Is the dramatic increase in kids made to repeat Kindergarten good or bad?

[Karmadillo]

The linked article makes it sound more than bad. What I know of Piaget (not all that much) suggests the same. In my kindergarten, we played, napped, went out to recess, ate, played, napped, played and pretty much repeated as necessary all year. Why in the world do we want to stigmatize five year olds by holding them back when the empirical evidence would seem to indicate it does more harm than good? Comments from anyone familiar with the kindergarten world who agree or disagree would be greatly appreciated.

http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content2/escalating.kinder.p.k12.2.html

The practice of kindergarten retention is increasing dramatically. In some districts, as many as 60% of kindergartners are judged to be unready for first grade. These children are provided with alternative programming: developmental kindergarten (followed by regular kindergarten), transition or pre-first grade, or the repeating of kindergarten.

An extra year before first grade is intended to protect unready children from entering too soon into a demanding academic environment where, it is thought, they will almost surely experience failure. The extra year is meant to be a time when immature children can grow and develop learning readiness skills, and children with deficient prereading skills can strengthen them. When parents are asked to agree to retention or transition placement, they are often told that with an extra year to grow, their children will move to the top of their classes and become leaders.

Advocates of kindergarten retention are undoubtedly well-intentioned. They see retention as a way for the school to respond to children's enormous differences in background, developmental stages, and aptitude. They view retention as a means of preventing failure before it occurs.

What Research Says About Retention

The research on kindergarten retention which we conducted from 1984-88 led to three major findings:

**Kindergarten retention does nothing to boost subsequent academic achievement;

**Regardless of what the extra year may be called, there is a social stigma for children who attend an extra year;

**Retention actually fosters inappropriate academic demands in first grade.

We have located 14 controlled studies that document effects of kindergarten retention. Six were included in Gredler's (1984) major review of research on transition rooms, and eight were newly identified empirical studies. The dominant finding is one of no difference between retained and promoted children. Gredler concluded that at-risk children promoted to first grade performed as well or better than children who spent an extra year in transition rooms. In another study, retained children were matched with promoted children. At the end of first grade, children in the two groups did not differ on standardized math scores or on teacher ratings of reading and math achievement, learner self-concept, social maturity, and attention span (Shepard and Smith, 1985).

more...

[noel711]

1. There is way too much emphasis...

on academic learning much too early. And pressure from parents for children to begin their schooling earlier and earlier.
Many children don't develop on the expected levels; parents think that if little Johnny attended day care or preschool for 2 or 3 years, he's ready for kindergarten. May or may not be. Children should not have to repeat kindergarten. Children who are not ready emotionally, socially, chronologically and physically (yes!) should not start kindergarten until better developed. Some children, especially boys, do better if they wait. Children should not start formal education until they are at least 5 years old. Not 4 1/2...Better to start kindergarten later than to repeat.

I taught for 15 years before I changed careers, and saw the damage that ambitious parents have done to sensitive kids.

[candy]

2. I,personally am for the later they start, the better.

There is NO social stigma at that young age----none!

[Missy Vixen]

6. Oh, but there is later!

>There is NO social stigma at that young age----none<

I was reading at four. However, I ended up repeating kindergarten due to being VERY small for my age (this was the excuse given,) and my sadistic, evil (according to my parents,) kindergarten teacher, Miss Irby. An example of the magic that was Miss Irby, and perhaps this will explain it all: Miss Irby didn't believe that children needed or deserved regular potty breaks. As a result, I wet my pants in class one day and was sent home in disgrace.

I lived in the same town from age 2 until age 23. I went to school with the same people through elementary, junior high, and high school. It truly didn't matter that I was reading at college level in junior high, and that I went on to a variety of scholastic and personal achievements. I was tormented, repeatedly, by numerous fellow students over one day in Miss Irby's class, and the fact that I must be a "dummy" to have had to repeat kindergarten.

One of my classmates had a developmental disability and finally graduated high school at 19. You can't imagine what she went through when her classmates figured out her true age.

I am not a huge homeschooling proponent. I realize that there are cruel children in private school as well. At the same time, there's plenty of social stigma at any age in public school.

Julie

[candy]

7. Your kindergarten teacher was cruel I was only referring to

the social stigma of being "held back" in kindergarten or first grade.Kids that young don't give age that much thought.

Your situation appalls me. I hope she didn't teach long or ever had any kids of her own.

[SheilaT]

3. The nature of kindergarten has changed

drastically over the years. It used to be about learning to play well with others, learning to identify colors, recite the alphabet, and general readiness for school.

