Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Enrich or Accelerate DD8 in 3rd grade math??

Every year, I struggle to get DD8 challenged in math at school.

In 1st grade, the teacher agreed with me that she needed more challenge. So I came in once a week and played math strategy games and puzzles with DD and 3 other gifted kiddos. She enjoyed it, but I don't feel like it challenged her math skills overall. And DD was still sitting through repetitive math lessons.

Last year in 2nd grade, I expressed my concern to the teacher: DD needs more challenge in math. The teacher agreed and said she would give her harder problems to do. So when the rest of the class was doing 2- and 3-digit addition/subtraction, DD and a small group of like-minded kids were doing 4-digit add/subtraction. I was glad she got to work on bigger numbers, but again I wasn't fully satisfied because DD was not allowed to move on after mastering a concept. And I don't feel like it advanced her math skills much.

Now DD8 is in third grade. And again, we can tell she is not being challenged, and she's developed a lazy attitude toward figuring out harder math. But she's VERY capable of learning quickly and understanding math concepts with little instruction, and I think her laziness has come from never having to try.

I am getting ready to broach the subject with her teacher. Thankfully our school system has a great Gifted program where DD8 goes every day to a classroom with teachers who are specially trained to handle gifted kids/situations. So I did send a message to the gifted teacher to get her ideas on the situation, however I'm still awaiting her reply.

I don't have many test scores for DD. When we moved to this district 2 years ago, she took the OLSAT. If memory serves, she scored in the 99% for math and 97% for reading. Initially, her MAP tests in 1st grade had her at 99% for both math and reading. Over the last 2 years, her math MAP test score has dropped considerably which I believe is a symptom of her lazy math behavior. Plus she gets tired of taking the test for so long.

So, I'm wondering: should we enrich? Or attempt acceleration?

Any ideas/anecdotes appreciated!

Well, I would definitely get a feel from your DD's regular teacher and her GT teacher as far as their perceptions of her ability and achievement relative to her peers. As far as acceleration, it can proceed smoothly if her teachers agreed that she is an outlier. The fact that her MAP scores have dropped considerably from Fall 1st grade to Fall 3rd grade can impede your advocacy especially if she has many classmates who score higher. You may want to enrich before seeking acceleration in hopes of bringing up her scores. Talent Search (JHU CTY, NUMATS, Duke TIP, Belin-Blank, etc.) may be a place to start.

Thanks for the tips on the Talent Search ideas.

I am concerned her recent MAP score (of 91 percentile) may make this difficult. When I asked her about the test, she said she gets tired of answering questions so she starts guessing.
:P

Plus DD8 is very compliant even when bored; she prides herself on being a model student behaviorally. So when I talk with her teachers, I'm not sure they're going to see a child who is showing signs of boredom (acting out, day dreaming, etc). Definitely takes after her dad in the underachievement category!

That being said, I felt like the last 2 years of enrichment took away 25% of her boredom, so I'm leery to try it out yet another year. But I don't want to push her too far either. Tight balance!

Having an extra number in basic maths is not enrichment - it is extra work. Strangely teachers can't see that repeating the same steps extra time and/or faster is not fulfilling for the child. Ds9 told me after one year doing maths extension that it was horrible. Some of the scores drop will be the other kids catching up as they are helped to advance while your dd and other kids who scored high are not. The top kids progress at about 2/3 speed and the lower at as fast as they can be pushed. This means they can claim "they all even out by 3rd grade". Buy Beast Academy and after school.

Puffin, that's how I feel about the "enrichment" she's had so far--the teacher thought it was harder when in reality it was the same stuff everyone else was doing.

I find math to be a tricky area in school because the child's pace is contingent upon the speed of the class and curriculum. In Language Arts, the child can interpret the lesson in her own way and write according to her own level. But math is taught step by step and there's no interpretation--2+2=4 and that's it. And the child can't move on until the teacher moves on.

Does Beast Academy go by grade levels? Wondering if I should get a higher grade for DD8 to try.

