Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Small class versus larger class

Hi, I am a new member to this forum and have a question that I would like to hear some opinions about.

I have a very bright 8 year old daughter. I am not calling her "gifted" as she has never been tested. I am a nurse and my husband is in the Army. He and his sister were both in the gifted programs when they were younger.

Due to my husband's military career, we have moved a lot during my daughter's school career. She attended Kingergarten and First grade in Tennessee, at 2 different schools. She met her kindergarten reading goals 3 months in to school. In first grade, her teacher recognized her potential, and started giving her extra second grade work to work on, but half-way through the year, the teacher changed, and even after a phone call to her, pleading for her to continue this, nothing was ever done. The second teacher did state that she wanted to have her tested, but nothing came of it.

We moved to Kansas last year. I was told that we would be placed into one school and at the last minute, was told that due to class size, the superintendent's office recommended that she attend a smaller school that was the same distance away from us. I agreed, thinking that with a smaller class she would get more attention.

Her school is a very small rural school and she had 12 students in her class. Her teacher also expressed to me how far above the other students she was, and if she was to test any of the kids in her class it would definitly be her, but again nothing. I attended 2 parent teacher conferences, and asked if I could work on anything with her to challenge her, and was told that she was doing fine. I know she is getting bored, because when she finishes early they would just have her go back to her desk and read. She is already reading several grade levels above where she should be. She has started creating things for herself to do. Like science reports and researching animals and continents. She was also excelling at art, prior to moving to KS but her school does not have an art class. I asked the teacher to encourage her to draw or do other art projects and she said she did not think she could do this because then the other students would think it was ok for them.

I am now trying to talk with the superintendents office to get her moved to the other school, since we are on the line between 2 schools. They do not want to take on extra children because they think the class sizes are too big. I have another child about to start kindergarten. I think that my daughter would do better in a larger class, as she would have more competition. I also think her other class room will be shrinking to around 10 students this year due to others moving out of districts.

Help!!! I would like to keep her in 1 school as much as possible, as due to my husband's career, we may be moving more, but I also want what is best for her. Any opinions???

Have you considered acceleration? Maybe moving up a grade would help.

Private assessment might also help you understand her needs. You don't need (or in many cases want) to go through the school.

Hi armymom, and welcome! I think small versus large may not always be that important. It really comes down to the teacher and how they are able to accommodate your kid. It sounds like the current teacher is not doing such a great job. I would recommend touring the other school options and asking questions about how they differentiate for kids who are ahead, and whether they have other kids working at the same level as your kiddo, and whether they group those kids (clustering).

As KJP said, you may want to start considering grade acceleration if your DD is advanced across the board in all subjects. Even if you find a teacher who is pretty receptive and good at differentiation, it gets harder the more grade levels ahead the kid is. And if she is accelerated a grade, she will have a better chance of having intellectual peers. I recommend talking to the teacher a grade ahead at the current school and the other options.

Also, does the district have a gifted coordinator? He/she may be able to help with testing and with selecting a better fit teacher. Good luck!

I took note of the fact that it was twice mentioned testing would be in order, but the school did nothing. It seems like the teachers were alluding to the fact that you should request it. They won't say it outright, but they will hint at it. (I live with a SpEd teacher.) If you submit a letter requesting testing be done the school is obligated to assess, but you must submit in writing. (Assuming she's in a public school.) Of course, you can also go the private route, but it can be insanely expensive depending on access in your area.

My son, 6-years-old, goes to a small, rural school (K-6, about 50 kids). He's thriving there. He's been accelerated twice now and is likely to skip again this year. His classes are combined grades and very small, so he's able to play with same-age peers, but work at his academic level. This has been ideal for him, so far. (I don't know what we'll do when he exceeds the curriculum for 6th grade, but for now it's great.) It seems like the size of the school has less to do with the teachers and administration involved, in my experience.

Best of luck to you!

And one more thing...you can request (in writing) that a Student Study Team meet on behalf of your child. In that meeting, which you will be included in, testing/assessment can be discussed, as well as any other issues you wish to discuss regarding your daughter.

The way it's done is all so technical. You need an advocate to figure out all the "buzz" words and processes.

Good luck!

Thank you for this advice. I'm not sure if she is ready for moving up a grade, but that might be my own hesitancy coming out. I am going to be more aggressive about testing this year.

Thank You Katie Mama! I just learned this weekend that the parent can request testing. I always throught that it had to come from the school/teacher. I will definitely be writing a letter this year. I know that the larger school does have a gifted coordinator and I will be contacting them and trying to determine the best route for my daughter. I spoke with my sister in law this weekend who is a child psychologist who gives the testing in Tennessee. She said that she would try to send me some information about the process as well. I really appreciate the advice you have given me!

As an elementary teacher, class size is incredibly important. However, in your daughter's case, I would say the teacher is more important. After you get her tested, you'll want to have a meeting to decide which teacher would be the right fit.

You're so welcome! Personally, I just started the process with my son this past year and it can be so overwhelming. I wish you the best of luck!

Hi and welcome! We were a military family for 10 years and so I know it can be hard to always switch schools, but we've switched schools just as frequently since getting out trying to keep our kids in the best academic situation available as their needs change (which is frequently!).

Like the others, I think teacher fit is more important than class size, as is the willingness of the administration to work to meet your child's needs. The one thing I wanted to suggest, though, is that you start trying to contact the school now (or in August, if the office is closed in July) rather than waiting until the school year starts. Testing can often be done before school starts and it would be much more painless to get a classroom situation figured out and set up prior to the year beginning than it would be to have to change something a month or two into the school year.

Good luck getting the ball rolling!