When we inquired about grade acceleration for DS last year, we were told a student has to show that he is two years ahead in order to skip one year.
In general some schools want to skip a child only when that child will be near the top of the grade the student accelerates into. This may defeat the purpose of the grade skip for several reasons:
- child may be currently underperforming therefore may not give accurate impression of what they are capable of, or level they are best suited for functioning at.
- if the child is at the top of the next grade level, they may be deprived of the experiences of being in the middle of the pack and on par with classmates, striving and struggling to puzzle through difficult work, being stimulated/challenged by the presentation of new material which they do not already know. Because the IAS looks at many factors, it can help create a balanced evaluation of options.
And if she can be in a class where the teacher surreptitiously subject accelerates her, that might be better anyway.
Yes, forms of support/challenge may vary from child to child and year to year. In general, kiddos benefit from intellectual peers and experiences in which they may have different roles such as middle of the pack and on par with classmates, forming friendships, etc.
I know DD isn't the only kid here who holds it in all day and then explodes when she gets home.
Agreed. With home being a safe place to emote, parents may see the stress which a child keeps buttoned up all day. This may be the child's cry for help before giving up. Only parents may hear it.
You may wish to ask for an
IAS eval.
