Testing for Kindergarten Placement?

[EthansMom]

Does anyone have experience with children skipping Kindergarten to go straight into First Grade?

I'm not trying to brag, but I think that my DS4 might be better served by going straight to the First Grade curriculum at our public school next fall. What kind of testing does that usually include and how hard is it to get the testing done?

(Long story short, DS4 is a huge reader -- knows his letters and phonics and loves to read. Our public school doesn't teach much reading until First Grade. In addition, DS is also a bit advanced with math and science and it may be that he would find Kindergarten boring. I'm not trying to be pushy, just trying to find the best place for my son!)

Thanks for your input/advice/thoughts!

 

[glass-slipper]

I'll bet you are so proud of your son! My Ds was very advanced for his age as well, he was reading with comprehension at 2 yrs.old! Anyway, I struggled with the decision of school placement. I finally decided to place him in private school, based on their curriculum. I didn't want him to skip a grade because he was small for his age and shy and even though he could have aced the work, I knew he wouldn't have been comfortable with the older kids. I think it all depends on how mature your son is for his age. I think when they are that young, a year is a big difference. Maybe you should speak to someone at the school and see what they recommend? Good luck!

 

[disykat]

Rather than sending him straight to first grade, I'd talk to someone in the district and see if they can be somewhat creative about his placement. It is not often appropriate to have kids too far ahead of their agements - socially it can be difficult. I think you'll be surprised to find out that many K classrooms are set up to handle kids of many different levels.

If you check with the district they may be able to shunt you towards a specific teacher or program that works well with kids who are ahead academically. If not, I'd see about a K placement with the possiblity of enrichment or going to a different grade level for part of the day.

 

[tar heel]

While first grade MIGHT be the best place for him now, you can be pretty darn certain that middle school will not be the place for him when he's 10. You have to think of all the ramifications of putting a child, especially a boy, ahead. I had two very advanced kindergartners, and there's no way skipping a grade would have been the right thing for them. My older son's preschool director told us that he was so advanced that skipping was going to come up (and it did), but to please not do it b/c it would be the wrong thing for him. He's 21 now, he did not skip and I'm 100% positive she was correct.

There's also a lot more to kindergarten than academics. You may be surprised by how much he still has to learn to be ready for first grade.

As the previous poster said, you also may be surprised by the other children. My younger son's K class had four strong readers, so they worked as a group on academic skills way past the regular curriculum. It was a much better situation than his brother had had. Interestingly, all four of them are still at the top the class -- they've been in AG, quiz bowl, etc., together and are now in 6th grade. As you probably know, it isn't always the case that kids who are ahead early on to stay significantly ahead.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I have a friend who has a son who skipped K. He was in a private preschool and basically did K there and went straight to 1st at our local elem school. He'd missed the cut-off by less than a week, but at the time our cut-off was 12/31, so he is very young (our cut-off has now been bumped back). He's not a freshman in high school and I'm not so sure that his parents would have made the same decision again. Even though he's very smart, he's not exactly the most mature and stands out as being young.

How close to the cut-off is your son? I would really think long and hard before having him skip a grade. In a year or 2 all the kids will be reading, so he won't stand out as being so far ahead of the other kids then. I would consider a private Kindergarten, especially if yours only 1/2 day.

 

[daisyduck123]

Yes, my DD11 did skip.

There are some tests but the only one they did with my DD was a reading test on the 2nd day of Kindergarten. They took her through the 3rd grade reading test - she scored 100 (oral reading & comprehension) - and they decided to go no further.

The school wanted my DD to skip Kindergarten but she was in the same class with her best friend, & loved her teacher....so I said no. So they sent her to a 1st grade class each day of Kind. for the 1st grade 1.5 hour Language Arts block. She was waaayyy ahead of them & next year when she was in first grade they did not want her to go to 2nd grade for reading. They would only skip her - so she skipped & became a 2nd grader. The principal talked about skipping her again but I said "No, that's it".

I've always said that if I had to do it over....I would have had her leave the kindergarten & skip to 1st....rather than waiting til 1st & skipping to 2nd.

Have you talked with the school? Is this their idea? I wasn't really given a choice...but it has turned out great. She adjusted great and has a ton of friends. She's just turned 11 in the 7th grade (she's in the 8th grade Math class ) & will graduate at 16.

No one can even tell she's younger. She's taller than all of her 12 & 13 year old friends (none of her middle school teachers even know she skipped, except the one who learned she was 10)..& has so many that sometimes we don't even answer the phone. She is on the Principal's honor roll. Everything has just worked out perfectly.

You can P.M. with any questions.

