In MA, we use MCAS. He scored a perfect score on Math and ELA. So, the way I see it, compared to his peers his processing speed is not an issue.
I did a quick google re the MCAS, and according to the internet (as in, I could be wrong lol!), the MCAS isn't timed. For students with gaps in processing speed like your ds has on the WISC, the impact is often see on timed tests; his score might not be as high as it could be *on a timed test* because he doesn't have time to answer all the questions.
Compared to his other strengths, it stands out. But again, would this be an reason not to accelerate?
No, this wouldn't be a reason not to accelerate, but it *might* be a reason to see how it impacts him, and if it does, try to get accommodations for it. Chances are, if it's an issue, it would impact him even if he doesn't accelerate. And this is an area that's tough to see in gifted kids - they perform at such a high level that it might not be obvious with the level of challenge he's given in school right now that there really *is* an impact. *If* there is an impact, it might show up in a larger way as he progresses into more challenging academics.
I guess I am thinking I would rather advocate for him this way....should he encounter difficulty with the grade skip, I remind the teachers to allow some leeway given that he made an academic jump and may need time to adjust RATHER than explain to teachers in the next grade, please forgive my son's behavior, he's just under-challenged.
I agree with you, I'd go for the acceleration, and I think it's reasonable to expect it might take a little time to adjust and that's all ok. I also think it will be important to not dismiss what teachers have to say if they do note that he's not responding as quickly as other students (or other remarks). Right now you and his teachers are looking at his behaviors through the lens of - he's not in the appropriate intellectual setting - and that's no doubt true. The things I was trying to point out really don't have anything to do with accelerating or holding back - they are just things that might need accommodations, no matter what grade level he's in. What happened to our ds in early elementary was that when he was having some of the issues you've posted about teachers seeing as well as a relative low in processing speed score on his first WISC, we at first put it all off to perfectionism and under challenge, inappropriate classroom setting etc. A lot of that was real, but there was also a real challenge underneath that we weren't seeing, that was related to the large gap in processing speed on the WISC.
Best wishes,
polarbear
