughter stay back in 2nd grade (for the same reason)...

I talked to a local friend who said she wished she had done this with her oldest, but has with her later kids and has felt like it fits their ability levels best.

Thanks for helping me think this out!