anyone succesfully skip K for PS?

[mlgbug]

wondering, anyone whose worked with their child, and their child was SUPPOSe to enter PS K at the age 5, but was well beyond K level.....
were you able to get your child into 1st and what did it take??

[lisabees]

Nope, never tried and have never seen it happen. Some friends pushed their kids into K early, when they miss the cutoff by a week. Even this causes a fight with the district.

With good reason, most of the time. When kids are in K, they might be ahead, but later, the rest usually catch up. More importantly, a younger student may be socially and emotionally behind as the years go on. In ps, this can have a terrible impact on the kids self concept. Now, years later, I hear the regrets and what ifs from my friends. You need to look at the long term - not what your kids are like at the age of 4 or 5 or 6.

In 16 years, I have heard plenty of parents regret pushing their kids in ps, but have never once heard someone regret sending them later than "normal".

Just my 2 cents, since I've had many years at the public schools. :001_smile:

[Dinsfamily]

Have you checked with your school district to see if it's even possible? I have a friend who considered hsing K for her 4yo this year and then sending her to 1st grade next year, but the school district wouldn't allow it...no exceptions. I've heard that is the case in my school district as well.

[FairProspects]

Why not just hold her out until 1st if that is what you want? Our school district is very strict about age requirements. They want kids to be organized by peer age for classrooms, not ability.

We do have "walking schools" where kids who read at a 3rd grade level (even if in K) will "walk" down the hall to the 3rd grade class for the reading block time. If the school can be accommodating to her level (which is what I think you are wanting), you may not need to grade skip. You can start by contacting the Principal. Ours was very helpful and has met with us several times to answer all our questions :).

[mlgbug]

yeh i really DO need to call the school if this is the road we are gonna take....still unsure,,...

[Laurel-in-CA]

Well, I was that kid. My parents taught me to read @ home and the public school wouldn't have me, so they sent me to a private school for early K...which turned into early 1st...which turned into graduation at 16. Good scholastically, difficult socially.

[mchel210]

My dd did her K workbooks when she was 4. I just gave her the books and she did them. She did them in about 1/2 the time. When she was supposed to go to K I used abeka 1st grade with her along with other books. She didnt need much instruction. Everything was very simple for her. The next year she..they ended up going back into PS and she missed the cut off for her age...and they put her back into K. So...she did K in PS. I had to have her tested and entered as a Gifted child to have them give her advanced work...but it was fine. She loved K in school. We did more books at home.

Now she is in a Private school doing 1st grade...but I have her working a year ahead on math at home. Everything else...I just push her to write more or read more advanced books. She is doing great.

I didnt have any issues skipping K work. I guess it all depends on your child. I found the books had just been too simple. But I would still add lots of crafts and fun stuff. That is the one thing I realized my dd loved in PS. She loved the weekly poetry books with drawings and stuff...the crafts...the games.

[ktmo]

I am thinking about it. We had DD tested (for other reasons) in November and her test scores would support a grade skip. My DD has a May birthday, so she could not get into K early, but the guidelines for early entrance into 1st don't go by b-day. So, we'll be talking to the school about it. She would start in K to begin with and they would decide within the first 6 weeks of school. Although, I think that we may just want to accelerate her in certain areas, which I think the school will do.

[Pamela H in Texas]

Melissa,

Where were were, they would allow skipping preK and 1st, but not Kindy. So the idea was to get them in the system at preK age to skip that instead. Because our daughter was beyond 2nd grade level also, we obtained the permission to skip 1st as part of "negotiations." We ended up not using the school. She was just too young (almost 4 because of fall bday) and if we had waited, it would have held her back another year. That probably was fine socially, but we just couldn't do it academically (and we still had the issue of her being way beyond the academics they would give her those first few years also).

Anyway, so that was our experience though which may be helpful if you're starting early enough and your district has a similar situation.

In Texas, they weren't willing to discuss early entrance or skipping K. And because of bday, she would have been held back another year there also (basically, 3 years below the level she would be allowed while in Louisiana!). They probably would have allowed a skip of 1st but...she did go to school at 8 and we did a skip and was offered a 2nd one. Still...

It's REALLY hard. Do they have multi-level classrooms anywhere near you? A lot of time, public schools will accept what was done in private schools (so if student did 1st grade in a K-1st class so placed in 2nd, you could go into 2nd in public school at 6yrs old).

BTW, we may be talking of something different. There is no way the average student is catching up with truly gifted students. Early bloomers are one thing. I wouldn't skip Kindy for a kid that just happened to be ready so did Kindy at home. But if your 4yo is on a 4th grade level, the chances average students will catch up is next to nil. A truly gifted student will pick up more than an average kid will be taught.

[lisabees]

Melissa,
BTW, we may be talking of something different. There is no way the average student is catching up with truly gifted students. Early bloomers are one thing. I wouldn't skip Kindy for a kid that just happened to be ready so did Kindy at home. But if your 4yo is on a 4th grade level, the chances average students will catch up is next to nil. A truly gifted student will pick up more than an average kid will be taught.

