Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy grade skipping

I have been a teacher for 25 years and have experienced gifted children throughout my career. But now I have a 6.5 year old son who has recently qualified to the Gifted program and has been recommended for grade acceleration. I have been trying to get his school for the last 1 1/2 to differentiate his instruction to meet his needs and now they bring all this to the table. My son is a bit apprehensive because he loves his 1st grade teacher. He would begin 2nd grade after winter break and then move on to 3rd grade next school year. He has many wonderful friends in his current grade and is involved in many sports teams with them. Should I be concerned? I sometimes think that maybe the school is trying to prove me wrong. Any ideas?

Teachnkc:
There are no easy answers, and it really depends on a child.
I would say go with your gut feeling.
Of course do check all your acceleration manuals, but trust your feelings. From my expericence, the earlier the grade skip happens, the better for the child. Mind you, none of my two kids were grade skipped.
With my oldest, very gifted across the board, I did not realize who he was till he hit 4th grade. We did change schools for 5th grade, and even though a grade skip was offered at that time, we refused because he had a great homeroom teacher and was greately accelerated in core subject. Fast forward two years and acceleration is gone (apart from math), he would not even consider a grade skip at this point saying " it would be a total social disaster for me" ( an actual quote!).
My fifth grader has been offered a grade skip this month and she refused! We were all astounded, because she seemed to want it so badly until it was actually offered. But we are OK with her decision. She wants to be a star and feels that by skipping grades she will loose some advantage she has right now over other kids.She is subject accelerated though, and will remain so.
From my limited experience, I have observed this:
*grade skip makes scheduling much easier
*when grade skipped they are in the group of older kids, not smarter kids
*listen to you child - they KNOW
*when you skip you take away the advantage they have had in academic competitions
*think about later years - grade skipped kids are less mature physically and emotionally, they are getting their driver license a year later than their peers, other similar things.
*again, your gut feeling
*think about the emotional maturity of your child.

I have a sad story to tell about a great, bright kid, who was grade skipped very early on, in 1st grade actually, but let's leave it until January.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Ania

Hi Teachnkc,
Welcome! I'm so glad you found us! YOu have gotten excellent responses so far. I would add to Ania's great list: Sometimes a single skip fails because it's just not enough. Usually some subject acceleration is needed on top of the single skip.

As for the grade skip, there are kids who really need them, and kids who don't, and kids who are in the middle.

How does a person know what they have got?
1) Is the kid happy, does the kids have friends, is the kid learning to learn, to be comfortable challenging himself.

((As a teacher my guess is that you are extra aware that the kids who do thier homework in one second flat are really at a disadvantage in their later years when finally they have to sit down and work, and think there is something wrong with them or the situation.))

2) What is your kid's personality. Some need high social, some don't care. Some need to fit in and be on a team. Some won't do a stich of 'extra work' even if severly underchallenged at school. ((If you let DS off the hook for the skip now - I would pair it with, OK - you've got to spend 30 minutes each week day being my student-slave and doing every work I give you!))

3) LOG - Level of Giftedness really, really, really matters. Think back to your years of experience - weren't those kids so different from each other? Check out the Ruf levels by developmental milestones, or an WISC or SB-V IQ test (group IQ tests don't count)

Basically, if you are posting "My kid needs more, do they need a grade skip," you need to really really go back and look at LOG.

If you had posted, "my kid is a Ruf Level IV, WISC score 145, good candidate for skip on the IAS, and the psychologist who tested him says he really, really needs a skip, extrovert who loves class discussions" then you would be a lot closer to the answers. See what I mean?

I hope I'm not sounding harsh, but I'm guessing that you are feeling very stressed, and feeling like you should know what to do, (after 25 years) and I'm trying to give you that 'helpful slap' which says, of course you shouldn't know what to do yet because you haven't organized the details in a usable way yet. I am NOT blaming you for not already knowing this - almost no one knows this yet. LOG is totally cutting edge stuff. I'm trilled for you that you found us, and so early in his life! One way or another, we have the experience to help you make things go well for him. Yippee!

Smiles,
Grinity

Hi Teachkc, and Welcome.

