School grade year level

Hi all.

My daughter is 4 (well she will be on Monday.)

She spent the last half of this past school year in Nursery, and she is going to Reception in the fall.  My husband and I love England but doubt we will be able to live here past 2007. Our daughter will have just finished year 2 when we move back to the States.  I am just wondering what grade level she will be placed at, 2nd grade or 3rd grade?
The cut off date for our school system in the US is August 31 meaning it is exactally one year beyond the cut off for UK schools.  (If we were home in the states she couldn't enter Kindergarten till the 05-06 school year, and even then having just turned 5, she would be one of the youngest kids in her kindergarten class.  However here in the UK she will enter Reception in the 04-05 school year.)

Anybody moved back to the States with kids?  How was the grade level decided?  We will be moving back to Maryland if that makws any difference.

Thanks,
Lauren

My cousin was in England with her two children for four years.  When they got to the school, they tested then when they returned State Side they had to "test" again.  For them, they managed to keep with the same school groups, so they will graduate "on time".

I'm not an expert on this by any means, but I would assume that it would work the same general way for most school districts in the states. 

I don't know if it will possible to do this, but what I hope to keep her from repeating a grade (ie if she has done year 2 in the UK I don't want her doing --repeating --US 2nd grade) unless she academically needs to.  I don't want her repeating grades just so she can be the same age as everybody else in her class. That's because if she already knows and can do the material in a grade level (because she has ready learned  the material the year before in the UK) she won't be learning much if anything new.  She will grew bored.  I feel if a child becomes bored at school they will stop caring about school.  if you keep a child interested, challenged and motivated, they will enjoy school more, do better, and learn more at school.

I guess I more less asking is year two really = to 2nd grade academically or is
year 2 = to 1st grade.
In the States do parents have any say over what grade their child is placed at? (I know we have almost say over what publiuc school they can attend.)

I don't know if we will be in the States forever.  I know after 2007 we most likely won't be in England anymore, and will for at least a year be back in the US, but after that we could move back here or end up moving to other parts of Europe.  (If we ended up in Europe in a non English Speaking country, we would most likely have to put DD in eith an American or Englsih school, or else an internation one where most lessons are taught in English.)

Thanks for the advice,
Lauren

I guess I more less asking is year two really = to 2nd grade academically or is
year 2 = to 1st grade.

I've never had children in the US system, but I do know know that when comparing my kids (UK) with their cousins(US) that academically the UK seems to be ahead.  Year two would definately equal  second grade, if not a bit ahead. 

Hi Lauren,

I've just had the same concerns for my six year old son.  We are repatriating and should be back in the US first week of September, if all goes well.

My son just finished year 1 in the UK.  In the US, he's first grade.   His birthday is in April so he falls comfortably within his year.  My concerns were that because he started school a whole year earlier than US kids of the same age, is he going to be bored, repeating work he did two years ago?  We were not in favour of skipping years.

I would suggest talking to schools in the US in the area you plan to live in.  They are very helpful in determining what kind of programs are available.  For instance, the school district where we plan to live has accelerated classes which begin in third grade.  This is good because the children can stay with their appropriate age group, yet be provided with work to keep them challenged, if necessary.

If you want to pm me, I'd be more than happy to talk to you more about what we've found out and have planned for our son....

Good luck.

Kellie

My son finished the 2nd grade in Florida.  We moved to the UK during the summer and he was put in Year 4.  So when he starts Year 6 at the end of these summer holidays, his contemporaries in the US will have started 5th grade.  His birthday is in November.

I have a similar problem.    We are in the middle of our move over to the UK.

My daughter is turning 5 on Sept 1. 

In the US, our school start cut-off is Oct 1 - she would have started kindergarten.  It is the trend to hold late summer birthday children - however, I wasn't planning on holding her - no reason to hold her back.  Academically she would have done fine in a public kindergarten.  Most US kindergartens seem to teach to children assuming they have had some form of 'pre-school'.  It is almost assumed the children can identify all their letters/numbers; counting etc...  So different from when we were children when you learned your letters in kindergarten.

We reviewed the cirriculum of both Reception and Year 1.  It seems most children are reading by the end of Reception - since she is not, we have choosen to start her in Reception (as the oldest child).  It seems like the Reception cirriculum is similar to US kindergarten. 

We are probably only going to be in the UK 5 or so years -- When we return we will have to work with the school district to ensure proper placement.

Just my opinions and findings.

