Grade placement after being homeschooled

[scheelimama]

I've homeschooled my girls for the past 2 years and am considering putting them in public school this year. We started out initially because I knew my oldest was not ready for K, so we took it really easy that year. Last year I pushed her a bit more. She's about halfway through her 1st grade curriculum, and I don't think our school district is super advanced. I think she'd do okay in a 2nd grade classroom, but she would be in the slower reading/math groups for sure. I haven't even called the enrollment office to ask about this, but was wondering how it normally works. Do they test or do they enroll solely off age at these young ages? She has a May birthday. Should I push to have her in 1st so that she is more successful at it or let her go into 2nd grade? Honestly, I don't think she has a preference one way or the other, I don't think it would bother her too much to be in 2nd grade and be in the slower groups, she might not even notice. She does however, tend to get along best with same age or older kids and I think she might notice if she was in a class full of younger kids. She's above average height and seems to tower over children a year younger than her. It would be obvious, I think.

This is my biggest hold back when considering putting them in school. I kind of want to keep them home one more year to get her caught up to grade level.

The younger one will be going into Kindy and is above average with reading and math skills for her age. I'm not concerned about her at all.

[zebra15]

around here they go by birthday and thats it. You could be a rhodes scholar and it would not matter. B'day and thats it.

[luv2homeschool]

I assumed they only went by birthdays for kindy entrance. If I were to put my dd in public school I would expect them to put her in 3rd grade next year. She will be 7 this Sept and in some school systems that would put her in 1st and others 2nd. But, she is reading on a 3rd grade level, does math on a mid 3rd grade level and would definitely be bored in 1st or 2nd!

Contact the school system. Do you want her in 1st or 2nd? If she is going to struggle, I would put her in 1st. If you think she would be bored, try for 2nd. Some schools do combination classes in the younger grades. That would probably be awesome for you dd if they had it!

[34me]

In our district it's solely birthday as well. My ds was miserable until I found a better fitting school and he was like the pp dd.

[Linda on the move]

When I enrolled my DDs in school after homeschooling, their grade placement was solely by birthday. I highly recommend going with the age appropriate spot for your DD. My kids are in middle school, and I really believe this difficult phase of life is a little easier for kids who are in the age appropriate grade.

The school tested both of my kids briefly on their math, reading, and writing ability to get a sense of where they were and help plan for them, but every grade contains kids with a wide variety of abilities. The range in a classroom is far greater than most homeschoolers realize.

Because your DD has struggled and is behind for her age, there may be learning issues that you haven't been able to identity.

Has she had her eyes checked? Her hearing checked?

I would talk to the school and explain that you are concerned about her. I'd request *in writing* that she be tested for learning disabilities. The other thing about holding her back is that she would be performing more at the level expected, so any LDs would continue to go unnoticed and it could delay her getting the help she needs to be successful long term.

One of my DDs has mild special needs and has done FAR better at school than at home.

GOOD LUCK!!

[mom2ponygirl]

It depends on the district. We investigated putting our dd back in school the spring she was 8. We had had a private assessment done - for other reasons - including extensive individual achievement testing. She tested many, many grade levels ahead and had transcripts from EPGY math many grade levels ahead. They still wanted to put her in 2nd, since her b-day was a few days past the cut-off. We were only asking for 3rd and then planned to investigate subject acceleration possibilities. Even with the testing, the 10 days past the cut off was more important to our district.

Flash forward a few years and a charter high school opened in town. It is its own district. We spoke to them for a few minutes, dd shadowed a day, and they said put her in any class you want. So, when our local district would have made her a 5th grader, she took 4 high school classes at the charter school. LOL

So you will probably just have to go in and talk to the school to get a feel for their philosophy. I've heard of districts that will test homeschoolers for grade placement or look over a portfolio, but overwhelmingly I've heard it is solely by birthdate.

[MJB]

We homeschooled for K and then put my son in 1st based solely on age. He was ahead in math and behind in reading at the beginning of the year but caught up quickly. His handwriting is still terrible going into second but I can't imagine sending him to 1st grade at 7.5 just because he struggles in one subject. If she is really behind in every subject I would homeschool another year to catch her up rather than send her to first. There was a boy in my son's class last year that turned 8 in March of 1st and he had a lot of social/behavioral issues... I just don't think it's a good idea to hold kids back like that unless it's absolutely necessary.

[Linda on the move]

Originally Posted by MJB

If she is really behind in every subject I would homeschool another year to catch her up rather than send her to first.

I disagree with this advice. I think she may very well have some learning issues that haven't been figured out, and another year of the same thing *might* only leave her further behind.

[scheelimama]

She definitely has some learning disorders but I've had trouble getting help. Which was one reason I was considering sending her to school. We're making progress but it's painfully slow. I think I will probably homeschool another year though in hopes of getting her caught up because our schools here are not that great.

[One_Girl]

Originally Posted by scheelimama

She definitely has some learning disorders but I've had trouble getting help. Which was one reason I was considering sending her to school. We're making progress but it's painfully slow. I think I will probably homeschool another year though in hopes of getting her caught up because our schools here are not that great.

Can you enroll her part time in public school and homeschool her part time? That may help her get the support she needs for any learning disabilities while also helping her to have time to catch up. Some states have online charter schools for homeschooling parents and if you use one you are still entitled to use resources to help your child if they have a learning disability. In our state the districts are required to allow homeschooling parents to send their kids in for PE, music, orchestra, band, and extra help with diagnosed learning disabilities. The schools often make the parents drop the child off at the exact time the class starts and pick up right after it is done but they are required to offer that service no matter how snippy they are about the requirement.

[ecoteat]

When my school has had hs kids enter, we place them by birthday. Of course we know a kid might be well above or below the average for that grade, but it is up to the teacher to evaluate his/her students' needs by the school's expectations and criteria and make adjustments as neccessary.

If your daughter has a learning disability, unless you are exceptionally well-read in how children with her specific issue learn, even if you think she is making progress at home there is a good chance that the gap between her ability and that of her age-level peers in the school will grow. I think your consideration of the public school in order to take advantage of their resources is probably wise.

[sewchris2642]

When we sent the girls to school, all we were asked was what grade they were going into. We put down the grades that went with their ages and matched the cut off date (Dec 1st)--8th (13 -14, winter birthday), 6th (11, late summer birthday), and 2nd (6-7, early autumn birthday). Some things they were behind in, other things they were ahead in. But that would be true of any child transferring between school districts.