Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Accelerating a math grade

Eh, this is my first post here, so I'd like to say hi before getting on with my question. ^^

I took the SAT for the first time a few weeks ago as part of the John Hopkins Talent Search, since I'm only in seventh grade, and I just recieved my scores.

CR: 710
Math: 670
Writing: 630

Total: 2010

I didn't prep for the SAT, except for practice sessions to get the feel of it, as I don't believe in practicing for this kind of test.

The main thing is, I want to skip a math grade, but the math chair won't let me, as I didn't do so great on the seventh grade final examination. :\ I still feel as if I'm wasting my time, as I finish my work literally ten minutes faster than my peers in the honors class, my first quarter math average was a 99, recieved 100's on both my first quarter and midterm examinations, and got a recommendation from my math teacher to skip a grade. Is there any way that my SAT scores will help my case to skip?

Honestly, my math scores aren't that exceptional, as I have two friends who also took the SAT and had 770 and 730 as a math score, and they both skipped a math grade. Would my verbal help somehow?

This probably isn't a forum for kids, but my parents can't be bothered to use forums. Thank you in advance. ^^

also take a look at john hopkin's SET program. welcome to the forum. We occasionally have kids posting here - i hope more often now that you are here! also try cogito.com I am hopeful that your Math Advocacy will go better now that you have scores in hand. I reccomend that you ask what it would take to get you skipped in Math. Sometimes you can do a summer class or an online class to prove that it's going to work.++++I+hope+you+have+great+plans+for+your+summer.++If+not,+those+SAT+scores+just+opened+some+doors.

I looked over the requirements, and I did take the Stanford-Binet when I was five. My scores were kind of mediocre, though, since I just came back from a two-year stay in China with my grandmother and knew minimal English.

I'm not sure what they mean by "Verbal, Non-Verbal, or Full Scale", though. Do they look at the sections of the IQ test separately?


Edit: Grinity,

I did check out their SET program, it looks great. I also looked at Cogito, but don't know how to register for the forums.

Yeah, it's from SB-IV.

Currently, I'm twelve years old and one month.

Edit: After reading the application, the only things that concern me are that you need a full written report for the IQ test, which I'm not sure we have, and the portfolio. I'm very lazy and test well, mostly, and have only won a few meaningless contests. Two drawing ones, a "What the Flag Means to Me" contest in first grade, and once had a fourth grade piece published in a magazine. Nothing that would impress anyone very much. :S

Also, Lina, don't think you have to use assignments from school for the portfolio. What kind of mathy or writing stuff do you like to do on your free time? Sometimes a kid feels stifled with assignments that come home from school.

Perhaps it would be easier to "show your stuff" if you included projects in a portfolio that you came up with on your own.

What kind of math stuff gets your blood pumping?

And yes, best wishes to you. Keep being proactive, you never know where it will lead you.

One more thought. Mostly, It's been my experience that administrators are very hesitant to grade skip or subject skip out of concern for the student. They want to be very confident the child will still do well if accelerated.

Perhaps you could borrow your friends' textbook and do some work out of it and then present it to your math chair. I can't guarantee it would convince him to accelerate you, but it might be worth a try. If nothing else, he will see that you are serious about your wish to have more appropriate math challenges at school.

Dottie: Thank you. My mom is pretty stressed out right now, so I'll have to ask her later.

incogneato: Oh, I have a few of those. I take on a lot of projects during my free time, although I hardly finish any. :P

I actually tried doing that during the summer last year. I took my brother's seventh grade honors textbook and began doing every single problem in it (there were over fifty problems per section). Then I realized that they didn't use the same textbooks year to year.

Thanks for the advice.

Apply! The worst DYS can say is no (or, more likely "We need more info"). If that happens, you're no worse off than you are right now, right?

It's a really good organization. A number of our kids here are members. It's free, it's a great group for help with things like trying to get grade skips, it hooks you up with kids like you from all around the country...it's just good all the way around!

And congratulations on the scores! You should be very pleased!

Hi Lina,
My last post was from my phone, so - sorry about the weird symbols - I have no idea what's up with that!

I'd like to add that your Math Scores ARE exceptional, if the word exceptional means anything at all. Sure, you have found two friends who have even more exceptional scores! They are also exceptional. It also means that your school probably has a higher than average 'average' because most schools wouldn't have any kids who score like you and your friends.

Here's the thing, it's normal for Gifties to have friends who are also Gifted. And since no one can talk about LOG (levels of Giftedness) or even smartness without almost dying of embarrassment, it's hard to 'get a reference' for what your mind is like. I grew up thinking that I was 'smart' but that my younger brother was MUCH MUCH smarter. (I think that he still thinks this!)

In a way, it is impossible to compare one person to any other in terms of Giftedness. I have a kind of periscope brain that sees around corners - LOL! That isn't measured on any IQ test, but I sure do enjoy it. OTOH, I thought that I was much stupider than my friends so I didn't allowances that I would need to live in an area where I would have lots of access to other Highly Gifted People not to feel lonely. I just lucked out that my son qualified for Davidson Young Scholar's program, because now I see that a lot of the ways that I always hated myself for not being 'regular' are in fact 'regular' around Gifties. If my son hadn't dragged me into the Gifted World, kicking and screaming and saying: "Oh come on, so he's bright, big deal!" then I would still think I was 'bad' at being regular.

Anyway, I've learned a lot from reading and posting here, about my self, my husband, and my son.

BTW: My Husband's definition of Gifted is: "That's what you call the really smart people who are smarter than me."

Smiles,
Grinity

Lina,
That means that you can be high in, for example, Abstract/Visual Reasoning, but lower on other parts of the test and still quailfy.

I do reccomend that you print out an application and fill it out to the best of your ability (we'll help any way we can) and then ask your Mom to sign it and send it in.

Smiles,
Grinity