These days reading is often taught in kindergarten.

Schools have also moved back the starting age for kindergarten by as much as nine months, so the students are now older than they were a generation or so ago. Which is another reason the academic ante has been raised.

It's a huge, complicated problem. No matter what the cut-off date for age is, the oldest child will be 364 days older than the youngest child (assuming no one starts early or is held back) and that's a large difference among children of normal intelligence and ability. Throw in a gifted child or two, and several with learning disabilities and you've got a classroom mix that is challenging at best.

One obvious solution is much smaller classrooms. Another could be having two start dates for school, September (or August) and January. Of course, carried through the rest of school, you'd need to have both a December and May (or June) graduation, and we're so wedded to the idea of the school year as it currently is, that would be difficult to implement.

But what's most interesting about the quoted article is that holding children back at the kindergarten level doesn't seem to make any difference whatsoever.

[T Town Jake]

23. What you said. I've seen this firsthand, and I entirely agree.

(n/t)

[tsuki]

34. Two starting dates will not work. It did not work in VA. As a result of

having a Jan 30 birthday, I started school in Jan, I was almost 6. Dad was transfered to FA. They did not have a split program, so I was placed in the 2nd grade. All my school life, I was up to 1-1/2 years younger than my classmates. It was difficult. At that age, that is a large gap.

[ChairOne]

4. Since *normal* American school kids end up stupid anyway....

... I don't see the point in making "slow" kindergarteners stay back...

[lyrical di]

5. why retain

NCLB is a big factor now. In the past 4 years the requirements and expectations for K-1 have changed greatly. Students have benchmarks for reading to achieve before leaving K. Solution (besides killing the unrealistic standards) start kids later and provide better preschool programs that give them the fun stuff now.
Sadly with my oldest two we started them young. Oldest stepson was way too young and still suffers today in 10th grade. We tried to repeat 1st grade, but it was too late then. Oldest son, same age and grade, was homeschooled for Kdg then public all the way. Does really well academically, but can't ever catch up with kids 2 years older than him in class.
Youngest two kids doing much better. Started school when 5.5 years old and have the same maturity as their classmates.
People send kids early because economy is so terrible and daycare is high.

[phylny]

8. The other problem is the varying dates states or districts use as

cut-off dates for Kindergarten.

In Indiana, where my kids started school, the cut-off date for starting Kindergarten was July 1st, and thenit changed to June 1st. In Virginia, the date was September 30th. Here in New York, I think it's still December 31st. That means that you have kids who are 4 years old starting Kindergarten.

It's interesting here because our second daughter is in 10th grade, but as old as many students who are in 11th. It's because she was 5, almost 6, when she started Kindergarten, according to the cut-off date in Indiana.

I worked with a Kindergarten teacher (and I didn't particularly like her) but she constantly fretted about the revised curriculum for Kindergarten. She said she has no time to let the kids do any sort of playing - they are literally having to ram information into them at amazing rates to keep up with mandates. Even in Virginia, you could always tell the kids who were the young Kindergartners. They struggled trying not to cry leaving their moms, let alone handling all the academic stuff.

Gone are the days when Kindergarten was about learning your colors, shapes, and letters. Now, in the second semester, Kindergartners are reading and writing.

Many kids are ready for it, but not all. It's really a tough thing being a kid nowadays.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

24. Well, my 2 year old already knows his colors, shapes,

and letters for the most part. He still gets some shades of green and blue confused a lot, but he's only 27 months old, and I'm sure he'll figure that out before he turns 5. I'm glad that he won't be wasting time doing that in kindergarten.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

25. We did reading, writing,

and basic math when I was in kindergarten back in 1984. It doesn't sound any different to me.

[jazzjunkysue]

9. It's OK, and done all the time. I'm a teacher. With the firm benchmarks

imposed by the feds, it's only fair to let kids have an extra year. Otherwise, just because they're a year delayed in their skills, they'll wind up in special ed or lots of remedial programs, in an effort to artificially keep them up to the test standards. School is so techinical now, that some just aren't ready, and you're doing them a favor giving them some more time. It was the best thing my sister ever did for her son, although the rest of the family gave her hell at the time.

