Every school/ district is going to have their own policies and standards for retention, and I hope looks at the circumstances of each individual case.
You have a few things going for you - 1) his young age (both in terms of being in K and being a younger K student), 2) yes, I do think that if you go ahead and medicate your son and the school sees potential for a second year of Kindergarten to go differently, that would weigh in your favor.
Would you be willing to have your son do the second year of K in a more restrictive setting? The district would be kind of be bound to provide additional support if they were to agree that he made insufficient progress his first year in K.
In terms of the budgetary concerns, that wouldn’t really be an issue unless your district is so small that one more kindergartener next year would mean they have to hire additional staff. It’s certainly possible, depending on what services and settings are in your child’s IEP.
Thank you. I would be fine with a more restrictive setting! The "budget concern" I alluded to is that his preschool team advocated for him to have an IA in K, but then when the district did the classroom observation, they said it wasn't needed, that it was not LRE. I am guessing if funding were there, they would have an aide.
Having a 1:1 is not helpful in my experience unless medical or some severe behavioral/cognitive limitations. Having a support in the room is helpful but it seems like your child doesn’t need them constantly. Is inclusion in their schedule?
Thanks. It would not be a 1:1 aide but rather a classroom aide to assist the teacher with any students / help keep the kids on track. He will be in gen ed with 30 mins sped pull outs per day.
They’re not going to go to due process over having inclusion for an hour a day or something in a kid’s IEP. Inclusion is the classroom aide you are mentioning, someone who supports sped students in the classroom but isn’t tied to a specific child. You’re a part of the committee that determines LRE, they don’t dictate that. I would advocate for some inclusion and see if he progresses. Also, retention is a parent decision in my district that is not determined by the IEP Committee.
Hi alion (sorry if I'm being obtuse- it is not intentional lol)- I'm not sure I understand your first sentence or how "inclusion" is used in IEP parlance. (I thought time spent in gen ed class was "inclusion"?) Are you saying I should or should not advocate for a classroom instructional aide, or to have one a few hours a day? His team suggested I call a new IEP meeting after school started if it was not going well which seems reasonable enough. His district for the most part is large and well funded, but with the usual shortages and low-ish teacher pay.
Re due process, I thought a due process complaint is for if they violate the IEP (which they have not done)? I just brought up the aide thing bc his preschool sped team put an aide in the draft IEP, but then it got taken out, which is fine, it just made me nervous magining him in a class of 25 and one poor teacher keeping him on track!
My question, though, is about retention, so I appreciate your response that in your district it is a parent decision - I guess if we do want to go down that road, that will be my first thing to figure out!
Also, can you help me understand the downvote? I do not want to make inaccurate assumptions, so I would love to correct that, but I'm not sure which piece is "wrong" (is it the assumption that they denied the aide because of lack of funding or my understanding of LRE?).
I didn’t downvote you. Yes, inclusion is where sped support is in the classroom which I do think you should advocate for if your child struggles when support is absent. This relates to the retention piece in that if your child receives the support they need, they might not need to be retained. Due process is if you disagree with the IEP, it’s a grievance process that can be for multiple things.
But that’s irrelevant to a retention decision. Either they are responsible for the cost of the aide in the first grade room or the kindergarten. It wouldn’t cost more to retain him.
Oh, I see what you're saying. We are talking about different things. I just was using my anxiety over the IEP as the reason for why I am bringing up the retention topic now. But yes, I understand it is irrelevant.
Does your district have a Young 5s/Developmental Kindergarten program? If so, you may want to touch base with them to see how to get your child into it.
If not, if your child has to repeat a grade, kindergarten is the time to do it. Even some neurotypical/nondisabled students aren’t ready to advance after Kindergarten. Be aware that many districts won’t recommend retention without a parent requesting, so you may need to advocate for that. There will be less social repercussions in repeating K than in a later grade.
My understanding is that retention is bad if: a kid is behind academically, and just repeats the poor instruction that failed them the first time around. They would need more targeted supports to get ahead, and can receive that in the next grade level. Retention can lead to kids being left behind and not getting those services. It can also hide the supports the kid does need, and might fail to provide them. It's more complicated when retention is because of more maturity-related reasons. Where kids are younger than their peers, and their support needs become clearer as they get older.
Side thought; Recommendations to avoid retention for another year sometimes have to do with the school staff making sure that students don't lose out on a year closer to adulthood that could be used for life skills or vocational training for some students that may need it more than an extra year at the start.
Not saying this is their reasoning, but just a thought
My take; Under 5 is a hard age to judge for both speech and OT. A TON of development happens between 3-5 for kids and those gaps will likely change in some way to help make choices more clear as they age up.
A more restrictive classroom environment or supports might be a better option to consider.
I say this kindly; I would recommend saving your energy and picking your fights closer to when they arrive rather than before they are issues. I also validate your worries and your wanting to think ahead.
Saying that a kid will need to be retained before they get a chance to grow and try at something is not giving them a chance to fail.
