Help Asiyah Not Repeat Pre-Kindergarten 3 times

Help Asiyah Not Repeat Pre-Kindergarten 3 times

Assalamualaikum everybody,

Note: This petition is in no way trying to undermine the noble work ISRI's board of trustees has provided our school throughout the years.

Our Petition:

Our daughter Asiyah is a 4 year old student repeating Pre-Kindergarten for the third year now. She attends The Islamic school of Rhode Island, a private school in West warwick. We are asking all the parents, teachers, educators, and caring people to support us and prevent this from happening to our beloved daughter. ISRI board of trustees has refused our request to have Asiyah move up to Kindergarten and not repeat Pre-K for the third time, without providing a legitimate reason, in spite of the fact that both the Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten teachers recommended that she makes this move so her learning would not be impeded.

The only reason the board of trustees provided is that Asiyah is not five years old yet. Still when we look at the facts, the rationale becomes baseless and scary at the same time. Here are the facts:

1) Two or more students who are attending Kindergarten this year are four years old, same age like Asiyah.

2) From grades Pre-k to 8th grade, there is an average of 2-3 students who are one year in age less than their peers. Asiyah would be the same age like they are when she gets to their grade level. Why are these students allowed to be ahead and not Asiyah.

3) One board member had his son skip a whole grade against the teacher's recommendations at that time. His oldest son and younger one attend the same grade level. The same thing happened with another person's child from the administration and other parents as well. Why would Asiyah get prevented while the board member's son not. At least Asiyah had her teachers recommend that she moves up and not the same with the former.

4) Evaluation was done to Asiyah under the request of the administration, and the Evaluation showed that she is more capable (physically, cognitively, emotionally, and academically) to succeed in kindergarten than many kindergarteners. If the administration had no intention to enroll Asiyah in kindergarten, why do the evaluation? And why wouldn't they listen to the teachers' recommendations.

5) The school has a Pre-K 1 and Pre-K 2 on paper, but in reality they have one Pre-K. So a child who moves up from Pre-K 1 to Pre-K 2 is doomed to repeat every single lesson he/she learns in Pre-K 1. It is the same classroom and same teacher. To clarify, if a child learns the alphabets the first year, he/she is going to be doing the same thing the following year because PreK1 andPre K2 are together in the same classroom ; my daughter is not learning anything new, she was singing to us the alphabet yesterday; she has been singing it for three years now; and the board of trustees do not have a problem with her singing it another year. What are they going to lose? She is not their daughter.

6) Asiyah has already been to Pre-K two times, one year at Beautiful Beginnings and one year at ISRI; she knows everything that a child would need to know in Pre-K. She has already been exposed to and mastered the Pre-K curriculum. Even in Islamic studies, she is in first grade level. She does not seem to be excited about her education any more, not because of the teachers, but because she does not want to repeat things over and over again; she is bored. Why is the board of trustees refusing to allow her to move to Kindergarten as they did with other parents?

7) Some studies show that repeating a grade may put a child at higher risk of dropping out later.

8) There is no reason whatsoever why the school would not allow my daughter to go to Kindergarten. It is a private school.

For all the above reasons, and for the sake of God, we ask that you support us in our cause and sign this petition, so Asiyah would get the education that she deserves.

Shakirah and Najd