OT:

This is NOT likely to be relevant to your situation--BUT...in my own peer group (parents all highly educated) I am seeing that kids who were slower starters but who I could tell were quite bright are much closer to DD's reading level now. For instance, many read Harry Potter over the summer. These kids were nowhere near her in K and 1, but they blossomed. These are third graders. So I see where that saying comes from. It takes some of them longer to "get" the skill--but once it's down, a bright kid who likes books may really start to fly with it. (In fact, these kids are probably all gifted. Who knows how much? It would be arrogant of me to presume I know! They will be honors/AP students. They just didn't have the really startling early takeoff that DD did.)