Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Grade accelertion

My daughter's school is thinking she should skip 3rd grade and go to 4th based on her WISC and MAP scores. She is bored and in her words, "never learns anything is school." Could any parents share their pros and cons for grade acceleration. She is socially very mature and has been older friends. They have also offered acceleration in Math and Reading only if we choose that. My main concern is that based on her scores, one grade is not going to do much and we don't want to accelerate more than one grade.

Here are a few things to consider as you try to make this decision:

Even if the grade skip won't give her what she needs in terms of challenge, it is easier for a classroom teacher to differentiate up one grade than it is to differentiate up two, and easier to go up two than three. One of the best reasons for a grade skip is for a child to have the opportunity to find other children who are interested and working on the same topics, to have the opportunity to feel "normal" with at least a few classroom peers. With even a single grade skip, you increase the chances that there will be another child or two who are working on or interested in some of the same material your child is, maybe even enough of them for the teacher to form a small group for differentiated instruction.

Does your child have good friends and an active social life with the children in the current grade? If so, are you willing to work a little to make sure that your child can still see those friends when the skip happens? If your child doesn't have good friends in the current grade, this is a strong indication that the classroom social fit is really poor, and is another good reason (in addition to "What a child doesn't learn" )to favor the skip.

Have you completed the Iowa Acceleration Scale to assess whether your child is a good candidate for a skip?

Sorry this isn't more coherent...very long day...but I hope it helps.

My DC skipped 3rd last yr. and went into 4th. it was such a smooth transition, it was awesome. No problems what so ever, socially, emotionally, academically. One skip was not enough, but DC is no longer saying school is for babies and that two year olds can do what they teach. DC is happy so for now, we are not doing anything. In fact, the school finally came to me and told me they will be offering additional things for my child because they see a need for it. DC is already in the AT program, but that is not enough time per week. As long as DC is happy, we are content. Once we see a change back to the way it was, then it's time to step up and make some more changes. We will be doing accelerated math within the class as well, so we can't complain. I have been so pleased with the skip that I would never second guess our decision!!! DC blended right in with the rest of the kids... in fact, some kids still haven't figured out that DC is from a younger grade. Those that have, have totally accepted DC as an equal. I still have people who just realized DC was skipped and I still get questioned, but most people accept it. As the PP mentioned, it did cause a lot of hoopla initially since it had never been done before, but I kept the same answer with everyone and just pretty much said it was a mutual decision and I was asked not to discuss the specifics of it by the school and most people let it go. Now it doesn't matter, most don't ask the how, just WOW! I had no idea!!

My DS7 skipped first, so a little different from your kiddo. How does she feel about skipping? I agree with what earlier posters have said, that even though a skip may not be enough, it is a better place. It is much easier for teachers to differentiate with kids who are closer to the level they are used to teaching. And the bonus in your situation is that the school has offered a grade skip or subject acceleration. Since the school sees the value in both types of acceleration, in your DD's situation you might be able to swing both (a grade skip plus subject acceleration in the areas she needs it).

Our experience with the skip was that it was not enough in itself, and the school was trying very hard to meet DS's needs with pullouts and differentiation, but pace was really the issue. We ended up transferring to a school for HG kids mid-year, where the classes were a year advanced plus the pace was faster.

The only con we've encountered, which probably won't be an issue with an older kid, is that DS's handwriting was pretty bad compared to the kids in the classes he skipped into. Also, he hadn't had any experience writing much at all, since he skipped first. Also, he complained that gym was too hard sometimes. (He's small for his age on top of being younger than his classmates.)

Some possible cons to think about with acceleration. Your DC may be at a disadvantage in sports or in academic competitions because of the age difference. Our son isn't that much younger (he's a January birthday, so 5 months past the cutoff), and not too athletic, so we haven't had to deal with competitive stuff yet, esp. since he's just a rising 3rd grader. Maybe others can speak to that if you have questions.

We are going to try a skip plus subject acceleration this year. Again, going for the "least worst" option. The thinking of the admins and GT coordinator (and we generally agree) is that DS will be in a classroom environment that will allow more easily for the differentiation, but staying with similarly-aged but still a bit older peers for the "social" and behavioral aspects and expectations. Ability-wise he would need to be skipped 3-4 grades, which just isn't feasible. But likewise going into his intended grade would be a disaster.

I am new to this forum and desperate for guidance. We are skipping my daughter from 3rd to 4th at the beginning of this school year. She is in the top of her class and is devastated if she misses one point on anything. She is fair in all subjects but really excels in English, she devours a book a day and has read the Pullman series, the little house on the prarie series, all of the Harry Potter books, and on and on. I am having a hard time finding books that are a high enough reading level but at an appropriate emotional level. She has already read all of the EB White stuff as well. We are hoping that skipping a grade will allow her to "fit in" better. She is thought of as weird. As much as I'm nervous about her skipping a grade I at least feel slightly equiped to provide her with the resources she needs to excel. On the other hand, I have a "highly gifted" second grader, as early as pre-school they wanted us to have him tested. My husband and I choked when we saw the cost, then they proceeded to tell us that we should try and get him into Mirman, we further choked when we saw it came with a $24k a year price tag. I was fortunate to be a stay at home mom for four year and we made volcanos and did daily science experiments, he can beat me in chess in three moves. I have had to go back to work because of the economy and the things I was able to provide I am no longer able to provide and life is becoming more and more challenging every day. We have a hard time keeping him occupied and don't have the resources to provide him his very own dexters lab. Any suggestions? He is not a read it kind of kid, but a breed it, build it, destroy it kind of kid. It is sooo hard, we have completed every kit from the science center and he is moving beyond my ability.

