Thank you for all of the replies. It is comforting knowing there are others out there who have or are currently dealing with similar issues.
Everyone brings up very valid points, many of which are concerns of mine and some which are new.
For some, a grade skip is the best way to go, for others it is not. I need to figure out what is best for my dd - both of them.
acs - I am not sure I know what I want to accomplish through grade skip as much as what I want to avoid. I want to avoid my dd having to endure the mind numbing drudgery of repetitve instruction on topics she mastered over three years ago. I want to avoid her feeling like a complete misfit because no one else is capable of performing even close to her level. I want to avoid her learning how to hide her abilities and thus, her true self in order to *fit in* with *everyone else*.
I agree that each year will bring something positive, but my problem is - will one small positive overshadow the many negatives? Her K year has been a great one solely b/c of an awesome teacher. Even her K teacher worries about moving her on to 1st grade.
Having said that, I am still very uncomfortable with the idea of skipping either child, but particularly of skipping just one. So much so, in fact, that if a skip appears to be our only option , we will probably homeschool instead.
We are pursuing testing and will meet with the GT and K teacher in the next few weeks to discuss options. Right now, I am hoping to come up with some creative solutions such as subject acceleration and hand-picking teachers comfortable with diferentiation for next year but, we'll see.
Thanks again for all of your input and advice and your willingness to share your experiences! I truly appriciate it!
