She also maintains a private practice in the evaluation and teaching of children with learning disabilities and attention deficit disorders. So I told her teacher today that we will work hard with her and that if she isnt eligible to pass that I will be pulling her out of the school system because something isnt right when 3/5 of my children are at risk of failing right now. A child who is ready for first grade can: While your childs teacher may make the suggestion that your child repeat kindergarten, its up to you, the parent, to make the final decision. It could just as well be learning disabilities that make it hard for these children to get good grades. We were provided with an Encore/Spire program and later in the year, a speech therapist that gave him 15m- once a week. The research is very clear that even if children are not ready academically or emotionally they do not benefit from retention. He may grow physically and may feel comfortable amongst his peers. My son's teachers are suggesting he repeat kindergarten. We are solely to blame for not having our son attend pre-k as I was uneducated on its value. I am a teacher, and I HAVE reevaluated after many years of thinking what is not analytically true. From old progress reports, it appears the emotional immaturity stemmed from not consistently staying on task and randomly talking out of turn. Talk to your child's teacher about whether repeating a grade would be helpful or hurtful at your child's age. I am a retired teacher, having taught 43 years, at the primary level and the middle school level. (June 7, 2012) http://www.change.org/petitions/help-children-succeed-make-kindergarten-mandatory-in-all-50-states, Mlyniec, Vicky. Media inquiries:media@understood.org(preferred) or646-757-3100. For more information on grade school, child development and related topics, check out the links on the next page. The health and medical related resources on this website are provided solely for informational and educational purposes and are not a substitute for a professional diagnosis or for medical or professional advice. Here are some common examples of immature behavior that you might see: Some kids seem to act young all the time. Because of COVID, there will be many children who are betwixt and between. I feel bad for her emotional wellbeing. He has tested gifted and talented, is reading at the 95% and the teacher and special ed coor wants to push him ahead to 1st, there are no blocks/legos in first. There is something schools could do, though you are more likely to find a willingness to do it in a private or parochial school. Varda Meyers Epstein serves as editor in chief of Kars4Kids Parenting. A fantastic memory, the main reason they want to possibly repeat kindergarten is due Your child is young for the grade, however, and repeating might give him more even footing with the other children in kindergarten. Social interactment, discipline, only basic skills as for letters and numbers, and becoming more mature are the only skills needed for first grade. My 6 year old daughter is in Kindergarten at a private school in NYC. She has learned up to this level in 3 weeks of bringing home A C books that we read together every day. We were told today that we should leave her back because she isnt progressing at the pace of other Kindergartners. What could be bad about spending more time on these skills before going to first grade? On the positive side, keeping your child in kindergarten for another year certainly reduces the likelihood he or she will begin first grade in a rough spot that could lead to long-term academic and social insecurity. No wonder you feel insecure about doing what is obviously the right thing for your son. There is typically little-to-no social stigma with repeating kindergarten; kids are often all too happy to get to do so. As far as hes concerned he didnt finish kindergarten and he believes this is a short break due to Covid. However, in years past, before standardized testing became so prominent, in the years when teaching to the test was an anathema, children learned to read in first grade. Colors perfect gets along with other kids good, writes his name and letters and much more. Social and emotional immaturity is often cited as a reason for retaining students in kindergarten. They want him to repeat kindergarten. At the end of the year, most of the children go to first grade. "He needs to have a different educational experience, as well as interventions and support to address his areas of need," Rief says. Not sure what to do, you speak to a few experts, do your research, and decide to chance it and send your child on to kindergarten. Was it the finger painting that did her in, or was it story time? Rose, my heart breaks for you and your grandson, as it does my grandson. (June 5, 2012) http://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/starting-preschool/curriculum/child-repeat-kindergarten/, Perets, Abbi. Hes on the low end of the spectrum. Was a stronger speaker, reader, simple math, etc. You feel confused. Using a tool called the Multidimensional Students' Life Satisfaction Scale, Jones measured each child's general satisfaction with life as adolescents. This used to be Kinder requirements, now they are prek requirements. That can be frustrating and cause kids to act out. Perhaps students with learning disabilities who repeat kindergarten do better in school than they would have had they not repeated kindergarten. The Age of the Child. If they arent reading, it isnt even a question that they remain in kindergarten. 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. Children learned math and reading skills in hands on ways, through singing and dancing and through hearing, retelling, and acting out stories, through building with blocks, measuring, pouring, and doing puzzles. And in fact, thats what im going to do. His teacher has to repeat everything to him. More academic focus. . 