Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Scheduling as a reason not to accelerate

Just a grumble here.

Our middle school operates on a 6-day cycle, which I think means that classes not offered every day are offered on different days of the week in different weeks. Sounds confusing to me. Our high school operates on an n-day schedule where n /= 6. When I last asked about accelerating our eldest son in math by having him take classes in the high school, they said that the different cycles at the middle school and high school make that impossible. Although I think if that obstacle were removed they would come up with another.

When I went to public junior high school in the early 1980s, I was transported by bus to the high school to take 1st period math. Schools are getting more real per-student spending now than then, but even simple accomodations seem to have become less doable.

In our middle school that kind of schedule meant the same classes met very day, but a different period every day. There was an A schedule, B schedule, etc. One reason for it was so that you didn't always have, for example, math at the end of the day or French right after lunch. The thinking was that if you are tired at the end of the day and math is a difficult for you, you wouldn't always be facing it when you're tired.

Our high school is considering implementing this kind of schedule, actually more of a block schedule. I don't know what that would do to the math class that 8th graders can take there. But honestly, I think they would work it out.

I've seen districts do this before. I think you have a right to grumble and complain. And I've seen parents choose not to accelerate because of schedule. My DD went to a K-8 that was 'year-round' and several parents I know choose not to have their child take Geometry in 8th grade because of the mismatch in schedule. Luckily, after more than 20 years transporting the kids taking Geometry to the H.S. they now provide H.S. teachers in the junior high.

One of the H.S. I attended used to run a 6 day schedule. It wasn't really that hard to follow once you got used to it. Good Luck.

Yes, we have been given that reason, and it wasn't even that complicated. They could not send DS to a higher grade for math in the same school because the teachers from the other grades were not teaching math at the exact same time. Another family got the same excuse (as well as the excuse that she should not be walking to a different classroom for math by herself!). We switched schools and this time the principal made sure the schedules were aligned so we can accelerate if we want to, but it has to be done before the school year starts.

We have non-matching schedules between schools, but it's been made to work. Much depends on the goodwill and flexibility of the staff, and their commitment to the child.

Can he take the HS course online? Would he be willing to do that?