| Kindergarten Derogations | |
Q: What is a Kindergarten derogation?
Kindergarten derogations are available only for schools in Quebec.
"Derogation" is the French word for "waiver". It refers to waiving the rules for the age a child must be before starting Kindergarten. Usually, a child must be 5 years old before September 30 to start school in September of that year. However, she or he may start school with a later birthday, if s/he is particularly able ("particulierement apte") to do so. The Quebec Ministry of Education requires children who enter Kindergarten with a derogation to be developmentally like the average child entering Kindergarten, who is 5 years 6 months old. If your child has an October birthday, s/he will be 4 years 11 months old; developmentally, s/he must be seven months advanced over her/his actual age; if a November birthday eight months, and nine months for a December birthday. About 15% (1 out of 6) randomly chosen children with October birthdays will meet this criterion.
In practical terms, the child must reach a defined level on an individually administered test of ability, usually the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Revised (the WPPSI-R or "the wippsy-R"). Also, he or she must be well above average in fine and gross motor skills, and social and emotional development.
The WPPSI-R has ten parts and two optional parts ("subtests"), which measure different abilities. For example, the child is asked to put puzzles together, copy designs of blocks, put pegs in a pegboard, show what is missing in a picture, copy simple drawings, answer questions of general knowledge, tell the meanings of words (e.g."what is a book?"), answer common-sense questions (e.g. "why should you look before crossing the street?"), answer pre- and early arithmetic questions (e.g. "Jean has 2 Beanie Babies and grandmother gives her one more. How many does she have?"). (These questions resemble questions from the WPPSI-R, but are not real test items.)
Q: How are motor skills measured?
Lee has put together a compilation of measures in these areas. The child may be asked to cut with scissors, to thread beads, to make a simple drawing, build with blocks, hop, skip, and jump, for example.
Q: What is social and emotional development?
A child may be considered unsuitable to start school early if s/he is overly shy or nervous, is afraid of new situations, or has difficulty getting along with others. Lee observes the child throughout the sessions, and will ask your permission to call the nursery or daycare (if any) for their comments.
Q: What is the probability that my child will receive the derogation?
In Lee's practice, about half the boys and about two-thirds of the girls are recommended for the derogation.
Q: Is there a way to know in advance?
Your strong belief that your child is well above average, compared to children of the same age, seems to be associated with the child's receiving the derogation.
Q: How should I prepare my child for the experience of being assessed?
Lee usually recommends that you say, "you're going to do some work with a nice lady, like what you do at daycare (nursery)". Children usually quickly see that they are being tested, not taught or played with, so telling them that they will be playing games does not help.
Q: Are parents allowed to be present?
Lee prefers to have one parent in the office during the assessment. It is reassuring to the child and can help to keep him or her focussed. Parents are not allowed to take notes, however.
Many children enjoy the challenge. Praise, encouragement and lots of stickers help to keep children going through a rather long process. Lee prides herself on creating a warm, positive atmosphere.
The parent who accompanies the child sometimes finds it difficult to go through an assessment vicariously.
Q: Must the school board accept the recommendation of the psychologist?
Each school board reviews the requests for derogations, then makes its own decisions. In Lee's experience, a recommended derogation is very rarely refused. There is an appeal process for a refused derogation.
Q: What happens to information gathered by a psychologist about my child?
The information is kept confidential unless you give signed permission for it to be released. Parents receive a copy of the report.
Lee's fees are very reasonable for this type of service. There are three levels of fees. The assessment is usually done in two sessions of about two hours each. If after one session, Lee can see that it will not be possible to recommend the derogation, the lowest fee is charged. If, after two sessions, the derogation cannot be recommended, there is a second level of fee. A third level of fee is requested if the derogation can be recommended. The difference between the second and third levels of fee results from the time required to write a report.
Please phone for current fees, (613) 761-2721.
Q: Will the costs be covered by insurance?
Often costs for assessment are not covered, although costs for therapy are covered. Check with your insurer.