Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments later acceleration

Hi Wren,

The privates around here accelerate by subject rather than skip. Ie, start algebra in 5th and finish calc in 9th then do independent study. Or kids will work through certain subjects during the summer. The faculty have MS and PHD in the actual subject and access to resources at the local university to help supplement. Same with languages or sciences.

The few skips I know about were done very early. Ie, started 1st a year early or 5th following 3rd. In general, the workload gets very heavy by the 8th grade (along with clubs) and there is enough rigor in the class to differentiate to very brightest from the rest. So they want the kids to be settled in before getting loaded up.

In addition, there are clubs, ie math clubs and robotics and contests (Ie AMC and math contests) they enter for this. And many kids go overseas for summer classes to immerse themselves in a language and culture, ie 10-week professor led history trips in Japan, etc.

So, what this looks like, is a kid gets a skip from 6th to 7th, who started algebra in the 6th. Finishes calc in 10th. Takes vector calc, abstract algebra, and diff-eq independent study, along with college physics and chemistry, grads at 17. Spends summer at 15 and 16 in a foreign country. Has full fluency in that language. College credit granted. Finishes college at 19 at local U with an EE degree.