It seems like the solution to this problem is to allow gifted kids to go at a faster pace starting in kindergarten...
Yes! All children need
appropriate academic challenge and
intellectual peers. For typical students, this may be found naturally in the classroom. For gifted pupils, some effort may be required to meet these needs.
The same IQ does not look the same on each gifted person; each student may have their own unique combination of strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, English language learners may more easily excel at math before other subjects.
As a firm believer in equal opportunities, not equal outcomes, to best meet each pupil's needs, schools should have aligned schedules, allowing each pupil to attend the level of each subject which is the best possible fit for them.
For example, a student may be two years ahead in math, one year ahead in science, on level in reading, a year lower in writing.
End of year tests for determining placement, such as
math "skip," would be accepted as normal, and children fluidly moving up or down a level would be treated without fanfare, judgement, or shame.
A mix of ages is normal, natural, and healthy. It occurs as children play with siblings, cousins, neighbors, and participate in various youth activities... as well as in college/university, and future employment and volunteerism. A mix of skills and abilities is also normal, natural, and healthy. It would be great if schools acknowledged this, and doing so may well reduce the pressure of unrealistic expectations, and the resultant perfectionism, fear of failure, procrastination, and underachievement.
... gifted kid through elementary math by the time they are in fourth or fifth grade and sometimes much earlier.
Depending on the student, if they are interested in taking the next level of math... facilitate the logistics to allow and support that placement. If they are not interested in taking the higher level of math at the moment, there appear to be a number of "electives" which schools could use to fill out a child's class schedule. For example, a world language, shop class, home ec, musical instrument, choir, phy ed, etc.
Many gifted pupils are not in a "rush" to graduate early, they simply need to learn something new every day.
Much can be accomplished by working with what is readily at hand, and thinking outside the box.