We have a second grade girl. It's been clear for a while that she is misplaced in her same age grade. Our principal is seemingly opposed to grade acceleration, and I think it's because they have pull out enrichment twice a week. Also beginning in 4th, they have everyday pull outs and a seperate gifted magnet for the top 1%.
Lately my sweet docile girl has been acting out in class and writing mocking discourse on her turn in assignments.
At this point, even the principal was open to a skip. When I told DD7 she became very upset. Even though I haven't seen evidence that she has really bonded with any one child, she is very well liked and loves her teacher and her agemates. She has always been sensitive, but never very emotional and she cried more that I've ever seen her when presented with the idea she would skip. She said if she was skipped all her friends would disappear. The climate at our school is such, that I don't think it would be good for her socially either.
The teacher worked with the elementary gifted teacher and they created a program for DD7 and five others in her class to leave each day.
DD7 is actually excited about this. It not only helps her but five others in her class who are probably highly gifted. It also helps a few others in class who are probably moderately gifted, because, those six children have been hogging up resources the other gifted children in class didn't have access to and now they will.
Grade skips are great and I wish we would have been able to see the future when DD7 entered kindergarten, because I would have made sure she skipped right then and there.
Some kids can skip in higher grades and it's the best thing for them, but some may not do as well.
It is fair to address your child's school and ask for an alternative solution for your child if grade skipping won't work for him.
With your experience, maybe you have noticed others in your son's class that have already mastered the material.
You might be able to suggest that perhaps a few children could work together and benefit with a differentiated program.
Even if that's not the case you can continue to work with the school to have them provide an appropriate education.
It has been a many step process for us and her educational needs will never be totally met at school; I've accepted that. At this point, I think they are doing the best they can. If she's happy with it, I'm happy with it and will continue to work with her at home on the subjects she is interested in.
During the break she will take the WIAT and I will have yet another piece of information. I will bring it in to the school if needed, but mostly it will give me an idea of what she already knows so I can help her learn at home.
BTW I know a lot of homeschoolers around here whose parents are/were teachers!!!!!

Best of luck making your decision. I'm newer here and don't have so much wise advice. However, there are posters on this board that are very experienced and successful with advocating for their children and everyone is incredibly positive and nice.

Incog

Dr. Ruf link to help you estimate your child's level of giftedness. The checklists start about halfway down the page.
http://www.educationaloptions.com/levels_giftedness.htm


This is obviously an estimate. If there is a place on a child where their real, accurate, and true IQ is tatooed, I've yet to find it. ((humor alert))

Another way to think about things is to ask if your child is 'globally gifted' (Grin Rule of Thumb:more than 60 of academic subjects) or do they have an area or two of extreame giftedness? AND Do they have a 2nd exceptionality in addition to the giftness, such as ADHD, motor difficulties, Autistic Spectrum, Depression or Anxiety issues?

Best Wishes,
Trinity

Thanks CFK -
We are going through this right now, and I really appreciate that you've put it into words!
I've never heard the phrase "used up the skip" but boy oh boy, I sure are starting to see what you mean. I'd say we've used up about 60% of the skip so far, but we still have Jan-June to get through - LOL - Last year I was certian that we'd never ask for a Grade Skip again! ((shake))

Grin

Dottie - I think you bring up a really good point. DS7, is an oldest child, and is very cautious about trying new things and will throw his hands up almost immediately if something is more than the tiniest of efforts. He definitely lacks confidence. He has to have complete mastery of something before he will claim he can do it. I think this is an oldest child trait - at least in many famililes. Anyone else? DD3 however claims she can do anything and everything DS does. And does on many levels.

I am also an oldest. My younger brother jumped head first into everything and I was extremely tenative.

I also envy the parents who send their kid's off to school without a second thought! Those darn voices!

LOL! Actually, on the YSP list we remind each other regularly that if a situation works for 6months to a year, that is reason to celebrate.
DH and I were having this conversation just yesterday, in the car. We feel like he's so much better than he was before the skip, but that in a milder way, we're back to the same concerns - in 4th grade the homework was 90 seconds per day, now the homework is less than 20 minutes per day. Difference is that now with the occasional large project is due, he can work for 2.5 hours and be ok with it - so it isn't nearly as bad, but it does remind us of times past.

I'm thinking that independent project or Mentor or academic competition or service project must be the next step. I was up last night rehearsing the talk with his principle about "How can you help him?"

Advice - Be like Dottie and use the gradeskips early when you can, and as often as needed. The longer one waits the less one can get out of gradeskips - until the next round which involves boarding school or early college - funny we hate skips because they mean fewer years at home with the family, but a well timed early skip may be able to keep the child comfortable and local compared to the track CFK and I seem to be on. ((shrug))

Grinity

My littlest DS (6) seems apprehensive about every form of change. He can get along in every social group, including his brother's HS freshmen friends. He was socially content in a regular class, but had reached his challenge limit (no further challenge foreseen) and moved to gifted class midyear. I worried, but it was like a breath of fresh air for him.

Maybe approach the skip as "try it, and if it doesn't work, you can go back".

I like the idea of subject accelerations as a prelude to a full grade skip with more subject accelerations - a la Dottie's DS. Can you have your cake and eat it to?
Grinity