Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment DYS if child skipped a grade?

A few questions:

My Daughter skipped PK and started K this year at 4. Her school is a highly academic montessori and many of the kids are about a year ahead of a typical public school. She still is excelling in her grade despite the skip. My question is this though: DYS wants you to be at least two grades ahead academically to apply, right?

1) With this skip, does my daughter need to be completing 2nd grade level work at a school that is already a grade ahead (so equivalent to public school grade 3) in order to qualify for DYS?
She would have had to start this year in 1st at public and would have still been ahead if we went that route. But, other than reading chapter books, she is not completing work that the second graders are completing at her school.

2) What are the benefits of applying to DYS if the school does seem to be meeting most of her needs (individualized learning ect.)? Or is DYS manly for kids whose school doesn't meet their needs?

3) If we were going to get her tested to qualify for DYS, what test should she take? Is it even worth testing her given that her school is mostly able to meet her academically through individualized instruction and the grade skip?

Please let me know!

1) the 2 grades above is compared to where her age mates are, not her current education level, so if she is 4 and should be in pre-k then they want to see her doing 1st grade work or higher, which doesn't sound like it would be a problem.
2) Even though the school is working right now (and congrats for finding one that works), it may not be in the future, so their educational consultants would be helpful then. There is also her social and emotional needs that DYS help with - explaining to you how to do deal with them as well as giving you resources for her. It also allows you to go to the young scholars family summit in the spring, where she could meet tons of kids like her and give you a social network of other parents who have pg kids too. There are also webinars she can participate in.
3) I don't have an answer for this one, sorry.

We haven't used the DYS consultants much, but when we did they were very helpful and my daughters love the summit and the friends they meet there.
Hope this helps.

GHS, it still appears that a child must be at least 5-years-old to apply.

I think the "two grades ahead" is: built into the scoring criteria if you use achievement testing to qualify for DYS; or, to give an idea of what level work should be contained if you choose to complete a portfolio with your application. Also, I think that it would give "context" to your application if you share that your DD is working grades ahead.

I have two DYS. Neither is grade skipped, but they are both relatively young for grade. We are currently trying to work with our local P.S. DD9 is in G&T/advanced classes, but is showing signs of possibly needing acceleration/or greater differentiation. Meanwhile, DS6's teacher is currently attempting differentiation, because G&T programming does not begin until 3rd grade. When I look at the school options available to us, I see no "perfect fit." Also, their needs seem to constantly change, so flexibility is key!

If your school is meeting your DD's needs - that is WONDERFUL! You'll have to decide whether testing is useful to you. Our DC face testing for the G&T program in their current school, anyway. Testing DS a bit earlier simply allowed us to be more certain of our direction and the need for "something different" sooner, rather than later.

We are still somewhat new to DYS, so I think that others can tell you more about the benefits they have had through the years. I have already learned a great deal from the other parents.

You may have seen the DYS Qualifications page?

Although you mention that the school is able to meet her needs at this time, your daughter has a decade or more of schooling ahead of her during which your child may find it difficult to meet intellectual peers, without focused effort. You may wish to look into a variety of gifted opportunities and organizations.

If you have the materials, it doesn't hurt to apply. We have found it very worthwhile.

My daughter had been grade skipped when we applied. I think they do consider kids with their grade (if you read the details for qualifications, some things seem to be based on age, like achievement test scores, but others are based on grade). It's hard to really clearly say what is 2-3 grades ahead, though, because different schools differ. If your child is doing very advanced work, it is worth a try.