Hmmm - on Alek's, you might try searching for free trial. IIRC you have to register but you get some time free.
Thanks Kcab, I had forgotten. First you have to register, and then they 'test' you to see what level you are at.
I think Montessori isn't going to line up with other achievement tests very well. The genius of Montessori method is that it splits up every task into tiny tiny steps. This can really help with concentration or drive a gifted kid wild.
I guess I think that this particular school has treated your son well, and perhaps the best thing to do is bribe him to play their game and progress through their levels 'on faith.' My thought is that it might not matter if he's bored by school for a few months if he can 'bang out' all the easy-peasy stuff, the speed challenge itself might make it more fun...I think of it as an 'OBEYING' challenge. And you can be sure that eventually he will get to new material. ((Um, do check their hardest works and make sure that they do look like new material, ok?))
I can't remember if your son is bribable. If so, I would offer a really complicated reward system - small of 5 works completed per day, bigger of 6,even bigger for 7, giant super reward for 8 (or whatever is the usual amount of works/day) then I would make super-bribes for a weekly total, so if 8 works per day is really fabulous, and enough to get him to 3rd grade work in 3 months, I would add in bonus rewards for a whole week of 8 or more works per day.
Of course the drawback is that you are encouraging sloppy work. Sloppy work does have it's place, and you don't have a whole lot of other options. I love the idea of starting a super big project, and maybe these two approaches can be combined.
What I'm keeping in mind is that overall he's been happy at the school and that you don't have a lot of other options.
I honestly don't think that any achievement test is really going to 'prove' to the Montessori Mind that he is ready for harder works. Maybe you could work it out with them that if he does a great job 3 days in a row with 2nd grade work, that he gets to do a 'works' that is randomly pulled from 4th grade.
My son didn't do Montessori, but he did seem to get a nice little buzz from having a ridiculous goal and gettting through busywork fast. I think the idea of completing a school year in 3 months might have stimulated him, even if the work itself didn't.
Where's to bribable kids! I really feel for you parents of unbribable ones!
Grinity
Grinity,
I missed this post yesterday! Maybe we were posting at the same time? Funny that we did exactly what you were suggesting with the reward system. I know electronics are probably not the best for him, but it's what motivates this child. He could play video games for 24 hours straight if we'd let him. He hates to go a day without it. I know, not good, but at this point, I'm not above bribing. We do limit the face time, however.
So, I think I'll complicate the reward system a bit. He and I did have a talk after school yesterday because he is intrigued by the boy in his class who skipped 3rd grade. He was in ds's class last year as a 2nd grader, and he is now in the upper elementary class (4-6th grades). We discussed the fact that if he quickly works through the things that seem too easy and stops spending his day procrastinating, that he'll soon get to the more challenging lessons. He was pretty into it. He even said, "maybe if I can complete all the 2nd AND 3rd grade lessons this year, I can get in the other classroom quicker with my friends." He considers the 4th graders his real friends and cried at the end of last year when he realized they'd be moving up without him.
I think trying to get through to ds might be easier than re-creating the wheel around there. Not that I'm not willing to fight for him, but I do like what Momma Bear said about the benefits of going through the steps. DS really needs to learn patience and control. Montessori is a good, nurturing environment in which to learn these difficult skills.
And, like you said, Grinity, if he likes school and is happy to be there, that's going to be my litmus test for now. I might suggest that ds not be required to do so much writing, however. Personally, I do not think writing is reinforcing with him. I know it is for many people, including me, but not for him. When he's copying, he's not even thinking about what he's writing. He's putting letters on a page and trying to get it over with as quickly as possible.
As for sloppy work, I really don't care. Although, they are very big on neatness at his school. You can't work up to the big composition books until you complete an entire small (blue book or pink book-like the ones we used in college) very neatly. Each year, they make you start over in the smaller book as a motivator and practice book. DS hates writing in the small book b/c he thinks it means he's not good enough or he's a baby. So, that would be my only reluctance to not stressing neatness. He moved up to the big comp book already this year, but then he was moved back down due to sloppy handwriting. Once he gets the notebook he wants, he quits worrying about it. ; )
Personally, if I can read what he wrote, that's all I care about in terms of handwriting. He can write very beautifully, but his brain just works faster than his hands and his working memory. I think I need to break out he keyboarding program again.
Does anyone have a great keyboarding program they'd recommend? Ours is decent, but not great. I bought it b/c it was cheap.
You are absolutely right. This school has treated ds very well and is more than willing do go the extra mile for him. His teacher cried last year when she showed me his progress in writing b/c she was so proud of him. She's a wonderful teacher; I'm not going to fault her for needing a little guidance.
Great ideas Grinity. I think challenging him to complete 2nd grade by Christmas might work. I don't want him to feel pressured, but he's a kid who is motivated by extrinsic rewards. Sorry Montessori folks! Gotta do what ya gotta do! ; )
