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Kindergarten "redshirting." What would you do?

March 4, 2012 3:45 PM

Should he stay or should he go? A 60 Minutes producer faces the kindergarten conundrum.

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by ERL984 July 8, 2012 7:55 PM EDT
Why do we have such low expectations for our children? I have taught in a Montessori school for over 20 years; want your kids to learn on their own time without pressure or worksheets? Put them in a Montessori school. Children are capable and ready to learn even at 3 and 4, please let them.
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by mstroock March 25, 2012 8:52 PM EDT
I am late to the discussion as I just saw the piece on my DVR. My son was born in October and our school system prohibited entering kindergarten unless the child was 5 the day school started. He received the advantage of "red shirting" by accident of birth. He is now an adult. I was, and remain, happy about that accident. I was in elementary school in the 1950s and watched many very bright children placed one or two grades above age level because the teachers couldn't keep the child engaged and resented that the the bright child's classmates often said, "go ask Bright Child," instead of "go ask the teacher." The unforeseen consequences was, far more often than not, while those bright children had no problem academically they lacked the emotional maturity of their peers once they reached junior high and high school. The social scars they experience as a result stayed with them for life. Most them, and their parents, regretted the decision to jump grades.

I don't see why it is "unfair" for the parents of a child who would otherwise be the youngest to hold the child back, while the child who benefits from the accident of being the oldest by actual birth date can reap the benefits without shame. Each child should be placed with appropriate consideration for their academic readiness now and whether they are likely to have the emotional maturity of their classmates ages 13 to 17. The later can have far more significant consequences and is much harder to determine at age 5.
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by CindyG50 March 22, 2012 11:13 AM EDT
I have 3 children. 2 boys whose birthday is in July. 1 daughter whose birthday is in September. The two boys I held back and they went to preschool, not to make them better than the other kids, but to give them the chance to be at the level of the other kids. My daughter, started K when she was 4 turning 5. She was smart, social, ready for school. Did very well academically. In retrospect, would I have held her back due to maturity level and size and developmental stages in middle/high school - definitely a yes. Many issues arise when you are the youngest and the smallest and last to experience many of the changes that happen while in middle and high school. Once again, I do not look at waiting until your child is 6 as wanting them to be better than the other kids, just to have a chance at being on the same level as those in the same class. The government gives you the option of sending children to K when they are 5 or 6 - so therefore, it should be the parents decision as to what is best for their children; definitely the choice should be made on an individual level and not a "one size fits all" formula.
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by SherryG63 March 5, 2012 7:06 PM EST
Though I found this report to be interesting I had several problems with it. First, I don't feel that it was balanced reporting because it did not look at children whose birthdays fall after September 1st. The reporting appeared to focus primarily on those parents whose children had birthdays in late spring or summer. My daughter's birthday is very late November and we chose to hold her back a year (red-shirting her) because she would have been starting kindergarten at age 4. We opted instead to send her to a pre-school that helped her to prepare for entering elementary school. At age 4 she would have been not only the youngest but the smallest in her class. I think that holding children back whose birthdays fall before September 1st is ridiculous and ultimately will prove to have done more harm than good regardless of what the "experts" are saying.
The second issue is this competition amoung the parents, especially the mom who held her son back so he could compete against younger boys in sports thus seeming better than them. Shame on you! In real life her son isn't always going to be the oldest/biggest and is she really preparing him for the realities of life?
Ultimately the decision to sent a child or not does send them at age five rest with the parents but I do believe that school systems should set a birthday date (September 1st) as a cut off and stick to it and the same should apply to athlectics and other groups to truly level the playing field.
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by JaHodges March 5, 2012 3:22 PM EST
As a mom I hear over and over and over "he or she is just SO SMART" I would be doing them a dis-service by holding them back. Or he or she is **READY**. Ever stop to think about all the factors that make up who your child will be? Social, emotional, academic, physical, self confidence the list goes on and on. As human beings we are so complex.

