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I've been reading through some threads regarding parents who are looking for school districts with earlier cutoff dates to start kindergarten (hoping that they'll be able to start them a year later). For the record, I wholly disagree with this practice, and feel that unless a child is actually developmentally disabled in some way , they should start school as soon as possible.
In any case, it got me thinking about the cutoff dates for different districts throughout the country, and was surprised to see that aside from NYC (where I grew up) very few (if any) offer a December 31st cutoff date. For example, in Seattle the cutoff date is August 31st and in Newark, NJ the cutoff date is October 1st. It's one thing if it's an affluent suburb where most parents have the resources for an extra year of daycare (even then, I'm not wild about it), but in urban districts where you do have many low-income families, it's not right to put that burden on those families (not to mention that even if they offer free Pre-K, the child is still in school one year later which ultimately affects their ability to work)
If it's that big of a political issue, perhaps waivers could be granted to parents who insist on it, but I think the cutoff date should be pushed back to December 31st in all school districts.
I've been reading through some threads regarding parents who are looking for school districts with earlier cutoff dates to start kindergarten (hoping that they'll be able to start them a year later). For the record, I wholly disagree with this practice, and feel that unless a child is actually developmentally disabled in some way , they should start school as soon as possible.
In any case, it got me thinking about the cutoff dates for different districts throughout the country, and was surprised to see that aside from NYC (where I grew up) very few (if any) offer a December 31st cutoff date. For example, in Seattle the cutoff date is August 31st and in Newark, NJ the cutoff date is October 1st. It's one thing if it's an affluent suburb where most parents have the resources for an extra year of daycare (even then, I'm not wild about it), but in urban districts where you do have many low-income families, it's not right to put that burden on those families (not to mention that even if they offer free Pre-K, the child is still in school one year later which ultimately affects their ability to work)
If it's that big of a political issue, perhaps waivers could be granted to parents who insist on it, but I think the cutoff date should be pushed back to December 31st in all school districts.
Teachers aren't babysitters for children whose parents can't afford daycare. But yet you want to put the burden on teachers instead of the parents. How is that right?
I think it should be based on age AND by how much the child already knows. In other words, I think kids entering kindergarten should be between the ages of 4 and 6, inclusive, on the first day of school, with four-year-olds being admitted if they know (just for example), how to count out 20 blocks, can identify each letter of the alphabet, can identify the basic colors by name, and can sit still and listen quietly to a story for at least ten minutes -- and that six-year-olds should be admitted to kindergarten, even if they can do none of those things.
(However, I am old-fashioned in that I do not approve of "automatic" advancement from one grade to the other.)
I think it should be based on age AND by how much the child already knows. In other words, I think kids entering kindergarten should be between the ages of 4 and 6, inclusive, on the first day of school, with four-year-olds being admitted if they know (just for example), how to count out 20 blocks, can identify each letter of the alphabet, can identify the basic colors by name, and can sit still and listen quietly to a story for at least ten minutes -- and that six-year-olds should be admitted to kindergarten, even if they can do none of those things.
(However, I am old-fashioned in that I do not approve of "automatic" advancement from one grade to the other.)
I'm going to have to disagree with the benchmark criteria. For one, there is special education exemptions that may prevent letter notification or sitting still. Having an Autistic child sit still is a challenge. Also look at my personal story. Granted I was in special education (for delayed speech) myself but I don't recall being able to count to 20 on my own going from my speech-specific pre-school into kindergarten. I came out perfectly fine math wise and was actually on normal grade level by first grade and mainstreamed in second. My only issues was spelling as I would spell how words sound rather than the letters due to my delayed speech. Let me also tell you this, I know fully able-bodied six year olds who cannot stay still long enough for your circle time limit.
My personal belief is it should be open to December 31st. I know there is talk of some social issue of waiting but I find that to be a case-by-case basis not a hard and fast rule. Some children are just simply more social adept than others at an early age. It is OK. We don't learn at the same speed and at some point we learn it or learn to fake it, til we make it.
As for automatic advancement, I don't believe I ever truly saw that. Though to fail a grade to the point that summer school couldn't fix it, I think you REALLY needed to try to do it or it was far below on social expectations (namely kindergarten to second grade.)
Quote:
Originally Posted by justus978
..send your precious children to government schools at your own peril...home school them...problem solved
Eh, no. Home school is great but not for kindergarten to about third grade. Kids need some social interaction with kids their age. It is good for them. This component in kindergarten to first grade and even to an extent third is important and is a reason it is a grading component in elementary schools.
I'm going to have to disagree with the benchmark criteria. For one, there is special education exemptions that may prevent letter notification or sitting still. Having an Autistic child sit still is a challenge. Also look at my personal story. Granted I was in special education (for delayed speech) myself but I don't recall being able to count to 20 on my own going from my speech-specific pre-school into kindergarten. I came out perfectly fine math wise and was actually on normal grade level by first grade and mainstreamed in second. My only issues was spelling as I would spell how words sound rather than the letters due to my delayed speech. Let me also tell you this, I know fully able-bodied six year olds who cannot stay still long enough for your circle time limit.
My personal belief is it should be open to December 31st. I know there is talk of some social issue of waiting but I find that to be a case-by-case basis not a hard and fast rule. Some children are just simply more social adept than others at an early age. It is OK. We don't learn at the same speed and at some point we learn it or learn to fake it, til we make it.
