DB10

We're moving to PA, US from the UK in April. Our 5 year old is just about to complete his P1, or first year of formal education. I believe under the US education system he will only be eligible for Kindergarten in Sept of this year, is the anyway that we can get him into grade 1? His birthday is November, when he will be 6.

Sherlock Holmes

Hi there and welcome to the forum.

As you have asked a specific question, I've moved your thread into the U.S. forum.

Enjoy B.E.

Pulaski

Kindergarten in the state where I live, and I believe in most if not all others. Starts around the end of August or early September after the child turns 5. So your son would, as you suggest not start in kindergarten until next August/ September. A hear that it is common when a child is new to the school, and especially from outside the US, to perform an assessment of a child's educational performance before assigning them to a grade, though whether they would allow your son to jump ahead a year, I do not know.

Sue

In North Carolina "students must be 5 years of age on or before August 31st to be considered for Kindergarten?" So I would imagine that would extend to 1st grade, e.g. a child would have to be 6 before Aug 31st. But that differs from state to state, and district to district. Do you know the county in PA you will be moving to?

Oh and welcome to BE!

kimilseung

As Sue said you need to find the rules for where you are.

As an example:

Seattle says for Kindergarten:

".....must have turned five years of age on or before August 31st."

However, a child whose birth date falls on or between

"September 1st and October 31st may enter kindergarten if he or she meets entrance-screening requirements"

So in Seattle your child would not be able to do 1st grade, as the birthday is after Oct 31, however you can see that there are provisions for older children within a year to jump ahead however "he/she will be expected to meet standards at least six months above his/her age in all areas assessed"

You just need to know the local stipulations.

DB10

Thanks for the feedback everybody. It's Montgomery county in PA. It's good to know that he may be assigned to a year based on ability and knowledge rather than just age.

penguinsix

Please read this thread thoroughly:

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=643985

Same thing--kid was put in First Grade based on 'number of years in school' rather than by their birth age which would have been kindergarten, and it led to some problems.

There is really no right or wrong we can tell you right now. It's going to depend on the your child, the school you are coming from, and the school you are going to. There will be kindergartens here that are more advanced than P1s back in the UK. There will be Grade 1s here behind what P1s learned in the UK. It varies massively such that we can't really give you 'perfect' advice that would fit in every situation.

Here are some more bits about starting school here, including some notes on how to handle the request to the administrators to get put in a higher year:

http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Educat...s_in_school%3F

Good luck with your move.

Mummy in the foothills

Kindergarten isn't like it used to be. It used to be more like preschool, but over the years it has become a lot more, and is now more equivalent to year one in UK, they do maths, reading and writing along with the other more fun things (art, cooking, and science).
My oldest (now 24) went into K after a year in reception UK, he was bored as it was like repeating reception class, by the time my now 19 year old got to K it had improved and he learned a lot more. Youngest is 8 (the other day) and she was in the same K, same teacher and it is much more academic now, Dd was doing the same work as my UK friends Dd (same age) who was in year 1.
Most kids here spend a year in preschool before K and that is like reception year.

GeoffM

Our son is a month younger than yours. We met with his daycare teacher/headteacher just this week and the subject of kindergarten/grades came up. They said he is academically more than ready for grade 1 - but emotionally not nearly ready. We're going to stick with age-appropriate grades, even though he might be more advanced than others in the same grade. I was asking about streaming (top set, bottom set, etc for certain subjects) and around here they don't do that - at best there would be teaching assistants in the classroom and the room would be split into two or three groups.

Don't forget that grade 1 in the US is not necessarily the same as year 1 in the UK in terms of ability, coursework, or curriculum.

kodokan

Based on stuff stuck up on the walls at my daughter's school (she entered in 2nd grade, so no personal experience), the KG work is easily that of Yr 1 in England, not Reception. I've seen 1st graders here walking around clutching chapter books at the start of the school year, so they must get to a fairly advanced reading level in KG.

I'd be inclined to leave him in his age cohort unless he is academically gifted (not just ahead of the others simply because he's been taught something earlier, but truly advanced in how he approaches work and picks things up) AND physically big for his age AND has advanced social skills. Sure, he may be a little bored in class for a few months if they're doing stuff he already knows, but there will lots that's new to him (US history and citizenship topics, imperial measuring system), and you're not just making the decision for now, you're making it for years if not all of his academic life. Seems there's much more scope for it biting back in later years, if he doesn't cope brilliantly and has to either move back a grade or just struggle constantly.

And don't worry overmuch about him being behind if you go back to the UK in a few years. I moved my then 11 and 7 yr olds here from Switzerland, where they'd been doing their schooling in French for 3-4 years. Within 6 months, they were completely caught up with their US peers, which is some going considering my son hadn't written a word in English for more than 3 years, and my daughter could only read at a very basic level. Iin French. Primary-aged kids are marvellously flexible.

tuxedocat

I haven't lived there in 20 years but Montgomery County had excellent schools.

Rete

The State of Mississippi is 5 years by September 1. My grandson will be 5 on the 16th of September and will not be able to start until September of 2014.

MsElui

my 8 year olds birthday is end of July so he is one of the youngest in his school year. He does okay - but i think with hindsight - he is still emotionally quite young and it may have been more prudent to keep him back a year (as LOTS of people do here). My son keeps up but it seems harder for him as hes a year younger than a lot fo his friends.

My middle kid is in KG now and with a November birthday - is one of the oldest in the year. He seems to find it all quite easy and be breezing along. This seems a nicer way of doing it.

So id think very carefully about your own child's personality - if they are emotionally younger or lacking in confidence etc- sticking with the lower level may be better for them.