Willa Gayle -
DS10's math jump was pretty amazing in my book. Last year he was taking 4th grade math, doing a Alek.com very occasionally - "one month in October and a week in April" and getting a chance to hang out with the top 5th graders in an optional Math Club that met during Recess once a week during the months of March and April.
The private school gave him an Algebra Readyness test ((sorry I don't remember the name)) and he had done really well a talent search above level test in 3rd grade (1.5 Standard Deviations above the average of gifted 3rd graders taking the test) They compared DS10's scores to other kids who were being tested for Algebra Readiness at their school and was found to be ready for Algebra, so they played it safe and started him on Pre-Algebra. One can observe that he is being challenged in the Pre-Alebra, at least for now.
I keep telling any Adult connected with the school system - it's not that he knows all the 5th and 6th grade material - it's that he's ready to learn Pre-Algebra. Schools seem to believe that children become developmentally ready to learn certian things, like critical thinking, at certian developmental levels which occur at certian ages. This may well be true up to the point that every child reaches the same developmental stage at the same age - that, we know, is just not true.
I remember learning about Piget's stages in my early 20's - by that crietera I was very advanced. I'm still not sure I believe it, but it sure did help me explain a lot about my high school years.
Who knows?
To me, if you can't touch a developmental phase, can't test for it what good is it? If it's true for 70% of people who have normal development - that's terrific, but also dangerous for the rest of us, no?
Trinty
