If you want a grade skip, for either child, the thing that I'd focus on is getting data. Do you have IQ tests for your children? Achievement testing at a higher than grade level? Evidence of higher than grade level work at home (it sounds like you may have this for math) - and have you compared it with your school district's curriculum standards as a benchmark for equivalent grade level?
I'd also recommend the IAS.
And... I have a few thoughts.... just for what they're worth (which might not be much!)
In science they are discovering what sinks and what floats, although there is no discussion about why they do so. And the only history they have really covered this year is a bit about the pilgrims around Thanksgiving.
To be honest, the first thing that ran through my head when I read this was -your ds is probably not the only child in class who is bored. That doesn't mean he isn't the farthest ahead in IQ or achievement, just means that what you've described doesn't describe the typical 2nd grade classroom in my children's school district. I wonder if some of what your ds is experiencing is due to an unengaged teacher? I've had three kids go through second grade plus know a TON of kids over the years in early elementary and most crave the "why" discussion even if they aren't craving it at the level of HG kids. Please note - if it's an unengaged teacher, I'm not saying that your ds doesn't need a possible acceleration or grade skip, but I think it's important to have the data to back it up, and it's also important to thoroughly understand for your own insight what's going on in the classroom.
Then I got her test scores back. As of January, she was already well past the end of year goals in everything. The end of year goal for recognizing and naming letters was 27. She scored a 54. For hearing and using sounds in spoken words, the goal was 18 - she scored a 44.
Another piece of data that would be handy to have is - how unusual is your dd's achievement? It sounds like you have a school situation that is highly geared toward teaching to standards, and that's the feedback you're getting. That doesn't mean that the vast majority of kids are at that level - there may be quite a few students who are where your dd is at (or beyond) or she might be the only one.
Another thing that happens with kids in early elementary - some of the kids who don't appear to be early readers catch up quickly by the time they're in first or second grade... so I think it's difficult to look at our kids reading levels in K or first grade and know for sure they will always be at the same place relative to their peers simply because reading development can be very scattered among their peers.
The librarian at school insists that she check out the "easy" books - so she checks them out, never takes them out of her backpack, and reads Junie B. Jones at home.
My 2nd grader is in a school that does this - if you feel like fighting the good fight, I'd advocate for the right to check out above-level books for *all* the kids in the school. The schools my other kids attended never had a policy like this - instead they had librarians and teachers who would help them find books that fit their level if they asked about it, and there was general oversight to help make sure very young children weren't accidentally checking out books that might be disturbing, and books were grouped generally into early vs later reading sections, but that was it. Any kid could check out any book.
FWIW, I haven't made waves at dd7's school that has this policy - at her school it's completely tied to making sure kids have what are considered age-appropriate books. I was pretty sure when I asked about the policy that it was set in stone and no amount of noise I made would make a difference. *However* my dd has successfully advocated for herself to check books out that are beyond her level - she finds the book, she takes it to the librarian, and she tells the librarian why she wants to check that particular book out and she explains that she's capable of reading it, and the librarian lets her check them out. Might not work with all librarians, but you could consider having your dd talk to her teacher or the librarian - they might listen to a child more than to a parent about it.
In the meantime, at home, let her read the books she wants to and that challenge her.
[/quote]Having spoken to a friend who works for the schoool, I've been told (off the record, of course) that skipping either of them will be virtually impossible, because the school needs their test scores at the end of the year to ensure proper funding.[/quote]
I wouldn't listen to just one person's opinion. That may be correct, or it may be completely uninformed. Take it as a data point for one person and focus on what you want for your kids. If you want to accelerate, gather your data, make a game plan, figure out who you need to present your advocacy to, and go for it.
If you want to, or need to do, something outside of acceleration, try to think of ways you can enhance the school experience. Would it be possible for you to volunteer in the school? Our kids have been in a school that didn't believe in acceleration but did welcome parents in the classroom to help differentiate - I volunteered in one of my kids' 2nd grade classrooms during creative writing - all I did was provide an extra person in the classroom to talk to kids about their ideas, get them excited about their writing, give them help with skills etc. I was working one on one with lots of different kids - that helped out both the gifted kids in the classroom and the kids who weren't gifted at writing. Another friend volunteered during math by pulling out the group of top math performers in the classroom for accelerated learning. My dh and I sponsored an after school science club for a few years. Another friend started an after-school Spanish program. These aren't suggestions that are going to help make the entire school day better for an EG kid who needs to be among peers, but they are positive things that can help fight boredom during at least a part of the day, and one thing I found in our school was that it was easier in general to advocate at school when we were seen as active involved parents working with the school.
Best wishes,
polarbear
