Placement help for young 5yo

[emerino]

Hi! I am so happy to have found MP! I am doing SCB this year with my 4yo daughter and it has been a good pace for her. She didn’t recognize all her letters before we started, that’s why I chose SCB. Next year, I will be homeschooling my three other school age kids, who are in a private classical this year. I will also have a 3yo and twin babies next year.

I’m trying to figure out where best to place my daughter next year. She will turn 5 on August 28th. I have no idea how ready she will be for K, but I also don’t love the idea of having her start K when she is 6. My other kids are all on grade level and doing well. She is just as bright as them, but she just isn’t as interested in self-learning as they were, so I’m having to teach her a lot that I didn’t have to teach them. Even my 2yo knows his letters better than her.

Anyway, I think I have a few options:
-complete K next year and do our best
-start K next year and plan on going at a pace that works for her, possibly taking 2 years to complete K
-do SCC next year, then K the following year

I’m certainly open to holding her back a year, but I guess I’m worried she will even out like my other kids and then she will be behind in a sense. But I want expert, experienced momma advice to do what’s best!

I was thinking of doing the Alphabet Books from JR. K over the summer to get her started with handwriting if we do decide to do K next year. Also, I don’t have to decide right now. Maybe I should wait until the spring and see if she has more signs of readiness. My only reason for planning now is because the babies are due in April and I want to be ready for next school year before they come!

Thank you!

[Floridamom]

Re: Placement help for young 5yo

I would recommended checking the readiness checklist. Options 2 or 3 sound like the better choices. You want to make sure she gets a good foundation. As far as worrying that she is going to be behind, MP is considered to be advanced and there is a possible catch up year in 3/4 if shes ready for that in a few years. Make sure she is solid on her skills and don't worry about being on grade level. Grades are arbitrary designations anyway

[emerino]

Re: Placement help for young 5yo

I would recommended checking the readiness checklist. Options 2 or 3 sound like the better choices. You want to make sure she gets a good foundation. As far as worrying that she is going to be behind, MP is considered to be advanced and there is a possible catch up year in 3/4 if shes ready for that in a few years. Make sure she is solid on her skills and don't worry about being on grade level. Grades are arbitrary designations anyway

Thank you. Can you tell me about the catch-up year? I’ve heard this mentioned before but I don’t understand. I know about the accelerated track. My oldest two will be doing 6A and 7A because that’s on par with where they are in the classical school they go to.

[jen1134]

Re: Placement help for young 5yo

Thank you. Can you tell me about the catch-up year? I’ve heard this mentioned before but I don’t understand. I know about the accelerated track. My oldest two will be doing 6A and 7A because that’s on par with where they are in the classical school they go to.

When many homeschoolers told MP that 3rd (now 3A) was too big a jump for them, MP split the material into two years which became the standard 3rd and 4th. The standard track is one year “behind” the accelerated when it comes to content subjects, literature, etc. (behind being a meaningless word when it comes to MP as they’ll still be ahead of most other children in their grade). If you have a child who is older when they hit 3rd grade, you can place them in 3A if ready and that will technically be 4th grade for most of their subjects, thereby placing them back on grade level.

For example, my then 6yo daughter wasn’t reading fluently when we switched to MP so I placed her in Kindergarten instead of first grade. She’s now reading at a 3rd-4th grade level but has continued through MP1 and now MP2 to ensure that other skills are solid. Next year we have the option of 3A (technically 4th grade) which would put her “on grade level” as a 9yo. But for her, it will depend on her writing stamina as to whether we take that option.

[emerino]

Re: Placement help for young 5yo

Ok, thank you so much for that explanation. That makes sense and sounds like a great option. I guess what I don’t understand, is that they don’t actually skip to 4th grade, so they will essentially be gratuating high school late if they start late? Is that correct? Or are the accelerated students finished after 11th grade? That’s what I don’t follow. My older kids will be on the accelerated track, but only because they have already done the history and literature in the moderated track. They will actually be behind in Latin and composition coming into MP.

[jen1134]

Re: Placement help for young 5yo

Ok, thank you so much for that explanation. That makes sense and sounds like a great option. I guess what I don’t understand, is that they don’t actually skip to 4th grade, so they will essentially be gratuating high school late if they start late? Is that correct? Or are the accelerated students finished after 11th grade? That’s what I don’t follow. My older kids will be on the accelerated track, but only because they have already done the history and literature in the moderated track. They will actually be behind in Latin and composition coming into MP.

There will be an accelerated 12th — so those on the accelerated track will study additional items that those on the standard track will not but both tracks will have a full high school program.

[emerino]

Re: Placement help for young 5yo

Hello,

Taking a year with a, “no pressure,” approach for your younger children will likely pay you well come the following year and hopefully set you up to have a delightful Kindergarten year (with your 6 year). If you plan on sticking with MP, I cannot stress enough getting a good solid worthy start to the process... even if that means taking it a bit slower or just simply waiting!

