I stumbled upon a little parochial school that said they would meet with me about the possibility of placing dd(4 in July) in Kinder. They admited occassionally admitting kids with Sept 2 or Sept 3 bdays; state cut-off is Sept 1st, so this would be a big stretch for them, but at least they're willing to talk about it. (The funny thing is I'm feeling a little underwhelmed by this, b/c I think dd'd be quite happy in 1st grade with pullouts, but that's not going to happen around here and it's a half-day K program, which I think will work out quite nicely.)
One concern they specifically mentioned a few times is that schools around here don't accomodate (note to JJsMOM: this is the second time I've heard this from a school official around here: maybe my county is stricter than yours?), and kids would have to end up repeating Kinder. To which I have several responses:
1 -- We're probably leaving in a year (we're in a military town, so they're used to that), and who knows where we'll end up next. They might accomodate, or there might be a foreign language immersion school, or, or... So, best not worry about what we can't foresee.
2 -- She'll be eligible for K12, which allows acceleration, right?
3 -- We can always homeschool.
I don't have any standardized assessments, and I don't have a particular desire to get dd tested at this point in time. The school didn't mention that they needed any, but I know it can't hurt. Would it make sense to give her a kindergarten entrance and/or exit exam? Would pulling something off the web carry any weight?
I've found a lot of articles about acceleration, but haven't seen any specifically regarding the younger crowd. Can anyone point me in the right direction?
Of course, I'll include work samples. I was also thinking of including some anecdotes of snippets of conversations we have or examples of her pretend play. Do you think that would be helpful? I'm just thinking about how worksheets can easily be written off as you being "one of those parents," but the stuff she does spontaneously can't be forced out of a kid. Also, I think I need to make the case that not only would placement in kindergarten be appropriate, but placement in preschool would be *in*appropriate.
Finally, I was thinking of bringing them the packet BEFORE our meeting, so they can have time to review and digest it. Does that make sense? Or is it better to meet, and then ask for a follow-up after they've reviewed everything?
What am I missing?
Thanks! (Ugh... I'm feeling frustrated about all the strategy/planning/work behind what really should be a no-brainer. BUT I'm thankful for the opportunity.)
