Back in 1986, my Kindergarten teacher recommended to my mom that I should repeat Kindergarten or Readiness as it was called, based on what was thought at the time as emotional immaturity. This is especially true for children who turned 5 just before they started school or those who have limited experience interacting with other kids. My, very young for grade (August 22nd birthday), 5 year old was reading at 3. He gets 100% on everything. "When is it a good idea to repeat kindergarten?" And the question of benefit vs. detriment can be a more difficult one to answer. And the social stigma of being held back can have a major impact on a child's attitude. Does he like to look at books? Instead, I found myself teetering on a tiny chair while the teacher warned me that Sammy might have to repeat the year. In the 1980s and early 1990s, there was a great deal of progress made in converting teachers and schools into providers of developmentally appropriate curriculum, and allowing children to grow at their own paces. I had 2 children held back and come to find out BOTH have dyslexia. (Oh, and don't call it that!). Insecurity concerning her classroom authority will certainly compound any immaturity problems, especially with highly active boys.I would lean toward accepting the school's recommendation. Get in touch! You just couldnt see or analyze yourself ! Your child is young for the grade, however, and repeating might give him more even footing with the other children in kindergarten. She's been a teacher for over 20 years, and says she . I know I am extremely late to this article, but both my twin brother and I repeated Kindergarten during the 1993-1994 school year. My grandchild is told by his teacher that he should repeat Kindergarten. This study was from Taiwan where the cut-off date, similar to the U.S., is August 31. My sons school sends graded test and work hes done through out the year and hes been doing great! Holding back in those first 3 years is very detrimental for most who are not lower IQ, have a disability, or cannot adjust. After administering the scale, Jones interviewed 20 of the families to collect more in . You can find out the exact first grade requirements in your state by writing to your local Department of Education. I was continuously told what an eager happy angel we had, however he never progressed to the standard. Why had his teacher not told us earlier that he was having issues so we could have worked more with him on blending or got him more help? A fantastic memory, the main reason they want to possibly repeat kindergarten is due Was it the finger painting that did her in, or was it story time? I have an almost 6 year old. If starting school is postponed for boys with birthdays after, say, June 1, "immature" boys suddenly become those with birthdays after March 1. "He needs to have a different educational experience, as well as interventions and support to address his areas of need," Rief says. Take a closer look at the immature behavior and see if you pick up on patterns. Child. I just received a letter about a possible retention for my son, i do have a meeting scheduled with the school. I feel bad for her emotional wellbeing. Children who are behind in these areas late into kindergarten may: In deciding whether your child should repeat kindergarten, it is important to consider whether he has all the skills he needs to go on to first grade. Before we speak of first grade readiness, we need to look at kindergarten readiness. He will catch on that he was held back as he watches his friends move on. My son is in what they call the foundation year, kindergarten. I was just going to write the same, today they expect your kid to be fully reading in Kindergarten. It has been a nightmare to get help for them. Im not a parent or teacher, just happened to stumble across this page while doing personal research and I would like to share my story. Repeating kindergarten is not apocalyptic. Emily you are 100% percent correct! Just dont know why he can not put the sounds together to make the word?? Thread starter katie111; Start date May 30, 2013; K. katie111 DIS Veteran. Who wants to hear their child is average? Hes great with a scissors, but doesnt really get along well with other children. I think she meant years old not month old., my son is 6 year old the teacher told me he has to repeat kindergarten because he dont want to do his classwork and he does not follow directions what should i do plz help me. The teacher cant get him past level B, but Ive helped him with level C and D books before. Parents can ask to see examples of their child's work compared to the work of other children of the same age. They needed less remediation, and they earned higher grades while enrolled. He can build master structures with a huge number of plastic blocks of all sizes and do things with triangular and square magnets that are amazing. Moms know their children better than anyone. However his fine motor skills need work. But then again I just cant understand why 1st grade cant help him write his letters perfectly? New research suggests repeating elementary school grades even kindergarten is harmful. She doesn't know her letters, their sounds, or her numbers. We did not have the money to send him to daycare and it was just to short of a notice. But all are given time to find their feet in school, and time to succeed. This doesn't mean you won't . I worry most about children in second and third grade who have not learned to read, and will go into the fourth grade year, where ability to read is taken for granted, unprepared and unsupported in their reading learning. My frustration is with the teacher and her seeming intent in holding my little guy back for whatever reason by not supplying the tools necessary to help him be successful in kindergarten. Pros. etc. I may just decide to revisit the topic and include the study in my piece. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. The teachers have not been taught what dyslexia is and IS NOT. Being one of the youngest in the class can play a role. She said he is average but not ahead of the others. Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law. Lets follow Finlands example. I feel that not only with his issues but that Covid gave us a perfect chance to mulligan the previous year. I did not know HALF of what my grandson at 5 now knows when I was his age, but I went on to get 3 college degrees and was asked to work with the state educational committees for years on curriculum. To repeat kindergarten and that i was not smart enough to continue and my Parents disagreed, now i am 28 years old working with my respiratory therapist license saving lives. I cant tell you all shes put up with this year, all the extra tutoring in and outside of school, the testing, speech therapy, etc etc. If it makes you feel better, I am POSITIVE you are doing the right thing. I just wanted to know what are my rights as a parent in the state of Texas. Long story short, he did not do well in kindergarten. Repeating a grade, or grade retention, is rarely a good choice for a child who struggles academically, behaviorally, or socially. What could be bad about spending more time on these skills before going to first grade? These teachers, trying to put all kids in a peg as either Got it or Did not get it, are unconscionable ! He lives with adults and communicates like a little adult. And should my husband and I agree to have him held back or "retained" if that's what his teacher ultimately advised? Requirements for first grade readiness vary from state to state. What looks like a tantrum could actually be sensory overload. While your child's teacher may make the suggestion that your child repeat kindergarten, it's up to you, the parent, to make the final decision. I'm looking for advice/experience in having a child repeat a grade. We also dont want him to hurt his self esteem. Is this fact likely to upset him a great deal? School!. My son turned 5 a week before the deadline. I have never had such a tough time with something. Backing up . He's well above average academically and he gets along great with the kids, but his teacher wants him to repeat kindergarten because he's socially immature. (June 5, 2012) http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=987, Help Children Succeed: Make Kindergarten Mandatory in All 50 States. If the problems are ignored and a repeat becomes necessary 3 or 4 years later, that becomes a difficult experience for a child. I kept saying I feel like it was dyslexia and they gave all the excuses why it was not.well they were wrong and my children paid a very high price in self esteem, a year behind their friends, and still not being serviced. Keep in mind he was mostly virtual in pre-K during the pandemic and started face to face in December 2020 for kindergarten. Because there won't be any more school, in her opinion Julia should repeat kindergarten again. First, identify the reasons. Weve read to him every day for long periods of time since he was 2 months old. And while its bad, no point crying over spilled milk. May 30, 2013 #1 . Thirty of these families had chosen to redshirt their sons back in kindergarten, and 25 opted not to. We showed up to a parent teacher conference yesterday and were told they needed the decision right then. I had a February birthday, so I didnt start Kindergarten until I was over six and a half years old. Redshirting is the practice of postponing entrance into kindergarten of age-eligible children in order to allow extra time for socioemotional, intellectual, or physical growth. Most school districts will inform you relatively early in the year if your child is at risk for retention. immature or have difficulty acquiring basic academic skills (Mantzicopoulos and Morrison 1992), while upper grade retention is based solely or largely on academic . 7y. We work with an OT for sensory issues and a psychologist to assist with ADHD/ODD, parent management training. In what state do you teach, Emily? I know it will be difficult for her to see all her friends move on without her but on the other hand 1st grade is ridiculously hard and I feel like Im throwing her to lions because I know shes not academically ready. His school has been lacking in what a student needs to know and work on before end of year. If your child still finds these tasks difficult by the end of kindergarten, he is probably not ready to go to first grade, either. A school psychologist should do a battery of tests to determine why a student isn't progressing. They seem to retain NOTHING from the entire day at school! I do know a few who "red shirted" due to perceived immaturity who regretted it once the kids hit jr high & high school., jodifla WDW lover since 1972. I was of the opposite opinion. Im having the opposite problem. Ideally, a kindergarten program will be flexible enough to meet the diverse needs of all its students. Ignored and a repeat becomes necessary 3 or 4 years later, becomes. 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