Repeating a grade in NY question

[luuknam]

Okay, so, I know that my oldest is only in 5th grade... I just kind of want to know my options before it's too late. 

 

It's my understanding that in NY, the school district has to approve your IHIP, which means that they can deny a grade change. At the moment, my inclination is to wait until 8th grade and do a second 8th grade if necessary, but, if I wait until 8th grade and then they tell me that no, I can't do 8th grade again, I'd be stuck having to put him in 9th grade after that. At which point, even if I were to do 8th grade at home, and then do grades 9-12, I'm not sure whether it'd be possible to list 4 years of high school for college applications, or if I'd have to list 5 years of high school because the school district would've counted grade 8b as 9th grade, if that makes sense. Whereas if I were to try to have him repeat a grade now, and the school district says no, I'd still have time to move to a different district and try again there, or time to build a stronger case for him repeating a grade, or w/e. 

 

He's got a late August birthday, so, if he doesn't repeat a grade, he'd graduate at 17 and turn 18 the summer after graduating. He's got an ASD, and a moderate to severe speech impairment, he struggles with writing, and with certain parts of reading comprehension (above grade-level for non-fiction, below grade-level for fiction). He's ahead in other ways (probably 2E). He's short (he'll probably be 5'5" as an adult), and, of course, he's socially immature because of the ASD. He took the end-of-4th grade test last Spring and scored at the 94th percentile though (but, those tests don't measure writing, or maturity, or life skills, etc), so standardized test-wise he does just fine (he also qualified for CTY on both verbal and quantitative). So, like I said, my inclination is to *maybe* do grade 8a and grade 8b if it seems necessary... I'm just worried that I'll have painted myself in a corner if I wait until then and the school district says "no, he has to enter 9th grade". 

 

So, anyone got any BTDT? I know that all this is still far into the future and might not be an issue at all... I'd just like to know the facts so I can stop worrying. 

[luuknam]

For one, I have no idea how often school districts say no to homeschool kids repeating a grade. I suspect that it's probably rarely an issue, mostly if the kid is already old for grade and the district thinks that the parents are trying to get out meeting the testing requirements... but I don't know. 

[Paige]

Why do you think he needs a grade change? I think it’s better if done earlier.

 

I have no idea about NY laws. My DS has a late Aug birthday and we held him back in K. I don’t regret it- he’s still one of the smallest in his class, but there’s pros and cons.

[freesia]

Ok, first NY superintendents do not "approve" your IHIP.  Some say they do (like mine),but they don't. They just make sure it is in compliance with NY homeschool law.

 

I have a friend who held two of her kids back. She just labeled the next year as the same grade (so one had 2 fourth grades).  No one ever said anything.  I honestly doubt anyone is checking those kind of details.

 

I have another friend whose son did eighth grade at home and wanted to do eighth grade again when he started school.  Again, no problem with the public school and no problem with the private boys school he applied to for ninth grade.

 

NY homeschool law does not prohibit holding your child back.  So, you are free to do so if you want.  They won't count your IHIP toward a letter of completion until it says 9th grade. Now, if you had 2 ninth grades that would be different, but two 8th grades should be fine.

[luuknam]

Why do you think he needs a grade change? 

 

 

Mostly his writing. He's making progress, but he still hasn't got much of a concept of writing as trying to communicate something to the reader, causing his writing to be very incoherent and hard-to-impossible to follow. He also leaves out words at times. On the bright side, the intelligibility of his handwriting has increased, and his spelling and some aspects of grammar and punctuation are improving... but he's in 5th grade, and some of his single sentences are incomprehensible, and his paragraphs are basically single run-on-sentences that often fail to communicate w/e needs to be communicated (and he's certainly not writing multi-paragraph anythings). 

 

Aside from that, just the general immaturity, clumsiness, trouble paying attention and staying on task, struggling with understanding the motivations of fictional characters (like, really basic stuff, like why some girl is crying in some story), etc. Again, I don't particularly want him to repeat a grade now... I'm still hoping that he'll suddenly "get it" in middle school, but, realistically, there's a chance that he won't. 

[luuknam]

Ok, first NY superintendents do not "approve" your IHIP.  Some say they do (like mine),but they don't. They just make sure it is in compliance with NY homeschool law.

 

I have a friend who held two of her kids back. She just labeled the next year as the same grade (so one had 2 fourth grades).  No one ever said anything.  I honestly doubt anyone is checking those kind of details.

 

 

Thanks. Yeah, I figured that odds are they wouldn't even notice if the grade was the same two years in a row, and I figured that his miles-long IEP probably would be helpful in persuading them if they were to object... I just don't want unexpected surprises, kwim?

Edited November 20, 2017 by luuknam

[luuknam]

I'm still hoping that he'll suddenly "get it" in middle school, but, realistically, there's a chance that he won't. 

 

 

And I also realize that one extra year might not do the trick for things related to ASD etc... but, it'd be something, and given that he's young-ish for grade, I want to keep that option open. 

[Hilltopmom]

NY here.

Regs do say parent chooses grade.

 

One kid I repeated grade 3 on paper.

Other one I had do grade 3, then 3/4, then 4 instead of listing 3rd twice.

Then wound up skipping a grade for the same kid a year later.

No one mentioned any of those changes- one had an iep at the time, one didn’t.