Where can i find a checklist for school readiness?

Question

my daughter is 5 yrs old and extremely smart. I think she would have fun in kindergarten but academically would be wasting her time. She reads and writes. she knows all colors and can count to 100.

just a few examples of why i think she should go beyond kindergarten to start.

Can i put her in first grade instead of kindergarten?

Answer 1

I agree w/OC1999.  My daughter has been in preschool for 1.5 years and has tested for K. She is ready but I still feel emotionally she is still a pre-schooler.  If they find she is not quite ready for the K academia, they will pull her down to the K "readiness program" in the same school.  She is 4, will  turn 5 in Oct.  Emotions play a HUGE role in whether or not a child should move up.  However, skipping Kindergarten is not the answer.

Answer 2

PBS for kids Reading rainbows

Answer 3

I think she can take some sort of test that would allow her to be put in 1st grade.

Answer 4

There are many children who are academically ready for kindergarten, yet are not socially developed.  Let your daughter have her year in kindergarten.  If by the end of the year her teacher feels she can skip a grade because of her exceptional academic skills and her mature social behavior, then by all means do so.

Answer 5

had a similar problem with my oldest daughter, her birthday is 11/25 and the school said she could start in sept of the year she would turn 5 (meaning almost 3 mo before she turned 5), and we allowed her to do so based on the fact she was smart and had had almost 2 full years of preschool.

things went well for the first few years and then went downhill slowly and then accelerated very quickly during middle school....most of them stemming from the fact that most if not all of her classmates were any where from a few months to a whole year older than she was and were therefore able to do more than she was.....things that really stuck out were body image, being able to drive, get a job, and being able to date.....

by the time she was beginning to start puberty (mid 7th grade for her) all of her friends had already begun a year or more before her so she was a target for "childish" pranks and jokes which made her feel really bad and like she was still a "baby"

by the time she got to high school things came to a boiling point (she actually broke down and cried several times) when she was in 10th grade) she watched all of her friends start getting jobs and driving and she could not even do that for another year as she was not even 15 and her self image went downhill for a while and several of her so called friends left her behind.

it may seem all pretty flowers and candy for her to bypass a very loved part of school life but children want to belong to a group and if they look different or act different the others (very sorry to say) will make sure she not only know it but will be very unhappy and even miserable ( think about her size, and behaviors watch some of the children in 1st grade and how they play and look at their size) if she really needs to be advanced a grade try in a year or two the first years of school are very important in a childs image not only of themselves but of the world....if she really needs to get some more advanced work talk to the teacher, or resorce specialist or even supplement her education with a variety of activities like dance, art, music classes or maybe museums, or other kinds of trips

Answer 6

I would try it out for the first half of the year and see how things are going. Some schools are more advanced in their curriculum than others (largely based on demographics). I wouldn't push for jumping grades right now, but encouraging her to be in a GATE or special accelerated program so she is challenged.

Of course you can always do like I do and home school through a public charter school (or other program). My daughter just finished the state first grade curriculum for her Kindergarten year and is moving into the second grade curriculum for first grade. However, they will not adjust her grade level to reflect the level of work she is doing.

Anyway, good luck!!

Answer 7

I have the same situation with my daughter who will be 5 very soon. The principal at the public school stated that she might be able to skip a grade if she were to meet all the testing requirements for the First grade. There has been no grade skipping in this school system since 1984 that I know of. They only place the kids in AP. I am sending her to a private school that will fit more of her needs.  INSIST on testing your child for placement though a third party.

Answer 8

Academically she MAY be ready, but emotionally she may not be.  If she has not even gone to Pre School then I don't think a jump right into First grade would be a good idea.  If she has gone to Pre School then you should talk to the staff at the school to see if they think she might be ready.  They deal with the kids and would give you the best insight if they think she would be okay in First grade.

Now if they don't think it is a good idea at the time, perhaps in a couple of years the school may suggest moving her ahead a grade.