A child's yay-or-nay vote on acceleration is important because a child embracing the grade skip can bring about success even through difficulty, and conversely a child rejecting the grade skip can guarantee failure, even though others may help ease the adjustment. Visiting/shadowing 1st grade for a full day is a great idea.
You might also want to consider additional visiting/shadowing time in the 2nd grade classroom so he can meet the teacher, sample the work they are doing, etc. Once he sees the work is at his level and is interesting, he may convince himself of what parents and the school already know: that it is a good fit.
Has your school used the Iowa Acceleration Scale (IAS)? From your post it appears as though many of the discussion points documented in an IAS have been brought forward for consideration. Nonetheless, it can be helpful to have it all on paper, organized/arranged in an IAS, for future reference. The process of writing up an IAS for this decision may also help your son see that this is a wonderful opportunity, and a good fit for him.
Some links on Iowa Acceleration Scale (IAS) -
- Acceleration Institute:
https://www.accelerationinstitute.org/Resources/IAS.aspx- Description on Davidson Database:
http://www.davidsongifted.org/Search-Database/entry/A10053- Great Potential Press:
https://www.greatpotentialpress.com/iowa-acceleration-scale-3rd-edition-complete-kit- NAGC powerpoint:
http://www.nagc.org/sites/default/f...tion%20Making%20Informed%20Decisions.pdf- Hoagies' review:
https://www.hoagiesgifted.org/iowa_accel_scale.htmHere's an old post with a pretty comprehensive
roundup of acceleration discussions on the forums, over the years. Of particular interest may be anticipating the adjustments in future years (such as driving a year later than most grade-level peers). With plenty of conversation and managing expectations, families can help children navigate these differences with relative ease.
There is good and bad in everything. While acceleration is not a panacea, for many children, it provides the least-worst educational fit.
