Kids switching to US schools

[sdw 10]

Now the debate of moving after interview if all goes well or waiting til this school year is over. Looking for input from anyone with kids, how did your kids manage it?

My kids are in grade 4 and 7. Should I worry about them being put back at all?

So many things running through my head now.

Just trying to get things figured out more now that we have a date.

[Sprailenes 47]

Yes you should.

My son was supposed to go into fourth grade and they made him stay back a year. It's do with age really. He would have been in fourth grade with kids a year older than him and the school had issues with that. At the time I figured, 'okay the upside of repeating a grade, especially grade 3 is that he'll get a good review" Plus the teaching methods down here are different, they learn about different things. So I didn't really fight it.

I wish I would have fought it because it kind of killed his self esteem and to this day he thinks he failed even though we all tell him he didn't. For two years he didn't do so well, he was a B/C student and claimed to be bored most of the time. This was the first year where he started applying himself, is challenged and is doing better.

They may suggest it and if you don't want to hold them back, they will most likely do academic tests them to see if they are ready to go into their grades.

I believe poprocks son had to repeat the grade too.

Edited January 23, 2010 by Sprailenes

[LiLMermaid 2]

Depends on where in the US you are moving too. My sister moved to Chicago from southern ontario and her son had a bit of difficulty and she ended up having him redo the year. He was an A student in Canada. Another friend moved to Florida and her kids had no difficultly adjusting and were doing extremely well.

[sdw 10]

We are going to NY, my step son is in grade 4 as well as my son.

[Arabella 4]

I'm a school guidance counselor in Florida and I've never heard of someone being held back for age. In fact, we were trained to honor whatever grade level their previous school placed them at. There are military kids who move at odd times in the year, and we just have to accept everyone at face value (meaning whatever their records say). I have a booklet that shows different age requirements by state to enroll in Kindergarten. A student might have to be one age in Florida and a younger age in another state. If they started school earlier in another state, we don't penalize them.

The only reason I can imagine placing a kid back a grade level at enrollment, would be because of concerns over standardized test scores/low grades showing they are not on grade level. But we don't make kids take tests to enroll in school, so this would have to be from the previous school. However, if after a few weeks the student is struggling I could see a move down a grade.

I work in a high school, so not so sure how elementary schools work. But as I parent, I'd tell them to put my kid in the grade they are in or else. Now, whether or not your child will struggle just depends on any disparity in the curriculum. In which case, I'd just give some extra support at home until they caught up.

Good luck!

Edited January 23, 2010 by Arabella

[Sprailenes 47]

In NJ they didn't even test my son.

They told me that it was because of his age.

Must be why some kids adjust well in Florida as another poster said.

Poprocks had the same issues in PA, because of her son's age they suggested that he stay back a year as well.

[sdw 10]

My son will be 9 in June and my daughter just turned 12 in December. I am all for extra help at home, just worried that if they have to repeat there grades what it will do to there self esteem.

[Arabella 4]

In NJ they didn't even test my son.

They told me that it was because of his age.

Must be why some kids adjust well in Florida as another poster said.

Poprocks had the same issues in PA, because of her son's age they suggested that he stay back a year as well.

Well I think that is garbage. I have kids who come from Cuba and don't speak a word of English, and it is illegal for me to place them below their grade level due to the language difference. Like I said, in some states the birthday cut off date might be July 1, Sept. 1, others it is Dec. 31, etc. so who are we to place a kid back a grade when they were in that grade at their previous school?

[Sprailenes 47]

My son will be 9 in June and my daughter just turned 12 in December. I am all for extra help at home, just worried that if they have to repeat there grades what it will do to there self esteem.

Just fight it if you feel that way. I didn't fight it, I should have asked for academic testing but I didn't.

I was in a new country, I had NO idea what was going on, I was overwhelmed. My MIL is also a teacher in NJ and kept telling me he would be better off repeating. I just thought it was best for him, unfortunately it wasn't.

Just one of my regrets.