I don't know if she would be bored.  My fear though is that if she was relearning the same skills over again (whatever the context) she would be. (She is already working on phonics and on memorizing sight words. She is able to write several words, and can count to 20. She is also starting to grasp the concept of addition and subtraction.)  I would rather have her in a class with a group of children who are at her level academically then with a group of children who are the same age.  That's true on both sides of the Atlantic.  I remember being bored in school myself, and so does my husband. 
We had already mastered the skills the teacher was teaching, and when you are little waiting for others is frustrating.  I don't really think she will be that behind with social studies because we are teaching her US things ourselves.

Maybe it's just because of my background but I think skills (reading, writing, math) are more important than subjects. (history, Social studies, health etc.) If you have the skills you can learn the subjects.  Seems like when I was in school Social Studies was maybe 45 minutes to an hour a day.  The big things were reading and math.  Social Studies didn't get to be a big deal till about 4th grade. but that was 20 years ago.  I don't doubt that things/times do change.

I guess I will have to take a wait and see approach.  There is always home school, but I think being exposed to other children is also important.

Thanks,
Lauren

Hi Lauren,

I think that we all want to do what is best for our children.  Moving is a big change under normal circumstances, and especially so when it's an international move.  There are a lot of things to consider.

First, it's your child.  Every child is different and no system or school will suit every child.  As a parent, you know your child better than anybody, so trust your instinct.

Just as some schools in the UK are better than others, that is also true in the US.  Different school districts have different criteria for early enrollment, grade skipping, etc.  Some schools offer accelerated programs, special education, full day vs. half day kindergarten, sports, etc.  I would encourage you to talk to a school about any concerns you have about your daughter before moving into a school district.  Make sure that their needs can be met, whatever they are.

What class size is your child used to?  Is your child outgoing or shy?  Does your child have special needs?

The systems in the two countries differ.  That's not to say that I think one is better or worse than the other.  Most kids adapt very well, but for some children, the differences in these systems could be more significant than for others.

Also, talk to your daughter's teacher in the UK when it comes closer to the time of your move.  He/she should be able to discuss all of her needs with you.  My son's teacher was invaluable this way.

I hope it doesn't sound like I'm "over analyzing" but I did have specific concerns for my son and what the impact the change would have on him.  Lauren, your daughter sounds very bright and I suspect that is where your concern is coming from and why you are thinking of it now.   If you get as much information as possible and follow your instinct, you'll be doing what's best for your daughter.  Good luck!

Ok I'm confused now. Is it just different here in Houston or what? Both of my sons started school at 4 years as did all my friends' children. They go to Pre-K, Kindgergarten, 1st grade..etc. And they started reading and writing and beginning math skills, etc while still in Pre-K. So is it different in other parts of the US? I just assumed it was the same everywhere.

In WA state, kindergarten starts at 5 years (the cut off is the end of Sept or something for turning 5).  PRE-school and Head-Start (pre-school for lower income families) generally begin at 4 years old.  Some states do not REQUIRE a child to attend kindergarten and allow children to wait until they are 6 to begin 1st grade (again, with a cut off date for turning 6).

In the UK (or at least in Scotland), they begin with "Year 1" at 5 yo then move to year 2...3...4 each year following.  So, in theory, a 2nd year UK student would be the equivalent of a 1st grader state side.

Example:  My niece was 8-9 in 3rd grade (states).  A friend of mine teaches year 3 in Scotland and the children are 7-8.  She informs me that by Year 3 kids are entering their 3rd year of school where in the states, 3rd grade is the fourth year of school because of the kindergarten year...

Does that make sense??  I'm sorry if I've only served to further confuse the issue...

Does that make sence??  I'm sorry if I've only served to further confuse the issue...

Yes it does make sense...thanks. My 10 year old is entering 5th grade even though this will be his 7th year in school.

I didn't think about it but Pre-Kindergarten isn't required here in Texas either....just most kids I know have been enrolled in it so I just think of it as being the done thing.

[quote author=Frances
In the UK (or at least in Scotland), they begin with "Year 1" at 5 yo then move to year 2...3...4 each year following.  So, in theory, a 2nd year UK student would be the equivalent of a 1st grader state side.
Does that make sense??  I'm sorry if I've only served to further confuse the issue...

Yes it does make sense.  But do they have reception in Scotland?  I always thought that reception and Kindergarten were about equal.

Thanks,
Lauren

Do they not teach cursive handwritting in the UK?  Or is just taught at a different time?

I think in the US we learn it at about 2nd or 3rd grade?

Thanks,
Lauren

So far my experience with my younger one is that "joined-up" writing isn't as important as penmanship in general.  That was the one thing he was *behind* in when he started school here - in Florida school the emphasis wasn't the same on penmanship, so he wasn't at the same handwriting level as the other kids.  But he practiced a lot and has caught up quite well.