Testing for Kindergarten Placement?

[Sparx]

well I am 14, but I remember when I was in Kindergarten. We had that test that sees if you're ready for Kindergarten. It was like "what's this colour" and stuff. They thought that I might be gifted, and wanted to see if I could read. (I couldn't) but they took me to the first grade table and tried anyway. I think if I could read they would have let me skip. I may be getting this totally wrong, but I think I've got it right.

 

[hentob]

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

I wanted to say this too. My twins are in kindergarten and both can read chapter books like Beverly Cleary and Judy Blume (not Margaret, but the Hatchers ).

Because of the level of educational programing on television, computer games and learning toys like Leap Frog products, many children are reading BEFORE kindergarten nowadays.

I agree with PAW and say enrich him at home. You already seem to be doing a great job of it.

Trust me, he will love kindergarten...............

 

[EthansMom]

Thanks for all of the replies. I agree it's a difficult decision either way. I have also known kids who were skipped who never fit in socially. Also, I've known kids who never skipped any grades and had social problems. I definitely think I'll wait until spring and then talk to the school.

Right now, DS is making leaps and bounds with his reading. He's currently reading First Grade-level phonics books and reading through them as fast as I can buy them. DS isn't as fond of writing, which would be a good reason to keep him in Kindergarten. He does well with simple addition and subtraction and has a good understanding of logic and relationships for his age. He is in preschool right now and does well there.

So, we'll continue to read with DS every night and work a little on his writing and see where he's at in the spring/summer.

Thank you for the input!

 

[golfgal]

Thanks for all of the replies. I agree it's a difficult decision either way. I have also known kids who were skipped who never fit in socially. Also, I've known kids who never skipped any grades and had social problems. I definitely think I'll wait until spring and then talk to the school.

Right now, DS is making leaps and bounds with his reading. He's currently reading First Grade-level phonics books and reading through them as fast as I can buy them. DS isn't as fond of writing, which would be a good reason to keep him in Kindergarten. He does well with simple addition and subtraction and has a good understanding of logic and relationships for his age. He is in preschool right now and does well there.

So, we'll continue to read with DS every night and work a little on his writing and see where he's at in the spring/summer.

Thank you for the input!

I guess I would say that he seems like a bright boy but not exceptional. While he might test out higher then 1st grade reading level, that isn't all that unusual for a child to read simple books like that. If he were reading Harry Potter, that would be a different story. I know a lot of kids that start kindergarten reading chapter books. The kindergarten teachers are usually well versed with many different ability groups, some being like your son and being able to read and others not even being able to recognize their own name and not knowing any colors. Personally I wouldn't even take him in for testing. Like a previous poster said kindergarten is more about learning how to sit and follow directions, learning to walk in a line, etc then it is about real academics. My DS13 was one of the taller boys in kindergarten and very social, he is now the smallest boy in the entire middle school and he is in 8th grade. Things change.

 

[mickeyboat]

I would like to cast another vote for "no." I was moved to first grade half way through Kindergarten. It worked out very well for me. But there was another boy in K at the same time who was at the same academic level I was, but they decided no to bump him up because of social issues. They said that girls tend to mature socially faster than boys.

My girls are in K right now, and they are both performing at an academic level higher than their peers. But they love it, anyway! There is a lot more to K than academics. I think K is giving them a great foundation for future learning - to instill in them that learning is fun! I don't feel the need to push them, they are only going to be little once. Is it really going to be beneficial in the long run for him to skip?

If you really feel strongly about having him skip, please go over the K cucrriculum with the school to make sure your son has all the skills that the rest of the first graders have. Here's an example, in K the kids learned the pledge of allegiance the first week of school. They recite it every day. Your son would be pretty embarassed the first day of school when all the other kids stand and recite it, and he doesn't know it.

You may have to work on some skills so that he is prepared to build on those skills in first grade. I moved around a lot growing up, and I was always ahead of the rest of the class academically. So the new school would put me in upper level courses. But if there was something covered the previous year that was not addressed in my old school's curriculum, I would be lost when my new class started the year building upon it. I think this is especially important when you factor in that your school is very small. The first grade teacher will expect your son to have mastered all the skills in the K curriculum - you need to know what those are.

Good luck in your decision.

Denae

 

[Tigger&Belle]

DS isn't as fond of writing, which would be a good reason to keep him in Kindergarten. He does well with simple addition and subtraction and has a good understanding of logic and relationships for his age. He is in preschool right now and does well there.

