Education TRACKer: Kindergarten--Ready or Not?
In my strictly un-scientific observation, it seems more and more of my friends and neighbors have erred on the side of caution when it comes to sending their children to kindergarten. That is, many of the kids I know born just before the old October 16 cut-off date were being “held back” until the next school year by parents who were concerned they just weren’t ready.
Because of a bill signed by Governor Easley, the new kindergarten cut-off date for the 2009-10 school year is August 31. And with kindergarten registration just a few days away in the Wake County schools (February 5), parents who were teetering on the edge may have some relief.
I have seen younger children who tested out of the cut-off excel; one student in my son’s class may soon complete work in nuclear physics (slight exaggeration). But by and large, the students I see in elementary school are physically larger and calendar-year-older when they start down the educational path.
What do you think about this trend? Is more being expected of our children? Are parents being too cautious?
If you live in Wake County and need information about kindergarten registration paperwork or guidelines, check this out: http://www.wcpss.net/newcomer/getting-started/registration/kindergarten.html.
Because of a bill signed by Governor Easley, the new kindergarten cut-off date for the 2009-10 school year is August 31. And with kindergarten registration just a few days away in the Wake County schools (February 5), parents who were teetering on the edge may have some relief.
I have seen younger children who tested out of the cut-off excel; one student in my son’s class may soon complete work in nuclear physics (slight exaggeration). But by and large, the students I see in elementary school are physically larger and calendar-year-older when they start down the educational path.
What do you think about this trend? Is more being expected of our children? Are parents being too cautious?
If you live in Wake County and need information about kindergarten registration paperwork or guidelines, check this out: http://www.wcpss.net/newcomer/getting-started/registration/kindergarten.html.
Tags: county, cut-off, date, education, kindergarten, schools, wake
Comment
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Comment by Elizabeth Shugg on February 5, 2009 at 3:39pm - Kindergarten/1st grade registration began Feb. 2 for Chapel Hill/Carrboro schools, and Feb. 5 for Wake County Schools. Registration in Chatham County is April 27-May 1. Orange County Schools registration takes place between April 17 and May 1, and Durham County Public Schools has a website set up for kindergarten registration info, but no dates are posted at this time.
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Comment by Elizabeth Shugg on February 4, 2009 at 11:47pm
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I have children in both categories--and another right in the middle. My oldest has a July birthday but was academically ready for kindergarten, so we put him in. Socially he had some difficulties, but academically he did great. My youngest has an early October birthday so she made the cut-off date. Since we are in year-round school we decided it made much more sense for her to wait a year to begin school and we are very happy with our decision. She is mastering all subjects and shows a great deal of confidence in the classroom. My middle son's birthday is also in the middle--January--so we never had issues with his birthday.
I feel that 9 times out of 10 it's better to wait, so I applaud the decision to move the cut-off date to Aug. 31. I think another benefit of this is it will narrow the range of ages for teachers to teach. At times, I'm sure they feel like they are teaching two grade levels instead of one, so this should help with that.
© 2010 Created by Elizabeth Shugg.
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