[seabeyond]

10. my first son sailed thru kindergarten, youngest in class

now a days a lot of people arent putting their sons into kindergarten until 6, waiting an extra year. my oldest was ready at 5 and did well academically, yet he is still a year younger than the other boys and that makes a big difference in the social interaction and has always been a challenge for him. there was a little resentment on my part all these year older and bigger boys in his class tormenting him

my youngest son was always at the end of development stage, late bloomer in all things. i probably should have held him a year and allowed him to go to kindergarten a year later, but with what i saw with the bigger boys in my other sons class i didnt. so i am just especially patient with the youngest allowing him to go at the rate he needs to go. he is catching up fine on the reading, ahead in math and way behind in handwriting.

schools are not messing around now a days making sure kids are at a certain level before moving on.

i noticed a lot of boys would have been fine going into kindergarten at the required time, there parents wanted them to have the advantage. parents have become a bit odd in that. inevitably it is the kid heads taller than the others, a year in maturity that run the playground. and no i dont think they feel good about being a year older than the other kids

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

26. Well, it depends on where you live.

The school district in my town doesn't hold kids back when they should hold them back. The schools are very overcrowded, so they just push the kids through to make way for the next batch.

[antigone382]

11. They tried to put me in Readiness because I failed one test...out of 43.

That was when my mom pulled me out of public school and home-schooled me for the next seven years. When I went back in the 8th grade, they wanted to move me up one grade, to high school.

[PassingFair]

12. It truly is a tough problem...

when some children have been "schooled" either in day care/Montessori or by parents; and others don't even know their colors.

The grade school here tries to have two different curiculums; one for "young fives" and one for kids who have basic knowledge. The try to work more "hand's on" with smaller class size for the "young fives".

Both of my kids had a hard time dealing with kindergarden. The first one fought mightily with her teached, but they ended up with a certain respect for each other. My second kid got the same teacher, so I called her up and said "Are you going to make the same mistakes with this one?" Two weeks later, my daughter was bumped into 1st grade.
She is tall for her age, so she fits in well physically. She would have STAGNATED in that lower grade.

[noamnety]

13. I'm not convinced about the actual causes

Increased food additives, environmental causes, increased medications ... is it possible more of the kids have ADD or similar issues that aren't addressed in this article?

[Karmadillo]

14. Kick

n/t

[Karmadillo]

15. One last kick just in case fate brought a kindergarten teacher to the

board tonight.

[KissMeKate]

16. I was socially promoted

or whatever they call it- I slacked off in the fifth grade and they sent me on to the sixth, and it clearly made me the sick and twisted person I am today! lol JK

I did fine in school. As long as a kid is able to read, and doesnt have severe deficiencies, social promotion makes sense in the long run, IMO.

[neebob]

17. First grade is a demanding academic environment?

If that's true, I guess times really have changed. I used to think my son got too much homework starting in about the second grade, but I wouldn't call it a demanding academic environment.

I don't remember anything from Kindergarten except that I went in the morning and I was sure the afternoon session must be cooler. The only thing I remember very distinctly from the first grade that's longer than a minute is the time I got my mouth taped. So I would say holding a kid back at that age would be a good way to traumatize him or her for life.

[jayctravis]

22. I remember heavy everyday homework kicking in at grade 4.

[neebob]

31. I didn't have regular homework until junior high,

and even then it wasn't every day. I don't remember working on anything at home until the 5th grade, and that was a special project. Of course I'm talking 1970ish.

It blew me away that my son had homework in the second grade, and he's had daily homework ever since. He's now a sophomore. He also has a good discipline around his homework, so it's all good now. But I resented it when he was in grade school.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

27. Yeah, I don't remember first grade being all that different

from kindergarten. I think there would be plenty of opportunity to catch up in 1st grade. Now maybe if the kid is still lagging behind at the end of first grade, then something would need to be done.

[ultraist]

18. Nat'l Assoc of School Psychologists Statement

Waiting to put a child in kindergarten is different than grade retention. Waiting is sometimes the best choice but retention has adverse effects on the child.

I tend to agree with their position. Most kids do get caught up with the proper interventive measures.

http://www.nasponline.org/information/pospaper_graderetent.html
Position Statement on Student Grade Retention and Social Promotion
The increasing emphasis on educational standards and accountability has rekindled public and professional debate regarding the use of grade retention as an intervention to remedy academic deficits. While some politicians, professionals, and organizations have called for an end to "social promotion," many states and districts have established promotion standards.

Despite a century of research that fails to support the efficacy of grade retention, the use of grade retention has increased over the past 25 years. It is estimated that as many as 15% of American students are held back each year, and 30% - 50% of students in the US are retained at least once before ninth grade. Furthermore, the highest retention rates are found among poor, minority, inner-city youth. Research indicates that neither grade retention nor social promotion is an effective strategy for improving educational success. Evidence from research and practice highlights the importance of seeking alternatives that will promote social and cognitive competence of children and enhance educational outcomes.

