What is a school-age waiver?
Children enter kindergarten the year they turn 5, and first grade the year they turn 6. A child's birthday therefore determines when he or she can start school.
In Quebec, the cut-off date for school entry is September 30/October1. This means that children enter kindergarten in the school year in which they turn 5, between October1 and September 30.
If your child was born in October, it can be frustrating to know that he or she has to wait an extra year before starting elementary school, simply because he or she was born just after the September 30 deadline.
A " dérogation scolaire " (or school-age waiver) is a process by which we justify the fact that it would be preferable for this child to enter school this year, rather than having to wait another full year in daycare, or at home, before beginning his or her schooling.
But beware: this application is an exceptional process that is governed by very clear rules and requirements.
The reason being that not all children benefit from starting school a year earlier, and for some children who are not mature enough to do so, this derogation could even harm them. This is an important decision, and it's important to make sure that the choice you make is the right one.
in neuropsychology
Guidelines of the Ordre des Psychologues du Québec
In a document published to its members in 2006, the Ordre des Psychologues du Québec (OPQ) set out guidelines for the practice of assessment for early school entry.
The OPQ therefore stipulates that the school derogation evaluation should meet two main criteria:
- The child must STAND OUT CLEARLY from the average of other children. of his age, within four major spheres of his development: some text
- Intellectual development
- Social development
- Emotional development
- Motor development
- It must be demonstrated that SERIOUS INJURY would be caused to the child if admission to the school were not brought forward.
These two main criteria illustrate the following fact very well:
Not all children born a few days or weeks after the cut-off date for school entry will be granted a derogation following the school derogation assessment.
The child must be well ahead of his or her age group, and we must anticipate any prejudice caused by not starting school earlier.
How is the school exemption evaluation carried out?
At CERC, giftedness is assessed by a neuropsychologist or psychologist. This assessment comprises four stages:
- Anamnesis: this is a one-hour meeting during which we take a complete history of the development and current life situation of the child or adult we are assessing. This meeting usually takes place remotely, by videoconference.
- Assessment: The giftedness assessment takes place in the office, over the course of one day (5 hours). The person being assessed will take various tests (adapted to their age) of logic, reasoning, general knowledge and problem-solving.
The assessment of other cognitive functions (such as attention and memory) is also integrated into the process to obtain a complete cognitive profile.
Often, a profile of personality traits and emotional/psychoaffective issues is also drawn up, to help the professional understand the different forces at work in the situations experienced in the daily life of the person being assessed.
- Test correction and report writing : This part of the work carried out by the neuropsychologist or psychologist takes place in the weeks following the assessment, without the client being present. The scores obtained are compared with expected averages and used to give a percentile rank (rank among 100 people in a reference group) and an IQ score to the person assessed. A detailed, graphically illustrated report is produced to explain the results.
- Debriefing session : Three to four weeks after the assessment, the neuropsychologist (or psychologist) meets with the parents or the adult being assessed, to explain the results and hand over a copy of the assessment report.
Considerations and ideas
If your child was born in the days or weeks following September 30, and you're thinking about having him or her undergo a school entry waiver evaluation, consider the following in your thinking:
A school waiver doesn't just affect entry to first grade or kindergarten. It has an impact on the rest of the school career.
In terms of maturity, your child may be among the oldest in his class for his entire academic career (if he enters school on time), or the youngest in his class for his entire academic career (if he enters school a year early). Think, for example, of the following critical stages:
- In Grades1 and2, learning to read and write is based on the maturity of the child's oral language.
A child whose language is immature, or who has difficulty acquiring the oral subtleties of the French language because of his or her young age, will also have difficulty acquiring the basics of reading and writing.
These are the foundations on which the rest of the child's schooling is built!
- In the3rd year of primary school (around age 9), the frontal lobes of the brain reach an important stage of maturity, enabling better sustained attention and better control of impulsivity.
An 8-year-old who has been granted a school waiver may find it much harder to concentrate as long and effectively as his peers, since his brain is not at the same stage of development.
- Around Grade 6 / Secondary 1, a more mature way of thinking begins to take hold.
They're less interested in "playing" and more in playing sports, talking or sharing passions for musicians or athletes, for example. Children who remain at the play stage may find it difficult to connect with their peers.
These are just some of the reasons why it's important to think well beyond the next year before deciding to bring a child into school early.
But don't worry, these issues are part of the thinking of our qualified professionals who will discuss them with you and guide you, parents and children, towards the best decision for the years to come.
To make an appointment or for any questions concerning the school waiver assessment
Our neuropsychologists
Our team of neuropsychologists, active in Montreal, Laval and Brossard, specializes in theevaluation of school exemptions. These accredited professionals provide specialized coaching, addressing both neurological disorders and gifted support. Our personalized intervention plans are designed to promote well-being and cognitive success, helping families through the school waiver process.
