Dont recall whether it was on this site or another where someone had a neat little formula for decisions like this: is the kid happy, engaged and learning?
Whether the kid is challenged I’d consider, on this board, the icing on the cake. Even in the gifted program my oldest is in, I couldn’t really think of any way of challenging him in his subjects of strength that made sense within the constraints of a classroom. But, there is still stuff that they are teaching that he is learning and most of that stuff they are doing quite well.
Having been through so much angst on the issue, I’d decide based on social fit and friends these days.
At the moment, your kid is happy and has friends he doesn’t want to leave. I’m assuming from your posts he is somewhat engaged and learning, too, and the gifted program may not offer more than that, and may offer less. You don’t know where other people who so strongly recommend the program are coming from, and what their experiences with their kids previous schools have been.
And it’s just for two years, and then you’d have to start all over again for middle school. If you kept him where he is, you have all the options for middle school that you’d have had otherwise, plus simply leaving him where he is until high school, without any social interruptions.
Sounds To me like it’s not worth it.
Please update us on what you end up choosing!
Last edited by Tigerle; 05/15/18 11:33 AM.
