Study examines effectiveness of academic redshirting

A new study by a UW–Madison researcher of academic redshirting – the decision to delay a child’s entry into kindergarten that many parents are facing right now – calls into question the old adage of “If in doubt, hold them out.”

Beth Graue, associate professor of curriculum and instruction at UW–Madison, has studied the records of more than 7,000 third graders in 367 Wisconsin school districts. Among her findings:

• Academic reshirting is alive and well in Wisconsin. Seven percent of the third graders studied had been redshirted and that, says Graue, is a conservative figure. Most of the redshirted students were boys with summer birthdays.
• Though many parents consider redshirting a way to forestall later academic problems, Graue found that the redshirts still had higher levels of involvement in special education programs than did their peers who entered kindergarten on schedule. Since some redshirts seem to need that special-education support, delaying their entry into school means delaying their chance to use those support programs, says Graue.
• In comparing third-grade reading, Graue discovered no difference in performance between redshirted boys with summer birthdays (supposedly the highest-risk group) and peer boys with summer birthdays who entered kindergarten on time.