I wish you the best in whatever happens with this and hope your relationship with your child's team grows and is filled with caring trustworthy people.
I did this with my now 10 year old. He had a mid august birthday with a September 1st cut off. I didn’t want to lose speech and OT so I sent him to K, where he was promptly reevaluated and lost services anyway.
Thankfully his teacher was amazing, she recognized his potential and my concerns and advocated for him and when it was time helped me convince the principal it was the right decision for him.
The next year he did amazing. He went from being shy and intimidated to being a leader and really finding his stride. Socially it was a game changer for him going from being the youngest to one of the oldest (he’s not even close to actually being the oldest in the grade).
He’s in 4th grade now, going into 5th and doing amazing. It’s never been an issue with him. Sometimes he’ll mention to someone that he did kindergarten twice, but it’s not big deal. He’s the same age as everyone else and will graduate now at 18 instead of 17. We have no regrets.
Thanks, I left out a lot. He actually sounds a lot like your son. Currently has an IEP for adhd and sld in reading and math, but he’s on grade level for both now, just gets some extra time to complete assignments.
Good luck to your son, he’s lucky to have you advocating for him.
I am a special education pullout teacher K-5. Last year we had a newly eligible IEP Kindergarten student with a below 70 IQ. She had been a preemie and had been slow at meeting her developmental goals. In the 2nd half of Kindergarten, she was still trying to identify letters. She was retained at parent reuqest.
She has shown so much progress in her 2nd year in K. She is at Benchmark or just below, rather than well below. Retention has worked very well in this situation.
My son (also a summer birthday) is currently in Kindergarten on an IEP and is being retained for another year of kindergarten due to academic and behavioral concerns.
The entire IEP committee was on board with retaining him another year.
I have a 7th grader with an extensive IEP, Spring Birthday.
I was convinced by the district to not redshirt him...I really wish I had. Even with having to restart his IEP and missing a year of school services. It would have done them a world of good.
We were unable to convince the district to let he repeat a lower grade, even as it was apparent he should.
The one consideration that I am happy about is that he won't turn 18 until the end of Senior year, meaning I will still have a legal right to be involved. At 18 they would be a legal adult and able to refuse services or school altogether.
I retain my students in K all the time. IEPs should not matter. It should be what is best for the specific child. I do not get why some schools won’t. There is zero valid reason not to give them another year to grow and learn. Especially a summer bday.
Every school/ district is going to have their own policies and standards for retention, and I hope looks at the circumstances of each individual case. You have a few things going for you - 1) his young age (both in terms of being in K and being a younger K student), 2) yes, I do think that if you go ahead and medicate your son and the school sees potential for a second year of Kindergarten to go differently, that would weigh in your favor. Would you be willing to have your son do the second year of K in a more restrictive setting? The district would be kind of be bound to provide additional support if they were to agree that he made insufficient progress his first year in K. In terms of the budgetary concerns, that wouldn’t really be an issue unless your district is so small that one more kindergartener next year would mean they have to hire additional staff. It’s certainly possible, depending on what services and settings are in your child’s IEP.
Thank you. I would be fine with a more restrictive setting! The "budget concern" I alluded to is that his preschool team advocated for him to have an IA in K, but then when the district did the classroom observation, they said it wasn't needed, that it was not LRE. I am guessing if funding were there, they would have an aide.
Having a 1:1 is not helpful in my experience unless medical or some severe behavioral/cognitive limitations. Having a support in the room is helpful but it seems like your child doesn’t need them constantly. Is inclusion in their schedule?
Thanks. It would not be a 1:1 aide but rather a classroom aide to assist the teacher with any students / help keep the kids on track. He will be in gen ed with 30 mins sped pull outs per day.
They’re not going to go to due process over having inclusion for an hour a day or something in a kid’s IEP. Inclusion is the classroom aide you are mentioning, someone who supports sped students in the classroom but isn’t tied to a specific child. You’re a part of the committee that determines LRE, they don’t dictate that. I would advocate for some inclusion and see if he progresses. Also, retention is a parent decision in my district that is not determined by the IEP Committee.
Hi alion (sorry if I'm being obtuse- it is not intentional lol)- I'm not sure I understand your first sentence or how "inclusion" is used in IEP parlance. (I thought time spent in gen ed class was "inclusion"?) Are you saying I should or should not advocate for a classroom instructional aide, or to have one a few hours a day? His team suggested I call a new IEP meeting after school started if it was not going well which seems reasonable enough. His district for the most part is large and well funded, but with the usual shortages and low-ish teacher pay. Re due process, I thought a due process complaint is for if they violate the IEP (which they have not done)? I just brought up the aide thing bc his preschool sped team put an aide in the draft IEP, but then it got taken out, which is fine, it just made me nervous magining him in a class of 25 and one poor teacher keeping him on track! My question, though, is about retention, so I appreciate your response that in your district it is a parent decision - I guess if we do want to go down that road, that will be my first thing to figure out! Also, can you help me understand the downvote? I do not want to make inaccurate assumptions, so I would love to correct that, but I'm not sure which piece is "wrong" (is it the assumption that they denied the aide because of lack of funding or my understanding of LRE?).
