Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Against Accelerating the Gifted Child

Perfectly stated. I think that this is it.

I've been amazed by our school over the years-- when DD had her spectacular meltdown in 8th/9th grade, there was NO attribution offered toward her radical accelerations. They recognized that a child who was REFUSING to do work, but was still earning 100% on what she DID turn in...

probably wasn't suffering from problems caused by a grade skip or three. At least not directly.

The problem was that we couldn't get her appropriate academics soon enough to prevent some of the other (stereo)typical PG problems like inwardly-directed perfectionism. While we know what the problems are, obviously there are limitations which hamper our willingness to place her at her cognitive readiness level. In her case, those were executive skills and innate disposition (shy/wary of strangers/fearful). But they aren't "physical" reasons. THAT part... oh gosh.

I just shake my head at that. Honestly-- adolescence is awkward and awful for most people who aren't pretty narrowly normative. Gradeskipping really doesn't cause those problems-- or alleviate them, truthfully. While our opinions as parents are largely shaped by our own experiences as children... the social landscape is just plain hard during adolescence. Being younger than peers at least gives it a NAME and a reason.

As a teenager, my closest friends were the two other very bright kids in the class. We were different, we knew it, and we basically didn't talk about it.

My then 6 year old skipped midyear from 1st to 2nd, against the will of the principal. The skip evaluation team ganged up on him and forced it :-) (including the current teacher, the receiving teacher, the district psychologist and her intern, and us parents). The principal was appalled but agreed to go along, swearing it wouldn't work and we'd be back in two weeks.

It couldn't have been any more perfect. Receiving teacher was delighted, extremely tall 6 year old son fit in perfectly. He met new friends, finally found kids he got along with and it was a magical solution.

Of course, it was temporary because the vindictive principal was out for revenge. He soon made it very clear that the skip was all we were getting, no matter what and that there would be no further meetings, differentiation or accommodations. So when, even post-skip, my son had exceeded the math curriculum and needed further subject acceleration, we were refused.

So, socially it was perfect, academically it was perfect for a year, and now we're homeschooling for subject acceleration.

I think the very best advice I have ever received on this issue was to plan one year at a time, for the least worst option. It sounds doom and gloom, but you get a lot less disappointment!

In my own experience, it can be a good thing or a bad thing. For me, skipping several grades was a godsend and opened up a world of learning and making my first friends at school (mostly about 5-7 years older than me). I didn't have to work much academically--even after radically accelerating--but, because the cognitive age difference was less, I could finally connect to classmates. I'm an extravert and had been very unsuccessful at making friends in my class before accelerating, and I wound up having awesome friends who included me outside of class and wanted to work with me in class after skipping several grades.

DC21 would not have been able to do that. Intellectually, he was several years ahead. Academically, he was about a year or two ahead. Socially, he struggled with other children due to severe 2E issues. Any classroom, especially one including some of the older bullies, was not a great situation, but having him ahead academically gave him more confidence about himself as a whole.

I think each situation necessitates social, academic, and intellectual considerations and input on what has been working and what hasn't been working.

While this article is rather superficial, it actually raises some valid issues. I actually belong in the camp that does not support acceleration based solely on intelligence. Achievement, physical skills, and maturity are relevant as well.

I was accelerated as a child (young 4 year-old with first graders who were 6 and 7 years old). While I understood the rationale for the acceleration and it may have been the best fit at the time, I don't think that overall the acceleration was necessarily the best way to go. I felt too much "apart" from the other kids and really did not have the requisite maturity, which got me in trouble with certain teachers. I ruled out the possibility of a grade skip for DS9 when it was suggested by his second grade teacher but I do have him subject acclerated in math so that he is in Pre-Algebra as a 4th grader. To me, I see some value for DS to be among his age peers.

I wish I was accelerated in elementary school. But there was no such choice. I did go to science and match school grades 5-8 and that was the best experience ever when it came to school. Not perfect but at least I had 30 kids in class who understood me and whom I understood.

... I was still among the smallest kids when I was 15, I was still just as clumsy and sometimes socially awkward as when I was 6 ... it wouldn't had mattered if I skipped a grade in the growth and social aspect ... but I would had been a lot less bored out of my mind the first 4 years. So, if we end up needed to accelerate, we will. DS4 is average size and pretty clumsy. Definitely not a sporty time, so won't matter with him ... DS2.5 is well built, above average size for his age and we have been calling him "bulldozer" since he started crawling ... even if he skips, he's probably still going to enjoy a spot on the wrestling team or football. He's got that strength, stubbornness and will in him. He will need to look after his older brother who will be picked on probably a lot. I'm guessing we'll spend a lot of time in the principals office with either one of them! lol ... but in our case it won't affect our decision to accelerate or not.

I was accelerated. Best thing that happened to me hands down. I had little in common with my age peers with the exception of sports. Being accelerated gave me a reason to look forward to school - otherwise I resented the teachers and my classmates in my age-level classes.

DS7's grade skip has gone mostly well socially. This year he's gotten in trouble for trying to impress several girls with his sexy ostrich dance (please don't ask), one of whom may have a crush on him now (girl not ostrich), and one bigger boy has attempted to bully him (DS thankfully didn't back down), but overall DS is well-liked and well-adjusted. Tons of kids came to his summer birthday party, and though it seems to have gotten around to all of the kids that he was skipped, almost all of them seem to have treated it as a mild curiosity at most.

DS's acceleration has actually caused more social and emotional negative effects among the parents involved. The mother of one boy chosen to accompany DS on his subject pullout has been frosty as heck upon finding out that her son was chosen for that not because of his ability, but so DS would have a buddy to go with. :| I don't fault her for being put out. And apparently the skip and subject pullout have resulted in many requests from parents to know why their children aren't getting similar treatment. The sad part is that DS needs so much more...

Unfortunately, academically the skip is a bit of a flop, though staying behind a year would have been at least as bad. In order for acceleration to work, it has to at least provide the correct academic level of work, or one has risked negative social/emotional effects for nothing. Thus I wouldn't rate DS's acceleration a success at all yet, except to the extent that it decreased his boredom and convinced him that we're doing our best for him. I see us as midstream in our advocacy for correct academic placement. It's slow going.

My elementary school had an awesome system; I wonder why nobody does this any more. There were four Teams (groups of classrooms) serving five grades of kids. Every Team had a mix of kids from two grades (Team 1 had first and second graders, Team 4 had fourth and fifth graders, etc.).

This meant that quick-learning kids would be able to be grouped with kids a year ahead by design, as needed, with no special scheduling required. Within each team, there were usually three classes, which meant further possibilities, as the kids moved among the classes in that team for reading or math, grouped by ability.

It really solved a lot of problems...

DeeDee

DeeDee, would that be followed up by a possible skip for a child learning with the year-older children, as they transitioned to the next team level? I think that's a great arrangement for ensuring that a single-year acceleration is made as smoothly as possible.