<p>By the way, I have come to the conclusion that this is one of the questions (or lines of questions) for parents to ask during the interview. I hope we can agree on that much:</p>
<p>a) What percentage of students repeat? (Or, better, what is the age range for the current 9th (or 10th) grade class?)</p>
<p>b) On what basis are students offered an opportunity to repeat a grade?</p>
<p>c) What information can you provide me to help me make the best decision as to which grade my child should apply for at your school?</p>
<p>For the financially strapped, the option may be to wait an additional year before applying as a repeat.</p>
<p>On what are you basing your opinion that redshirting is not easily available to all? What would be the school’s reason for preventing such a change? I have never heard of a parent encountering difficulty in public schools, at any grade, if they feel their child would benefit from more time. I know a number of parents on both coasts who have done it.</p>
<p>I don’t know what to say about your concern that many parents are not aware of the option. Many parents are not aware of a limitless number of options available to optimize their children’s educational experience. Should we be concerned about everything that some parents are not aware of? How could we ever level the playing field completely for all children, when some parents (and it doesn’t necessarily have a thing to do with affluence) are completely on the top of things, and others are asleep at the wheel? I wish we could, of course, but I don’t think it will ever be possible to completely compensate a child for having less attentive parents.</p>
<p>Additionally, I have heard of a number of situations where teachers and schools suggest to parents that they give their child the gift of time, but the parents fight it. In my experience, schools are very enthusiastic about teaching students who are most ready to learn and succeed (and therefore promote redshirting, or at the very least do not discourage it).</p>
<p>D’Yer Maker: “I said it before, but it seems to get overlooked: I actually think the option of repeating would be great if it is was offered and available on a universal basis…Because even the private schools where this is most popular offer this in the shadows. This isn’t touted in the viewbooks. There weren’t any boxes on applications I’ve seen to check if you’re interested in repeating a year. There are no disclosures on data sheets indicating the percentage of repeaters. I think some parents actually get duped…into making the wrong decision (or, rather, not knowing that they had a decision to make in the first place) because this isn’t an aboveboard practice…If – institutionally speaking – this isn’t suspect, then why don’t schools advertise it or actively promote an awareness of it?”</p>
<p>The fact that it is not advertised does not mean that anything is less than aboveboard.. The examples you suggested sound like strange proposals. I guess that is how it would have to be done, but the whole point of redshirting is that the process should begin with an awareness of a need for it to be an authentic choice. It is a disruption, and it is a choice which comes with pros and cons. It is not as simple as choosing if you want a school’s laundry service. </p>
<p>In situations where redshirting was the right move, the positives far outweigh the negatives. Promoting or advertising a complex thing such as this could result in more kids being redshirted who shouldn’t have been. The answer to your question is that it is inappropriate to advertise this choice, as the origin of the concern should come from discussions among teachers and parents.</p>
<p>You seriously can’t be asking me to post *more *on this topic. That would be a first! ;)</p>
<p>I think we’re at the point where we’ll have to agree to disagree. What’s important is that people reading this thread understand that this dynamic is at work. Whether they knew that before or were alerted to it here makes no difference to me.</p>
<p>D’ Yer Maker: “Whether they knew that before or were alerted to it here makes no difference to me.”</p>
<p>Fair enough, although I suspect it would make a difference to you, since the concern you stressed what that too many parents were unaware of this dynamic.</p>
<p>My older son is 54" and 72 lbs. He looks (and often acts) like a fourth or fifth grader. He’s 13 1/2 years old and in 8th grade. Although he’s very smart, his bone-age shows that he is 2 1/2 years delayed in growth. Socially, he is very immature and is intimidated by his peers. He has always played better with his younger brother’s friends. He has little sense of time or urgency. In other words, he’s very immature both physically and mentally. If this is not a case of needing to repeat 9th, I don’t know what is.</p>
<p>He really wants to board since there are no day schools in the area that meet his requirements (and we’re not moving). He currently attends a junior boarding school as a day student and he has always been enamored with the concept of boarding. We’re just waiting for to be able to manage himself.</p>
<p>Last year’s 9th grade class had about 55 students and 10 repeated (9 boys and 1 girl - an international student who needed to improve her English).</p>
<p>I look at the additional cost as minor compared to setting him up for failure by sending him away too soon. He knows he’s small; people remind him every day. We know he’ll grow…eventually. We see it as a gift to him that will pay dividends in the future.</p>
<p>It varies greatly among schools. some schools kids can even be repeat repeats!!!I think what d’yer is referring to is that it can be a big shock to kids and parents to see how many kids are repeats if they were not made aware of this previously- this does not just impact grades, but can impact sports as well.</p>
<p>From my son’s perspective, it will help him in sports significantly just to be able to compete. As an example, the lowest wrestling weight in high school is 103 lbs. At his current growth rate, he’ll be less than 80 lbs next year. Giving up 20% of body weight to an opponent is huge. He’ll also have a hard time finding wresling partners (something we’ve already experienced at camps). Maybe by Junior year he would be competitive if he did not repeat. This will give him an extra year in a sport he loves.</p>
<p>While there are certainly legit reasons to “red shirt,” this repeating thing has gone too far. </p>
<p>A number of posters have suggested that I have D, a 10th grader who wants to attend BS for her last 2 yrs, repeat the year for “adjustment” - - b/c attending 2 schs in 4 yrs (or 3 schs in 5 yrs, if you count the move from ms to hs). To characterize the forking over a princely sum (even discounted for finaid) for an extra, repeat year for a kid who is not small (she’s 5/10 and very athletic) and who is passign all of her class (admittedly w/ a weak grade or two) as excessive is a gross understatement.</p>
<p>My son is a young 10th grader, and he is for the first time taking AP courses. This year, he is realizing that he has to study, and that he need sto learn now to study. In addition he has become very sick with the flu, which may even be mono. I’m starting to panic. Does anyone have andy advice and/or experience regarding repeating 10th grade in a public school?</p>
<p>I have been a lurker since the 2012 admission cycle. My daughter, who finished middle school with the highest GPA in her school, >90% SSATs, etc, was not accepted at any of the schools she applied to. We need full-aid.</p>
<p>This year she expanded her list this year, and hopefully her results will be better.</p>
<p>She is applying a a repeat 9th grader. The schools she was wait listed at last made it CLEAR that they saw it as a plus. </p>
<p>The general consensus we got from the schools was that applying as a repeat 9th grader would improve her chances for admission AND put her in a better position in terms of financial aid.</p>
<p>So I’m not sure I agree with the consensus that it is only an option for the wealthy. I guess we will see in March.</p>
<p>For what it is worth, SHE wants to go in as a freshman so that she won’t have to fit into an already formed class, and so that she can have 4 years to take all the amazing courses she drools over in the catalog.</p>
<p>Hmmm. Be careful with that. I can only speak for our experience at Choate, but I think this is pretty true elsewhere from what I hear. Because these schools are college prep schools, they focus on the foundation courses all four years: math, science, English, language, social studies/history. The curriculums are very prescriptive, especially in the early years. If your child plays an instrument or participates in a competitive sport, the option for electives early on is almost nil. Our son is drooling over a couple of classes that he will not be able to take until senior year (when it doesn’t count much). I look at BS much like a candy store where the bubble gum and suckers are the best, but you don’t get the cordials and praline turtles until just before graduation. YMMV of course.</p>
<p>@ChoatieMom - wouldn’t the extra year of math, science and language she would be bringing in with her translate to a few extra elective spots somewhere down the line?</p>
;)</p>