Funny you should ask. Much is made of how great it is for the high LOG kids to have Gaps becaue so much of school is repetitious. I have a first hand experience that says sometimes too much is too much without adult support.
When DS11 was 10, we had a midyear skip from 5th to 6th, and was given the opportunity join an honors group of 7th graders in Math "Pre-Algebra." Math isn't his strongest area, but it certianly isn't an area of weakness. He was not able to do it 'all by himself, and eneded up back in 6th grade for Math, after a 3 month trial.
Let's do the Math. He completed 4th grade as a 9 year old, (summer birthday in a heavy red-shirted area) then had a month is 5th grade as a 10 year old. Followed by a skip into a class that is supposed to be the equavalent of 8th grade. 3 years with no prep. Ok, we didn't know what the limits were, and we found out. If he had loved the chicken dance, or been about to make up the classes he missed easily, I would have gone back with Aleks.com and filled in the missing pieces, but those are big IFs. This year he is doing well and getting "A" in the same Math class, and finding it only a slight challenge. So yes, in the future I would take my jumps in slower stages, more like Dottie. And I would hothouse a bit at home, maybe.
I will say, (in retrospect) that althought the Math was too far of a reach for him last year with all the stresses of being a new Middle Schooler, if he had stayed in 5th and only gotten the subject acceleration to Math, I think he would have deeply enjoyed the hard work. So either path would have worked for him, I think. This stuff is hard, but I am here to say that it's better to try and need to adjust than to do nothing.
Smiles,
Grinity
