Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy skipping kindergarten

If you haven't already done so, take some time to read through the report, "A Nation Deceived"
http://www.nationdeceived.org/

There's an executive summary to get your feet wet (http://www.accelerationinstitute.org/Nation_Deceived/Executive_Summary.aspx), and then you can plow into the full report for all the gory details.

You should also take some time to read some of the Personal Stories at the Nation Deceived website from students, teachers & parents:
http://www.accelerationinstitute.org/Personal_Stories/Read.aspx

This article might also be of interest, because it addresses some of the concerns of NOT putting your child into an appropriately challenging environment:
What a Child Doesn't Learn
http://www.wku.edu/academy/?p=430

Our son skipped K, starting 1st @ age 4y11m. As with your child, the recommendation for skip came from the school... just a couple days before the start of the new school year! At that point, I was extremely ignorant about the world of GT-Ed, and even more clueless about all the potential testing. I'd have to say that reading through the personal stories above helped me the most.

Our son completed a second skip a few months back (at age 8) from 4th into 5th (6th for math) and is doing very well, both academically and socially.

Despite my frequent recommendation of the "Nation Deceived" report, I'll be the first to acknowledge that grade-skipping (single or multiple) isn't for everyone. And, as many have discovered, grade-skipping doesn't always provide a "fix" in and of itself.

But you're off to a good start -- you're asking questions.

My daughter started 1st grade at age 5 years and a few days. The school tested her, and it was a no-brainer to do the skip from their perspective. They gave her extra acceleration in a couple subjects immediately.

They made the decision after she spent a couple days in school last May. The visit was a wonderful experience for her because it gave her a precise idea of what to expect from school. From that point onward, she was very excited about school. There was no anxiety at all. So, put me down as agreeing with Austin's suggestion to let her spend some time in the first grade class.

It was clear that she wouldn't have got anything at all out of kindergarten. She's been very happy and has actually been learning stuff.

Val