Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Advice on grade skip

Locally, heterogenous grouping doesn't start until 8th grade. High Schools are much larger than the other schools. These two work together to ease things for the 'high rate' kids.

Another difference is that abstract thought is starting to be expected in Middle School and High School. This helps our kids tremendously - I would go so far as to say that kids regularly get slammed in elementary school for bringing up questions that involve abstract thought. It is seen as 'unnatural' and a time waster.

Older kids can attend summer programs, year abroads, travel, do boarding school - yup - more options - including early college. Personally I want to be able to met my kid's academic needs local to our home for as long as possible.

Also - older children are more mature, better able to suffer through the hard times to get the rewards of their favorite activities - academic OR social.

Good question OHGrand!
Grinity

Thanks to everyone for all the replies; I'm reading them now.

First question: what does LOG mean?

QUick reply to Grinity: he's visited the new school once (spent a day there) and was very enthusiastic. It's *very* small to the point where I would call it semi-private tutoring. He was very happy there and the kids all liked him and they invited him back to spend another day there in April.


Val

LOG = Level Of Giftedness

Here's a link that explains what it it:

http://www.educationaloptions.com/levels_giftedness.htm

Incog

I think what's most important to us is that our kids stay challenged. I've seen the consequences of allowing kids to coast through too-easy curricula that don't teach them how to stare at a problem that seems too hard, think about it, and eventually find a way to solve it. This is an essential skill, and if not learned, can lead to giving up too easily.

So the skip to 4th would mean that the French work would be reasonably demanding and definitely interesting. The English stuff (~50% of the day) would probably still be too easy. This leads me to think that the new school might be a better option, but my husband and I need to ask about a skip there too --- mainly because I look ahead a couple years and don't know if they could accomodate him.

There is a local middle/high school for gifted kids that might be a good choice later.

A main reason that a formal skip is attractive is that it will give my eldest (and likely the next two) options when they're 16 or so. They could probably all finish high school by then, yet would probably be too young to leave for college. This period could be a free time in their lives when they could pursue internships, take random courses at a local community college (CC), etc. I especially like the CC idea because it would allow them to pursue random interests with no pressure to declare a major, which of course requires that you follow a defined path of study. One of our local CCs has an astronomical observatory, a biotech program, a strong art program, etc. etc. Of course, by then they'll be old enough to decide for themselves, but what I can appreciate as a grown up is what a wonderful gift a couple of years of unpressured time would be. A few ground rules from Mom and Dad plus a lot of choices for the kid could be so wonderful!

Val

Val -
Did you say you were 'new' to this?

because the 'consequences of coasting' is also what's important to me and my DH and the key to all our actions so far!

What you discribe in the 16+ years is sometimes called Gap year - and sure does sound like fun!

Smiles and ((thumbs up))
Grinity

This is one reason why we work hard to challenge our kids at home. I was just going over Math Kangaroo problems with my eldest and his initial reaction to one of them was "I don't know! It's too hard!" A couple minutes later, the light went on and he got the answer. This was my cue to tell him about how important it is to learn how to solve a problem that looks hard at first, and then to remind him about how good he feels when he does something he thought he couldn't. When this type of experience happens enough time, a person stops being intimidated by a difficult problem and instead remembers all those other ones that were so hard at first, but were doable in the end. Of course, this lesson carries over into life....

Val

Exactly Val! So glad that you are doing this at such a young age! I think part of the pace problem does get answered by afterschooling, formal or informal.

Here's what I've heard, informally, from other BTDT parents:

Most teacher can do in class differentiation when the child is within one or two years of their actual readiness level.

So if you take a kid who is +3 mental age (which is already PG, if the more modest end of PG) Give them a .5 year credit for having a summer birthday, and .5 year credit if you live in a heavily red shirted community. Get a documented skip for a total of 2 years, and rely on teacher differentiation for the 3rd or 4th year, and volia! You are theoretically there.

I wouldn't reserve skips for PG kids in a community which has no gifted program, or in a place where the gifted program just isn't an option, or is 2 hours a week or less - and lets face it, these are the majority of programs in the U.S. right now. I would look at skips all along the range of Gifted, as a tool to solve problems - perfectionism, underachievement, social, or insulted-dignity problems.

Still, do afterschooling for the depth or pace as needed.
Persue subject accelerations in at least one subject to fill that intensity need. Here's the big secret: Children don't have to be in a program that perfectly meets all of their needs in all of their areas in a totally taylored way. There is a big difference between individually made clothing and and wearing a plastic garbage bag. Our kids need to be given something better than a plastic garbage bag, but usually they don't need the hand made clothing, just perhaps, to be allowed to choose ready made clothing for other departments, previously restricted.


((No Offense intended to the kids who DO NEED 'individually made clothing' - your kids are real, and you are doing a beautiful thing by taking them home and making sure they get what they need - you are my heros, but you know who you arde - and not to suggest that lots kids wouldn't enjoy that situation if it works for their family - I just don't want everyone thinging that their child NEEDS to be totally challenged and perfectly accomidated, just given something to wear besides a plastic garbage bag, ok?))

I tend to think that in school, math is somehow the easiest to address with accelerations if it is an area that your child is at least somewhat interested in. First, math is really easy to prove that your child gets and to document the need for. Second, math is the area that elementary teachers seem to be the least confident in and are therefore the happiest to give up. Third, the sooner you get your math liking child away from math-hating elementary teacher and into the hands of a math loving HS-certified teacher the better.

DS is subject accelerated +3 in math now, even though I think that is is "weak" subject. He is not officially skipped at all in the humanities, even though he's reading and writing (not handwriting) about +6 to +8) these days. But his elem. teachers have enjoyed supplementing him in reading and writing. They love givinig him books that they have enjoyed reading and then discussing them with him. He gets very creative in his written work adn the teachers love it. There is just more room to go above and beyond in a humanities assignment than there is in math. In math, you have to be shown a few things and the elem teachers get freaked out if you get "creative".

We still do not have any real science, yet, so this has to be done at home. I'm not sure there is much hope for school science until AP in high school. Luckily, I'm strong in science and it's not DS's primary love.

Well said acs!
Grin