We have two kids grade-skipped, and in our cases, it has worked out beautifully.
My DS5.5 (6 this month) skipped K and went right into first. As the school year approached we noticed him advancing further and further beyond the K curriculum and worried that a K teacher couldn't give him enrichment for all the areas in which he was ahead. So we approached the school wanting their opinion of what would be best for him. They gave him an IQ test, and achievement test, and a end-of-1st test, as well as had him meet with a 1st grade teacher to casually assess him socially. We all agreed that 1st was where he needed to be. Besides academics and his ability to learn more quickly than the general population, things that we took into consideration were how close his birthday was to the cut-off, that most of his friends IRL were in 1st grade (albeit many at different schools), that he physically looks like a 1st grader (helpful, but not necessary, IMO), and that he tends to adjust to situations fairly well. He's still at the top of his class (the idea behind a grade-skip is that no other accommodations at grade-level would be enough for the child and that the child would still be at or near the top of the receiving grade).
Our DD8 was early-entranced into K (just missed the cut-off) and then began her acceleration journey after realizing that she wasn't just years ahead in reading but also in all the core academic areas. Since she was young for her grade, the school (and we, to some degree) were not ready to grade-skip her entirely, so she spent the mornings in 3rd grade (core academics, plus some specials due to scheduling issues) and the afternoons in 2nd. This worked great, but we all soon realized that she really just needed to go into 4th grade full-time this year. And, it has worked out wonderfully. I know that during the first week my DD moved into 3rd last year that the teacher was worried because she tends to be quiet and shy, particularly at first, but with time, she opened up and got comfortable. This year, my shy child has totally shocked us and all her previous teachers with how un-shy she has become! I wonder if she now just feels comfortable being herself and not feeling like she has to hide her abilities. Her school work still requires little actual work, but it is new information to her and she really is so happy!
BTW: my DD is not particularly big for her age, but even in her new grade with kids 2 years older than her, she has classmates smaller than she is. Some people are short, some are tall, and that's how it is in life. School is about learning, and I just can't understand why people think kids should go to school for 7 hours a day and not learn anything just so they can be with people their own size.
Just a thought: have you talked to the school about whether they would feel more comfortable with a subject acceleration? Sometimes schools are more comfortable with this since it addresses both the academic needs and their socialization concerns. And, if it works out and they and you see that your daughter adjusts well to being in the older group, full grade-acceleration may be a more comfortable idea. Like I said, our school district operates on the policy of trying the least radical options first and then if that is not enough, advancing through several levels of increasing "interventions."
Also, I'm sure you've seen it posted elsewhere here, but are you familiar with the Iowa Acceleration Scale? It's a great way for you and the school to look at an acceleration objectively using all the criteria that have been shown to have an impact on the success of an acceleration. HTH!
Last edited by mnmom23; 11/04/09 09:52 AM. Reason: grammar