The writing alone would make me not even consider having him skip a grade. Very often (almost always) the writing skills lag behind the reading. When kids shart reading it's easier than writing, they practice what they like and find easier, and therefore continue to excel at reading. They don't tend to practice the writing as much, except when it's required, and do not push themselves as hard. At least that's what has been explained to me by my older kids teachers.

As far as the math, when my son was in preschool last year he also had great math skills. He could add 9+3+6+5 in his head faster than I could. His very favorite game wass Rat-a-tat-cat, which gave him a lot of practice. He was above age level for sure. I don't think it's real unusual to have those math skills and he might have more fun doing some enriching activities at home with you. I just bought a book about math enrichment and can give you the name of it if you'd like.

But if his writing skills are not as high as his reading I would wait. In a couple years everyone will be reading, but if he lags in writing that will be tougher to overcome.

 

[Wishing on a star]

I was VERY advanced when I started school.

I went to Kindergarten.

I never realized any huge 'difference' or 'being bored' (There is SO much more to school at this age than the academics. Not like sitting at a desk all day with boring busywork.)

I can NOT imagine, further along in school, being benefitted by being one year younger. Especially, as one poster mentioned... Middle School High School and Graduating and going off to college.

Also, in most schools, in the higher levels, if a child is advanced, and is capable, they are usually encouraged to enroll in advanced placement type classes or programs.

Personally, I don't think I could recommend starting a child off a full academic year ahead.


Also, just a note: From what I am seeing and undestanding, many First Grade programs are teaching MUCH more than was taught in First Grade in the past. ( I have heard this from some educators as well. Not just parents opinions.)

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Also, just a note: From what I am seeing and undestanding, many First Grade programs are teaching MUCH more than was taught in First Grade in the past. ( I have heard this from some educators as well. Not just parents opinions.)

I agree--what my kindergartener is doing this year is more of a combination of what my older kids did in K/1st grade (7 + years ago). They have to teach some of the basics because some kids don't know their phonics, etc, but it's not the same program as it was.

 

[taximomfor4]

This is a very individual, personal decision and no matter what you choose, there will be, most likely, benefits that result and problems that arise down the line. That said, we chose NOT to skip dd ahead. She was already a summer birthday, was already therefore one of the youngest in her Kindergarten class. She had never attended a preschool at all, but either way we would have put her in Kindergarten. More than academics, I think Kindergarten is about learning the school routines, behaviors, and methods. The kids learn about their school, the important people in it, where things are, what is expected of them (NOT academically), etc. When grade-skipping became necessary for us, we knew it. We went to many psychologists first for testing, counseling, etc...and stayed in counseling for 2 yrs afterward. We will probably start back again soon, 5 yrs later. DD went from 2nd to 3rd grade in a small school (everyone knew everyone) midway through the school year. Now, she just turned 12, and is in 8th grade. She is by far the youngest in her grade but most kids don't know it. She is NOT the type of kid who is desperate to fit in. She socially would have had/did have issues regardless of her grade level. She is NOT a follower by any stretch, but is also not skilled in leading, either. So grade-skipping did not CAUSE her social problems, she had those all along. Nobody her age ever gets her sense of humor, is never interested in what she is interested in, and she has always thought that her peers were "silly."

I have rambled forever, here, sorry. If you have any questions, feel free to post them, or PM me. Just know that, in the end, kids who get straight A's are often NOT the most intelligent ones (I was one of the less-gifted straight A students). Often, the most intelligent ones do NOT get the best grades. Most dr's and lawyers IQs are 125-135, whereas a profoundly gifted child (like dd) have IQ's over 160. My dad (definitely a genius, and VERY eccentric) refers to these kids as "Severely gifted."

 

[ReadingBelle]

My parents tried to have me skip kindergarten because I was way ahead of what the school had to offer. The school refused because I was too young (November birthday), and I spent the next several years reading books on my own in the back of the classroom while the teachers taught the alphabet and reading. In my experience, this was way more alienating that it would have been to be the youngest perosn in class.

