Hi Val,
I think it sounds wonderful! They sound like they are extremely flexible and open to placing your DS in whatever grade seems appropriate for him based on subject matter. I would jump at the chance if it was offer to my DS8. DOK! No, make that DOKWSE! (drooling on keyboard with severe envy!)
As to your question of multiple grade skips: If there are younger boys there, and by younger I mean 10 or 11, then it sounds like it would not be a problem. My son is very similar to your son, in that he is an 8 year old in 4th grade. He has a summer birthday, and so he has a ways to go until he turns 9. But most of his current classmates in 4th grade are 10, and some are turning 11. This seems to be the right social grouping for him, although it would be much, much better if they were gifted as well.
My son also goes up to the Jr. High for 7th grade Science every day. His classmates are around 13 years old, although he does ride the bus with another 6th grader that goes to the same class. He gets along with his classmates well, but there is not a whole lot of social bonding going on. I think they treat him like a younger brother. It is enough of a gap in age that I think he would have a hard time relating to them if he was in 7th grade full time. 13 year olds are just into different things than 8 year olds.
However, 7th grade Science is the one bright spot in his day. He truly loves it. The material is not particularly challenging, and the class does not go at a fast enough pace for him, but he enjoys it far better than 4th grade science. I can tell you that the writing assignments are somewhat of a challenge, particularly the essay questions on exams. He does not have the experience to be able to write a paragraph comparing and contrasting two science ideas on a test, even if he knows the answers in his head. The ideas just seem to have problems finding their way onto paper during a timed test. But it means that he only gets a 92% on a test instead of a 100%. So be it.
The only down side that I see so far is the amount of homework assigned. He has a full hour of science homework most nights, in addition to the 45 min. to an hour of 4th grade homework every night. He has had several big research projects that require powerpoint presentations in front of the class, as well as written reports. He also has lab reports to write up. It does not leave much time for him to run and play... to act like an 8 year old. He needs the stimulation that comes with the advanced grade, but I would worry/question how much homework is involved with another grade skip. Most of the homework still falls into the realm of drudgery and repetition. This would not be an issue if it was a program geared to gifted kids where the painful part of homework was eliminated.
So all that said, I would still jump at the chance. There are age appropriate boys there for social interactions. The school sounds flexible. You can always bail out of it if it doesn't work and go back to your old school. You might ask the school about gifted issues such as self-contained classrooms or tracking. Even jumping another grade doesn't help too much if it goes at a normal pace and has the normal amount of repetition. And you might consider asking what the typical homework load is for 6th grade. Consider whether your son will happily sit and work for that long a time period. I know that most older boys have later bedtimes, and so a multiple-grade skip kid has the same amount of work to do in fewer hours in the day. We start our bedtime routine at 7 pm (includes 45 minutes of quiet reading time to settle down for bed), while most 7th graders stay up until 10 pm I'm guessing.
I hope this rambling helps, Val. I've tried to present the pros and cons of it. In the end, you just have to weigh the imperfect trade-offs in order to arrive at the best, non-perfect, situation. I haven't found the best situation yet. Our DS is very unhappy in 4th grade due to the lack of challenges. I think that explains the wet puddle on my keyboard from drooling over your options. If your son is unhappy with the current situation, then that tells you that you need to explore other school possibilities. Feel free to PM me if you want. I don't log on too often just now. We are expecting an addition to the family, and I'm on bed-rest. But I would be happy to discuss it with you.
