Our current school did the reading testing, using their first-grade reading year-end test. (I think it's actually a year-beginning and year-end test, where they judge the progress of the child through the school year.) We talked his PreK teacher and the Special Services staff member for an hour today -- they make the recommendation to the principal -- and they didn't have any stated academic concerns with putting him ahead.
However, they think that socially he's behind the other preK kids and thus should go through preK again to "socially mature." (My wife and I don't necessarily agree with the premise of the last sentence and we definitely don't agree with the solution. Part of the problem with him making friends is that vast intellectual gulf between him and his classmates, and making the gulf bigger...no way.)
The other issue is, as they tell it, the principal will sometimes let kids into K who missed the deadline by a few days or a week or two, but he's a full month past the September 1st kindergarten cutoff. We're talking to the principal directly soon, we hope, and maybe we can get a better answer. But our optimism is shot, and we're seriously trying to find a better option somewhere.
M. Dale