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. Babies' immune systems begin to mature soon after birth. She explained that he was frustrated by and uninterested in just about everything the class did a red flag that something was amiss. Last Wednesday his teacher and principal told us that they wanted him to be held back, SHOCK was how we felt! It can feel like an insult: like your child isnt smart. Before using this Expert Advice area, please review our General and Medical Disclaimers. Retention often is associated with increased behavior problems. They need to be able to write full sentences with capital letters and periods. My son has completely lost his memory of everything he studied or learned. 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 son will be the last to learn how to drive. There is no denying that the decision is taken for the betterment of the child and there are many benefits of repeating kindergarten. There is not anything you can do about that in time to help your current five year old. They might burst into tears when something goes wrong or get clingy when they feel insecure like little kids typically do. I was keep back in school and I hate it to this day. Repeating kindergarten, preschool or even the first or second grade is often not a big deal and life goes on. The teacher has let him build legos, blocks pretty much all year. Because children develop at such different rates and the kindergarten age span can run from 4 to 6, there is a tremendous range in social, physical and cognitive development. Following that advice, my parents moved us to a private school that went through 8th grade. Ask about any additional services the school can provide and what you can do at home to help. Reassure him that you think he'll have a happy and successful year, and work with the teacher to help make that happen. Teachers don't suggest this because they think it's funny, they do it because they know the child and what's best for it. If the problems are ignored and a repeat becomes necessary 3 or 4 years later, that becomes a difficult experience for a child. Free single copies of "The Elementary School Performance and Adjustment of Children Who Enter Kindergarten Late or Repeat Kindergarten," are available from the National Library of Education at . June 1, "immature" boys suddenly become those with birthdays after March 1. They feel repeating would be a good option so his social/behavior/impulse control and executive functioning to catch up. Repeating a grade increases the risk. Do you often have to repeat the instructions for even a simple one-step task? I might as well homeschool. Repeating a class may help your kid to be better prepared for his next class. Hi, So finally did you decide on this? Specific pieces of knowledge are really only part of the picture, though. He isn't ready for that. He where he should be academically. I sort of understand. My best friend has a child who is 6 months old, a girl, and said to be 100% ready for 1st grade by her teacher. Suddenly, scores on those tests were the only thing that mattered. Im so upset! In one study, researchers associated this poor academic performance with repeating kindergarten. My son is in what they call the foundation year, kindergarten. The reason? Oh my goodness, yes! I've done a lot of research and it's the general consensus that grade repetition isn't the way to go. I can write his letters theyre just not perfect. Think about milestones, If you began teaching 10 . I found out that a bunch of kids in my grade were like 21 months younger than me. Hyperactivity, trouble with focus, and not getting enough sleep can be factors. Ugh. For a child who is behind his or her peers, these potential positives are real and significant. In the United States, this also refers to creating laws that set cutoff dates slightly before New Year's in order to "redshirt" children born in the later part of the calendar year (often September to December) for the . 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. As a teacher, I have seen many students struggle as they are younger and immature compared to their cohort. Hes also on an IEP since the beginning of the year. He may even be ahead of his new classmates. I got held back in preschool for crying too much. Some kids just need more time to develop. Acting immature can be a sign that kids are struggling and need more support. We are confident that she will be prepared for 1st grade by September. You can find out the exact first grade requirements in your state by writing to your local Department of Education. Sensory issues: Some kids react strongly to sensory information and may get overwhelmed by things like bright lights. We attended class parties and could quickly realize the difference in maturity, knowledge and socializing shortcomings. Here are some of the skills that children are expected to demonstrate by the end of kindergarten, according to educator Rief: When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Your use of the site indicates your agreement to be bound by our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may want to seek help from the school in having your child assessed for school readiness. During first year, was one of the youngest in the class. It was almost like getting held back twice. Repeating kindergarten is not apocalyptic. School will respect our decision at the end of the day, but I honestly did not realize we would feel this much lack of support. This is not about how smart your child is. Emotional. Some young children attain the age of reason, the ability . Once I got to middle school I started to notice that all the other kids looked really little. But now he should be able to keep up with his friends in the work theyre doing in kindergarten. 