My son turned 6 the day kindergarten started. We brought cupcakes to share with his new friends. It was a very special day. We didn't do the growth year so he could score higher on his kindergarten SAT testing they do at our school, we didn't do it so he could be physically a year older/bigger when he goes out for baseball, we didn't do it so he could have the "advantage" or "edge" in his classroom with his peers, we didn't do it for his teacher, we didn't do it so he could get into a better college.

We did it for him.


1. In this COMPETITIVE world we live in my son had another year to be home, climbing trees, playing catch in the back yard, building forts, digging dirt for a "storm shelter" he and his brother have been working on. Free from worry, stress, pressure and frustration that comes from making a little boy SIT much of the day. Not to mention the personal time I was able to spend with him pouring into him life lessons taught by mom, we read sometimes hours at night, we talked about what being a friend is and learned about doing the right thing.

2. He is in the high reading group in his class of 16, guess how this makes him feel....his teacher says he is a great student...guess how this makes him feel..

3. Our private school starts SAT testing in Kindergarten that will be held the end of next month. I'd rather him test at age 6 than at 5. Not so I can run and tell my friends how GREAT he did and how SMART he is. I believe he will do better on the tests and in turn feel confident that he is succeeding at Kindergarten.

I have heard it said time and again rarely does a parent regret holding their child back but many times looking back they will see where it would have benefited their child to have a growth year. I don't claim to have all the answers, I know plenty of people start school young and have had very successful lives, I just know that in today's age with the pressures of learning to read in kindergarten giving your little guy are gal a growth year could help them along the way.
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by pathughes9 March 5, 2012 6:20 AM EST
When our son turned 5 (his birthday is in September), we received different opinions on whether he should attend kindergarten. As his mother, I didn't want him to realize that he was held back for any particiular reason. It turned out to be the right choice. When it was time to take the SATs, he took them once. At 17, he became valedictorian of his class. He is now attending a private university and maintaining nearly a 3.9 GPA. With every challenge in life, he has adjusted well.
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by ctvince12 March 5, 2012 5:56 AM EST
My son will be 5 in November. We sang, colored and played in Kindergarten. Reading didn't start until first grade. NCLB was a bad idea engendered by a need for the Federal government to unnecessarily assume the blame for a failure of children to do their homework, and their parents to stay involved. We now have a national testing system that has eliminated the ability of children to learn creatively. Worse yet, academic standards are being pushed to the lower grades so that my four year has to unrealistically do things he should not have to do at an early age. In my district they are supposed to do all this on a half day basis. Riduculous! I will be placing him in a K transition class. Yes that's coming! Helicopter dad..you betcha..
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by teacherpk March 4, 2012 11:23 PM EST
I am a teacher in California schools where the cut-off date is Dec. 2nd.
Many kindergartners start school at age 4 and are not developmentally ready for the new rigors of kindergarten. Many school districts have created a class for these younger children. They are screened and recommended for a 2 year program. It is important to look at the whole child to determine if they are not only academically ready, but socially and emotionally ready as well.
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by ajanolting March 4, 2012 10:05 PM EST
WOW-I have looked over all the comments & am feeling relief & pride in the intelligence of your viewers. We have a 5, almost 6 year old in a Jr K class. He will start Kindergarten at age 6. He knows half his numbers (1-10) & maybe 15 lower-case letters. We had him tested and he has Sensory issues. No one knows how these issues effect his learning process but it definitely & obviously does.
Each child is different and we need to give them all a fighting chance. We are very blessed to have resources so we can send him to therapist and specialists but we are ALSO holding him back. We as a country need to get our priorities straight and do what is BEST for each individual child, which should NOT be based on their age.
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by globetrotter627 March 4, 2012 9:35 PM EST
This is the dumbing of America. Most of the world starts school at 4 or 5, with a few exceptions. We are behind in math and reading. Kids minds are sponges and so agile at this age that they can learn a lot. We need to group kids by ability not just age or some other tag. The studies in the 70's and 80'd did not show a redshirting advantage. If it is showing a benefit now, likely the studies are flawed. Many very intelligent adults skipped a year somewhere along the way.
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