Thank you for sharing your story and advice. I do feel like I would regret trying to push her through K next year. We did charlotte mason for my oldest two in the early elementary years and I loved that they could write and read at their own pace. My 10yo son probably wouldn’t have done well with MP K back then, because he was slow to read and write. But he’s one of my brightest kids and is doing very well now in a rigorous classical school. I’m still stuck on the long term thinking about when she will graduate.

Could we skip 3 and just do 4M instead of 3A? Is that a possibility?

[emerino]

Re: Placement help for young 5yo

There will be an accelerated 12th — so those on the accelerated track will study additional items that those on the standard track will not but both tracks will have a full high school program.

That’s what I thought. Thank you for clearing that up!

[Michael]

Re: Placement help for young 5yo

There will be an accelerated 12th — so those on the accelerated track will study additional items that those on the standard track will not but both tracks will have a full high school program.

Good morning emerino,

I just want to emphasize that there is no way to "do it all" when it comes to subjects like Literature, Classical Studies, and History. There's always one more author you could read and one more time period you could explore. Our high school packages will be one way to approach these subjects, but there are many other equally valid ways. Learning doesn't, or shouldn't, stop after receiving a high school diploma. A child using our curriculum will have already studied authors such as Homer and Dante whom most don't study until college if at all. More importantly, the child will have been trained in wisdom, i.e., in how to think; she will be equipped to continue to learn and grow for the rest of her life. May this reassure you about meeting your daughter where she is, laying a solid foundation, and taking her education a year, or even a semester, at a time

HTH and welcome to the forum!

[jen1134]

Re: Placement help for young 5yo

Thank you for sharing your story and advice. I do feel like I would regret trying to push her through K next year. We did charlotte mason for my oldest two in the early elementary years and I loved that they could write and read at their own pace. My 10yo son probably wouldn’t have done well with MP K back then, because he was slow to read and write. But he’s one of my brightest kids and is doing very well now in a rigorous classical school. I’m still stuck on the long term thinking about when she will graduate.

Could we skip 3 and just do 4M instead of 3A? Is that a possibility?

4M completes the second half of 3M’s content subjects so you couldn’t jump in there.. I think you could do 4th For New Users. It’s basically 3A but I think there are some important differences in the level of the skills subjects.

Michael, can you clarify the difference between 3M/4M, 3A, and 4NU for someone coming from MP2 with an 8 or 9yo?

[Michael]

Re: Placement help for young 5yo

Michael, can you clarify the difference between 3M/4M, 3A, and 4NU for someone coming from MP2 with an 8 or 9yo?

No problem! If a child moves straight from 2nd to 4NU, he will miss several subjects, most significantly 3rd grade math, which in R&S introduces multiplication and division. Honestly, I would recommend that a parent who's worried our standard track is too slow (though please see my prior post!) and our accelerated track is too fast should give us a call or an email so that we can build a customized package based on where the student is at the end of 2nd grade. Is that helpful or a non-answer If it's either, please let me know and I'll try again!

[howiecram]

Re: Placement help for young 5yo

What is the cut-off where you live? If she has a late August b-day, would she go to K, or have to wait a year? In our state cut off is 1 Aug, so we chose to wait. It was a good fit for our family. We did the SCB- SCC route. You can move directly to 1st grade, but make sure you do the core skills phonics 1 in the summer as recommended.

However, in a busy household, I think I would recommend doing the 1.5 year-2year Phonics only plan from SC1, only because there are many multi-sensory activities that once done with the child, the child could do on his/her own to keep “busy”. First Start Reading book A-C introduces each individual letter, slowly. If she were having a hard time with one, you can hold tight there, then continue moving along. If she is doing well, keep going! First Start Reading Book D starts to ramp up quickly, and there is a lot of reading scheduled. It introduces long vowels and honestly is almost 1st grade work. If you took her through that book in 16 weeks (instead of the planned 8), she would finish when she was 6.5. Vowel teams are then scheduled in First Start Reading E. This is where first grade begins. She could just start “1st grade” phonics then. Or, she zooms along and finished K in a year. I would just not let that be the focus. Use the guide as a guide, but move along at a pace good for you both.

My 3rd child, (going through K now), I have made the conscious decision to hold off on book D until the summer. I have found it to be intense and with the older two now more able to read on their own, I can spend more time with her. K’ers (New readers) really need to keep working on reading anyway. I like having plans all laid out. This past summer I did this with my son and it worked well. I made sure I had 20-30 min with him daily. Then, when Dad got home, he would read or re-read some of the readers. I was surprised at how well it all worked out. We were still able to enjoy a lovely summer. We just did it first thing at least 4 days a week.

Anyway, back to 3rd child. I teach her the letter, as instructed in FSR. We have a set of letter stamps and play dough. Every time a letter is introduce, a few new words are. After the workbook page, I have her take a few days and make the letters/words out of playdough. (I write the words on notecards for her to “copy”.). I flash them to her to review, then she makes them, then she stamps them. It keeps her busy for 20ish minutes, it helps her remember. Win/win! Once she know a word well, it gets moved out of the pile. This does add a few days to the lesson plan, but since I want to stretch out the lessons anyway, this is an easy way to do it. She also does the core skills books, generally “alone” while I work with another child. I can have her at my one side and anither child on the other fairly well. This usually means I need 1-2
“Teaching” days with her and the others she is reviewing.

