There has been a lot of discussion around pushing for grade skipping but less so on the actual trade offs and timelines. So here goes.
My SO and I are torn If we should look at grade skipping or not. On a pure test scores point of view it is a clear picture. Testing 3 to 5 grade levels above grade across the board on most standard indicators (WISC, WJIII, MAPS etc ). So a few questions:
1. How did you make the decision on pushing for acceleration vs just trying to create accommodation or accelerate through other means. Note while their teachers strongly discourage grade skipping they are more than happy to work on IEPs.
It was never "versus/or" in our case-- it was
and. With any child that truly requires grade acceleration, I pretty much see it as doomed to failure if that is ALL that is going to be done in the name of meeting the child's educational needs. It
has to come with a variety of other accommodations, because such children are not just "advanced" and if they were, it would be so much more clear when and if acceleration is a good idea or not.
Oh, well, Petunia here is a great candidate for acceleration because she is in fact an 8yo in a 6yo's body. We should just change her birth certificate and move her into third grade immediately." (Yeah, no-- this isn't how HG+ kids look.)
2. have heard that kids who grade skip in most cases end up repeating grades in senior years of school anyway since they hit a wall academically or socially. Has this been accurate in your case? If so would you repeating a senior grade a better option compared to staying with
Pretty sure that isn't so. My DD15 is enjoying college quite well, thank you, and has had not a lot of social difficulty, fits in well, has friends, etc. I think that this depends on factors that are simply not going to be very clear when your child is 4-8yo and prepubescent.
3. In retrospect any other trade offs ?
There ARE some social trades. She was the last of her friends to have a boyfriend. She is among the last of them to learn to drive-- and it tends to compress a BUNCH of huge life-changing adolescent milestones into the
same 18 month period of time, something that isn't true for many adolescents who get to do those things over a period of 4-6 years instead. It's also true that we'd have been happier about a college placement at an elite college 2000 miles away if she were 18 and not 15.
4. Finally if we do go ahead I am assuming the best time to do so is at the beginning of the new school year. Have folks typically done that? If so when have folks started discussion on this with the school? Jan timeframe for next academic year?
Thanks.
Yes-- January to March. This gives everyone time to work out concerns and-- preferably-- a plan A and a fallback position.
