Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums THINKING BIG About Gifted Education Polling Davidson forum members on acceleration

There have probably been hundreds of threads where a new poster asks about early entrance to kindergarten. Such acceleration is really frowned upon by most schools, leading parents to doubt their sanity.

Members who have accelerated their children can reassure posters that they are not crazy and relate their own experiences. We put 2 out of 3 children in KG a year early and do not regret it.

Could Davidson create an online poll for forum members with questions such as
(1) Did you enter a child in kindergarten early? Do you think it has been the right decision?
(2) Has your child skipped a grade in school? Do you think it has been the right decision?

If a few hundred parents responded in a poll that they accelerated, and if most said they did not regret it, citing this poll could reassure new posters of their sanity.

Such a poll would not prove anything, of course, since it would not represent a random sample of parents who accelerated their children. But maybe it would be a helpful supplement to the "color" parents provide in this forum about their experiences with acceleration.

I like that idea. My DS also started kindergarten early and I don't regret it. He would be miserable if he were in 3rd grade right now.

Agree completely, Bostonian-- this is a really good idea.

I'd add that asking how many years it has been SINCE that early entry/skip would be another useful bit of information.

There are quite a number of past and present members with grade accelerated children who don't regret it-- from 5+ years out, even.

I think that is the information that I would most wish that I'd had at the time. Most of the arguments against acceleration had to do with social adjustment or mythology about child development, early burnout, etc. Also-- what "genius" children actually do LOOK LIKE. For real. Are they all little 10 year old physics graduate students? What does that vast gulf between children/parents who court a media spotlight for their kids who enter college at 14 or younger and those whose children are entirely age-typical contain? Where are THOSE kids, and who is telling those stories... what happens to those children? There is a sense that acceleration is either a perfect solution, or not a solution at all because it will be awful for the child in question. I never had (and still don't) a sense for rational, anecdotal or data-derived least-worst with respect to acceleration among children who are something less than future Nobel or Pulizter contenders, but who are clearly suffering in age-normed settings.

We accelerated because we didn't have much choice. But we've never been easy about the decision to do so.




It has made it very hard to not examine every bump in the road through the lens of "did we do that with the acceleration??"

We accelerated from 4th to 6th and did not regret it one bit. Life for my DD was becoming miserable. However, even that was not enough. So, we just brought her home to homeschool and even though we are working well beyond the grade level, we actually officially rolled back the acceleration (figuring we can reinstate it if we wanted.) If she were going to stay in school, we were going to insist on another year acceleration.

I would like to know how many tried to do early entry into K and were denied, then had to skip later. I think it would be easier on the child socially to do early entry, but it is nearly impossible to do this in reality where I live.

Our daughter, now 16, started Kindergarten at 4 years old. She will be entering her Senior year, and I have not regretted early entry for one iota of a moment.

I'd be happy to participate in a poll like the one suggested, though I honestly think it would be better approached as a study.

My eldest skipped two grades and started a dual enrollment high school/college program at 14. My youngest started first grade almost exactly on her 5th birthday, making her young for the class behind her (another girl her age is two years behind DD because that girl is a few days on the far side of the birthdate deadline, whereas my DD is a few days inside it).

Here's the thing (well, two things really), and I suspect this opinion won't be popular. When kids get into higher grades, the executive function demands increase over what they were in primary school. They increase again in high school, and in college, they're very high. Also, physical development is an issue, especially for kids who are small and/or 2+ years skipped.

There have been many discussions on this board about asynchronous development, and most people here are familiar with the idea that executive function (EF) doesn't always (or even usually) develop at the same pace as other cognitive functions. This reality can leave a grade-skipped young teenager in a very difficult position, especially because many educators don't know much about EF.

Kids around 12-15 are highly vulnerable to the seduction of distractions like computer games, hobbies, and what-have-you. If they're in an environment that demands a lot from them, they're at risk for, shall we say, underachievement relative to potential. Combine this problem with relatively immature executive function, and problems can happen. These problems are real, and they can be very damaging.

Compound the EF dilemma with being a lot younger than everyone else, and the problems can get worse. Young teenagers may be more susceptible to pressure to fit in with older kids in their classes who may not be the best role models around. Younger kids are typically a lot smaller than their grade peers, and when puberty comes around, a child who's been accelerated by 2+ years will be a prepubescent in a class of kids who are 6-8 inches taller (including the girls) and who've spent some time thinking about things that have not really entered the mind of the younger kid. The younger kid won't fit in with his or her classmates for ~2+ years (starting in 8th for boys, younger for girls), and there really isn't anything you can do about it.

The physical thing was really, really hard on my eldest, and he struggles with good study habits. My youngest will start 7th grade just before her 11th birthday. She's very tall and is basically the same size as her classmates, but the executive function difference is real and obvious.

