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dglaspy · Sep 26, 2008, 08:06 AM

I need help. I have a 7yr old, in kindergarten he went to school in the district that we live in. After completing kindergarten I decided that I was going to sent him to a "schoo of choice" (school outside the area we live) On the first day of school at the new school, I advised his first grade teacher to observe him and let us(his parents) know what areas we need to work on. By the end of the week his teacher called and said we've been observing yours son this past week and we're going to put him in Primary 1st. I guess I should've asked questions but it sounded like he would be in 1st grade with maybe a little review, over things that might not have been touched on at his old school. At the end of the school year I got his report card that included a lot of good reports and at the top it stated that my son was promoted to the 1st grade(huh). I called the school thinking maybe it was a typing error. They explained to me that my son was not truly in the first grade, instead he was bridged between kindergarten and 1st. I was so upset I pulled him from that school. I enrolled him back in school in our district this year and put him in 2nd grade. I was just advised that my son is not reading at the level that they want him at, and they want to put him in the 1st grade, should I allow them to do this. I don't want to see him struggle, but at the same time I don't want him to feel stigmatized being older than the other students in his grade or feeling isolated by kids his age, what should I do?

danielnoahsmommy · Sep 26, 2008, 08:45 AM

Let him go back to the 1st grade. Its better to be held back now than latter. He needs to improve his reading skills. This is the most important skill, all others are built upon.

MsMewiththat · Sep 26, 2008, 09:03 AM

This is why they wanted him to be in first grade before. It's okay to get extra help and will truly cut down on problems in the future. He will in fact benefit from "repeating" if you will, the 1st grade. Does he have a late birthday? Many times boys are help over until the next year if their birthday is beyond May. It's okay. Let him repeat it, but understand at this point you have caused more embarrassment for him then necessary. You should have left him in the other school, can you see that? I am not bringing this up to be rude, but to see if you are aware so that you can make better judgment calls in the future.

DoulaLC · Sep 26, 2008, 02:09 PM

A few questions you might ask them:

*How far below grade level is he?
*What sort of support do they offer at his school?
*Is he struggling in any other areas?
*What exactly are the reading expectations at the first grade level?
*How often are reading assessments done and which ones do they use? How many has he had so far?
*Where are the students expected to be at (reading level) by the end of the year?

A few questions for you:

*Would you be able to provide tutoring for him if he stayed in second grade? (some schools offer it for free, sometimes you might pay a teacher to tutor afterschool, etc.. )
*How much time would you be able to provide to also support his reading at home?
*What is his maturity level like?

NowWhat · Sep 29, 2008, 06:18 AM

Speaking from experience - holding your child back because they are struggling - especially in reading - is a good thing. It was for me anyway.

I struggled with the thought of my daughter getting teased, etc. did the pros out weigh the cons?
I have to tell you - it was the best decision for us. She went from being at the bottom of her class to the top.

logan176 · Jan 27, 2009, 06:06 PM

As a third grade teacher, kids who struggle in reading early on have a very difficult time catching up. I know the school's methods and terminology caught you off guard, but it sounds like the first school acted in the best interest of your child's education. Even though he is a year behind his peers, he will now have a new peer group and socially speaking, he'll be perfectly fine and make new, lasting friendships.

Bridge programs are much better than just socially promoting a student or having them just repeat the same grade with the same curriculum. A properly designed Bridge program will help close the educational gap by teaching your child similar material in a different way or at a different pace.

I know you were only acting out of love for your child, but you probably caused a larger delay by pulling him out of the other school. The Bridge program was preparing your child to be a successful entering first grader. By pulling him out of that school and placing him in 2nd grade, you essentially took a struggling child and forced him to skip first grade.

In my professional opinion, I would say to place your child back in first grade where he can learn the important skills to make him a successful second grader next year. 2 schools can't be wrong.

Finally, make sure you are told exactly what your son's reading level is... don't accept any of this "middle of first grade" nonsense. Every school uses some type of assessment to pinpoint your child's progress. Some schools base this on how many words your child can read per minute. Others, like my school, use what's called a DRA or a QRI. You need to get concrete numbers so you can track your child's progress as well.

I wish you the best of luck.

Carytib · Mar 9, 2009, 11:15 AM

Let them put him in the 1st grade agaiin and he could learn more and when he is in collage he could get a nice job so that is why you should let them do what's right it is OK do not worry

BaratLori · Apr 17, 2009, 01:24 PM

If reading is the only subject your son has problems in ABSOLUTELY DO NOT retain him. You will only be causing him problems when he reaches High School. You may want to look into programs specific to helping with reading, don't be afaid of special ed either. It's not what it was when we were little. Have a Child Study done and an IEP test done by the school Psychologist, this will make sure if there are any learning disorders or not. Also, contact your Literacy Council. Many times they have free programs that help kids get up to speed and there may be summer classes he can take.

Please, Please read the research on Child Retention it is not good. Suicide is a big problem with retention and though the most serious not the only one.