Try 3a. It is nominally 3rd grade but different. Caveat - because of the cost and postage to NZ (i would have to spend about NZ $150 to try it) I haven't used it myself but if i was in the US i would definately buy it to try. Alternatively you could look at MEP which is free to print on line but is hard to start in the middle.

Talent searches often indicate 95th percentile, but parents can "nominate" and I doubt they would refuse your money. JHU scat is super short multiple choice on the computer. The whole test (both Math and Verbal) is less than an hour even if your kid is not speedy. When I suggest possibly enriching before advocating for acceleration, I meant at home/on-line/extracurricular so that your DD will look advance and compatible with accelerated curriculum.

At this point, I would rather NOT have DD doing extra work outside of school. Sometimes she finds those challenges fun, but I also want her to play and be a kid. She gets home kind of late from school (after 4 pm), does homework if needed, then eats dinner, plays a little, gets a shower and goes to bed. Not a lot of time for free play so I'd hate to diminish it even further.

BUT... if it came down to that, I would consider one of those online programs or Beast Academy.

AND an UPDATE:
I talked with DD's gifted teacher yesterday, and she agreed that DD needs more. She also noted her declining math MAP scores are a sign of not being challenged enough. I was looking into accelerating DD through the 3rd grade curriculum, but the gifted teacher suggested a subject or whole grade acceleration. Talk about a bomb being dropped in my lap! Not sure if we're going to pursue a grade acceleration but we're definitely thinking about it.

It's a bit hidden on their website, but Beast Academy offers a printable assessment for each level so you can see where your child should start. Look under the "Assessments" section on this page to find the one for level 3a: https://www.beastacademy.com/store/product/3a

Great, thanks for the tip!

We actually had my second grader do the beast academy assessments and started him at a higher level. But then he loved the cartoons so much, I went back and bought the others starting at 3a anyway! Also, I have a friend who has been advocating for a math grade acceleration for 2 years for her now 3rd grader, and the school refuses to do anything. So be excited if the school is working with you on this.

So far I've at least got the teachers talking--that's more than has happened in the past. Both the gifted teacher and DD's regular teacher are speaking to the principal, gifted coordinator and math curriculum leader. Right now I'm just waiting to see what everyone says. I'm not sure a whole-grade acceleration is the right answer, but I hope they AT LEAST allow DD8 to move through the curriculum faster.

UPDATE:
I bought one of the Beast Academy books (3A). Both DD's math teacher and gifted teacher are looking into these books as resources in their classrooms in the future as well.

Met with the principal yesterday, and we started the process to see if DD is a good candidate for whole-grade acceleration. He is VERY open-minded about acceleration, has already bumped up 2 kids this year alone, and is taking our concerns very seriously. The district follows the IAS for determining if acceleration is appropriate, so that's been great.

So now waiting for DD to take a test and meet with the counselor. Should have a decision in less than 2 weeks! They're working this up fast!

I feel very grateful to live in a district that's open to all of this.

Oh sheesh! That's wonderful!

We have worked like crazy to try to get a grade of math subject acceleration for our 1st grade DS and it has not happened so far. We hope next year is the year.

If you can do this, I would say go for it! I see like zero downside to subject acceleration in your situation.

If she needs a whole grade skip that's something too, but yeah, I would be excited about the subject acceleration if they will offer it.

Angie, sorry to hear about your struggles. Seems like more often than not, schools create more barriers than opportunities for gifted kids. How frustrating!

I was surprised at how open to acceleration our school district is. If DD isn't a good candidate for whole-grade, then we'll look into single subject acceleration and perhaps skipping 4th grade next year. Not really sure yet until some testing comes in. Also, DD8 seems nervous about going to 4th grade after the winter break--I think reality has hit her and she's scared to meet a new teacher, new kids and think she's expected to "know" everything already taught in the class.

At any rate, I'm grateful DD is getting attention paid to this issue, and if she doesn't accelerate this year, at least other things can be done to help challenge her.