:iagree: If a child is profoundly gifted, then the situation certainly warrants careful consideration. But, when a 5 year is ahead in their reading because they've been taught phonics by their parents, that is not cause for skipping a grade. JMHO, of course. ;)

Three of my kids are (NOT profoundly) gifted and in ps. My experience has been, unless they really need to be accelerated, it's best to keep them with their age group and provide opportunities outside of school. My 16 year old and 10 year old have had specific interests (obsessions) since they were young. They spend a lot of their free time pursuing those interests.

[mlgbug]

Yeh my DD isnt gifted, shes just been taught, and progressing extremely well. kwim? there is a k-1st, so maybe if i can get her pushed INTO that, then since there is a k teacher and a 1st teacher in the classroom, she can do the 1st work, and go straight into 2nd next year.....

[PenKase]

Yeh my DD isnt gifted, shes just been taught, and progressing extremely well. kwim?My dd sounds just like yours. I also thought dd wasn't gifted until she was tested for possible grade acceleration by the school district. I figured since she does process information very quickly and effectively, she was just ahead because of the work we do at home. Turns out she really is "gifted" and requires modified instruction than that of her peers.

If you haven't already, check out my post a few threads above this one. We'd been fighting the district tooth and nail since the beginning of the school year and we finally got the OK to have her skipped into fist grade. She begins next week. I think one of the main things we had to consider was that our dd's needs were not being met in the current Kindy setting. Our main argument was that she had the right to go to school and learn and that the district had a responsibility to meet her needs, no exceptions. Had we not been confident and steadfast then we could have easily been convinced otherwise. We took our dd's lead and followed through. The fact that her teachers and school Principal were completely on board with our plan helped tremendously.

BTW...our older dd9 is also academically ahead of her peers and although we could have pushed for her as well, emotionally we just didn't feel she was ready. With dd6, we considered academics in addition to social/emotional readiness and once we were able to check off all the boxes we knew we had to proceed. It hasn't been easy and we've spent many sleepless nights wrestling with our decision but we believe we've made the right one and only time will tell now whether or not we were right.

Nobody said this would all be easy, right? My best wishes for you and your dc.

[AngieC]

I would have some gifted testing done on your daughter. Get the school district to do it, if you can. If we go the PS route, my daughter will be going straight into first grade, but she is also barely after our school cut off and she had both IQ and acheivement testing which support the placement. When I approached the school system with the numbers in hand, everyone was very encouraging and supportive of my decision.

I think without testing that supported my reasons, I would have received much more push back from the school district.

[elfinbaby]

My sisters and I all have boys w/summer bdays so the could have started K newly 5; however, we all chose to keep them back a year. None of us regret it and each of our boys are very different with different abilities. My ds (age 11) has tested gt but I had no desire to start him on time or early. I think it's good to consider the big picture and long term effects carefully.

My ds taught himself to read by age 2, retained a ridiculous amount of material he read (and has still retained large chunks of it), and actually began writing letters of the alphabet on his own at 20 mos. He was our first and we had no idea this was advanced - I know, we were clueless. When it came time for K, I was naturally concerned about a school's ability to meet his needs but I never really considered trying to bypass grades or push him ahead. Socially, I knew it would be difficult for him, particularly being a boy. I thought about late elem. years, jr. high (puberty), and high school. I didn't see the benefit.

The research I've read indicates that bright children, even early learners, will level out with their peers by 3rd grade. They may continue to stay at the top of their class or they may begin to struggle. Starting early may stack the cards against your dd down the road, whereas keeping her in the class w/her age group may allow her to be a confident leader. The alternative to that is struggling to keep up with older, more mature students.

It's a philosophy thing and I know that not all subscribe to the "don't push" theory. I'm sure you're thinking I was crazy not to get ds started early:tongue_smilie: Even though we're homeschooling now, we are part of a co-op and I often have mothers ask me why I don't move him ahead to the next grade. Both groups have great kids in them but, socially, he so belongs in 5th grade and when he makes the transition to jr. high/high school, I am positive he's going to be better off being with kids closer to his own age.

[mlgbug]

what is a gifted test like for a 4 or 5 year old??

[Pamela H in Texas]

Melissa,

Most probably, you'd do a full workup which would give you a good idea about child's true level, gaps, and would include IQ testing. The testing isn't all that long for a very young child. Mostly, an experienced tester can make it fun enough also. I enjoyed the individual IQ testing when I did it. My son did fine with it. My daughter did also.

There is some question about reliability of such testing but it would help make your case to the school should you decide to try to skip or get other accomodations (I know of a profoundly gifted young man who stayed in his grade level but had a ton of accomodation including a college professor teaching him Algebra II in 2nd grade. Other accomodations could be in class changes, moving up for reading, a program like EPGY, etc).

[Starr]

You can't count on your child being moved up a grade. Most ps's are quite happy to have kids that are ahead in the classroom. They really do group by age.

[amy in ks]

I'm a former public school teacher turned homeschooler. Don't place strictly on reading ability. Teach her what she needs. Don't forget in a couple of years, the length of assignments will increase significantly. Will she have the attention to handle it or will it frustrate her and burn her out?