Long story short...move at her pace...but K, with maybe SC1 phonics plans to add in more multi-sensory, just to keep her busy!

[Mom2mthj]

Re: Placement help for young 5yo

Hi! I am so happy to have found MP! I am doing SCB this year with my 4yo daughter and it has been a good pace for her. She didn’t recognize all her letters before we started, that’s why I chose SCB. Next year, I will be homeschooling my three other school age kids, who are in a private classical this year. I will also have a 3yo and twin babies next year.

I’m trying to figure out where best to place my daughter next year. She will turn 5 on August 28th. I have no idea how ready she will be for K, but I also don’t love the idea of having her start K when she is 6. My other kids are all on grade level and doing well. She is just as bright as them, but she just isn’t as interested in self-learning as they were, so I’m having to teach her a lot that I didn’t have to teach them. Even my 2yo knows his letters better than her.

Anyway, I think I have a few options:
-complete K next year and do our best
-start K next year and plan on going at a pace that works for her, possibly taking 2 years to complete K
-do SCC next year, then K the following year

I’m certainly open to holding her back a year, but I guess I’m worried she will even out like my other kids and then she will be behind in a sense. But I want expert, experienced momma advice to do what’s best!

I was thinking of doing the Alphabet Books from JR. K over the summer to get her started with handwriting if we do decide to do K next year. Also, I don’t have to decide right now. Maybe I should wait until the spring and see if she has more signs of readiness. My only reason for planning now is because the babies are due in April and I want to be ready for next school year before they come!

Thank you!

Welcome!

I have a son who has a July 27th birthday so it is a fairly similar situation. His older sister has a December 1st birthday so she ended up almost a year older in K than her brother. This school year I decided to hold him back as a seventh grader again because I think he needs more maturity before being ready for high school. The thing is, he isn’t repeating any content...he just wasn’t meeting the maturity readiness level for high school in the fall. I wish I had been wiser and waited a year to call him K because t is tricky to hold them back once they get going. Unlike away school, you are still teaching what she needs each year. It isn’t like holding back on calling her K means she is doomed to be bored for the rest of her school career. What you would be doing is moving her along gently while buying yourself a year to figure out homeschooling a larger group along while managing two new babies. Personally, I would get SCC and mentally call her jr K. You are going to have a lot on your plate!

[Colomama]

Re: Placement help for young 5yo

It isnÂ’t like holding back on calling her K means she is doomed to be bored for the rest of her school career. What you would be doing is moving her along gently while buying yourself a year to figure out homeschooling a larger group along while managing two new babies. Personally, I would get SCC and mentally call her jr K. You are going to have a lot on your plate!

Amen! I second what Dorinda said, you are going to be CRAZY busy next year. Be easy on yourself. I would start small. If by second semester you're rocking juggling a houseful of little people and a roomful of school age kids, rock on with starting kindergarten in earnest. But I'm guessing you're going to be trying to convince the toddler to stop unrolling the TP in the bathroom, insisting that these twin babies get on the same sleep cycle (preferably yours), while trying to make sure those older kids are actually reading their literature books.

My middle child turned 8 in October. She's in second grade. And she owns it. She frequently needs convincing to do school, but its not hard. She focuses, eventually, and gets it done. She writes complete sentence answers in her literature guides, rarely gets less than 90% on spelling tests, and has to be told to re-read Little House in the Big Woods WITH ME this time. I plan on doing 3 accelerated with her in the fall. Is she a year behind now? No. Will she be a year ahead next year after completing 3A? No. She'll be right where God intends her to be.

In contrast I have a niece born two days and one year after my daughter. She met the public school cut-off by three days. Her parents were ecstatic that she could start kindergarten. So, these two girls, my daughter and my niece, are one year apart age wise, but in the same grade level. My niece struggles mightily. She doesn't have the maturity or attention to be in second grade. She is now that kid with her desk right next to the teachers desk. Her desk has masking tape on the floor to show her where she is supposed to be during seat-work, otherwise she bounces around the room bothering other kids. She struggles to grasp the advanced phonics skills needed to improve her reading and spelling. Things will not get any easier for this child - ever. She will probably struggle her entire school career because she was forced into a grade level too high because she just barely eeked by with her age. Totally opposite of my daughter.

As the mom of an 8 year old second grader do I think she's stunted? Nope. Allowing yourself to get your feet under you with teaching two older kids and snuggling two new babies will be enough. Juggling a toddler and a kindergartner too? Whew! Allow yourself some grace. Its far easier to ramp up later on than to struggle and drown from the outset.

[emerino]

Re: Placement help for young 5yo

Thank you Jen and Michael. Helpful info 😊