Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Test results- grade skip or better not to?

Chiming in with my two cents re: writing (though I'm talking more specifically about handwriting). I agree with ultramarina -- find out how this is handled at the school. My DS was not so great with handwriting during K, so when he skipped first, his handwriting was noticeably the worst, sometimes completely illegible. His teachers were pretty cool about it, saying it was age appropriate, and in class it wasn't an issue. However, when we asked to get him skipped up another grade in math, the GT coordinator blocked it, saying that he couldn't keep up with the writing. We found another school that was much cooler about not caring about handwriting as much - he was ready for 3rd grade math, and the teacher said that if DS couldn't write everything, he could verbally explain his answers.

I looked at some of your past posts and see that your DD is in a GT magnet. You wrote:

I have heard stories that GT magnet schools are sometimes less flexible than other schools, and less willing to offer grade skips, because they feel they know what they are doing. They probably do in most cases, but not every GT kid is the same. From your description, it sounds like the school is fairly flexible with moving her to different grades for work. I guess I would want to know why the school feels it is so important for your DD to be with her agemates if she is more comfortable with the kids in the higher grades.

I live in the Denver area. We haven't tested at GDC but know several people who have. It seems like it is a love or hate kind of experience. You need to be careful about who will be doing the testing. I think that they sometimes contact it out? This may just have happened when they were helping re-norm the WPPSI. People seem very happy with Bobbie Gilman. Like I said, all word of mouth so take it with a grain of salt.

Is it accurate that she is at a gifted magnet and is being subject-accelerated for some subjects? If so, I don't believe I would advocate for a skip. Of course, you have much more knowledge than I do. Although my DS is a very good candidate for a skip, I don't know that we'll do it because I expect him to join DD's gifted magnet is grade 2 and I know the expectations for workload are not going to be age-appropriate if he skips (regardless of ability, which would not be an issue, IMO). I think it will be a "close enough" fit once he gets there, as it has been for DD, though I'm quite concerned about K and 1. Obviously, magnets vary. DD's is pretty good.

You mention in the first post in this thread that she is significantly ahead of her grade peers. Is this her grade peers as well as her peers in the subject accelerated classes or her grade/age peers in general? Also, what does the admission criterion for her school look like? Did she just make the cut (i.e. - do they require a FSIQ at the 98th percentile) or is she well above the admission requirements?

I ask these things b/c I think that part of what goes into making decisions regarding grade skips is how out of step a child is with the kids in her individual school setup not just how far out of step she is with kids her age in general. We did skip one of my girls whose IQ scores are just somewhat higher than what you list here (i.e. - she's HG, but not PG). In her instance it was primarily b/c we have no GT magnets, the GT programming was limited to an hour a day or so even in the schools with the most GT programming, and admission to GT programming was so liberal as to include up to 20% of the kids in the school so even a 98th percentile kid likely would have needed more than what it offered. If we had had GT programming that set a cut around the 98th or 99th percentile FSIQ, I suspect that she would have been fine without the skip - ahead of her peers in her strong areas still, but not so much that it couldn't have been accommodated.

I agree with Cricket on this. And.. fwiw.. I don't think that it's merely dependent on school district and availability of gifted programming - it can also vary quite a bit by schools within a district, even if they are supposedly operating under the same overall policy on gifted id and programs.

polarbear

I agree with Cricket, too. My DD is in a full-day 99th% FSIQ cutoff program. She's still not fully challenged, but a skip is totally off the table for us. She would be (and was) in trouble in a regular school with only a pull-out, though.

Yes-- what Cricket said.

It may be better NOT to skip if the demands are likely to become appropriate at some point 1-3 years away.

In cases like that, it can be better to look for ways to subject accelerate and differentiate within the placement rather than changing it completely.

It really depends on the details, unfortunately.

I'm curious what the school's logic is in saying that this particular student would NOT be a good candidate for a skip, however. I'd listen carefully to what they tell you, and see if it makes sense given what you know.

She is in K and I'd like for her to go to 1st grade now. Her DOB is in May, so she'll be 6 in a few mo's.

One of the big things the report seems to focus on is that she is one of the younger students in her Kindergarten class, and a grade skip may make her feel out of place when grade peers start driving as well as other middle/ high school social concerns.

She is doing great in first grade, and loves her reading/ writing time there.

I worry with NOT pursuing the skip that she will continue to be bored (which she reports daily). Plus, I have seen the negative consequences of being underchallenged in school with a couple of family members. Anyway, I will see what the school is willing to do in a few days and let you know.

We did testing at GDC and had a positive experience. They pretty much just confirmed what we already knew.

DS had issues with picture concepts and GDC recommended we have his eyes checked. It was obvious to them that something was going on. Turns out he had issues and we have been doing vision therapy for 5 months now with great success!