 

[ahutton]

My oldest DD is also very advanced in her skills, but we decided that K was the best place for her at her school (private school). She is a January bday (8/31 is our cutoff) and socially she is doing great, and academically they are working with each of the kids in small groups at their level for the subject matter. I don't know that K in public school would have been the right place but we made our decision based on the school she would be going to, knowing we could always decide to advance her further later if appropriate.

 

[daisyduck123]

Oh, I forgot to answer one of your questions when I posted above.
Here, it is called "Early Admission". A Kindergarten student can be promoted to 1st grade but must be in Kindergarten for 30 school days, along with the testing/evaluations, before promotion can take place. It is not done often here though. When DD11 was promoted, the principal said it was the 1st one he had done in his 20 years. In my 15 years of teaching, only 1 time was there ever a grade skipping done (the boy was a near genuis). This is just to say that in Maryland, it isn't done on a whim.

 

[ksjayhawks]

We also had a ds strong in reading, math, science. He was even an older kindergartener, but we sent him to kindergarten anyway. The teacher was very good with working with him and the other advanced kids. While academically, certain kids may be ready to go to 1st grade, the social skills that they learn as well as the emotional growth that they experience is a necessary part of their learning. Also down the road, you may regret that you have skipped him and you won't want to hold him back then.

I would rather have one of the older kids in a grade than the youngest. Will you want your 15 year old out with 16 and 17 year olds when he is in high school? Do you want him going to college at 17? Those are all things to think of before making your decision.

This is another concern which may or may not affect you--sports. If they play by grade level, do you want him competing against boys who are physically one year--or more--older? Or, if it is by age, he will be playing down with boys he may or may not know. I know this is a small part of the picture, but something to think about.

Work with the school and see what they can do. When you consider the short amount of time that the kindergarteners are in school, by the time they do group, have recess and snacks, and do specials, the time goes by quickly. Perhaps a parent will come in and work with the advanced readers. Perhaps the gifted teacher can give him some activities to do. When he is in 2nd grade, he should be able to be tested for the gifted program.

I think that the age difference is more noticeable in boys than in girls. Boys do not mature as quickly and it is so noticeable in high school. I could always pick out the youngest ones in my classes.

Good luck in your decision, but be sure to look farther down the road than just "now" when you make your decision. Maybe talk to some junior high/high school counselors and teachers and get their opinions as well.

 

[EthansMom]

Thank you for the replies. DS is an August birth and the cutoff here is Dec. 31st, so DS would be somewhat young even going into Kindergarten. If DS went straight into First Grade, he would be the youngest by at least 9 months.

We live in a very small New England village and our grade school has only one class per grade, so trying to get an assignment to a more challenging teacher isn't possible. And the local private schools are prohibitively expensive ($26k per year -- ouch!).

DS is large for his age, very social, and is friends with kids that would be in both the Kindergarten and First Grade class, so I'm not as concerned about social issues as I would be if DS was small, shy and didn't know anyone in the First Grade. My biggest concern would be that DS has the typical maturity and attention span for his age.

I plan to talk to the principal in the spring about having DS tested to make sure his academic needs are met. I'm really not as concerned about putting DS ahead as making sure that he isn't bored. (I wasn't challenged academically in grade school, but my parents didn't skip me. I finally "fit in" academically when I hit Jr. High and was allowed to take High School-level math and advanced English classes.)

If necessary, we could always just send DS to whatever class/program offered by our public school and offer enrichment opportunities at home.

Thank you for sharing your experiences and opinions!

 

[donnajon]

On the other hand, my sister's son did pooly in the kindergarten. She had the choice to let him go ahead to first grade or to repeat kindergarten. His birthday is late October. The school told her that if he repeated, as an older kid he would be a leader but if he went on to first grade, he would be one of the youngest and likely be a follower. She choose to hold him back and he is now a senior in high school. Not the brightest bulb in the pack but definitely a leader. And he is a star athelete. His brother is two years older and recently, not attending college and recently told his mother he wishes he would have been held back early on. He thought it would have benefited his studies.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

This is just to say that in Maryland, it isn't done on a whim.

We're in MD, too, and you're right, they don't do it easily. You are in a different county, though, because we don't have the 30 day in kindergarten rule. That's difficult on the child--let them adjust to one classroom and then move to a different one.

 

[Beca]

My dd is a very bright 3yr old. This issue is already coming up with her pre-school. DH and I have talked about it....I don't think we are going to move her up. I have taught several kids who skipped one, even two grades. All of this kids were girls, and while they are doing exceptionally well...I don't want my dd dating so early, or more importantly....leaving home to go off to college earlier...I want her home as long as I can!!! That's probably selfish, but girls need to be prepared in ALL ways of life for their own safety. I never used to speak my mind when I was younger....now, I find it hard NOT to speak my mind!!

