The pros and cons of a repeat year

<p>@GMTplus7 Do you think I should pull him out his current school as 8th grader now and have him start at a new school as a 7th grader. Or do you think I should let him finish this year and then have him redo it.</p>

<p>He should do better in a different environment last year all his grades where all above an 88, I think his gpa was in like a 92. Also this year he is doing bad for silly reasons, since he’ll get a 100 on two homework assignments then a zero for either not handing in one or handing it in late. Same with his tests he’ll score 85 to 90 on 3 tests then one he’ll get a 20 on since he didn’t study or even remember he had a test. His teachers say he is really smart yet</p>

<p>I don’t think it should be too much of a problem explaining why we had repeat or switch schools since they will see the massive drop in grades and that he test at high school and college levels on the state tests.</p>

<p>Just a gentle suggestion of something to think about (and I’m speaking from experience). Sometimes, very smart kids do really well in elementary school with small classes and lots of oversight, and then get blown away in middle school because they are very distractable, disorganized, and have poor organizational and time management skills. Many of these kids have some form of ADD (or ADHD–but they totally many not demonstrate the hyper part) or just executive function problems. Some of these kids do better with some counseling about organization and time management; some do better on medication. I’m not saying that’s what’s going on with your son–but maybe talk to his teachers about it. Those problems are all fixable-- but, if he does have those problems, just switching schools and getting him away from this girl won’t help. I’m just bringing this up because of the timing–smart kids with the in attentive form of ADD or executive function problems don’t get diagnosed earlier because they’re not behavior problems and they’re are smart enough to compensate-- until they get hit with the heavier work load of middle school. That whole thing about not knowing all the homework or forgetting to turn it in-- or not knowing when tests are coming-- sounds VERY familiar. And these kids can end up doing great, including at very academically challenging BS.</p>

<p>My kids went away to JBS as repeat 7th graders and it was (looking back) the best thing we could have done for them. I was never concerned about them too much academically ( nice grades at a private DS), but their maturity (or lack of) and their passion for adrenaline ( Hey! Lets skateboard off this roof into a snowbank !!) cemented the deal. No regrets on my end and fond memories for them. Both went off to to great Secondary Schools and K1 was recently accepted to an excellent college. He has said (many times) JBS was a defining moment for him.</p>

<p>I look at JBS as a great place to chart the course. The SS placement assistance is amazing. Plus, you will know your child is in excellent hands. There are about 10 schools and all of them are great. The JBS website is a great place to start if you want to learn more. I went away to JBS and I think I turned out okay. In many ways, those years mean more to me than my time at SS . Anyway, it’s definitely worth a glance. </p>

<p>I also agree with Daykidmom- excellent suggestion.</p>

<p>Thought I would bump this as the subject just came up again now November 2014). See also: </p>

<p><a href=“Repeat students— academic “red-shirting”? - Prep School Parents - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/prep-school-parents/1231415-repeat-students-academic-red-shirting.html&lt;/a&gt;?&lt;/p&gt;

<p>and @Albion: my apologies for failing to notice your post #6 here until just now! </p>

<p>We few, we happy few…</p>

<p>“Thought I would bump this as the subject just came up again now November 2014)”</p>

<p>Er, should have mentioned the subject came up over in Prep School Admissions…</p>

<p><a href=“Bad middle school grades... - Prep School Admissions - College Confidential Forums”>Bad middle school grades... - Prep School Admissions - College Confidential Forums;

<p>If child is a realistic prospect for making National Merit Finalist, a con of repeating is that it may disqualify him/ her. Plz correct me if i am wrong, but i think a student has to graduate HS in 4 years to be eligible.</p>

<p>Didn’t realize the National Merit criteria but it makes sense. As a parent who has a very young sophomore (still 14) we contemplated repeating, however he was admitted as a sophomore and not as a repeat freshman. It also went through my mind that what happens if he doesn’t adjust or wants to come back home; then if he repeats he is stuck with being a year behind. We felt that it would be better to attend without repeating and if he wasn’t quite ready for college to take a post-grad year. So his current sophomore class has students ranging from 14 to almost 17. </p>