Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Anudder grade skip

My DS8 (but very soon 9) is currently accelerated to grade 4. He and I went to visit a little middle/high school today. The school starts at 6th grade officially, but their outreach person told me that they'll take kids as soon as grade 4.

Last year I thought he was too young. This year he's complaining about the lack of other boys his age at his extremely small primary school.

We met with the principal today and he told us that his son (age 10) attends the middle school. This kid and DS played and seemed to hit it off. Good sign. I think there might be one or two other ten year-olds at the school. Plus lots of 11 year-olds.

The director invited DS to come to school next week for a day. He told us that they'll put him in whatever classes are appropriate and didn't seem to be as focused on mastery as the current school. I've heard this before, but he and one of the teachers said the kids work mostly at individual paces. We accepted the invitation, and we'll see what everyone thinks.

Question: if he goes, he'll most likely go into 6th grade subjects except for math (9th? 10th?). So if you or your child have/has done more than one skip: advice please. Thoughts? Comments? Pitfalls?

I'm thinking, "Middle school at 9 seems like a big jump. Would he be ready for this?"

On the one hand, I don't want to push the kid and turn him into an unhappy overachiever. On the other hand, he's already in 6th grade math at school (no problems at all) and does algebra with me. He also likes to listen in on 5th and 6th grade science at school and isn't at all intimidated by any of it. I guess my biggest concern would be essay writing.

This school has an academic focus, but the kids get a full hour for lunch every day, which will give him plenty of time to run around outside. The PE teacher is a former pro football player and so I think we can assume that PE will be Good Stuff. They have a huge field.

Thoughts are welcome.

Val

My DSs (plural..but that looks funny) aren't as old as yours, so I surely don't speak from experience.

That being said, I say you go to your invite day and see how your DS likes it. Personally, I would request an invite "week"..so the like isn't too colored by the novelty of the school.

I would also want to know what happens when your DS passes their final grade in any one skill - looking like math..and soon. Will they allow him to take college courses?

Good question.

They do AP courses, but just as I was about to ask what they do after that, something interrupted us. I'll ask next week.

He did mention a kid who took AP Calculus and AP Something Else when he was 15. They must have found something else for him to do (I'll ask). They might have an option to go laterally (statistics, etc.).

I'll admit that this all seems very strange to me and that I'm having trouble getting perspective on it (probably because the invitation to spend a day there so soon came up so unexpectedly/suddenly).

Val

Wow Val!
How exciting!

I think that the benifit is 'if it doesn't work out, then you canswitch schools and put him in whatever grade you want.'

The bird in the hand is worth about 50 in the future.

I agree with Grinity that this opportunity now could provide choices later.
It would be great if this school was the answer to his needs for the rest of his pre-college career, but it might be just a stepping stone towards future opportunity.
Do you think he may have equal options in three years if he stays at his current school? Even so, it may be refreshing to change schools so things seem less stagnant.

Val,

We've been going around in circles for months regarding a multi grade skip for DS6. Everyone i've spoken to that I would consider good advisors for the situation has told me to not look forward. Do what's best for your DS today and worry about tomorrow when it gets here. It has certainly made my decision easier.

I would definately give it a try. My DD just turned 9 and is doing ELA for fourth grade in public school. She is ahead in all other subjects and homeschools those. If we could have gotten her classes in the middle school without a lot of problems we would definately have looked at it.

I have no good advice, but it sounds awfully good! I'd sure be taking a nice, hard look at it if I were you!

Here's hoping it is a fabulous fit!

Hi Val,

I think it sounds wonderful! They sound like they are extremely flexible and open to placing your DS in whatever grade seems appropriate for him based on subject matter. I would jump at the chance if it was offer to my DS8. DOK! No, make that DOKWSE! (drooling on keyboard with severe envy!)

As to your question of multiple grade skips: If there are younger boys there, and by younger I mean 10 or 11, then it sounds like it would not be a problem. My son is very similar to your son, in that he is an 8 year old in 4th grade. He has a summer birthday, and so he has a ways to go until he turns 9. But most of his current classmates in 4th grade are 10, and some are turning 11. This seems to be the right social grouping for him, although it would be much, much better if they were gifted as well.

My son also goes up to the Jr. High for 7th grade Science every day. His classmates are around 13 years old, although he does ride the bus with another 6th grader that goes to the same class. He gets along with his classmates well, but there is not a whole lot of social bonding going on. I think they treat him like a younger brother. It is enough of a gap in age that I think he would have a hard time relating to them if he was in 7th grade full time. 13 year olds are just into different things than 8 year olds.

However, 7th grade Science is the one bright spot in his day. He truly loves it. The material is not particularly challenging, and the class does not go at a fast enough pace for him, but he enjoys it far better than 4th grade science. I can tell you that the writing assignments are somewhat of a challenge, particularly the essay questions on exams. He does not have the experience to be able to write a paragraph comparing and contrasting two science ideas on a test, even if he knows the answers in his head. The ideas just seem to have problems finding their way onto paper during a timed test. But it means that he only gets a 92% on a test instead of a 100%. So be it.

The only down side that I see so far is the amount of homework assigned. He has a full hour of science homework most nights, in addition to the 45 min. to an hour of 4th grade homework every night. He has had several big research projects that require powerpoint presentations in front of the class, as well as written reports. He also has lab reports to write up. It does not leave much time for him to run and play... to act like an 8 year old. He needs the stimulation that comes with the advanced grade, but I would worry/question how much homework is involved with another grade skip. Most of the homework still falls into the realm of drudgery and repetition. This would not be an issue if it was a program geared to gifted kids where the painful part of homework was eliminated.

So all that said, I would still jump at the chance. There are age appropriate boys there for social interactions. The school sounds flexible. You can always bail out of it if it doesn't work and go back to your old school. You might ask the school about gifted issues such as self-contained classrooms or tracking. Even jumping another grade doesn't help too much if it goes at a normal pace and has the normal amount of repetition. And you might consider asking what the typical homework load is for 6th grade. Consider whether your son will happily sit and work for that long a time period. I know that most older boys have later bedtimes, and so a multiple-grade skip kid has the same amount of work to do in fewer hours in the day. We start our bedtime routine at 7 pm (includes 45 minutes of quiet reading time to settle down for bed), while most 7th graders stay up until 10 pm I'm guessing.

I hope this rambling helps, Val. I've tried to present the pros and cons of it. In the end, you just have to weigh the imperfect trade-offs in order to arrive at the best, non-perfect, situation. I haven't found the best situation yet. Our DS is very unhappy in 4th grade due to the lack of challenges. I think that explains the wet puddle on my keyboard from drooling over your options. If your son is unhappy with the current situation, then that tells you that you need to explore other school possibilities. Feel free to PM me if you want. I don't log on too often just now. We are expecting an addition to the family, and I'm on bed-rest. But I would be happy to discuss it with you.