Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments IB in elementary - no acceleration?

I have a child in 1st grade at an IB public elementary who is advanced in math and very interested in math. He is really frustrated with the math being taught in class. They claim to differentiate in the classroom, but even in the "highest" math group, the work is way below his level and I fear his frustration is making him develop a negative attitude about school more generally. He is pulled out for math enrichment, but it is only 30 mins a week and it's mostly math games and puzzles, rather than a structured curriculum. I have no problem with enrichment and he definitely enjoys this, but I don't think it is a proper substitute for actually learning math in math class every day. I asked the school whether there is an opportunity to take accelerated math before middle school (starting in 6th grade there are different levels of math available), either in an grade-level class for advanced students or by going to a higher grade level for math only. I was told that the school formerly separated kids into different math classes based on their levels, but that they no longer do so (before 6th grade) because it's prohibited by the IB regulations for elementary (the Primary Years Programme) and there is nothing the teachers can do about this. They apparently allow individual children to take math with a higher grade when necessary, but I was told that right now there is only one child out of grades 1-5 who is considered to need this. (Meanwhile, in my child's grade alone there are several children I know that are way beyond grade level in math and could benefit from a more advanced curriculum). Does anyone have experience in dealing with this situation? Is IB really so inflexible? We have been trying to supplement at home and with Khan Academy (which my child loves) but I am far from a math teacher and I do not like the fact that he is not learning math at school. Would love to hear others' experiences with PYP. Thanks in advance.

Welcome!

As a next step, you may wish to find out what the identification/qualification criteria are, for this advanced math placement at your child's school.

There is nothing in your post which suggests that IB is inflexible. While the school formerly separated kids into different math classes based on their levels, but no longer does so (before 6th grade), and now offers 30 minutes of enrichment per week, some may say this sounds like the experience in most schools. The fact that they have one child currently accelerated in math shows they have precedent. You may wish to learn the process. Most parents wish the process of identification/qualification for accelerated placement or advanced academics occurred "automatically" however most parents quickly learn that advocacy is needed because the process is not automatic.

You may wish to read up on successful advocacy approaches so you don't end up smacking the oobleck with a spoon, creating an unyielding solid.

Thank you for the advocacy information, Indigo. I suppose the reason I asked whether IB is "inflexible" is that my understanding is that the school had to discontinue the practice of separate math classes (they have always done 30 mins enrichment and this continues) because of the IB regulations, not because this is what teachers or administrators believed was the best approach. I was surprised to hear that IB dictates how differentiation may occur, and was curious to hear if others have experienced anything similar (or to the contrary) in IB elementary.