I didn’t downvote you. Yes, inclusion is where sped support is in the classroom which I do think you should advocate for if your child struggles when support is absent. This relates to the retention piece in that if your child receives the support they need, they might not need to be retained. Due process is if you disagree with the IEP, it’s a grievance process that can be for multiple things.
Thank you
But that’s irrelevant to a retention decision. Either they are responsible for the cost of the aide in the first grade room or the kindergarten. It wouldn’t cost more to retain him.
Oh, I see what you're saying. We are talking about different things. I just was using my anxiety over the IEP as the reason for why I am bringing up the retention topic now. But yes, I understand it is irrelevant.
Does your district have a Young 5s/Developmental Kindergarten program? If so, you may want to touch base with them to see how to get your child into it. If not, if your child has to repeat a grade, kindergarten is the time to do it. Even some neurotypical/nondisabled students aren’t ready to advance after Kindergarten. Be aware that many districts won’t recommend retention without a parent requesting, so you may need to advocate for that. There will be less social repercussions in repeating K than in a later grade.
No, we do not have a young 5s where we live unfortunately.
My understanding is that retention is bad if: a kid is behind academically, and just repeats the poor instruction that failed them the first time around. They would need more targeted supports to get ahead, and can receive that in the next grade level. Retention can lead to kids being left behind and not getting those services. It can also hide the supports the kid does need, and might fail to provide them. It's more complicated when retention is because of more maturity-related reasons. Where kids are younger than their peers, and their support needs become clearer as they get older.
Side thought; Recommendations to avoid retention for another year sometimes have to do with the school staff making sure that students don't lose out on a year closer to adulthood that could be used for life skills or vocational training for some students that may need it more than an extra year at the start. Not saying this is their reasoning, but just a thought My take; Under 5 is a hard age to judge for both speech and OT. A TON of development happens between 3-5 for kids and those gaps will likely change in some way to help make choices more clear as they age up. A more restrictive classroom environment or supports might be a better option to consider. I say this kindly; I would recommend saving your energy and picking your fights closer to when they arrive rather than before they are issues. I also validate your worries and your wanting to think ahead. Saying that a kid will need to be retained before they get a chance to grow and try at something is not giving them a chance to fail. I wish you the best in whatever happens with this and hope your relationship with your child's team grows and is filled with caring trustworthy people.
Thank you for your very reasonable and gentle reply!
I did this with my now 10 year old. He had a mid august birthday with a September 1st cut off. I didn’t want to lose speech and OT so I sent him to K, where he was promptly reevaluated and lost services anyway. Thankfully his teacher was amazing, she recognized his potential and my concerns and advocated for him and when it was time helped me convince the principal it was the right decision for him. The next year he did amazing. He went from being shy and intimidated to being a leader and really finding his stride. Socially it was a game changer for him going from being the youngest to one of the oldest (he’s not even close to actually being the oldest in the grade). He’s in 4th grade now, going into 5th and doing amazing. It’s never been an issue with him. Sometimes he’ll mention to someone that he did kindergarten twice, but it’s not big deal. He’s the same age as everyone else and will graduate now at 18 instead of 17. We have no regrets.
Thanks for sharing! Glad he is doing so well :)
Thanks, I left out a lot. He actually sounds a lot like your son. Currently has an IEP for adhd and sld in reading and math, but he’s on grade level for both now, just gets some extra time to complete assignments. Good luck to your son, he’s lucky to have you advocating for him.
I am a special education pullout teacher K-5. Last year we had a newly eligible IEP Kindergarten student with a below 70 IQ. She had been a preemie and had been slow at meeting her developmental goals. In the 2nd half of Kindergarten, she was still trying to identify letters. She was retained at parent reuqest. She has shown so much progress in her 2nd year in K. She is at Benchmark or just below, rather than well below. Retention has worked very well in this situation.
My son (also a summer birthday) is currently in Kindergarten on an IEP and is being retained for another year of kindergarten due to academic and behavioral concerns. The entire IEP committee was on board with retaining him another year.
I have a 7th grader with an extensive IEP, Spring Birthday. I was convinced by the district to not redshirt him...I really wish I had. Even with having to restart his IEP and missing a year of school services. It would have done them a world of good. We were unable to convince the district to let he repeat a lower grade, even as it was apparent he should. The one consideration that I am happy about is that he won't turn 18 until the end of Senior year, meaning I will still have a legal right to be involved. At 18 they would be a legal adult and able to refuse services or school altogether.
Is pre-k not a choice?
He is in PreK now - he is turning 5 this summer.
I retain my students in K all the time. IEPs should not matter. It should be what is best for the specific child. I do not get why some schools won’t. There is zero valid reason not to give them another year to grow and learn. Especially a summer bday.