dragons in the flower bed Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 He reads James and the Giant Peach, Spiderwick Chronicles, Narnia books, Alice in Wonderland (unadapted), and will go through a chapter book a day if given the free time. Placement tests put him in Singapore 2. He fills notebooks up with stories and spells maybe one word out of thirty incorrectly. He can narrate, take dictation, do copywork from WWE 2 easily. He'll turn seven in January of this school year. This is the first year I'm legally required to file as a homeschooler. There are no required subjects for K'ers. There are a dozen or so for 1st graders. I should add that in our state it's normal for K to be age five, 1st to be age six, and so on. It's so common here that I had culture shock when I moved west and learned that a five year old would be in Pre-K. That just seemed so wrong. So what do you think? Can I get away with calling this kindergarten when he's going to be seven years old and doing second or above materials in all subjects the district cares about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 I am not sure I understand. I moved from CA and even though I was not required to report hsing until age 7, I still had him in 2nd grade reporting. K isn't even required at all in most states. So, do you plan for this to be K and then you will have him graduate at age 20? Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaik76 Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 He reads James and the Giant Peach, Spiderwick Chronicles, Narnia books, Alice in Wonderland (unadapted), and will go through a chapter book a day if given the free time. Placement tests put him in Singapore 2. He fills notebooks up with stories and spells maybe one word out of thirty incorrectly. He can narrate, take dictation, do copywork from WWE 2 easily. He'll turn seven in January of this school year. This is the first year I'm legally required to file as a homeschooler. There are no required subjects for K'ers. There are a dozen or so for 1st graders. I should add that in our state it's normal for K to be age five, 1st to be age six, and so on. It's so common here that I had culture shock when I moved west and learned that a five year old would be in Pre-K. That just seemed so wrong. So what do you think? Can I get away with calling this kindergarten when he's going to be seven years old and doing second or above materials in all subjects the district cares about? My son was six for kindergarten. So I wouldn't have any problem with calling a six year old a kindergartner. (And he's seven for first grade...will be eight for second grade. I decided that's what was best for us, so that's what I did.) Since your son would turn seven during his k year, he really would graduate at twenty unless you advance him later on. Of course, if he is working ahead, then he should get all of his high school credits in early, so I suppose it wouldn't matter. I say go for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happygrrl Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 My youngest ds was 6 for K as well. I am not concerned about keeping up with ps grade/age levels (except for my own check-in) so I did not worry about it. I figured if he ever needs to he can skip a grade later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragons in the flower bed Posted April 19, 2009 Author Share Posted April 19, 2009 I am not sure I understand. I moved from CA and even though I was not required to report hsing until age 7, I still had him in 2nd grade reporting. K isn't even required at all in most states. It's not required here, which is why there's so few regulations for that grade. What is required is simply that in the school year he turns six, he has to be enrolled in a school, homeschool or otherwise. There's no legal requirement tying ages to grades. So a parent could put a kid in K, 1st, or 2nd, or, heck, even college, if they had a prodigy on their hands. It doesn't matter so long as the child is enrolled somewhere. So, do you plan for this to be K and then you will have him graduate at age 20? Functionally, at this rate he'll graduate when he's 16. By graduate I mean, be done with all the homeschooling I have to offer and go find work or college-level training. However, in our state, the ages of compulsory enrollment are six to sixteen. What the district will see, then, is a kid who either stopped his schooling or stopped reporting his schooling to the district at grade nine/age sixteen. Does that make more sense? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 Ok, yeah, this isn't the way I would do it, but you can do it however you want. When you ask, "Is this what I can get away with calling K" I assumed it was K work. Do you have to report WHAT you studied? I have actually never had to say what grade my kids are in....just their ages and that we are homeschooling. Dawn It's not required here, which is why there's so few regulations for that grade. What is required is simply that in the school year he turns six, he has to be enrolled in a school, homeschool or otherwise. There's no legal requirement tying ages to grades. So a parent could put a kid in K, 1st, or 2nd, or, heck, even college, if they had a prodigy on their hands. It doesn't matter so long as the child is enrolled somewhere. Functionally, at this rate he'll graduate when he's 16. By graduate I mean, be done with all the homeschooling I have to offer and go find work or college-level training. However, in our state, the ages of compulsory enrollment are six to sixteen. What the district will see, then, is a kid who either stopped his schooling or stopped reporting his schooling to the district at grade nine/age sixteen. Does that make more sense? