I live in Plano, can a kid skip first grade and access directly second grade if he is already able to read and write? (transfer, preschool)

[calgirlinnc]

Originally Posted by danny2013

My kid is 5 years old, he started to read basic words at four and now he can read kids books, he can also write. He is in kindergarden, I believe in first grade he will just repeat what he already knows. in Public school, is it possible to access directly second grade maybe by passing an exam? thank you

My daughter could read and write in Kindergarten and so could I. Just because a child is ahead in language does not necessarily mean they are ahead in all areas.

School is not only about academics. It is also about socialization, leadership skills, decision making, cooperation, manners, honesty and integrity (to name a few skills). Boys especially lag in maturity, and it would not necessarily be to your child's advantage to move ahead.

As far as athletics, it seems to me that in a large public school with a larger talent pool, it might be harder to compete with older boys (remember, many boys are now deliberately held back prior to Kindy, so that they are older). It may be easier for a child who attends private school to play varsity sports even if they are younger.

[BigDGeek]

My teachers wanted me to be skipped from 1st to 3rd grade and my parents said no. I'm glad they did as I was already one of the youngest kids in my class.


I do know one success story who skipped the same grade that my teachers wanted me to skip (2nd) and she's doing just fine. Better than fine, actually.

[TheOverdog]

My kid is in 1st grade in a Plano school. About 1/3 of the class can legit read and write (as in whatever book you put in front of them - they can read it), and about 1/5 of the 80 kids could in kindergarten. I just don't think its enough in the year 2017 to be skipping classes.

First grade is not a repeat of kindergarten. In mid-1st grade, they do the first Gifted and Talented to separate gifted from the rest.

[compSciGuy]

Originally Posted by TheOverdog

My kid is in 1st grade in a Plano school. About 1/3 of the class can legit read and write (as in whatever book you put in front of them - they can read it), and about 1/5 of the 80 kids could in kindergarten. I just don't think its enough in the year 2017 to be skipping classes.

First grade is not a repeat of kindergarten. In mid-1st grade, they do the first Gifted and Talented to separate gifted from the rest.

I can't really comment on the statistics, and I have heard parents talking before and comparing different neighboring Plano schools. I know in this neck of the woods, it seems the more advanced kids are being used by the teachers to teach the kids at the bottom (need to make sure everybody passes their STAAR tests, etc.).

However, there is GT testing in Kindergarten, but it's not a situation where all students in the grade are automatically given the test.

Sadly, for my oldest daughter, the reading groups in her Kindergarten class seem to have a racial/ethnic/gender imperative. Let's not have more than one child of a particular ethnic group and gender in the same reading group.

For my youngest daughter, I know in her Kindergarten class, they mixed up the groups where the smarter (or more academically advanced) kids are teaching the other kids. So, I know one of the GT kids was in the same reading group with another student that still couldn't form all of her letters at the end of the year.

All that being said, there is definitely more for the kids to learn at school other than straight academics.

[UnfairPark]

Exactly. ESL kids pick up fast in KG and English speaking kids really improve their new learned skills by using them on peers. It’s a great opportunity to develop things like empathy and leadership skills and build friendships. I think teachers do that on purpose, first step towards group study.

[stan4]

Originally Posted by danny2013

My kid is 5 years old, he started to read basic words at four and now he can read kids books, he can also write. He is in kindergarden, I believe in first grade he will just repeat what he already knows. in Public school, is it possible to access directly second grade maybe by passing an exam? thank you

That's like all the 5 year olds I know now.

[Aggielina]

I don't know much about skipping grades nor am I a reading expert, but I believe that there's a difference between knowing how to read and actually comprehending and recalling what you read.

I never skipped grades, but testing-wise I was always 3 or 4 grades ahead on reading. What's interesting to me now is that even though my husband is an incredibly slow (to me!) reader, he digests and remembers what he's reading much, much better than I do, even though I can read 3X faster than him. And he didn't learn to read as early as I did.

Just something to consider.

[TheOverdog]

I know in this neck of the woods, it seems the more advanced kids are being used by the teachers to teach the kids at the bottom (need to make sure everybody passes their STAAR tests, etc.).

The school my kid goes to has very few ESL that I'm aware of (none in my daughter's grade) and it's a midpack school going to Plano Senior High. The kids do not teach the slower learners - volunteer parents assist. They had no G&T in kindergarten - the best readers were pulled to read with a parent volunteer for 30 minutes a week the same as the slower learners - they just read harder books. The G&T in 1st grade involves being pulled out to read and getting extra, harder homework (multiplication/division currently). They read with a volunteer in a group for about 2 hours a week I think.

[compSciGuy]

Originally Posted by UnfairPark

Exactly. ESL kids pick up fast in KG and English speaking kids really improve their new learned skills by using them on peers. It’s a great opportunity to develop things like empathy and leadership skills and build friendships. I think teachers do that on purpose, first step towards group study.

The girl wasn't ESL. She was the only "white" girl in the class. My youngest daughter and her friend played with her during recess. However, academically she definitely was behind. I don't know where she is now, but I wouldn't be surprised if her parents specifically moved her to a "less Asian school".

I definitely agree, that at a younger age, it's good for people to learned to interact with others of different backgrounds and abilities. However, in later elementary when your kid who can do basic Algebra is stuck working with somebody that is using their fingers to count, well that's a different story ... or from the reading side, if your child is able to read high school books, and their "American born" classmate is working on Sesame Street, ... well, then.

Originally Posted by TheOverdog

The school my kid goes to has very few ESL that I'm aware of (none in my daughter's grade) and it's a midpack school going to Plano Senior High. The kids do not teach the slower learners - volunteer parents assist. They had no G&T in kindergarten - the best readers were pulled to read with a parent volunteer for 30 minutes a week the same as the slower learners - they just read harder books. The G&T in 1st grade involves being pulled out to read and getting extra, harder homework (multiplication/division currently). They read with a volunteer in a group for about 2 hours a week I think.

Plano, Frisco, & Allen ISDs all have GT in kindergarten (not sure about Lewisville ISD), at least according to the school websites. It's supposed to be 30 minutes a week in Kindergarten for Plano ISD, but the services are only toward the end of the Kindergarten year after all of the testing, etc.

As far as teaching the slow learners, I'm not sure if that's per the administration's direction. I have seen and heard of changes in how things were implemented in individual schools.

[fastfingers33]

I've also wondered what the right answer to this question is. Have people here seen kids who were on track to be extremely successful, skip grades and ended up struggling with his new peer group? My instincts tell me that it's an unnecessary risk to take unless my kid REALLY wants to skip grades.