Should my 7 year old son repeat grade 1

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Nicolebrow asks:

My son is 7 in September. He is in the bottom of his class. The school he is at has a minilit program at his school which he started a couple of weeks ago. I do homework with him every night. He does try his hardest at school.they said he may have to repeat. I'm worried about him repeating as next year he will be 8 in grade 1. I'm worried he will be picked on in soccer and school as of his age. He is very tall for his age.

In Topics: Learning styles and differences

> 60 days ago

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Louiseasl

Mar 27, 2013

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What the Expert Says:

Hello and thank you for writing to JustAsk,

We often receive this question here on Education.com. First, if your child is really struggling then you may wish to have the School Assessment team convene to discuss if there are other problems that are hindering his academic success. It sounds as if he is putting through much effort, but may have some real learning challenges. Make sure all your requests are in writing as having a child reviewed is a legal process.

In addition I offered other parents this response:

There is much information available about school retention. Most current information suggests that retention may not be the best solution. Please feel free to peruse our articles here on Education.com for more information. I also added an article from the National Association of School Psychologists.

Thank you again for writing.

http://www.education.com/reference/article/grade-retention/

http://www.education.com/reference/article/alternative-social-promotion-retention/

http://www.nasponline.org/resources/handouts/revisedpdfs/graderetention.pdf

Louise Sattler, NCSP

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Additional Answers (4)

99drew writes:

The worst jokes about staying back in first grade comes later, but its when he can handle it better they say things like "OH really! YOU FAILED first grade!" and I tell them "No i was held back." This is usually with friends or people who find out my 2 year age difference. My mom held me back for first grade for the same thing. It wasn't that big a deal for me except I wasn't in the same class as my friends I made the year before, but I made new ones. And it helped me a lot. So I think it would be worth it for your son to stay back.

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Sherry*36 writes:

I would start with asking the school to do testing. IQ, OT,PT, to see if he qualifies for any special education help. Sometimes they just dont get it. I have held both my boys back and one of them did pre-school twice. You know your child and are the only one who can help them the most.

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christina.b... , Teacher writes:

Remember that in LOTS of countries around the world, children don't even start school until they're 7 years old. Developmentally, he may not be ready for 2nd grade, even though he's physically bigger than his classmates. I second the call for requesting educational and psychological testing for your child, if you believe his learning challenges are abnormal. I always say, if a child is going to repeat a grade, 1st grade is the one to repeat, because they work on the reading skills so much. (I teach children with learning disabilities, K-5th grades.)

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Reeder07 writes:

My daughter is in 1st grade for the second time this school year. We are doing homeschool through K12 - and it is the best decision for her. She struggled last year and it proved to be a waste in a lot of ways. After working with her all year and discussing with some friends who are teachers. We decided that it would be best for her. She was the youngest in her class, so age wise it didn't really matter. She was sad for a bit, but so much happier to feel success and enjoy learning. It is a hard choice to make...but this year has been very enjoyable as she has succeeded in every subject. Such a wonderful experience as compared to the always struggling to make the mark.

best of luck!

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