Kindergarten grade acceleration in Houston (middle school, college, assess)

[Ocdmama]

Please note am not here to discuss the pros/cons about grade acceleration. I simply want to know if any of you personally know any public or private school in houston that does allow a child to begin kindergarten prior to age 5.

[LizzySWW]

Public schools don't allow kinder enrollment under age 5, no exceptions. Occasionally they'll skip an extremely gifted student up a grade level after kinder, but it's very rare even in Houston's top preforming schools where highly gifted students are heavily concentrated. In cases where a child is skipped, typically the student is kept at grade level for things like homeroom, Social Studies, PE & Electives and placed in classrooms 1-2 grades ahead for math, sci and/or LA. Gives them the opportunity to socialize with students on their emotional level.

Some private schools allow early kinder admission but you're still going to hear what you don't want to hear about social/emotional development being more important than skipping a grade. For what it's worth, my experience with my own kids in private lower schools was that almost 1/2 of their classmates started kinder at 6. So if your daughter skips she'll be 2 years younger than many of her classmates. Good luck!

[Walsr014]

I know you didn't ask for opinions, but as a kindergarten teacher, I feel compelled to give one. The youngest child always struggles. Social/emotional development is very important at this age. There is no need to rush something that a child under 5 is not developmentally not ready for. It will do more harm than good.

[Ocdmama]

Thank you LizzySWW for your response. Thats quite helpful.

Walsr014 - thank you for commenting. I understand the concern quite well. If I may,

"The youngest child always struggles" - this is quite false, actually. It has helped me and so many of my friends/ their kids etc., Especially for girls, who are inherently bit mature than their male peers, especially more so when you consider cultural/ethnic backgrounds. Fast forward, helping them accelerate gains them years that is helpful for other things in life (travel/study abroad before college etc), even to have a successful career while not compromising the need to have children or start family till they are 40 or above. Many of us forget that social/emotional development comes more so from parents/family and finding the right peers for the children. While there are positives/negative aspects to anything in life, being a kindergarten teacher, i think its even more important that you see kids in isolation and not group them simply by age.

regardless, thanks for your concern.

[fnh]

It's been nearly a decade since our children were Kinder age but at that time Awty had a December 31st cutoff date more in line with schools worldwide. Awty had even made an exception for a child who arrived in PK4 from a French school in California and who turned 5 in January of their Kinder year. For what it's worth, that child needed some accommodation (not academic but for napping in Kinder, usually stops after PK4) and when the child's family moved to London the following year, the child repeated Kinder there.

[notkim]

Sorry to tag in here. But a quick question. My child is Dec 2011 born and currently in 1st grade in a NYC public school (NYC goes year wise as opposed to Aug/Sept cut off dates like in other states).

So if we move to TX next year (say June 2018) will he be allowed to attend 2nd grade or will he be made to attend 1st grade again?

[nana053]

Originally Posted by notkim

Sorry to tag in here. But a quick question. My child is Dec 2011 born and currently in 1st grade in a NYC public school (NYC goes year wise as opposed to Aug/Sept cut off dates like in other states).

So if we move to TX next year (say June 2018) will he be allowed to attend 2nd grade or will he be made to attend 1st grade again?

I believe that a child that successfully completed a grade will be allowed to attend the following grade. You should call the school though to be sure. Make sure you have your child's records from his or her old school.

[notkim]

Originally Posted by nana053

I believe that a child that successfully completed a grade will be allowed to attend the following grade. You should call the school though to be sure. Make sure you have your child's records from his or her old school.

Thank you ! I will surey call a school or 2 to get an idea.

[phillips2017]

From TEA (TEC §42.003, (d))

Can a child younger than five years of
age enter kindergarten?

A student younger than five years of age is entitled to the
benefits of the Foundation School Program if:

(1) the student performs satisfactorily on the assessment
instrument administered under Section 39.023(a) to
students in the third [STAAR] grade; and

(2) the district has adopted a policy for admitting students
younger than five years of age.


I hope this helps!

[ClaraC]

Ocdmama, I'm a little curious about your name, and a little curious about why you want to put your child into school with older peers. I started school in New York state, and then moved to Texas in middle school, and I was at least a full year younger than my classmates.

That's not good. I was an excellent student, and kept up, but I was completely swamped by their social standing. I was a girl, and my peers looked like women in middle school.

Why rush this? Why not give your daughter every advantage you can, including starting her schooling with her same age peers instead of making her go early?