The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) promotes the use of interventions that are evidence-based and effective and discourages the use of practices which, though popular or widely accepted, are either not beneficial or are harmful to the welfare and educational attainment of America's children and youth. Given the frequent use of the ineffective practice of grade retention, NASP urges schools and parents to seek alternatives to retention that more effectively address the specific instructional needs of academic underachievers.

[Karmadillo]

33. Good information. Thanks for posting.

n/t

[LeftyMom]

19. Starting formal education that early is inappropriate

Sending a child the message that there's something wrong with them when the real problem is that the adults in thier lives are asking too much at too young an age is awful.

[ultraist]

21. I agree, that's why I generally oppose retention

I think it's ok if you keep your child home that first year, they don't know the difference, but when they are told they have FAILED their first year of school, that is a real blow to their self esteem.

[jayctravis]

20. Kindergarten should be

translating shapes and colors and drawings into letters and how to form them. For all the nap time and suchever, at the end you can write your name in block capitals. Sing the alphabet song, who at that age understands it anyway...

[liberalequestrian]

28. From someone who repeated kindergarden

I have to say it was beneficial, honestly. It was not that I was lacking academically, I was actually at "grade level" or above at that time, reading ahead of the other kids (Sure did help to have parents that would read endlessly to me). However, I was also an only child and thus the social environment (despite two years of preschool) would not have been beneficial to me. Where my peers were able to integrate nearly seamlessly into life with all these other kids, I was not. The extra year (which, by the way, no one ever teased me about, nor did they care) allowed me to settle into a more social setting.

An additional year of preschool would not have been as beneficial- while academically I was ready for 1st grade, socially I needed that actual time at actual school to prepare myself- and when the second year of kindergarden began, I was able to take more of a leadership position and was very self assured- something that has carried through to today. I do not doubt that had I used the first year of kindergarden as preschool or had I gone up to 1st grade, I would not be the person I am today and would have struggled socially for a long period of time, perhaps never overcoming it.

This is perhaps not meant for this thread, but it is in my opinion that although the social stigma of holding kids back at higher grade levels may be greater, it is not beneficial to anyone to have kids passing through the grade levels- teachers forced to pass them with creative means or schools looking the other way as they fail multiple classes. Perhaps NCLB addressed this (Although here in CA, the HS exit exam, for which I have seen the guides, is a joke), but I have, in the past, witnessed students who did not do any work nor did they learn anything be passed right up through the levels... It is in my opinion that until we have stricter guidelines for moving up the grades and actually enforce those with minimum grades (and tutoring) that our education system will continue to lack, especially when compared to the education systems of other countries. There must be a punishment of some kind, because we are churning out lazy, unmotivated kids who know next to nothing that was taught in more of an uneffective assembly line process that encourages this sort of behavior- and we expect them to compete with countries who effectively push and teach the students? I don't think so...

This all begins with kindergarden. We have an analogy that we use with training (horses)- a house without a foundation cannot be properly built. Likewise, the child who leaves kindergarden not knowing how to read or write his name does not have the foundation to progress.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

29. Did anyone have Step-up in their schools when they were

kids? They put the kids that weren't ready for 1st grade in a program called Step-up at my elementary school. The kids got a different teacher (not their kindergarten teacher again), so they felt that they were moving up like everyone else. I was actually jealous of the Step-up kids. They seemed like they were special. They got to do a lot of fun activities that the 1st graders didn't get to do and their teacher was really awesome. I didn't realize that step up was the same as being held back from 1st grade at the time, and I don't think any of the other kids realized it either. I think that Step-up is a good way to deal with the kids that aren't ready for 1st grade.

[anarchy1999]

30. Just off the bat, I'd say bad. I started "kindergarten" when I was four,

a few weeks short of being Five (5). Bush's "no child left behind" is nothing but a joke on all the rest of us.

My 17 year old daughter knows nothing of the history of this country and is prime material for the upcoming draft. Her father is a military man and she is getting ready to go to an historically military school and she intends to be a doctor and has since she was just 5. I have a vested interest in this issue.

[Valerie5555]

32. Jnr. and Snr. Kindergarten programs

Was wondering if A JUNIOR and SENIOR Kindergarten program was a good idea, though all I knew about that was certain Canadian jurisdictions, namely ONTARIO had that sort of a system and ALBERTA was considering it or so I heard and the Junior Kindergarten program would of course be for the 4 to 5 y.o. kids and the Senior Kindergarten program would be for the 5 to 6 year olds. Maybe the senior kindergarten would probably be sort of like grade 1, though I am not sure. :shrug:.