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragons in the flower bed Posted April 19, 2009 Author Share Posted April 19, 2009 When you ask, "Is this what I can get away with calling K" I assumed it was K work. Do you have to report WHAT you studied? We're supposed to, but I don't. I find that my kids meet the state standards, which are based on progressive, new-fangled educational ideas, through everyday life. We could unschool and the kids would accidentally do what the state hopes to see us reporting. The classical education that I proactively give my children would never pass fly with these people. They'd be alarmed that I was assigning copywork and Latin grammar to my eight-year-old. So I just echo the state standards for each grade onto the reports I give them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 You know, for the most part, I just tell them what they want to hear....probably not the best way to go about it, but really, if my child is AT or above grade level, what do they care if I report exactly what I do? I have a little bit of a bias though as I taught public high school for 16 years, so I just DARE them to come audit me! Horrible, isn't it? Dawn We're supposed to, but I don't. I find that my kids meet the state standards, which are based on progressive, new-fangled educational ideas, through everyday life. We could unschool and the kids would accidentally do what the state hopes to see us reporting. The classical education that I proactively give my children would never pass fly with these people. They'd be alarmed that I was assigning copywork and Latin grammar to my eight-year-old. So I just echo the state standards for each grade onto the reports I give them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mamagistra Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 We could unschool and the kids would accidentally do what the state hopes to see us reporting. :lol: Yup! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 I wouldn't do it. No way. In any state, he'd be in second grade in the fall. To try to refer to him in any way as a kindergartener is just not right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 Yup, for my son, I'm going to put him in 1st grade at 7. That's when we have to enroll, if I do it the "right way". Right now, at 5, he's skip counting...some easy multiplication....spelling words out loud....(and I haven't really taught him...that's next year, I think).... He has a TON of things memorized...and is probably doing higher work, but why put him in a higher grade? This gives us one more year for testing and such... Now, for activities..I just keep him at age level...so wherever his friends are..that's where he is. I plan to homeschool all the way through...so we'll adjust as we go.... Grades are for public school anyway. Who else cares if my child knows some of his multiplication tables before he reads? Or, if he can tell you science facts that would surprise most, before he can write... BUT, I hate mandated testing...so for that...he'll be reported as a grade lower... Carrie:-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 (edited) Here, the compulsory age is 7 too, but that is just when you have to start reporting that you are homeschooling...it doesn't mean the child has to be in Kindergarten then. As a matter of fact, you CAN'T report a 5 year old kindergartener even if you wanted to. They just don't care. They whole point is..."Is the kid in school in some way by the time they are 7?" That is all the state is concerned with. I would call it 2nd grade. Edited April 19, 2009 by Tree House Academy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragons in the flower bed Posted April 19, 2009 Author Share Posted April 19, 2009 To try to refer to him in any way as a kindergartener is just not right. I'm leaning this way. I just don't want to pull extra laws down onto my head if I don't have to. The more I think about it, the more it seems like he's old enough that this would attract more attention, not less. In any state, he'd be in second grade in the fall. Here in NY, you have to be five on or before December 1st of a school year in which you'll be enrolled in order to be eligible for (optional) kindergarten, and four years old for (optional but free and state-provided) preschool. His birthday is in January, so the year he was first eligible for pre-K, he would have entered it already five years old. I'm really not sure if they would have put him in pre-K or K had we gone that route. This all seems like an absurd waste of time to me. I wish I lived in Illinois, where all you have to do is not enroll a kid in school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa B Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 I decided to register my kids in the exact grade they would be in (by age) if they were in school. I decided to do it that way in case anything ever happened to me. I want any transition to be as easy as possible on my husband and children. That is also why I have the children tested every year, even though it isn't required by the state. I keep the test scores in a binder above the computer clearly labeled and even point it out to my husband now and again. I figure with the kids' help he will find it if it is ever needed. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 Here, K is not compulsory, and because of Tazzie's birthday, he won't be registered for homeschool in gr 1 til he's 6.5. Princess, however, will register for grade 1 3 wks before her 6th birthday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragons in the flower bed Posted April 19, 2009 Author Share Posted April 19, 2009 I keep the test scores in a binder above the computer clearly labeled and even point it out to my husband now and again. I figure with the kids' help he will find it if it is ever needed. :D A gal after my own heart! I have curriculum plans made out in the event of my death, and they are in the same file folder with my will. They're customized to what I presume would be the teaching styles of the people who will be raising my kids if anything ever happens to both of us. Oh my gosh. I'm obsessed. Yes, okay, so what grade would he be in if he were in school? First or second? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littleWMN Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 I'm not understanding why people think he should be in 2nd. He's 6 right? He won't be 7 until January 2010? That would put him in FIRST grade in the fall (09). I'm not sure why you want to call it K, but if I had a child I needed to hold back (and I may in a couple of years with my mildy delayed daughter with a Dec. birthday), I wouldn't hesitate to do so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renai Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 Are you saying he just turned 6 this past January, and turns 7 January 2010? If so, yes, he would have been placed in K where you are now, and in 1st grade Fall 2009. You were asking if he would have been placed in prek or K according to your state's standards, and he'd be in K. 2007-2008 Age 4 (beginning of school year), turned 5 in January 2008, prek 2008-2009 Age 5 (beginning of school year), turned 6 in January 2009, K 2009-2010 Age 6 (beginning of school year), turns 7 in January 2010, 1st grade Does this help? I think he did fine for K :D. Renai Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 He'll turn seven in January of this school year. I am so confused!:lol: For the school year he is 6.5-7.5 should be first grade. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs. Lilac Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 I'm with the other ladies in that I call my DD a "kindergartener" regardless of what level of work she's doing. To me that's a moot point. We chucked our K curriculum around October and we've been doing 1st grade materials first. Obviously, however, I'm not going to call her a 1st grader and then have her be super young in her co-op and all activities. When I submit my list of curricula to the state, in the blank for "kindergarten" math I'll just put "Math Mammoth Grade 1" or whatever. For instance, if a p.s. child is in a remedial or advanced reading group, it doesn't change their grade level. It's just the level of the materials. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5ray2006 Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 In the state of Texas, your son would be going to the first grade in the fall of 2009. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laylamcb Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 I decided to register my kids in the exact grade they would be in (by age) if they were in school. I decided to do it that way in case anything ever happened to me. I want any transition to be as easy as possible on my husband and children. That is also why I have the children tested every year, even though it isn't required by the state. I keep the test scores in a binder above the computer clearly labeled and even point it out to my husband now and again. I figure with the kids' help he will find it if it is ever needed. :D I've done the same thing, though for a different reason. I did it just...to fly beneath the radar, so to speak. I figure the less my kids stand out to the county and state, the more likely they are to continue to rubber stamp whatever I send them. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Lynx Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 In the state of Texas, your son would be going to the first grade in the fall of 2009. Yes. I have two January birthday kids and a February kid, and they all "started 1st grade" the fall they were six. My September child "started 1st grade" the month he turned 7. So you could easily call him 1st grade without attracting attention. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiver0f10 Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 A gal after my own heart! I have curriculum plans made out in the event of my death, and they are in the same file folder with my will. They're customized to what I presume would be the teaching styles of the people who will be raising my kids if anything ever happens to both of us. Oh my gosh. I'm obsessed. Yes, okay, so what grade would he be in if he were in school? First or second? LOL I made my husband swear if I died he would use my life insurance $ to hire a tutor and continue to home school the kids. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liltrees Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 All of this talk is making my head spin!!:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 I think I mis-understood. I thought he was 7 and currently doing 2nd grade work. I have two sons. One is 11 (just turned 11) and would be 5th grade age. We are doing 4th grade work with him and if I were to put him in school, he would currently be 4th grade because of some reading and writing delays. I also have a 9 year old who would be 3rd grade. He is right on target and I would call him 3rd grade. So, it can depend on your child too. Dawn I'm not understanding why people think he should be in 2nd. He's 6 right? He won't be 7 until January 2010? That would put him in FIRST grade in the fall (09). I'm not sure why you want to call it K, but if I had a child I needed to hold back (and I may in a couple of years with my mildy delayed daughter with a Dec. birthday), I wouldn't hesitate to do so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragons in the flower bed Posted April 19, 2009 Author Share Posted April 19, 2009 My head is spinning too! You guys can stop confusing yourselves now. Thank you very much for your help. I've decided I'm calling it first grade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaik76 Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 My head is spinning too! You guys can stop confusing yourselves now. Thank you very much for your help. I've decided I'm calling it first grade. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 My head is spinning too! You guys can stop confusing yourselves now. Thank you very much for your help. I've decided I'm calling it first grade. Love you Rose! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaof2andtwins Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 My head is spinning too! You guys can stop confusing yourselves now. Thank you very much for your help. I've decided I'm calling it first grade. Rose, Yes, I am in NY and have been filing reports for 9 years. You are right. He would be called a 1st grader. Jennie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragons in the flower bed Posted April 20, 2009 Author Share Posted April 20, 2009 Love you Rose! :D I'd love you back, but apparently you're past the safe limit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 :cheers2: :smilielol5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy2BeautifulGirls Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 :D I'd love you back, but apparently you're past the safe limit. I got a great chuckle out of this! I'm going to go and get my coffee now. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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