But the truth is that today children begin learning to read before they enter the first grade. He developed stomach aches all the time, even on weekends, which threw us off. First, you need to remove all of the "you" feelings out of this equation. They are pushing kids too hard these days and are expecting way more than when I was in kindergarten 22 years ago. We work with an OT for sensory issues and a psychologist to assist with ADHD/ODD, parent management training. Repeating a grade increases the risk. Thanks largely to focus and attention challenges from ADHD, he had not grasped many of the concepts taught in kindergarten. The teacher say I am setting him up for failure if I dont. It was mostly a year for "play-based learning," and the idea of a child being "held back" to repeat the grade might have seemed a little silly. http://family.go.com/parenting/article-sk-773400-should-your-child-repeat-kindergarten--t/, Special Offer on Antivirus Software From HowStuffWorks and TotalAV Security, 5 Things to Know on the First Day of Kindergarten, Family.com: Learning Disabilities in Your School Age Child. Check on the child's life situation. Get in touch! He may grow physically and may feel comfortable amongst his peers. Backing up the "not quite ready" date could . You dont really have a fallback plan. Studies have shown that by the time they enter middle school, kids who repeated kindergarten are more likely to get into trouble, dislike school, and feel bad about themselves. Im ver sure I could have helped him read the schools books that they test him with that would have helped him with retention of sight words ( we continue to read ours), I am continuing to go over the sight words and he can put them into sentences and makes up stories as well. 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She is the one who pointed me to the research that says retention is not a good choice. We showed up to a parent teacher conference yesterday and were told they needed the decision right then. . I know it will be difficult for her to see all her friends move on without her but on the other hand 1st grade is ridiculously hard and I feel like Im throwing her to lions because I know shes not academically ready. She only just turned 5 this month while the other students are all turning 6. Hes able to do work great at home with no issues or complications but we have been reading and going over his words to say rite and hes mastering all academics in school other then speech issues and the reading(which is the latest work for children to learn in one month that hes having issues with) As a parent and knowing my son can pass work that his teacher sends home ,wonderfully and has great reports and test and work through the entire year, i feel that his teacher should have caught issues at beginning of school and in feb when we spoke and i asked from his teacher for him to be in speech and reading classes it should have been donealso for her waiting for the last month .Of school (and more confussin of hes doin wonderful to switch he needs to be in same grade again) In my eyes and heart my sons teacher failed in teaching and catching early what he needs help with, she failed him as his teacher and failed to help him further in class and with his school issues..She failed to listen to what i would like and want for him to keep and help him stay on top He shouldnt be kept behind for his speech and very little reading issues he has its not rite and wrong !!!! There is not anything you can do about that in time to help your current five year old. This, in my opinion could greatly help my son with almost zero downside. Grade Learn how to spot itand how to protect children of all ages from bullies at school. I believe in trusting maternal instincts! Repeating a grade at this age can indeed be beneficial. I taught gifted children in my career as a teacher who were held back in kindergarten by demanding and close minded teachers and parents. I just wanted to know what are my rights as a parent in the state of Texas. And the social stigma of being held back can have a major impact on a child's attitude. There's no right answer, and it's important to keep in mind that we're talking about 5 and 6 year olds here. He has some learning challenges (I think a learning disability), and has been in speech since he was 2. . They can . Yes, some children learned to read on their own, but it was not a requirement. "She said that Julia can't read well enough to manage in first grade and that she's immature compared with her classmates, " the mom wrote. There are no easy answers when it comes to grade retention, and experts are divided on whether repeating kindergarten is more likely to lead to long-term benefit or deficit. Connecticut, one of the last states to allow 4-year-olds to enter kindergarten, is considering changing its rules so that children would have to be 5 by Oct. 1, not Jan. 1, prompting a fight over . Youd think given all the evaluations and so forth, that the school would back you. Some kids just need more time to develop. Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks.com article: Blend Images/Ariel Skelley/the Agency Collection/. Family Education is part of the Sandbox Learning family of educational reference sites for parents, teachers, and students. He is very smart in my opinion, when he was 3 he could recite the pledge of allegiance and pledge to the Bible and much more. And if the issue is counting and numbers, or poor early reading skills, perhaps giving a child more time to learn numbers and letters; to hear stories read; and play with making rhymes, is indicated. I am not sending him to first grade. I feel bad for her emotional wellbeing. Kindergarten is not a fluff arts and crafts grade. The most productive way to approach the topic, then, is from a neutral place. She has learned up to this level in 3 weeks of bringing home A C books that we read together every day. . Make an effort to understand why the teacher is suggesting retention. Anxiety and shyness are surprisingly common in kids. Why had his teacher not told us earlier that he was having issues so we could have worked more with him on blending or got him more help? Talk to your child's teacher about whether repeating a grade would be helpful or hurtful at your child's age. Speak to other parents and see what they think about the teachers judgment. The work done at home, or not done at home, will place all children behind where they would have been socially and academically. Child. 7. ALL kids can learn to read the Orton Gillingham method. "He needs to have a different educational experience, as well as interventions and support to address his areas of need," Rief says. Is your child curious and always wanting to learn new things? (June 5, 2012) http://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/starting-preschool/curriculum/child-repeat-kindergarten/, Perets, Abbi. I cannot give much advice about teaching on Kindergarten or early elementary level as I was a teacher for grades 8 and above in English and History. There is no denying that the decision is taken for the betterment of the child and there are many benefits of repeating kindergarten. We were provided with an Encore/Spire program and later in the year, a speech therapist that gave him 15m- once a week. After multiple evaluations and what not the school has basically been recommending to promote. What kind of long-term effects, if any, can result from repeating or not repeating a grade? When a teacher or other education expert recommends repeating kindergarten, it's seldom (if ever) about a single skill your child is behind on. Was my bright little boy going to flunk kindergarten, I wondered, because he didn't care about arts and crafts? Communicate. This is not about how smart or good or "normal" your child is. Red, yellow, green, blue with red being the worst. Your child only turned 5 in August. I believe with a one on one tutor for the summer it will help him perform better in the first grade. If the problems are ignored and a repeat becomes necessary 3 or 4 years later, that becomes a difficult experience for a child. Grade retention has a negative impact on all areas of a child's achievement (reading, math, and language) and socio-emotional adjustment (peer relationships, self-esteem, problem behaviors and attendance). Once I got to middle school I started to notice that all the other kids looked really little. Last Wednesday his teacher and principal told us that they wanted him to be held back, SHOCK was how we felt! I have a hard time believing that, as I am sure all parents do. . But are concerned he will act out if he is bored. Has a teacher recommended that your child repeat kindergarten? Repeating Kindergarten. They did some testing prior to the start of the One child may come to school already able to read, while another can't tell A from Z. Here is what a teacher does in most classrooms. oh and for the record Ive taught in Florida and Michigan. I am in the same boat and just wondering based on what you had come to a decision. The truth is you knew that it might come to this. He struggles with staying still. Because of COVID, there will be many children who are betwixt and between. I sort of understand. School!. I might as well homeschool. In one study, researchers associated this poor academic performance with repeating kindergarten. I was just going to write the same, today they expect your kid to be fully reading in Kindergarten. Those books he flies through them because he satisfied the teacher. For a child who is behind his or her peers, these potential positives are real and significant. Why is it still being suggested then? The most important thing, in the end, is how you react to the situation. Now school is over and although his teacher told me throughout the semester that he will most likely be repeating kindergarten, the school promoted him to fist grade. Others may show immature behavior in certain settings or at certain times. The lead author of this study, Dr. Mu-Hong Chen said, "Our findings . Can he work with others as a group? Repeating a grade, or grade retention, is rarely a good choice for a child who struggles academically, behaviorally, or socially. What's more, kindergartners can range in age from 4 to 6 because about 5 percent of kids repeat the year and another 7 percent wait a year before starting, according to the latest figures from the National Center for Educational Statistics. I had a February birthday, so I didnt start