[sdw 10]

Thank you all for your input, I do appreciate it. Am also going to get husband to call the school board in NY and see if we can get any info. that will help with the decision.

[brocku00 1]

Hi there,

I sent in my "hopefully" last proof of domicile package 10 days ago and I'm hoping to have it back with a big fat "Approved" and if it is, then I am going to wait until June to move since I have twins in JK. I have contacted the state where I will be going and talked to the schools (private and public) and they have a cut off date of October 1. So, my twins birthday is October 11 and they miss the cutoff and they said they would make no exception. So, my twins will be going from JK, to daycare for a year and then to Kindergarten the following year. The year that they start kindergarden in the states they would have started grade one here. I'm hoping, on one of my visits down there before June, to go and meet with the principal of a couple schools and try to get an approval/exemption for my children since that kinda seems ridiculous to have them go a step backwards!! But, for my children's sake I will not take them out of their JK year here in Hamilton. They are in a routine and they have friends, I think at their age (4) they would be effected by the sudden change.

P.S. The state in New Jersey and I also forgot to mention, that I talked to KinderCare (daycare/preschool) and they are officially allowed to offer a kindergarden program (same as the state school kindergarden) with no birthday cutoff...only thing is at the end of the year, these students take a test provided by the state to make sure that they have learned enough and if they pass they can go to grade 1.

Edited January 23, 2010 by brocku00

[Arabella 4]

My son will be 9 in June and my daughter just turned 12 in December. I am all for extra help at home, just worried that if they have to repeat there grades what it will do to there self esteem.

Do you have any grade reports to show the new school how your kids were performing at their current grade level?

I would just tell them your concerns and I can't imagine that you would be forced to put them in a lower grade. Who says the school in the US is even ahead of your school? Isn't that a bit presumptuous? I don't automatically assume that students coming from another country are behind. I put them in class and wait to get feedback from their teachers.

[Sprailenes 47]

Well I think that is garbage. I have kids who come from Cuba and don't speak a word of English, and it is illegal for me to place them below their grade level due to the language difference. Like I said, in some states the birthday cut off date might be July 1, Sept. 1, others it is Dec. 31, etc. so who are we to place a kid back a grade when they were in that grade at their previous school?

I have no idea.

It wasn't like they held a gun to my head, it was suggested. They can't force it, but they will suggest it and suggest it pretty hard.

I have been told that if I had refused they would then do academic testing, the tests show what grade level your kids work at. Unfortunately, I didn't even get that far, I was like: "Okay this will be good for him" I did think it was a great idea at the time just because we were in a new country.

[Arabella 4]

Hi there,

I sent in my "hopefully" last proof of domicile package 10 days ago and I'm hoping to have it back with a big fat "Approved" and if it is, then I am going to wait until June to move since I have twins in JK. I have contacted the state where I will be going and talked to the schools (private and public) and they have a cut off date of October 1. So, my twins birthday is October 11 and they miss the cutoff and they said they would make no exception. So, my twins will be going from JK, to daycare for a year and then to Kindergarten the following year. The year that they start kindergarten in the states they would have started grade one here. I'm hoping, on one of my visits down there before June, to go and meet with the principal of a couple schools and try to get an approval/exemption for my children since that kinda seems ridiculous to have them go a step backwards!! But, for my children's sake I will not take them out of their JK year here in Hamilton. They are in a routine and they have friends, I think at their age (4) they would be effected by the sudden change.

Your situation may be different since this is an initial enrollment. In most states, pre-kindergarten is not mandatory, and in some states it is not even offered. So kindergarten is the initial grade, and they have to make the age by the cut off date to enroll. The principal might not be able to get around that, but it's worth asking!

[sdw 10]

I am not trying to presume anything. My son is in grade 4 as well as my step son, they seem to be at the same level from the homework I have seen from my step son. I am a mom and I can't help but worry, my main concerns are the things they haven't been learning(history, geography, as they have learned about Canada not the US).