My daughter was reading chapter books like American Girl and Boxcar Children books before entering K. I decided to homeschool. I knew the school district had a no exceptions on birthdate policy. I taught to her level.

However, my daughter does need to be on grade level at this point because of the length of the written work (length of math, history, and writing assignments). Also, she has the appropriate maturity of her current age.

So I accelerate her reading and call her a 2nd grader. She can read anything now. We homeschool, so grades don't really matter. Public K would have bored her to tears.

[amy in ks]

Oh, I should have clarified... My daughter is currently a 2nd grader per public school dates.

[matroyshka]

I think a lot of schools are more strict about it than when I was a kid. My mom sent me to a private school for 1st grade to get around that (entered 1st grade at 5yo), and I never went to K.

I know some districts around here are really strict and won't budge on age-cutoffs - I'm not sure how they treat it if you're transferring in from another school after 1st like my mom did with me. I think private K doesn't necessarily work, though.

My district is a bit more flexible than most because I know if your kid has a fall birthday (not sure how far into fall that extends), you can test them going into 1st - I have a friend whose dd has a late Sept. birthday and was able to start 1st at 5yo (turning 6 a month later) that way. But I know a lot of towns here won't budge at all.

[Cindie2dds]

.

[samba2nite]

It has happened twice this year in at our school. The parents pushed for testing and then they did it. My daughter has been homeschool for preschool and preforms at a second grade level for reading and end of first grade/begining second for math. While she is advanced she is five and and acts like five. I was conflicted but know that come thrid grade many of the pushed up early kids struggle. So I opted for having her pulled out for first grade math and reading and kinder for the rest. I will do the same for first grade moving her up to second grade. In second grade she can move to gate.

I would check with the districts policy first then approach the principle then the teachers. Good luck

[dmmetler]

My DD skipped JK and went into K early. Academically, it still wasn't enough. Socially, it was a much better fit for her, even though due to red-shirting being common many of the kids are 6 turning 7, while she just turned 5. We did, however, reject a second skip (we're going to home school instead) because it just plain was too big of a jump in age, size, and maturity. While she might get along with children that age socially 1-1, I think being in a classroom all day with them would be too much.

Another thing to consider is amount of handwriting required. At least for my DD, those physical skills are one area she's not advanced in at all.

[BabyBre]

I think it takes a willing school district. Our home district does not advance under any circumstances, but the school district to the north of us does. Because they had space available, they agreed to test dd for early entry and admitted her. It was great, but we did eventually let her repeat and she's now in the proper class according to her age. That was hard for me, but in hindsight I'm glad she's not in a classroom with horomonal boys and where every other girl has breasts (only a few in 3rd grade)! She's growing up too fast as it is.

[Krista in LA]

It wouldn't happen here. My dd missed the cutoff by one month and the school told me if she was gifted, she could start k (even though she already was beyond that). At 4, she tested better than the average 6 year old but they said that still wasn't good enough to start early even though she had 6 months before school started. We kept her home. Fast forward to this past summer, she decided she wanted to go to high school. She's a year younger than most 9th graders but when I went to sign her up, they never questioned it - just looked at her Iowa test scores and told me she could be in the honors classes. She has straight A's and is fitting in just fine.

[OpenMinded]

I think it is hard to get a child skipped in K or for them to let them do advanced work. My dd9 was reading on a 3rd grade level starting K and her K teacher told me that she wouldn't teach my child anything that she didn't know already. She also told me that the school really frowned on even putting the k'ers in the gifted program much less skipping them ahead.
If I could have change anything, then I would have brought dd home as soon as the kindergarten teacher said that she really wouldn't be learning anything new until 2nd grade. I would definitely go ahead and check with the school system and get a feel for how strict they are about such things.

[Staceyshoe]

I haven't read the entire thread so hopefully this is helpful to you. You'll want to read your school district's policy on "whole grade acceleration" since it would basically be a grade skip. They might be resistant to it, but they do have to follow their own policies.

Our case was a little different but still relevant, I think. Ds entered kindergarten at 4. He'll turn 5 just before the end of his kindergarten year. He was too young to qualify for "early entrance" to K policies so we went with a whole grade acceleration. He had to go through some testing and then a committee was formed to make a decision about whether he would be accepted. The testing involved an IQ test, achievement test, and assessment of social skills--all done for free by the school. There was an appeal process in case he was denied. The process takes a while and there are deadlines to meet, so I would get the ball rolling right away or you may miss out.

The school personnel was extremely reluctant (some downright rude on the phone) to test him and start the process (he was still 3 when I had to get things started). After the testing, they thanked me for bringing him in. He's the youngest person the school has ever accepted and was the only one there was unanimous agreement on. You might have to really push and know their policies, but it's worth it. There is a political climate in schools that is against acceleration. I think children basically have to show that they already know whatever is taught in the grade they would be entering (so it's still not a great academic fit).

Hope this helps! Feel free to pm me if you have questions since I don't check back here often.

[workingmom]

ds misses the cutoff by 3weeks. the district allows "gifted testing" testing for all those that miss the cut off with birthdays until dec. its a two day test with a third day of parent meeting.

he's doing great and at the top of his class. he already knew how to read coming into KG.