K or 1st? HELP!!!

[jeteaa]

dd1 turned 6 at the end of july. we hs/unschooled last year because I felt she was not ready for K. She wanted to cont' to hs, but at the last minute (yesterday) I finally made the decision to enroll her in ps. I assumed she would go into K. Although she is 5 weeks older than the cut off for K, I did not think it would be an issue (sept 1 cut off). I need your advice if I should DEMAND that the school allow her to enter K or should I let her be in 1st as the principle says is policy.
dd1 is a bright child, but academically she can not read, still needs alot of work writing letters. She can write most upper case, and only a few lower case. As for math, she is probably fine. She can add and subtract 0 to 10, but still skips counting teen numbers and above. as for maturity, i have no reservations about 1st grade. WWYD?

[aslyn]

Well my son is in 1st grade, and as far as reading/math honestly the kids are all over the board..He reads at 3rd grade level, another kid in his class is learning beginning letter sounds..my son is not great at math but other kids are..His writing skills are typical of a k/1 level and he spells phoneticly..so I wouldnt worry about the academics so much..at least in our district 1st grade is only a bit more structured than K

[ollyoxenfree]

What kind of comparisons can you make between Kindy and 1st? Can you draw up a list comparing them, keeping in mind your dd's needs and strengths?

I'd try to classify issues, considering things like relationships, structure, class content etc.

Relationships:
What are the teachers like? Will one connect better with your dd?

Does she have more friends in one grade or the other?

She'll likely be one of the oldest in kindy and the youngest in 1st - does she relate better as an older child or as a younger? Will one class provide a different experience (if she's the youngest at home, it might be nice to be "an older kid" for a change).


Structure:
Is kindy a half-day? Does she still need an afternoon nap/rest period. Or would she do better in a full-day program that will help her work on her academic skills at a more relaxed pace?

Class content:
Does one class offer more opportunities than the other? 1st Grade may offer more formal gym, music, or other classes that make going to school more appealing. If kindy is unstructured and play-based, she may not see much point in attending.

Only you can answer those kind of questions about your dd and how she would function in either classroom.

Good luck.

[Zoesmama]

Myself I'd probably let them try her out in 1st. They can always move her to K or have her repeat if it comes to that. But my guess she'd do okay. Public schools seem to have a wide range of levels.

[MJB]

I'd try 1st. Most of the kids who are behind at the beginning of first catch up to grade level by the end of 1st. It's the year where the most attention is paid to struggling readers, for instance. I think it'd be easier to have her repeat 1st if necessary than to try for a grade skip later if you realize you picked the wrong grade.

We home/unschooled for K and when my son started 1st, he was behind in reading (but a full 1/4 of the class was too), ahead in math, and way behind in writing. By the end of the year he was slightly ahead of where they needed to be in reading and his writing was, while still one of the worst in the class, definitely improved. He got all S's (the equivalent of A) except for handwriting.

However, my little guy is in K and there are several 6 yr. olds so she might not even be the oldest in her class if you pick kindergarten.

[kgianforti]

Another 1st grade vote. Is afterschooling her a possibility for those subjects you are concerned about (reading, writing)?

[Lisa1970]

Why not just homeschool her another year to get a better feel on things?

My children are the type that start off slow and they pass everyone by. It is so hard to tell at this age. My first two did not read well until 7 yrs old. Yet, by 9th grade, it was hard time find a high school that could accomodate them academically. Actually, my daughter was the biggest issue, yet, she was at the bottom of her class for reading at end of 2nd grade. Now she is so far ahead, we should have accelerated her a grade.

I wish schools would not grade label children until they are older and more developed. Children do not grow or learn on a straight linear chart. They have spurts and you can never tell in kinder who is going to be the top of the class in 9th and who is not.

If I were you, and you are that concerned, I would just home school longer. BUT, I will say, my 1st grader was in public last year and can barely read or write, yet, I was told he was ahead of most his classmates.

[jeteaa]

after researching age cut off dates for K in other states, it seems like 4 turning 5 by dec. is common. In that case, my dd1 would be about the median age for 1st grade.

[kgianforti]

Originally Posted by jeteaa

after researching age cut off dates for K in other states, it seems like 4 turning 5 by dec. is common. In that case, my dd1 would be about the median age for 1st grade.

