It drives me crazy how high-stakes our local system is. I wish grades didn't matter. I need to look into it a little more, because we worried in elementary (!) due to the admission race for middle, but it turned out only 5th grade mattered. Perhaps 6th is not looked at here, though I haven't heard so. It would be great if she could find her feet for a year.
I know she is dealing with a lot emotionally and socially, like most middle schoolers, but more so because...she's her. So, at times I wonder if we need to let some of her potential "rest" because she is challenged emotionally and psychologically. Academically, she can kick it with just about anyone except for PG kids who are inventing cures for cancer as middle-schoolers, etc, but there are other factors making it hard.