Kindergarten until I was over six and a half years old. Not kind of reading but really reading. New research suggests repeating elementary school grades even kindergarten is harmful. He can build master structures with a huge number of plastic blocks of all sizes and do things with triangular and square magnets that are amazing. But there is very little out there about holding a child back in kindergarten to wait another year before starting first grade. Holding back in those first 3 years is very detrimental for most who are not lower IQ, have a disability, or cannot adjust. We feel like there is no support whatsoever from them in trying to retain. They feel repeating would be a good option so his social/behavior/impulse control and executive functioning to catch up. Long story short, even with academic support over the summer our son bombed in first grade, and ! My 5 year old has math, reading, and spelling homework now. In what state do you teach, Emily? There is something schools could do, though you are more likely to find a willingness to do it in a private or parochial school. As a result, the repeating-kindergarten phenomenon has become relatively commonplace. If you decide to have your child repeat the year, it's better to switch teachers or even schools. There are, however, problems that can arise when a child is "held back." The number of infections begins to go down with time. His teacher is very, very strongly recommending we hold him back. Shes says thats whats holding him back the fact hes not writing like he should. Should you hold your child back from first grade and let her repeat kindergarten? And in fact, thats what im going to do. Sometimes, a repeat with interventions is still the better option. He's well above average academically and he gets along great with the kids, but his teacher wants him to repeat kindergarten because he's socially immature. He will be turning 6 in a week here. We reluctantly decided to hold him back but I stayed up half the night researching and sent an email to the principal this morning about our struggle. She has been a regular education classroom teacher, a consultant teacher/resource teacher, an educational evaluator/diagnostician, and has also taught graduate students at the university level. Varda Meyers Epstein serves as editor in chief of Kars4Kids Parenting. Thanks in advance for any help you can offer! The data also suggests that in spite of having all these resources and manpower, kids who repeat kindergarten dont do as well as their first or second grade classmates once they make it into those grades. Long story short, he did not do well in kindergarten. But generally, if the school wants your child to go ahead, thats what will happen. My parents told me that I would be repeating and moved me to a different school and that it was to give me extra help. Thank you! Just dont know why he can not put the sounds together to make the word?? She has fine motor and minor speech issues and is receiving OT help. I've also read children with ADHD are normally immature for their age. There may be individual cases in which a child benefits, such as if she's missed a lot of school because of illness or a move, or if she has significant delays in all areas of development. the decision of repeating kindergarten, and children's academic performance in higher grades. As for seeing his friends going on ahead, I sympathize. Using a tool called the Multidimensional Students' Life Satisfaction Scale, Jones measured each child's general satisfaction with life as adolescents. Im so conflicted. WORLD of difference. Here are more reasons kids may seem younger than other kids their age: Hyperactivity: Does the child seem to be driven by a motor, like the Energizer Bunny? etc. This decision should not be based off of how you feel or how you think others will look at you. I would like to know what specific research you have found that states that retaining is not beneficial. Share what you observe with others, like parents, caregivers, teachers, or health care providers. We asked our children several of the same questions, because my friend thinks my son is smarter than her daughter. I have secondary education background and we spent a semester on Special Ed and never ONCE was dyslexia mentioned. Data showed that the September-born children were 2.1 percent more likely to attend college compared to their August-born classmates. We were told today that we should leave her back because she isnt progressing at the pace of other Kindergartners. I think she meant years old not month old., my son is 6 year old the teacher told me he has to repeat kindergarten because he dont want to do his classwork and he does not follow directions what should i do plz help me. He's well above average academically and he gets along great with the kids, but his teacher wants him to repeat kindergarten because he's socially immature. This will be much easier if you're honest, telling your parents you love to spend time with them but unfortunately doing so at their house is a not negotiable. Im having the opposite problem. Your child may not mind this as much as you think. Repeating a grade at this age can sometimes be beneficial. 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