Yup, I turned 5 in October when I went to K.

[eepster]

A large part of the point of delaying formal academics, is that the student, who wasn't given early instruction, will very rapidly catch up to those of the same age, who were given formal instruction from an early age. Though your DD lacks formal instruction as the K age students do, she is ready to go at a faster pace than they are. Barring unknown learning problems, she should catch up to her same age classmates quickly.

Have faith in your DD. Children tend to either live up to or down to our expectations for them. If you show her that you don't think she can handle 1st grade, then she won't. However, if you show her that you believe in her abilities, she will rise to the challenge and do the best she can.

[jeteaa]

Originally Posted by eepster

Have faith in your DD. Children tend to either live up to or down to our expectations for them. If you show her that you don't think she can handle 1st grade, then she won't. However, if you show her that you believe in her abilities, she will rise to the challenge and do the best she can.

Thanks for the advice.... I don't doubt her ability to learn at all. I;m frustrated w/ schools for thinking that a 6 yr old needs to be reading and taking spelling tests....

[eepster]

Originally Posted by jeteaa

Thanks for the advice.... I don't doubt her ability to learn at all. I;m frustrated w/ schools for thinking that a 6 yr old needs to be reading and taking spelling tests....

That's a great argument for either home schooling her a few more years, or putting her into a Waldorf school. However, whether she is in 1st or K, she is going to be starting formal reading instruction by going to PS. The only difference will be if she gets to do it quickly with students her age or slowly at a dull pace with younger students.

[Linda on the move]

I also vote first, but for different reasons.

My kids are middle school aged, so I'm seeing how these decisions play out for kids as they get older. Going with the correct grade (rather than holding them back OR pushing them up) is easier for kids during the difficult adolescent years. There are enough parents who do their own thing that even if your child's birthday is near the cutoff, they will end up in the middle of the pack because of people who didn't follow the cut off.

You aren't just deciding about this year.

[LynnS6]

We've had about a week of 1st grade:

Dd has practiced writing lower case letters, practiced writing words, practiced matching initial sounds with words, and then completing the sentence with a picture. So, typical activities were: "Say the same of each picture. If it begins with /r/, write Rr on the lines." Or "Write go. Draw a picture to finish. Read the sentence." (They've given 'go' in dotted outlines for the children to trace).

The teacher reads the instructions out carefully for the children. Or as dd puts it "Mrs. J spends a lot of time giving instructions." Dd can read the instructions (she was an early reader) and so is confused as to why Mrs. J is telling the kids the instructions.

For math, they've focused on counting to 20 and writing out the numbers.

They've also taken the reading assessments and done a heck of a lot of coloring. The reading assessments (DIBELS) focused on letter naming and whether they knew the sounds the letters made. There was no reading assessment at the beginning of the year.

Can your dd do those things? If so, she'd be fine in 1st grade. (My dd is bored out of her skull. Hopefully leveled reading groups will start this week. I'm going to have to push for math differentiation.)

[jeteaa]

Originally Posted by LynnS6

We've had about a week of 1st grade:

Dd has practiced writing lower case letters, practiced writing words, practiced matching initial sounds with words, and then completing the sentence with a picture. So, typical activities were: "Say the same of each picture. If it begins with /r/, write Rr on the lines." Or "Write go. Draw a picture to finish. Read the sentence." (They've given 'go' in dotted outlines for the children to trace).

The teacher reads the instructions out carefully for the children. Or as dd puts it "Mrs. J spends a lot of time giving instructions." Dd can read the instructions (she was an early reader) and so is confused as to why Mrs. J is telling the kids the instructions.

For math, they've focused on counting to 20 and writing out the numbers.

They've also taken the reading assessments and done a heck of a lot of coloring. The reading assessments (DIBELS) focused on letter naming and whether they knew the sounds the letters made. There was no reading assessment at the beginning of the year.

Can your dd do those things? If so, she'd be fine in 1st grade. (My dd is bored out of her skull. Hopefully leveled reading groups will start this week. I'm going to have to push for math differentiation.)

If my dds class is similar to yours I think she will be Ok, not bored but not frustrated.