One of the other reasons the school refused was because they were worried I would always be behind in size, physical development, etc. As it happened, I was one of the first people in my grade to hit puberty (middle of 5th grade, I had just turned 10). Had my parents known I would be tall and an early bloomer, they would have overruled the school.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Right now, DS is making leaps and bounds with his reading. He's currently reading First Grade-level phonics books and reading through them as fast as I can buy them. DS isn't as fond of writing, which would be a good reason to keep him in Kindergarten. He does well with simple addition and subtraction and has a good understanding of logic and relationships for his age. He is in preschool right now and does well there.

I just wanted to say that my older dd was reading at a 3rd grade level in K and that was pretty common among the kids. In fact it was the norm.

If your ds cannot write well I would not push it. Being able to write is far more telling than reading, simple math & logic. All of those things are caught up in 3rd grade by everyone. The ones that excel are the "out of the box" kids.

It is so hard to tell at his age.

 

[buddy&wooz]

My oldest skipped from 2nd to 3rd grade years ago (he's a HS senior now...) I tend toward the "don't do it" opinion- but if you do it, do it now- not during elementary school, and certainly not in the middle of a school year (I would have preferred that it happen between school years... long story.) Academically it was fine, and his maturity level was never an issue- but the social aspect has haunted him- lots of teasing through middle school because his classmates knew how much younger he was.

And all those people who told me it would be a Big Deal when his classmates got their drivers licenses well before him- they were right .

And on the writing thing- my son never learned to write well, and hates writing by hand to this day- thank goodness for computers! It never held him back academically.

 

[horseshowmom]

DD was reading on 2nd and 3rd grade level at 5 years old. After some time in K, she was switched to 1st grade. Since it was a small private school, it wasn't a big deal.

However, when we decided to start homeschooling after 4th grade, I made the decision to do 4th grade over (using different books and materials). Even though she was academically talented, she was going to be 16 when she graduated, and I didn't think it would be in her best interest to graduate at that young of an age. The Abeka curriculum that we were using tends to be advanced anyway, so it worked out well.

As it was, she was 17 when she graduated and 18 when starting college. She's on academic scholarship and has done very well. I don't think it would have been as easy if she'd been 17 starting college.

 

[KarenC]

My daughter was advanced for her age and also had an early birthday which would have made her one of the oldest in her class, if it weren't for the trend of people holding their children back. She was reading and writing by her third birthday. It was hard for me to imagine her reading for almost three years before she could start kindergarten. Her pediatrician agreed.

Remember that saying "everything I need to know I learned in kindergarten"? I think that's true. It was important to me that my daughter go through all the grades to be sure there were no holes in her education. I didn't want her to be moved ahead. So I explored early admission to kindergarten.

Before I approached the school district about my concerns, I had my daughter meet with a school psychologist recommended by an expert in gifted education. He assessed her mental and social readiness for school and determined that an early start would be appropriate. Except for 5th grade, when her peers were turning into adolescents and she was still a young girl, it worked out fine. I have no regrets, it was the right thing for her, but she probably would have been happy not to be the youngest in her class. It was very hard for her to wait to get her license.

Keep in mind that boys mature more slowly than girls, especially right around the time they start high school. Boys change so much at 14--the youngest boy in the Freshman class is going to look and act a lot different than most of his peers. Also, while my daughter did things early, all of her peers eventually learned to do the same things she did. She remained way ahead of the pack in math, but despite her early talking, reading and writing, she didn't end up excelling verbally in the way I would have expected when she was young.

Another point--when I was young my teachers always wanted to move me ahead but I was the smallest kid in my class. My mom didn't think it was a good idea. When I was in 3rd grade, they put me in a split class that was 3rd and 4th grade. My teacher gave me all the 4th grade work, which I was able to do with no problem. However, I never went through the normal steps to learn division and I had to re-learn how to divide every year. That's what made me not favor skipping grades.

Give your son a chance to sample all sorts of non-school related extra curricular activities (music, sports, art) so he can find something else he enjoys. It's important for him to learn to take risks and know that it's okay not to be the best at something. Help him appreciate the strengths of all his peers, even if they don't "get it" as quickly as he does. Good luck but don't worry too much. In the long run, the smart, well-adjusted kids turn out more than fine.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

And on the writing thing- my son never learned to write well, and hates writing by hand to this day- thank goodness for computers! It never held him back academically.

True! My dd wants to be an author so I am not really a good judge there I suppose.
She writes stories now and Texas has academic competitions! She can do what she loves and compete.

 

[tar heel]

You absolutely answered your own question when you said that he had a normal attention span for his age. Unless he's reading computer manuals and encyclopedias, I wouldn't worry about this a bit more.

