Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Kindergarten Cutoff

Has anyone ever lied about fudged their child's birth date rather than fight for early entrance?

DS falls on the wrong side of the cutoff by a few weeks and I can't say I'm not tempted to take the easy road.

And a follow up question: Would I be found out? Do "they" check against social security numbers or would a slightly altered birth certificate do the trick?

With DD5, we spent 6+ months advocating for skipping kindergarten last year. It worked, but gosh was it exhausting! She started 2nd grade this week in a 2/3 classroom. So far, so good.

The summer heat must be addling my brain and bringing out my criminal tendencies.

I wouldn't try it. In our district, if they find out later they are known to "demote" the child. We had one go 5 months in K only to be pulled out for false documents. In this case, she had falsified an electric bill to get into a better school. I can only imagine the consequences would be the same or worse if you falsified a birth certificate.

It would be better to find out your district's policy on early entrance and work with them.

They are pretty careful about checking these things in our district. There's even a fine (you have to pay the district for the cost of instructing your child.)

Back in the dark ages, my grandmother lied about my mom's age to get her into school early. She wanted the free childcare. Nobody caught on, apparently.

CA state law says a child must be 5 by Dec. 2nd to start kindergarten. If a child is born after Dec. 2nd, they can be admitted once they turn 5, at the discretion of the district. (But are supposed to agree to a full year of K the following year.)
My understanding is a school won't get ADA for a child that doesn't meet these criteria. Do you know of districts in CA that have early entrance? I would love to read up, and educate my district if there is a loophole.

Nikita,

You have a track record with your older child. Generally it gets easier. After all if you have one gifted, the second isn't so far fetched.

Maybe when you're busted ... which you probably will be with verification being so easy today ... you could argue how you misunderstood the question. "I thought you meant her mental age." But again you would have to claim she really is 7 or 8. All kidding aside I wouldn't even consider false documentation, but I understand the temptation when the alternative is so grim.

Our district serves younger kids (ages 3-5) through the state preschool program. I don't know if you would be able to get services that way.

There is also a school for kids with disabilities which provides early intervention services. I don't know if that applies to your situation.

My MIL did that but I wouldn't recommend it at all. It is bound to come up sooner or later (even if only through sports).

Scenario 1. Birthday parties. Do you plan on having a birthday party on kids' fake birthday? Would you make him learn his fake birthday only or use both real and adjusted depending on situation?

However, I DO understand your frustration!!! Some SD make that very easy and I have heard of others that simply do NOT take any early entries, even by one day, even with documentation of very advanced intellectual skills, up to par physical skills and social and emotional maturity.

So, while it is hard, at least you have the option! As PP said, it should be easier with a second kid.

I don't think I'd do it although I know it's SO frustrating. If the teacher asks your child her age wouldn't she have to lie? I don't think DS would do well with that.

I must admit that I was really tempted with dd9. Her bd is Sept. 27th and the local districts had cut-offs of "5 by June 30th" or "5 by Sept. 15th" depending on the district. Colorado is a "local education authority state" meaning that different districts can set their own cut-offs although no one is later than October 1st b/c the state doesn't fund kids with bds after that.

I was contemplating changing the 2 in 27 to a 0 and making it September 07. What finally stopped me was that I didn't want to ask my dd to lie or to lie to her about her actual bd.

We actually wound up lucking out in that one of the districts changed their cut-off to "5 by Oct. 1st" just before she started so we started her there and then moved her to the Sept. 15 district in 1st grade. At that point, they didn't talk about making her repeat K b/c she was advanced and had already completed it in another public school. Had we gone with private, they would have been trying to make her repeat K, though.

That's exactly what I was considering doing - making a 26 into a 2. It seems *so* much easier than having him in preschool another half a year and then desperately looking for a school that will take him when he turns 5. We live in a rural area with very few schools to try.

But... we want him at the same charter school as his sister, and I wouldn't want to ruin our relationship with them if/when they found out.

And, my husband was horrified by the idea of him not knowing his real birthday. (Although, as I also have a right-after-Christmas birthday, I think a pre-Christmas birthday is much better! I have changed my celebration to 4th of July because I love fireworks. And warmth. )

Thanks to everyone for talking me down from my criminal delusions.

I don't like in your area, but I did alter my childs birth cert to get him into school. Where I live, a child can only qualify for public school pre-k program if they are 4 years old and from a low-income family. I am not rich, but i am above the income guidlines. Also, my children are all advanced for their ages... I taught them all of the basics at home. So, I changed my child's birthdate on his birth cert from 2/18/06 to 2/18/05 so that he could go to pre-k last year. So, he is really 4, but has passed pre-k with flying colors and is now in Kindergarten at age 4. I have not been found out. I'm thinking that the worst thing that can happen is that the child be tested to see if they "should" be in the higher grade if you're found out. I look at the situation like "why should my child who is above average not be given the opportunity to excel because of some generalized age guideline?" But my suggestion to you is that you not only look at the academics that your child knows, make sure they are ready socially and devlopmentally before altering the certificate. But it will give your child a head start on education, it did for mine. Hope this helps.

Aside from all the reasons already mentioned, I would hesitate to do this because many standardized tests are normed to age (year and month). I'd want to have accurate data based on correct information...

DeeDee

Nikita, I too have a right-after-Christmas birthday and have contemplated moving it to July--I'm glad to see someone else actually do it! For years I swore that I was going to give someone half a present for Christmas and the other half for their birthday and I didn't care a bit if their birthday was in July!

Just out of curiosity, was your child also advanced physically? Was he tall enough to fit right in with everyone else?

Also, when you say "make sure they are ready socially and developmentally", what are some key things to look for? (So-called kindergarten readiness checklists I found online seem too basic, in a "that's it?"-sense) and tend to focus on academics (child should know colors, some letters, etc.)

Baby Rocket,

Kindergarten screening instruments are "too basic" by design, as their usual purpose is to identify children in need of additional support. (North American public schools have government-mandated child-find requirements for identifying and offering remediation to at-risk students.) With regard to social readiness for kindergarten, the bottom line is whether they can make it through the school day (whether half or whole day) without feeling distressed--by the expectations for managing their behavior, sitting still, paying attention, following directions, etc.

And while height is on many protocols for grade acceleration/early entry, I view it as a relatively minor consideration (probably biased by my own, more efficient, length!). In any case, weighting height too heavily in grade placement would result in many entering high school students (especially boys) being held back for three years, as well as in systematic discrimination against other protected classes, since height is sometimes distributed somewhat differently by ethnicity/national origin.

Welcome, Baby Rocket JJ!


Your post may indicate the potential for your child to experience a future grade acceleration, so I thought you might enjoy reading a roundup of acceleration PROs and CONs.
http://giftedissues.davidsongifted....ration_Roundup_grade_ski.html#Post248163

Other parents have also wondered about the ability for an accelerated child to blend physically among classmates 1 or more years older.