Grade (AGE) Exceptions

Wow, if someone did that with sports in mind, they must really be thinking well ahead of the average parent.

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Wow, if someone did that with sports in mind, they must really be thinking well ahead of the average parent.

This subject has been hotly debated here and in many homes and ballparks around the good "ole USA" I would suspect. The phenomenon was given an entire Chapter in the book "The Outliers."

I've witnessed it first hand via many parents and have gotten more than a "sniff" of encouragement from a school and or school system(s) in these parts to hopefully bolster athletic success for all parties. To each his own and for many if the ends justify the means .... and so forth.

GED, I guess I’m not following what you are saying or what you are debating. However, concluding that the majority of people who give their kids an extra year along the way do so for athletics is just plain wrong. I’m currently in the process of trying to move my son to private school to give him an extra year of high school. Baseball is certainly one of his priorities, but even he’ll says he needs the time to gain maturity and improve his academic standing (currently well above a 3.0 GPA…far from failing). In my heart, I know he’s not going to be ready to head to college in 2 years. I figure it’s better to spend the extra $$$ now, while he’s in my home and I have some semblance of control, rather than potentially waste college tuition later because he’s just not ready to succeed in that environment. Fortunately, the school we are looking at is supportive; many of the staff there have done the same for their kids and said it was the best thing they could have done. While holding a child back before kindergarten is most common, I know of instances in which it was done in 2nd, 5th, middle school, and high school. And we all know about the post graduate year.

In terms of regulations, I’m still learning…but repeating in public school and getting an extra year of sports, once a kid has started 9th grade, is not allowed as far as I know (unless a move is involved). Private schools (some, not all) have fewer restrictions, but then there is something called the “8 semester rule” imposed by the NCAA that says that 16 core credits (as stipulated by the NCAA) have to be completed within 8 semesters after starting 9th grade. There are some different regs for post-graduate kids (there was another thread about this).

Bottom line, of all the people I know who held their children back when they were 5, none were thinking of sports. For anyone that did it afterward, let me assure you, there were other priorities and some period of adjustment. This isn’t something most people do for glory.

As long as it's within the law parents need to do what's best for their kid. Anything else is just opinion. My son has a spring birthday. On freshman basketball a lot of his teammates had sixteen to eighteen months on him, six inches and fifty pounds. My feeling is if a kid needs an extra year for sports for scholarship purposes, do it on the back end as a PG year.

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Originally posted by MHC77:
GED, I guess I’m not following what you are saying...

Just a thought about what some people will do to give their kids a competitive edge. We started with how some manipulate stats, bios, or just plain live their own "dreams" vicarioulsy thru their children. We ended up talking about holding kids back for the express reason to give their kids an extra year. And, it seems to be a common occurrence. Just curious about what others thought about this, as it seems somewhat accepted.

Hope that helps. BTW - not a conclusion, just an interesting side. And you are correct, once in 9th grade, no sports eligibility in the extra year. PEACE. GED10DaD

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association (LHSAA) had to implement a rule several years ago in an attempt to keep parents of 8th graders from holding their kids back for what it deemed "athletic purposes." The issue became more and more prevalent, to the point where some HS coaches encouraged the practice, and some schools offered advanced classes to 8th grade student-athletes who elected to redo the year. I went to MS w/ a future TAMU basketball player who held back twice (spent 3 years in 8th grade and was an A/B student the first time through!).

The rule previously read that a student had 8 consecutive semesters to compete in HS athletics and could not turn 19 prior to 9/1. The rule has been extended to cover middle school (12 consecutive semesters). In La, a student's high school eligibility clock begins when that student enters junior high. Although this rule has helped curtail the "problem", parents now hold their children back in 5th grade.

I went to MS/HS with many kids whose parents felt it was in Johnny's best athletic interest to be of maximum age upon HS graduation. Some of the "holdbacks" went on to extremely successful college and professional careers. Most were, simply, 19 yr. old HS grads.

Would the successful athletes have had the same opportunities had they not benefited from an extra year of development? Does any state have the right to legislate parents' rights to make decisions they feel are in their child's best interest?

The major factor that led to the rule change was the argument that taxpayers' dollars were being spent to educate a student for another year, even though the student mastered all academic requirements for promotion. Not sure about now, but at the time, it was 100% OK for a parent to ask for his/her child be retained for "maturity" reasons. If a student failed to meet academic/attendance requirements, that student was forced to retry the grade, though there was no negative impact on athletic eligibility.

There's a town near me that historically has a very strong high school football program. I was told recently that parents are encouraged to wait until their boys are age 6 before starting them in Kindergarten so that they'll all have an extra year of growth by the time they reach high school.

I guess this would avoid the eligibility issues or even the social stigma of repeating a grade. However, I sure have a hard time thinking HS football is so important that you'd do something like this.

And, let's say you end up having a college and pro career later on. Doesn't that extra year take one year away from your professional potential?

Intersting in that we got rid of an extra year in HS here a few years ago, it was really rare for kids to go back for an extra year of school. Nowadays, in my sons grad class, close to 30% would repeat for either social and athletic aspects, or improving grades to get into the right school.

I don't think it should be legislated out, most boards would provide an age maximum that would help define eligibility on this basis. There are lots of kids who aren't looking at their athletic prospects solely (even if they are - thats a personal choice entirely), I think the harm done to the majority who are in circumstances that require an extra year outweighs everything. Life is always measured by the journey, not how fast it takes.

Very common place now in NJ. Especially in football with many of the parochial school powers. Hey RJM - That PG year is a great idea!

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"And, let's say you end up having a college and pro career later on. Doesn't that extra year take one year away from your professional potential?"

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Originally posted by birdman14:
Very common place now in NJ. Especially in football with many of the parochial school powers. Hey RJM - That PG year is a great idea!

We're giving it some thought due to injuries wiping out the showcase season and senior year.

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Originally posted by RJM:
We're giving it some thought due to injuries wiping out the showcase season and senior year.

Best of luck to you and your son going forward. I went through a similar situation with my son, so I know and feel your frustration. Keep it positive and my prayers are with you.

I've had a discussion with the parent of a very small guy who is a terrific athlete (not baseball), about this matter. Around here a couple of parents have sent their kids to private school to repeat 8th grade. That allows them to gain a year of physical or other maturity, and delays the start of the 4 year clock of eligibility in our state. Once you've started 9th grade, your eligibility is running out in four years even if you aren't playing the sport. The only way to get an extra year is to do a PG post-graduate year at a prep school.