Totally agree with Old Dad
And fwiw, I put a *lot* of weight into my children's feelings- especially by the time they are in upper elementary. Your choice for your dd incorporates what *she* wants, and for that reason alone I think it's a good choice. I also imagine that if at some point in time a few years down the road there's a concern that she will not be able to get into an advanced science class because she's a year behind the pre-reqs in math - if it's something she really wants to be in, she can make up that missed year of math through an online or summer school class. Sometimes I think we tend to over-worry or over-press for math acceleration (in particular) since it's so easy to quantify as a subject and to check off the boxes in a linear fashion - pre-algebra precedes algebra precedes geometry etc. Not all of our HG+/EG/PG kiddos are going to be interested and passionate about math simply because they have high IQs - some of our kids are going to be passionate about the arts or about literature or whatever, so for those kids, I see no reason to worry for one minute that they aren't accelerated in math. For the child that lives/breathes/ and wants the acceleration, absolutely press for it.
One question I have for you - which is actually coming from a somewhat cynical place.... - why would Common Core be a reason to eliminate a gifted program? I will admit to not entirely understanding how CC is being implemented across the US... but a small part of me wonders if that's not just an excuse when really there is a budget issue... or perhaps an administrator is simply trying to make their mark by mixing things up? I'd be really concerned about the impact on academics for gifted kids as a result of the change.
polarbear