There are so many aspects to "intelligence". Sometimes, I think we put too much emphasis on reading and writing. My dd can read, write and add and subtract at 3....but, she is small, shy, and not so good in social situations. She needs to "learn" from other kids who excel in these areas....plus, she's my baby!!!

Okay, did I rationalize that enough?!! I guess we feel guilty either way!!

Beca

 

[Cindy B]

Well, I wouldn't do it.

I dated a guy who was so intelligent he graduated college at 16. Yes, college graduate (Bachelors) at 16. I met him when he was 25, and in the work force for my years. Was he not as well versed socially? I would say yes. Was he incredibly bright? Yes.

I asked him once if he would skip grades again and he said "Absoleutely not.". I actually skipped a grade due to cut offs and I would never ever do that again to anyone. I was 17 and in college, I couldn't drive my car and get a license until December of my senior year of high school when most were driving for two or more years then.

 

[golfgal]

He is going to be VERY young socially in his class and while that might be fine in kindergarten, that won't be so fine come 6th, 7th, 8th grade and beyond. Our cutoff is Aug 31st and most people in our town hold kids back that are August birthdays. It is possible that if you were ever to move he could be 2 years younger then kids in his class, that is WAY too much of a difference, especially with boys. Most schools aren't all that gung ho about skipping kids that they haven't had in class. There are other factors to consider other then that fact that he can read well. There are a LOT of kids that read well before kindergarten.

I am also curious what you base your "advanced" on for math, reading and science? What are you using for comparison. What kind of math does your son do? We had a neighbor boy that was doing simple algebraic problems in kindergarten (x+7=10 type problems) in his head. Everyone thought he was very bright. He is a good student, but not the top in his class-he is now in 6th grade. Some kids catch on to some things earlier then others but don't understand some concepts until later then others.

There are also some kids that seem very average in toddlerhood that end up being top in the class at school. You just never know. I wouldn't be in too much of a hurry to pass him along. Kindergarten and ESPECIALLY first grades are not the best grades to skip. If he seems to be ready to move a head, second grade is a better grade to skip.

 

[SGB13]

My daughter is a Sept birthday and cut off's here are mid Oct. She is always one of the youngest and usually the smallest in her class each year. I almost held her back when she started kindergarten due to social issues. Lets face it, kindergarten is more about learning to sit in school and handle the social issues than about learning anything. JMHO

 

[Aidensmom]

I don't have a child that did it, buy I myself went to Kindergarten a year early, meaning I went to 1st grade when I should have been entering kindergarten.

Even being the youngest in kindergarten, I could already read and do most of the other things we were learning. At the end of the year, however, the teacher suggested I repeat kindergarten because of my social skills. My parents chose to not have me repeat, but I was a junior in high school (when I moved to FL) before I really fit in due to my social skills. Get labeled by the other kids in first grade, and it sticks with you. Even after my social skills developed, the other kids had already cast me as an outsider.

To make a long story short, my point is, IMO, if you believe he is socially ready to do so, do it. But if you have any doubts in his social skills, he could be in for a rough childhood.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

I have to add my voice to the ones saying, "Don't be in a rush to skip him!" DS8 is very, very smart--when they tested him at the beginning of K, he got 95% at the sixth grade level. They tried testing him further, but eventually gave up--the kid could read anything. The school made noises about him combining 1/2 (they have a multi-age class, that he moved to). Well, it was a disaster. he didn't fit in with either the first or second graders, the teacher hated him, he had a miserable year. For him, the social/emotional aspects of skipping were more than he could handle, at this time. Now, your child may be different. But you might want to at least try the K program first. We found for our DS, the fact that he could read meant there was one area where he already excelled and could "relax", while working on other skills he did need to develop.

It's not easy either way, esp. with a small school district where your choices are limited. My best recommendation is to take your time and consider your long term goals and options. Best of luck in whatever you decide.

 

[poohandwendy]

I think I would be more apt to trying enrichment at home than skipping him now. He may be socially mature and big for his age now, but that can/does change over the years. I would more concerned with the bigger picture (his entire academic experience- all the way through college) than this year and fears of boredom that haven't even occured yet. I guess what I am saying is that I would 'wait and see' how it goes. JMHO.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I guess I have to ask what kind of books is he reading?
Reading before K is pretty normal.

I read before K, so did my mother and my older dd (14). No one "taught" me. I just picked up a book and read. I don't know how I did that.

However...my youngest dd (9) did not learn to read until the end of K. I started to worry. She did all of a sudden get it and then has not stopped since.
Now she is being tested for gifted/talented program. She is way ahead in her classes.

I don't know what you should do but I just wanted to say that things will become very clear at the end of 1st grade. (She should have been in gifted/talented in 2nd, but that is another story.)

Good Luck!