Personally, from where I'm sitting and from what I've seen, one grade skip is less of a big deal for most people in these two regards. I've spoken to adults who regretted single skips, but they were in the minority. I've spoken to adults who skipped multiple grades, and most weren't happy about it at all. Here's a sample of the stuff I've heard: Try finding a date for the dance when all the girls have deeper voices than you do and I was miserable in high school because I was so different. All they saw was my IQ. That kind of thing.

My daughter struggles with being so young. There's an element to it that's exciting and an element that's scary. This is a girl who's outgoing, independent, and open to trying whatever new thing comes along. My eldest son has always been good at adapting to a new situation, which both helps and hinders him. Sure, he can fit in with kids two years older than him, but at the same time, I'm not sure he likes all the you're-so-smart comments, and I don't want him to feel like he has to live up to them. It's also hard for him to find a study buddy when the other students in his science or math classes are 4-5 years older than him.

I know that people get very excited about grade skips, but in my experience and from what I've learned in informal interviews over the last 8 years or so, it's a mixed bag that can come with problems that are as serious as the ones you're trying to avoid. Yes, the school system is a huge part of the problem, but the school system is what it is right now, and I think it's important for parents to be aware of the downside of skips. I read a lot about the positive side of skips (and yes, there are many positives), but way down the road, negatives can creep in.

Overall, right now one skip is working best. We wouldn't do another one for our DD. I'm honestly not sure what to think about the second skip our eldest did. Intellectually, it was right. Otherwise, I'm not so sure.

I know that YMMV, but I suspect that people get carried away with enthusiasm for grade skips without listening to the very real negative sides.

Great ideas.

Agreed. It is good to be well-informed on all sides of an issue, pros and cons. Here is a link to a thread on Grade skipping tradeoffs, which discusses possible drawbacks, downsides, and disadvantages to grade-skipping. There is also this bit of insight from an old post: Here is another thread which may be of interest: Effects of Early Grade Acceleration and one called Kindergarten, experiences with grade-skipping?

Did you know? Members may create polls. The process is outlined in the forum FAQs which says: The Poll Manager walks a poster through the steps to create a poll. Here is a sample. If someone wants to create a better poll, I will graciously delete the draft below and defer to the new poll anyone chooses to create!

Did you seek early entrance into kindergarten for your child? single choice
	No, we were not interested in our child starting kindergarten early.
	Yes, however our state does not allow early entrance to kindergarten.
	Yes, and our state allows early entrance to kindergarten however local policy does not.
	Yes, our child was early enrolled into kindergarten.
Votes accepted starting: 06/23/15 02:56 PM
View Results

If you were interested in early kindergarten enrollment but unable to enroll your child early for any reason, did you later seek full-grade acceleration for your child? single choice
	Yes, sought one or more full-grade acceleration(s).
	No, did not seek full-grade acceleration.
Votes accepted starting: 06/23/15 03:00 PM
View Results

If your child was enrolled into kindergarten early, looking back do you believe this was the right decision? single choice
	Yes, early entrance still seems like it was the best decision.
	No, looking back, I do not believe that early entrance was the best decision.
Votes accepted starting: 06/23/15 03:06 PM
View Results

Has your child skipped a grade in school? single choice
	Yes, 1 full-grade acceleration.
	Yes, 1 full grade acceleration plus one or more subject acceleration(s).
	Yes, 2 full grade accelerations.
	Yes, 3 or more full grade accelerations.
	No full-grade accelerations.
Votes accepted starting: 06/23/15 03:12 PM
View Results

If your child has had one or more full-grade acceleration(s), looking back has this been the best decision? single choice
	Yes, and we are contemplating another full-grade acceleration.
	Yes, the full-grade acceleration(s) have been the best (or least-worst) option.
	Yes, the full grade acceleration was helpful at the time, however we subsequently "undid" a skip.
	No, the full-grade acceleration was not helpful to our child.
Votes accepted starting: 06/23/15 03:16 PM
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When considering early kindergarten enrollment and/or full-grade acceleration, did you utilize the Iowa Acceleration Scale (IAS)? single choice
	Yes, and the IAS indicated likely success with the full-grade acceleration.
	Yes, and the IAS did not not recommend acceleration.
	No, the IAS was not utilized.
Votes accepted starting: 06/23/15 03:20 PM
View Results

DD would be one of the youngest in her class and there'd be boys who are more than a year older than her. As it is, I'm worried about her social maturity and lack of EF skills. It's hard for me to imagine DD maturing to a point where grade skipping would be appropriate for her. Never say never I suppose but that doesn't sound all that plausible right now.

I suggest adding in some questions on single subject acceleration.