These are all great ideas, thanks. Will see what I can find out! He doesn't actually know anyone who's skipped (it doesn't happen often in elementary here), so I think meeting someone new just to discuss that might backfire.
We've been encouraged to just pick one or the other regarding whole grade vs SSA, but I kind of think SSA with a later transition to whole-grade, along with the trial period, might be good. He's fixating on the things he'd be giving up rather than gaining what he can't picture.
And even though the research strongly supports it, I've read comments from folks who said it trades one set of problems for another, and they still have to learn at the same pace as the norm until high school -- but that would apply no matter what, so why not at least eliminate a year of repetition?
Then I consider home school and think he'd currently not prefer that, due to social reasons, yet I'm intrigued by the idea of focusing on learning and mastery by interest, over the standards achievement-level measurement of public school. I really wish there were a FT GT program in our area. Barring that, it sure is hard to work within the current age-based system and be confident of the future.
