I'm against gaming the system by using redshirting to elevate a child past the cutoff of a GT program. Resources are few and far between already for those programs in most places, and I agree with revmom that this works in favor of the "haves" in an unfair way. It's up to the program administrators to avoid this, though; I don't blame any parents for doing what they think is in their children's best interests.
Redshirting is extremely counterintuitive to me. I don't understand how people expect their children to excel if their academic progress is retarded. The redshirted children will be going through material that's a year behind what they'd normally be learning (keeping in mind that most PS programs are already pretty dumbed down in the primary grades), and at a pace appropriate for younger children. Can anyone say "dulled edge"? It would be worst for the true high-ability children.