Thanks for listening.

Hi Effiekins - Welcome!
Here's a link to a discussion of books:
http://giftedissues.davidsongifted....The_Ultimate_Book_Thread.html#Post101621

Good luck to your DD with her skip - it is scary! But the reasoning behind it seems sound. With her tendency to feel devastated for missing a single point, there may be a rough patch in the beginning - so don't be surprised if you are 'parenting her through it.' OTOH, she may just give a sigh of relief and relax instantly. At the very least you are teaching her that it's ok to try something 'unusual' if it's needed - a very powerful lesson indeed.

I hope you got more out of the testing than the Mirman suggestion.(Although some of us have found private schools to be very generous with finanial aid - did you have any luck with that?)....perhaps there is some 'jr. engineer's club' that you could find a mentor or peer-group for your son? Check with the tester and see if they have any contacts.

Have you looked at http://www.usfirst.org/? I see that there is a 'jr. FLL' that is for his age-group, but you may find a FLL that allows him to join an older kid's team.

Well, Welcome effiekins! Perhaps to start a seperate thread about ides for the
'breed it, build it, destroy it' kind of kid! So well put!

Love and More Love,
Grinity

I am brand new here and so glad to see this discussion.

We are looking at a possible grade skip for my 6 year old. He was a kindergartener in a K/1 class last year. His teacher had him doing all the first grade work last year, but he was still not challenged. All the classes at the school are multi-grade, so we would be looking at putting him in a 2nd/3rd grade class as a 2nd grader. It would definitely be a better fit for him academically, but I am concerned because he is one of the younger kids already (turned 6 in April) and is not the most mature. I skipped 5th grade when I was in school and it did become something of an issue for me by the end of middle/beginning of high school. I'm trying to remember that he is not me. I'm also wondering if grade acceleration is easier (socially) in the younger grades. Does anyone have any input or advice on that?

I won't even get into the fact that I have two more kids (a 4.5 year old and one year old) who are not going to give me an easier time in terms of finding appropriate school environments when their time comes. We considered trying to put my 4.5 year old in K this year, but he is at a great preschool where he is really happy and they go out of their way to accommodate him. So why mess with a good thing?

At any rate--it is refreshing to find others in similar situations.

There are many people that feel that grade skipping is easier in elementary. One of the main sticking points is once you start counting credits, it opens all kinds of worms.

My son is 8 and is radically accelerated. He's really little and weighs all of 40 lbs, so yes, he sticks out like a sore thumb.
In spite of that he loves it and is doing fine. The other kids seemed to forget about him after the first 2 weeks. I also found that his maturity level sees to mirror those he's surrounded by. He is in a small school that gives him what he needs regardless of what grade level is attached to it. This year, he will have (2)7th, an 8th, a 9th and a 10th grade class.

Would I recommend this path for your child? Not a chance. Only you can make that decision, because you are the only one that knows him. There are kids on here that score bigger numbers than my son, but couldn't have this kind of schedule. My son couldn't do this at any other school. We lucked into the perfect fit and I thank the gods of karma every day. If my experience is any indication you have to listen to your "mommy gut", make your choice and give it a try. Be open and flexible, backpedal as needed and try again.

Welcome to effiekins and charlottemom!

Effiekins, there are quite a few book threads on this forum, if you do some searches. A good search would include minnimarx - she has fabulous unusual suggestions. I'll try to come back with a link... ETA this link What is your 10/11 year old reading - nice that this thread rose to the first page, just for me to easily find. There are many others too.

Charlottemom - as I said earlier, my DS skipped 1st, with a January birthday. Since your son was in multigrade already, how did he do with the older kids? Would some of those same kids be in the 2nd/3rd grade class next year? I agree with BWBShari - many kids will rise (or fall) to the level of the kids around them, and by 2nd grade, most kids are noticeably more mature.

Briefly, our DS's experience was a skip to 2nd in our local school district, which involved switching schools as well because we have grade centers. We made sure that he had playdates with his friends from K when we made the switch. We transferred him mid-year to an out-of-district school for HG kids, the week after he turned 7. I think these 2 moves would have been a lot harder if DS had been older, with more established friends. As it turned out, he made friends pretty quickly the first half of 2nd, and even more quickly when he got to the HG school. He gets to stay with the same group of kids for 3rd (and beyond, if the school works out).

My theory is that the younger the kid is, the less he knows about what to expect, and so the easier it is to make moves. My DS went to 3 different schools in 2 years, with no big troubles. (Yes, little troubles, like bad handwriting and some complaints about gym being too hard.)