Came back from meeting. Present were principal, guidance counselor, K-12 math instructional coordinator, and the teacher for Accelerated 7/8 class. Honors Algebra teacher had a class she could not get out of.
They went over the logistics of his schedule for the next couple of years, if he were to do Honors Integrated Algebra as a 7th grader. One concern they brought up is to make sure my son is okay with the fact that once he is in 8th grade/2015, he will be taking Honors Geometry in the HS building in a class with 9th graders. They made a point of saying they've never had a middle school student go to the high school building for a class. They're totally willing to do it, though.
They got the district's approval to give my son "summer school" to cover all the 8th grade gaps that he needs to understand before starting Algebra. He would have his own certified teacher. The usual schedule is 2 hours a day, 4x week for six weeks. He would be assessed regularly as he goes, and he would retain the option of dropping down to accelerated 7/8 next year. But I doubt he would want to, after studying 8th grade math all summer.
I will talk to my son today with the details I have, to make sure he is on board, and that he knows that in 8th grade he will go to the high school for a geometry class. Fortunately the buildings connect and he can just walk over.
I am really grateful to the district for offering this, but I am a tiny bit nervous, almost like "be careful what you wish for". I hope that he enjoys this accelerated math experience. Have any gifted children in a similar situation wished they didn't do this after starting, or is it always a positive choice?
