I think some children, especially boys, can be "late bloomers" simply because they are too disorganized to present their best work. When I was a boy in 1st or 2nd grade, I got a bad grade in math because I did my test and then forgot to turn it in, putting it in my desk instead. A teacher said at a parent-teacher conference that "if his head weren't attached, he'd lose that too". Although I scored as exceptionally gifted on an IQ test in early elementary school (according to the definitions at
http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/highly_profoundly.htm ), I only started to get my act together in 7th grade, nudged by my parents, who informed me it was time to get serious after I brought home a report card of only 2 A's and 5 B's. They knew I could do better, and I did.
My 6yo 2nd-grade son often forgets to turn his homework assignments and has a collection of about 1/2 dozen lunch boxes somewhere in school that he has not brought home. I do encourage him to do his best in school and turn his homework, but I think excessive nagging at home would distract him from his reading and other intellectual interests. I hope he will mature by late elementary school. My wife is stricter and worries that early bad habits will persist in later grades. Who is right?
If grades in high school are "high-stakes", those in elementary school are "low-stakes" -- the child will be advanced to the next grade almost regardless of performance. Gifted kids already know much of the material. Maybe they are being rational in not taking school too seriously.
