Let's talk "Redshirting"
I came across this article that discusses whether or not children with late birthdays should start Kindergarten when they are very much on the young side or be held out assuming they will be more ready for Kindergarten the following school year.
The article refers to a phenomenon called "redshirting"
Redshirting is the practice of postponing entrance into kindergarten of age-eligible children in order to allow extra time for socio-emotional, intellectual, or physical growth. This occurs most frequently where children's birthdays are so close to the cut-off dates that they are very likely to be among the youngest in their kindergarten class.
Based on how rigorous Kindergarten has become, I can definitely sympathize with a parent who believes that their young child just isn't ready for the rigor that comes along with the very academic program. Yet, what about children who are ready for the academic rigor, but are not socially ready for school? If they do start Kindergarten when they are on the younger end of the spectrum, how will they fare in classrooms that spend a lot more time on academics than on helping students gain social skills, learn to regulate emotions, take turns, play well with others, and work cooperatively. I can't speak for all Kinder teachers, but in my half day classroom, we don't spend time on social skills to the extent that students need to learn and practice these social skills. Should they stay in preschool longer in order to have prolonged access to a more play focused environment?
My niece is an example of a kiddo whose parents had to decide whether or not to send her to Kindergarten. I am not sure when the birthday cutoff is in their state, but her birthday is in January. She actually began full day Kindergarten as a four year old and was four for nearly half the year! Yet, given how smart she is (despite her young age she is already reading and writing), it would have seemed silly to keep her out another year.
Personally, if I got my class list and saw that a child did not turn 5 until January, I would be very skeptical about that child's presence in my classroom. I would be extremely worried about behavior problems and immaturity. I wouldn't expect a four year old to be able to cooperate, share, and follow directions to the same extent that five and almost six year olds can. Yet, for my niece, none of those things were an issue. Clearly, this is a case by case issue and parents will likely know what choice will result in the best outcome for their particular children.
I think the biggest problem is when parents decide to go ahead and send their young child to Kindergarten when the child truly is not ready. My colleague told me she was in the office earlier in the spring when a mother was registering her son at our school for Kindergarten. She overhead the mother tell the secretary that her son had been kicked out of Head Start due to his behavior and he is very hard to control. His Head Start teachers told the mother he is not ready for Kindergarten, yet she was there registering him. I am fearful of what it will be like to teach that child next year if he is in my class. With the possibility of having 27 other kids in the classroom, will I be able to give that child what he needs to thrive? In his particular case, I think he would have benefitted from more preschool experience before beginning Kindergarten. I wonder what factors made that mother decide to register for Kindergarten instead of listening to the advice of her son's teachers.
In Oregon we now have a Kindergarten readiness assessment, yet this assessment is not given until the child has already started Kindergarten. Does that even make sense? What if I determine through my evaluation that a particular child was indeed not ready for Kindergarten? There's not turning back once they have registered and started the school year, so how does this assessment really help?
What do you think about Redshirting?
Should children who have late birthdays wait an additional year before starting Kindergarten?
A few more articles on the subject of Redshirting in Kindergarten...
Youngest Kid, Smartest Kid
When Should Kids Start Kindergarten?
'Redshirting' in Kindergarten is Still Subject to Debate
"Academic Redshirting" in Kindergarten Prevalence, Patterns, and Implications
3 comments:
I think it depends so much on the parent and child. In Michigan, we are changing the start date yearly until students must be 5 on Sept 1 or before to start kindergarten. This year, they need to be 5 by Oct 1. I don't know why the whole state has changed these requirements but especially where I teach, too many kids are not in preschool at all and many come with no social skills in regards to school at all.
So here the cut off is Sept 1. My personal recommendation without even knowing the kid is all summer birthday boys I'd hold back if possible and a case by case basis for the girls. I would never consider sending a 4 year old to K, no matter the child. Yes, I KNOW in theory it depends on the kids. Have I had summer birthday girls and boys do fine in K? Sure... but it's not just about kindergarten. That 4 year old K kid will go to college when they are 17! It's also about how hold they are when they go to middle school, when all their friends get their license a year earlier. It's just so many things to consider. I get that many kids would be fine with the academic rigors of K as a young 5 year old, but why do they need to do it? You'll only be a kid once, so just be a kid in preschool and get to do K next year.
That being said I know it's a major financial burden for parents to do another year of pre school, so I get why parents do it... but here some parents are SO set on "beating the cutoff" that they will do private school for 2 years so they can start their child earlier and then reenter public school and to me that is just so stupid. Why not just wait?
I have a January birthday boy now, so he will go to K on time, but if he was born in June, July or August I would almost definitely red shirt him and I don't have a lot of money (obviously) but it would be worth it.
Okay, off my soap box now haha
In my experience (ME!), redshirting is something I wish my parents would have chosen to do with me. It was all great (social and otherwise) until later.
As in, later grades. It wasn't kinder and keeping up with those (lower back in the '80's) standards. It was later in middle school when the math standards were so rigorous and I fell behind. Eventually I made it back up, but it was a tear-filled world for awhile.
My husband, on the other hand, was redshirted. He is 10 months older than me and we were in the same grade. He had ten months of development more than I did when he started school. He also attended two "kinder" programs-- the pre-kinder (above pre-school at a private institution) and real kindergarten at the public school at nearly age 6--helped with academics and sports. My kids are smack in the middle of the schoolyear and this will not apply to them. But seeing how I fared, I would want my own kids to have a better fighting chance.
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