Before making significant changes to your son's education, I would ask the following questions:

1. What, precisely, does the HG school offer? You said that the regular gifted program is big on differentiation but not so big on acceleration. What about the HG program?


  • Do kids get to move at their own paces?
  • Do they use a mastery-based curriculum? This means, "You have to master everything in 4th grade science before you can do 5th grade science." Mastery sounds seductive until you take a closer look at the coursework and discover that it doesn't always build in a logical fashion. Once a child gets through ~4th grade math (all the basics), it's amazing what you can backfill as s/he goes along, even in a subject like mathematics. From what I've seen of primary-school science, successive grade level courses teach the same ideas to a large extent, but increase the use of technical terms.
  • Also, beware of people who emphasize the need to avoid "gaps in learning." Gaps can be challenges for gifted kids.
  • Can they study high-school level courses well before 8th grade? HG kids are typically ready for this type of work 3 or more years in advance in at least one subject.
  • What happens when they go to the local high schools? Will they be back in a regular program? If so, does the school have a system for allowing them to take courses at a nearby community college?
  • I would look really, really closely at the curriculum in the HG school before enrolling in it. Send your son for at least two days and ideally a whole week before enrolling him there. I've learned that schools make promises (or seem to) that they often don't keep once you enroll.
  • In my state (CA), there is a minor emphasis on most subjects outside the ones that are on the standardized tests. One result is that our primary-school science books are woefully out-of-date. What subjects are taught outside of math and reading/language arts at the HG school, and how much time do they get? If it's one day a week at best, be careful.
  • Do the kids get to read novels/chapter books as part of the curriculum (at my son's French school, they started this in the CP/1st grade). Check into this. The short passages/multiple choice questions that dominate in many schools can be mind-numbingly dull. They also don't teach kids how to maintain their attention span for more than a few paragraphs.
  • Last but not least, how much emphasis is on the use of multiple choice (MC)? Too many MC tests and worksheets encourage what I call "factoid-based learning" over synthesis of knowledge and deeper understanding of a subject. Frenchies do not favor MC tests.



2. French school

  • How happy is your son at his current school? This consideration is important. Moving is a big disruption and you probably won't be able to go back to the French school once you leave (unless he has a tutor and/or follows a CNED course).
  • Does this school follow the French national curriculum? If so, it's a pretty good curriculum.
  • What are your options for keeping up the French after your son leaves the French school? This question is very important in light of the fact that French isn't spoken at home. My son went to a French school for 4 years. He now attends an after-school program 2 days/week that offers one of the same courses he would have followed in his old school. It uses certified teachers and materials from CNED (google "CNED France" to find CNED; the second item will should come up in English). Is something like that available where you live? What about a tutor?
  • French schools are more open to grade skips than US schools. Have you talked to your son's teachers about his progress? My son was offered skip from 2 to 4, and a boy in his class had skipped grade 1.
  • To what grade does the French school go, and what are your options for post-French school? Is there a French lycee in your area? The lycee should be quite challenging.


Phew! You wanted a longer answer and you got one! Hope that helps.

Val