As others have said, it's very common for bright kids to teach themselves to read. My experience is that once they get down the basics, it's not unusual for them to be able to read pretty much anything they want to.

Two of my kids started K reading at a middle school level. One had a wonderful K experience and the other didn't. Skipping a grade wouldn't have been a solution, though, b/c middle school would have been an unmitigated disaster. He wasn't ready for it socially as it was -- if he had gone a year early . . . I can't even imagine.

 

[EthansMom]

My parents tried to have me skip kindergarten because I was way ahead of what the school had to offer. The school refused because I was too young (November birthday), and I spent the next several years reading books on my own in the back of the classroom while the teachers taught the alphabet and reading. In my experience, this was way more alienating that it would have been to be the youngest perosn in class.

Sounds like you had an experience similar to mine in school. My parents asked about having me skipped in grade school and were always told, "Just wait until she's in Junior High. She'll have all of her needs met in Junior High." Yes, I finally found my niche when I hit the advanced curriculum in Junior High, but it was torture socially to sit through 7 years of grade school first. Don't get me wrong, I learned a lot in grade school and had friends, but I would have been much happier if I was offered more learning, faster and if I had been in a classroom where I wasn't ostracized by some other students for picking up the information so quickly. Taking advanced classes in Junior High and AP classes in High School, I finally found myself surrounded by a large group of my academic peers.

No, my son isn't some little Einstein, but a well-rounded kid who's learning things so quickly these days that DH and I are astounded. Like any good parents, we'd like to feed his brain with experiences and an academic curriculum that meet his needs. Certainly, if he's more ready for Kindergarten than First Grade, I would want him to go to Kindergarten.

I'm a firm believer that each person has one or more special gifts and that it's important to encourage and support our children as they develop their gifts.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Perhaps you can make up for it at home. I think most children need the social aspect of school. Our DD was reading at a 6th grade level by the time she started 1st grade, but she was far less advanced with her social and coordination development. She was also one of the younger ones at her grade level. We made up for it by working on reading and other things at home. I probably need to explain that my DD (who is now 36) had Cerebral Palsy and was less active and coordinated than many her age. In fact, she didn't even walk well until she was over 3, and then still had falling issues. She REALLY needed school for all of those kinds of development things, even though she didn't need it for the reading. I'd say, send her to school and let them decide where she belongs and let them decide if and when she should be advanced. Either that or home school her, unless you don't feel adequate.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

It looks like you've gotten a lot of thoughtful responses, and a lot to think about. The most important thing to remember at this point is, taking a long range view. Even if you decide today that acceleration isn't in the cards for this child, you may change your mind down the line. It can be difficult to navigate the possibilities for a bright/gifted child, and "my" answer may not be "your" answer--and my answer for my DD may not be what's best for DS! Since this is likely to be a concern of yours going forward, I would take the time now to investigate what gifted programs your school system offers, as well as looking at outside enrichment options. If you've read any of the gifted threads on this board, gifted programs can range from wonderful to abysmal. As far as outside activities, I would look to your child's strengths--mine have done various sports, scouts,music, theater, foreign language, and the school starts Junior Great Books at K. You really should explore the options in your area, don't be afraid to have him try stuff to find the right balance for your family. Too bad these durn kids don't come with instruction manuals, huh!

 

[EthansMom]

I would take the time now to investigate what gifted programs your school system offers, as well as looking at outside enrichment options. If you've read any of the gifted threads on this board, gifted programs can range from wonderful to abysmal. As far as outside activities, I would look to your child's strengths--mine have done various sports, scouts,music, theater, foreign language, and the school starts Junior Great Books at K. You really should explore the options in your area, don't be afraid to have him try stuff to find the right balance for your family. Too bad these durn kids don't come with instruction manuals, huh!

I will have to look into any "gifted education" offered by the school. I know they don't offer gifted classes, but may offer enrichment (pull kids out of class).

DS is currently in swim class. DS's teacher is excellent and it's a joy to watch him have so much fun. Also, DS goes to preschool at the same children's gym where he takes swim classes and gets to use the gymnastics facility and pool with his class each week -- a big plus for my active child.

If you find one of those manuals, I'll pay good money for a copy. Of course, I'll need a different version for DD who is a completely different personality -- just as bright as DS, but completely unique!