As for automatic advancement, I don't believe I ever truly saw that. Though to fail a grade to the point that summer school couldn't fix it, I think you REALLY needed to try to do it or it was far below on social expectations (namely kindergarten to second grade.).
Okay, usually I agree with you, mkpunk, and so although I 'always' say that everyone has the right to their opinions, I particularly think that of your opinions, lol! However, just to clarify, that is why I think that six-year-olds should be admitted to kindergarten, no matter what their learning is to date, even if that means remedial or special ed kindergarten. And, yes, I know plenty of teenagers who can't sit still and listen quietly for ten minutes, so no disagreement there! I just meant to say that there are some four-year-olds who are ready for kindergarten, although I doubt that is true for most four-year-olds.
Also, at least 15 years ago and at least in my Colorado school district, kids were automatically passed. Of course, I do realize that different school districts have different rules and approaches, but that, as I said, was true for the elementary schools my kids attended from about 1997 to about 2005. The criteria for being held back in addition to not keeping up with the others in his or her class were ALL of the following: (1) the child being smaller than most of the kids of his or her age, and (2) having below average intelligence (but not WAY below), and (3) the parent agreeing to the child being held back, and (4) the child agreeing to being held back. (But, as I said, this was more than a dozen years ago, so maybe things have changed since then, but back then holding a child back was considered to be too damaging to a child's self-esteem, or at least that is what I was told.)
Last edited by katharsis; 04-17-2018 at 12:03 AM..
I'm going to have to disagree with the benchmark criteria. For one, there is special education exemptions that may prevent letter notification or sitting still. Having an Autistic child sit still is a challenge. Also look at my personal story. Granted I was in special education (for delayed speech) myself but I don't recall being able to count to 20 on my own going from my speech-specific pre-school into kindergarten. I came out perfectly fine math wise and was actually on normal grade level by first grade and mainstreamed in second. My only issues was spelling as I would spell how words sound rather than the letters due to my delayed speech. Let me also tell you this, I know fully able-bodied six year olds who cannot stay still long enough for your circle time limit.
My personal belief is it should be open to December 31st. I know there is talk of some social issue of waiting but I find that to be a case-by-case basis not a hard and fast rule. Some children are just simply more social adept than others at an early age. It is OK. We don't learn at the same speed and at some point we learn it or learn to fake it, til we make it.
As for automatic advancement, I don't believe I ever truly saw that. Though to fail a grade to the point that summer school couldn't fix it, I think you REALLY needed to try to do it or it was far below on social expectations (namely kindergarten to second grade.)
Eh, no. Home school is great but not for kindergarten to about third grade. Kids need some social interaction with kids their age. It is good for them. This component in kindergarten to first grade and even to an extent third is important and is a reason it is a grading component in elementary schools.
..sorry, you are totally, 100% incorrect...in your assertion...i'd put a couple links up but it has been my experience if one is genuinely interested in a subject, no better way to become informed is to...look it up yourself, or don't...i care not...
I think it should be based on age AND by how much the child already knows. In other words, I think kids entering kindergarten should be between the ages of 4 and 6, inclusive, on the first day of school, with four-year-olds being admitted if they know (just for example), how to count out 20 blocks, can identify each letter of the alphabet, can identify the basic colors by name, and can sit still and listen quietly to a story for at least ten minutes -- and that six-year-olds should be admitted to kindergarten, even if they can do none of those things.
(However, I am old-fashioned in that I do not approve of "automatic" advancement from one grade to the other.)
In a perfect world. K teachers in large urban school districts can't sit with each individual child testing them to see if they're ready. In my area it was 5 years old by September 1. My child has a mid-September birthday so turned 6 during the first couple of months of Kindergarten and was one of the older kids. This is in Texas and I believe it's still the same rule, I'm going to look it up. Anyhow, when I worked in an afterschool program in MA a zillion years ago I had a few children who were 4 year old kindergartners, I remember them having a really rough time. I don't know their cut off date now.
In a perfect world. K teachers in large urban school districts can't sit with each individual child testing them to see if they're ready. In my area it was 5 years old by September 1. My child has a mid-September birthday so turned 6 during the first couple of months of Kindergarten and was one of the older kids. This is in Texas and I believe it's still the same rule, I'm going to look it up. Anyhow, when I worked in an afterschool program in MA a zillion years ago I had a few children who were 4 year old kindergartners, I remember them having a really rough time. I don't know their cut off date now.
Smaller school districts sometimes consider it, depending on the case. My oldest grandson won't turn 5 until November, missing the September 1 cutoff. However he's already almost past first grade in academics...reading fluently, knows addition and subtraction, and is tackling his times tables. He takes piano lessons and his daddy is even teaching him to play chess! He's never been to preschool, but DD hired a college student majoring in elementary education to work with him for a couple of hours two days a week. He's been interviewed and assessed by the elementary school principal, who finds him more than academically ready for Kindergarten, however the District requires a 3 hour battery of psychological testing before considering early enrollment. He'll have this done in May. We'll see what happens.
The only setback that I see is his not having been around other children much, only adults.
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My only issues was spelling as I would spell how words sound rather than the letters due to my delayed speech. Let me also tell you this, I know fully able-bodied six year olds who cannot stay still long enough for your circle time limit.
