I don't know if TX still offers gradeskips by testing, but they used to - worth checking into to at least get the base grade right.
They do. But here is the problem. The HS program in TX has not changed since I went to HS. Ap calc in the 12 grade even in schools with massive numbers of NMSF kids and AP Humanities covering the same stuff I did.
In my HS we had two NMSF, and both of us snoozed through AP Calc. Given the Flynn Effect and the much better prep kids have today, you would think the Senior math class would be on the same level as a 3rd year class in a Math major with AP calc in the 10 grade.
I think the private school kids have a higher percentage of NMS because they had higher IQs to start with - as there is a fairly strong correlation between income and IQ of parents, and a quite strong correlation between IQ of parents and IQ of kids. As we know, drill seems to have 'mixed results' with gifted kids - it benifits some of the time and produces worse results other of the time.
I thought so too, but I've spent time with some of the kids from the top private schools in my area and, while they are bright, they are not driven polymaths. And the private curriculum suffers from the same limitations as the top public schools'. And looking through the curriculum, it seems to peak in intensity and subject matter in the 9th grade with the other subsequent years being a rehash in depth. So, I do think it is just intense preparation rather than sheer brilliance.
I also think there is a bit of academic red shirting going on and I also found out that a number of kids get a lot of PSAT and SAT prep and outside tutoring in the summer.
