Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy What's more important: grade level or teacher fit?

We are trying to make plans with our public school for next year.

DS7 is currently in 2nd grade with a 1 year grade skip. Academically 2nd grade was far below his academic level but the teacher fit was pretty good this year. A few minor incidents with behavior when he was not engaged. The techer used a pre-test model and DS7 always pre-tested out of math and spelling/language arts. He mostly did independent project based learning. Socially he fits in well. He has quite a few friends and has plently of play dates and birthday invites.

I have been meeting with the Principal, current teacher and school psychologist once a month to talk about DS7's progress and issues. We have been talking about next year for the past two meetings. We have quite a few options:

A: DS7 will attend 3rd grade next year with math acceleration to 4th or 5th. Principal admits that there is not a particular teacher that she thinks will be best to work with DS. There is also no real plan for the reading and language arts where DS7 also excels (except for handwriting, of course).

B. DS7 will skip 3rd and attend 4th grade with a teacher that may be a good fit for DS. DS7 will have access to spelling bees and some extracurricular activities not available to children in 3rd and below.

C. DS7 will skip 3rd and 4th and be matched with a teacher that eveyone agrees would be great for DS7. She already knows him and wants him in her class. Academically, DS7 would probably be challenged in a few areas. He would have access to all extracurriculars that the school offers, including band. The Principal also thinks that we may be able to leave DS7 in that class with that teacher for an additional year if it was a good fit.

On paper it seems like the jump to 5th grade would be the best for DS7 academically. I have some worries about social fit as well as handwriting. DS7 has never really been challenged in school and when faced with a challenge he is quick to become frustrated.

I think I have already decided that option A. would not be the best fit. Without a great teacher and lots of accomadations DS7 will continue to be a behavior problem when not engaged.

Thoughts, suggestions....
I am planning to observe the 5th grade classroom later on this week.

Thanks Dottie for the reply.

My gut is very conflicted. I want DS7 to be happy. Option A would make him happy in regards to staying with friends but it would make him miserable in the classroom since he is already growing bored and frustrated of independent project learning. I also think that the fact that the principal has admitted that there is not a good teacher in 3rd grade sends me a big red flag.

Another thing to add to the equation is that the prinicpal is leaving to return to teaching at the end of this year. She wants to make sure something is in place so that the future administration will have to follow it.

I think we are trying to avoid acceleration mid-year since DS7 has switched schools/grades during the school year ever since preschool when he was 4. I really want to give him an opportunity to spend September to June with one teacher and one set of classmates. IMO, with acceleration he really doesn't also need to feel like "the new kid" more than once a year.

No pullouts. No GT programming. I live in a red state with nothing. We are actually lucky that our public school will even talk about acceleration and differentiation. Once the student is age eligiable for 1st grade the placement is up to the discretion of the principal of each school. We have talked a lot with the school about subject acceleration but it just doesn't seem to happen due to scheduling.

I am also pretty scared about a skip to 5th grade while DS is still 7. He does not turn 8 until Decemeber. I also live in a district with K-5 and 6-8 schools. I fully realize that my 8 year could not attend 6th grade the following September.

Has anyone else made this drastic of a move? What did you base it on?

To me teacher fit is the most critical aspect. It doesn't mean there may not be issues, especially social issues with such a big jump, but a good teacher can help navigate that.

It is just the ramifications of a mediocre to poor teacher are to great. The impact a great teacher can have, is powerful.
Tammy

I mostly want to just wish you luck with your decision since we are facing the issues associated with just a single skip right now, I can't imagine how difficult a second skip decision would be.

It sounds like you might be leaning towards 4th grade as the compromise decision, and I can imagine that would probably be my choice as well. Even though you don't want to have to skip him mid year, that would probably be easier on his self-esteem and confidence than the skip to 5th not working. Good luck.

I'm not going to be a whole lot of help, since we just have one year of school under our belts. But I'm sending you good vibes and know that whatever you decide, you're making the best decision you can for now, and things can always change.

In response to your subject line, we have had extremely good luck with the teacher this year, as Kindergarten really isn't the right level for DS6 in most things. But the teacher has done in-class differentiation, and DS6 has also been lucky to have pullouts and daily accelerated math. If we didn't have a gifted program, I think I'd still go for teacher fit over grade level. But I'm just speculating - it's hard to think of such a big jump! Good luck!

As if the situation wasn't complicated enough!!! I feel for you, dear!

I think that an important part of the equation is 'what if you took option C, and the new principal wasn't willing for your child to repeat 5th the following year?' Is homeschooling out of the questions? Partial homeschooling? (He could go to 8th go a few classes, I would think.) Any Private schools that haven't been tried yet?

I do tend to think that a great teacher trumps almost everything. Everything except a shred of an exit plan, I guess. My son hasn't done radical acceleration, but I think that's because it hasn't been offered.


I think access to the extracurricular activities might be very wonderful.

I've been thinking lately about the idea of 'auditing 5th grade classes as a 4th grader.' There might be a better way to say this, but I think the ideal thing would be your son to be a 4th grader, assigned to the 5th grade teacher's classroom, which would now be a multigrade classroom, on paper at least, with certain extracurricular privileges that 4th graders don't usually get.

That would give you maximum flexibility for the year ahead.

BTW - you can't judge a social group by grade/age differential, what really makes the social feel is
a) the teacher's example and
b) the luck of the draw

Some grade-groups are known to be 'nice' 'younger' or 'mean' or 'accepting' or 'harsh' and that probably matters more than a year or two of age. Also, for some kids, being 3 years younger is the totally perfect age difference, not so much for others.

It sounds to me like you are asking if other kids have done well socially/emotionally/academically with big age gaps. I'd recommend surfing around hoagiesgifted.org. Start with:

Best Wishes and I know you will make the 'least bad' decision and Yippee for your Principle!

Love and More Love,
Grinity

Update:
We have decided to go with option A. DS7 will attend 3rd grade next year with his friends. He will go to 4th grade for math and an enrichment program (not exactly a GT program but is offered to select children).

I met the teacher he will be having and so far so good. She seems to look forward to having DS7 and seems to be looking forward to individualizing for him. She admits that she runs a pretty strict classroom with high expectations and plans to meet with the current teacher to discuss strategy in dealing with his behavior prior to next fall. She also wants me to e-mail her a list of current interests at the end of the summer so that they can find a good connection right off the bat.

Overall I am happy with this plan since DS7 has come so far socially this year and I honestly don't want to skip him through elementary school so fast and he is already 1 year grade accelerated.

Good luck. I hope that this works out well for your ds.

Based on what you have shared, I would expect that you may have more acceleration in store for your ds in the future, though. My dd11, for comparison, has a Sept. bd so she started K just before her 5th bd. She then skipped one grade (5th) making her just a bit older in the grade she is in than your son would be if he continued on the same track. My dd is not likely as gifted as your son yet the skip was a pretty good choice for her. She is still doing very well academically and it is not too much for her. I would imagine that a more highly gifted child would need more than she has.

Perhaps later down the line you can look at early college entrance if more skipping w/in the primary & secondary years isn't a good fit for him.

Let us know how it works out.

Crisc - Congrats on making a decision - it's hard, isn't it? And such a relief to have the decision made before summer. It sounds like a good plan. I think that's great that the teacher is asking for info to make a connection.