Early kindergarden testing?

Question

My son is going to be tested for early kindergarden entry. hes so close to the cutoff date for the school district and his preschool teacher is recommending we test him because she thinks pre-K will hold back his potential. I'm wondering if anyone else has done this. Is there anything we should know? Any thing special we can do to help prepare him? It won't be until august.

Answer 1

yes i did it and i got in to early kindergarden i cant really remember, but don't try to prepare anything or else if he gets in he might not know anything when he gets in to older grades... if he knows it he knows it!

Answer 2

To prepare him all you need to do is make sure he has a good nights rest and a good breakfast.  The best thing you can do is not "stress" him out about taking the test.  Don't make a big deal out of it.  He will do his best and maybe even better if you don't stress out about it yourself or make a big deal out of it.  You can explain why he is taking the test, but make sure it is a his level and not overwhelming.  If you are not sure what to say talk to the preschool teacher.  She has done this before and will help guide you.

I am sure he will do great especially if his teacher see potential.

Answer 3

First - don't worry about what other moms think.  You know what's in your child's best interest.  I would just say to consider the repercussions of being the last of all his peers to hit milestones, he may be have to be on different sports teams than his classmates, etc.  Academically it sounds like he will be just fine, but do consider the social ramifications later that's all.  But it sounds like you have.

Second - continue to work on his reading etc.  Often "early admission" standards are greater than what they expect the average child to know coming into K.

Continue to work on his sight words (check out:

http://www.mrsperkins.com/dolch.htm) and basic word families (-at words, -an words, -ing words) and reading.  Make sure he not only identifies letters, but their phonetic sound as well.  (See Leapfrog's Letter Factory).

Make sure he can count and understands the concept of addition (he doesn't need to memorize his facts but understand what it means to add & subtract and do sums w/ manipulatives).  Have him count by 10s to 100.

I really like "Teaching Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons" & http://www.readinga-z.com/ for working on reading and phonics.

Outside of that I wouldn't "prepare" him too much.  You want the testers to have an honest assesment of his readiness, but it sounds like he should do fine.

Answer 4

As a teacher with a late December birthday, I can say with 20/20 hindsight that I could have used that extra year. That extra year can be quite a gift when looking over an entire life. Don't buy into the idea that more or faster is always better. When thinking of your son please keep in mind that there is no correlation between IQ and happiness, fulfillment, or even success in later life. It takes more than academic potential to have a meaningful life. My point is that your son will learn and grow and develop regardless of the decision you make on this one issue. I find it hard to believe that this one decision will make or break your son's academic career. With that in mind please consider all your child's needs. Please don't push him to pass a test at such a young age. Follow YOUR gut instinct about your own child. Both waiting an extra year or moving up to K are viable options.

In the meantime focus on teaching your child to think, to learn, to problem solve. These are skills that last a lifetime. Good luck!

Try:

http://www.criticalthinking.org/

http://surfaquarium.com/newsletter/prima...

http://www.teach-nology.com/litined/dif_...

http://www.reading.org/

http://www.preschoolexpress.com/pattern_...

http://www.lesley.edu/faculty/kholmes/li...

http://www.reacheverychild.com/assessmen...

Answer 5

good job

Answer 6

if he is ready, he is ready. when is the Kindergarten cut-off date? Sept b-day kids do alot better held back another year, even if they are acedemically ready. Think of it like this, would you want your child to be the 'baby' in class, or the older mature student. If your child's b-day is August, early K entry may be OK. When you take your son to be tested, the school can give you more answers. Kindergarten in many areas is alot of acedemics, sometimes I think too much especially for young 5's.

Answer 7

Go for it!

Congrats on his reading already!!   I just heard today that it isn't "developmentally appropriate" for a 4 year old to be able to read.   I'm so sick of that nonsense.     A kid can learn to read between the ages of 2 and 5 in reality, just depends on how hard the parent in his life wants to work.  Yeah, I was taken aback by the age of 2 myself.  But I know too many credible people who have taught their 2 year olds to read to scoff.  And it doesn't mess up a 2 year old either.  It is all about how you do it.  Do anything with a sense of fun and a kid will join right in, and laugh too!

Answer 8

As a Kindergarten teacher, I love having the September birthdays when they turn 6 right away! They're great role models both socially and academically - and really can become leaders in the class.  With that said, if your child is indeed ready in *both* areas, they'll be able to tell at the testing. I've noticed the social areas are usually the ones that trip kids up - there will be a big difference between your coming-in-at-4 and the just-turning-6's who will all be in the same room, when it comes to play, patience, maturity, social interactions, etc. How independent is he? Can he follow multi-step directions? How much has he been around older kids? These things really make a difference.

As far as his "potential" goes, there are things you and the pre-K teacher can do if he doesn't go into Kindergarten early. Keep working with him and giving him lots of life experiences!

Also, don't let on if you're disappointed if he doesn't get in K early - kids are very perceptive and I'm sure you don't want him to think he failed you in any way. Somebody in every class has to be the youngest, and also the oldest. His pre-K year can be very fun and educational too - and if he's reading already, that's going to be seen as a really cool thing by his peers in pre-K. I taught 4K for years, and even the smartest kids made gains and were never "bored" in my class. Kids love hearing the same stories over and over again (like at bedtime), so it's similar in school when we're counting and they already know how to count - they like to show how smart they are! They don't mind reviewing things they already know. And there are always social things they all need to learn, like problem solving, etc.

So, see what they say in August, and then take that recommendation and decide based on what you feel would be best for your child. Good luck!

Answer 9

hi

Answer 10

just to be sure is he going to be just 5 or be turning 6....remember children in european countries often do not start till they are 7 yrs.

i look at this decision in two ways...1st as a parent of a child who was 4 on entry of kindergarten (she had had 2yrs worth of preschool) and did not have any problems either socially or emotionally until high school(she was a whole year younger than some of her classmates who were getting jobs, and driving and she had to wait to do both till she was in 11th grade due to her age), the she cried when she could not be like her friends and did not want to go to school and be called names(children are often meaner than we could ever think of as adults) she also was larger than most of her peers and if she had been a boy she probably would have played football, but as a girl she ran track, and participated in jrotc.

and 2nd of all as a teacher...especailly boys do better if they wait the extra yr ....you can do lots of enrichment at home and with programs from tutoring and local comm programs thru museums, libraries, to further encourage his progress. no matter how well your child does one on one with the tester does not always reflect how they will do in a classroom that can have anywhere from 20-35 children and only one teacher......boys tend to do worse on the side of emotional, and social skills, they may do very well on the "academic" areas but seem to have more problems dealing with things like sharing, and taking turns and how to control their tempers.

but as several others have stated you know your child best, and if i were you i would choose my childs school and teacher very well especially as your child is younger than his classmates will be(if that is allowed in your district) and be prepared to assist him with boosters in the emotional and social skill areas along with the typical kindergarten homework and classroom issues

good luck!!!