4. All in all we just think its not right move for him to move up, but we are struggling mostly with how he will react when he sees that all his buddies are in a different class and hes not able to interact with them the same way he used to. (June 5, 2012) http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=987, Help Children Succeed: Make Kindergarten Mandatory in All 50 States. No matter what you decide to do, keep in mind your child is looking to you to set the tone. She doesn't know her letters, their sounds, or her numbers. Q Even though he had an early August birthday, we started our son in kindergarten at a private Christian school. immature or have difficulty acquiring basic academic skills (Mantzicopoulos and Morrison 1992), while upper grade retention is based solely or largely on academic . Thirty of these families had chosen to redshirt their sons back in kindergarten, and 25 opted not to. Im ver sure I could have helped him read the schools books that they test him with that would have helped him with retention of sight words ( we continue to read ours), I am continuing to go over the sight words and he can put them into sentences and makes up stories as well. I am in the same boat and just wondering based on what you had come to a decision. Heres what I think: were pushing these young children too hard. I'm a Mom and a Music Teacher: Here's How I Nurture My Children's Love for Music, Bullying Is Harmful to Kids' Mental HealthSchool Solutions to the Problem Often Fail Black Children, Takes care of personal needs (going to the bathroom, zipping jacket), Understands common directional words (below, between, above), Knows alphabet and capital and lowercase letters, Understands story concepts of beginning, middle, and end, Can write a simple sentence with invented spelling. I wish he were only going 1/2 a day but that wasnt an option where we live. Faced with this revelation, it can seem someone is questioning your child's mental acuity. Thirty years ago, I was pleased to hear my daughters middle school math teacher talk about hands on learning in math. And if the issue is counting and numbers, or poor early reading skills, perhaps giving a child more time to learn numbers and letters; to hear stories read; and play with making rhymes, is indicated. Im so conflicted. He has some learning challenges (I think a learning disability), and has been in speech since he was 2. . However, Im still struggling with the decison. 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. Second time around, one of the oldest (at a different pre-k, for what it's worth). Some kids act younger than their peers because they are younger than most kids in the grade. Has a teacher recommended that your child repeat kindergarten? We both went on to finish college. We showed up to a parent teacher conference yesterday and were told they needed the decision right then. Now school is over and although his teacher told me throughout the semester that he will most likely be repeating kindergarten, the school promoted him to fist grade. To reading. His teacher is very, very strongly recommending we hold him back. My son did not turn the required age of 5 here in TN until May 2014. In our CA school kids are expected to be reading at a D level by the end of Kindergarten. Our son barely showed up on it. Because children develop at such different rates and the kindergarten age span can run from 4 to 6, there is a tremendous range in social, physical and cognitive development. First, you need to remove all of the "you" feelings out of this equation. He struggles with staying still. So because he is not doing well with blending sounds and he only knew 55 words of 100 on a site word test. Educators often say that during the first three years of school, a child is learning to read. But at this point, Id be grateful that she did spot a problem and tell you about it before he went on to first grade. . Rose. And those possible downsides are significant, too. The recommendation to repeat the year is not a comment on your child's intelligence; it's a comment on your child's maturity. My son turned 5 a week before the deadline. Not anymore. Emily you are 100% percent correct! Even the screening laws are failing these kids. This document details the education code in Texas and your rights as a parent: EDUCATION CODE Check on the child's life situation. However, I believe talking with a school councilor, which we are going to do with ours, and also, having him tested by a very knowledgable but retired elementary teacher friend, is what we are going to do next and then keep researching for stat on this and what the experts say. It's about how developmentally ready he or she is for first grade at this moment in time -- and children will reach their milestones when they're ready. (June 5, 2012). It could be he will find it comforting and safe to stay with his kindergarten teacher for one more year. As a rule, school professionals strongly avoid this practice of . If it doesnt work out, youll worry about it when the time comes. The teacher say I am setting him up for failure if I dont. Many of them suggest parents seek independent evaluation for specific developmental delays and then, if the results warrant it, spend time in occupational therapy over the summer to try to catch up. Can he run and jump, play catch, bounce a ball, dance? Your child may not mind this as much as you think. There's no right answer, and it's important to keep in mind that we're talking about 5 and 6 year olds here. Think about your child's emotional readiness. Pros. 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. If your child is unable to follow simple multi-step instructions, follow a task through to completion without getting overly frustrated or distracted, work as part of a group, listen to a story without interrupting, or sit still for the duration of a short lesson, he or she may not be quite ready for the relative rigors of first grade. Communicate. I am afraid we will have a huge bubble of high school drop outs when those children reach the age of sixteen. My older son is in kindergarten. It cannot be allowed to be a lost year. Find out what they notice, and work on ways to help kids develop skills like self-control. 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. No wonder they seemed so little! Studies have shown that by the time they enter middle school, kids who repeated kindergarten are more likely to get into trouble, dislike school, and feel bad about themselves. 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