He will be in 4th grade next year, and since he's burned out on ALEKS for now at 80% of the 7th grade level, we're going to try him out in the 6th grade (middle school) math classroom and see what happens. I think we will end up going to the 7th grade math class instead, but since there is a radical difference between what he's been doing (coasting, mostly) and what middle school math class requires, we're going to see how it works out with a class where he already knows most or all of the math but hasn't been exposed to the process of learning it the way the other kids do, and where he can learn how to handle a middle school class in an environment where he doesn't also have to put too much actual effort into learning the material at the same time.
Just as a recent BTDT, our DS, currently in third grade, joined the sixth grade honors math class after the first marking period. (This is the pre-algebra class). Similarly he knows most of the material already. However we wanted to see how he was going to adjust to the environment.
It's gone swimmingly well. He still studies math on his own outside of school for fun (seriously...), but it's a much, much better fit for him during the school day. Socially he's not on par with his math class, but academically it's great for him.
We're also lucky in that the middle school kids really look out for him. Our biggest concern was... Well... It's middle school. This is the age where kids start hitting puberty and depending on the environment and the kids inappropriate topics come up. Thankfully the students treat DS as a little brother to look after so we've had no issues, knock on wood. But early exposure to the middle school environment was a trade off we made.
At any rate, glad to hear things are moving in the right direction. Good luck!
JB
P.S. We weren't terribly impressed with ALEKS. Other free online programs like Alcumus and Khan Academy are better. DS still uses them after school for fun.
