Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion what do you think the odds are?

My son has been placed in a y1/y2 class next year where he is one of about 10 y2 kids. 4 of the other y2 are from his class and are at lower levels that him. It is possible that the other 6 are quite advanced but it seems unlikely.

My son has just been assessed at >99.9 percentile. It just seems like despite being young for year he would be better in a y2/y3 class.

What do you think the chances are of this placement being satisfactory? I could ask for a meeting in the teacher only days before school starts and try to change it.

Are you in Australia or another Southern Hemisphere country? We are in Australia and my DD is in the same boat this year - she's a yr 2 in a 1/2 split and was already one of the more advanced yr1s. Last year they deliberately put her into the bottom half of a composite due to her giftedness, this year they can't as her school does not run 2/3 composites as 2/3 marks the Junior Primary/Primary divide. I think that occasionally they do have a 2/3 composite but it's something they do everything they can to avoid. So you may find that you won't have much luck getting a 2/3 class, but no harm trying.

And no I am not expecting this to be a great year.

Puffin I was just reading your other thread and I am confused, it sounds like you are also in SA as we are the only state doing the rolling starts I think? So has he also grade skipped? I can't figure out how he's in yr2 at not yet 6 unless he's also skipped? My DD was a July starter, did 2 terms of R and skipped the extra 4 terms of R and went straight to yr1 last year (in the yr1/2 composite). Which worked brilliantly for her, which is why I am anxious about this year (like you).

The confusion is in the first year. We have a year zero only if you start after the cutoff otherwise you start straight into year one. My son turned five the day before the cut off so he did 3/4 of year 1 then goes straight into year 2. If he had been born 2 days later he would do 3/4 of a year in y0, a full year in year one and go into year 2 at nearly 7.

Eta. I am in New Zealand. There is a y2/y3 this year but not usually.

Ah, similar but different to our system - our kids must do at least 3 but no more than 6 terms of reception (your year zero)... My DD did 2 terms, so was supposed to be a 6 term, so she skipped the remaining year and went into yr1.

If there actually IS a yr2/3 then it's certainly worth talking to them about it and seeing what their reasoning is, why they think this is the better placement and arguing your case if you are not swayed by theirs?

I think I am going to have to ask them to do more comphrehensive acheivement tests and then take it from there. It is very hard to tell where he should be but I think he is late y2/early y3 in maths. He is one level off the 24 month reading standard but since it is a minimum standard that is not uncommon there will could easily be a quarter of the class T or above that level. Some of them may have had a year more at school anyway.

I should have had him tested before the classes were allocated but I thought he was mildly/moderately gifted/bright

eta. A y2/y3 class would put him out of the junior syndicate into the middle syndicate which would be tricky at 5 but I do know a 6 yo gifted y2 in that class (she should have skipped but the principal is an anti-skipper)
Oh well. Better get the next one tested before he starts school - his birthday is a month after the cut off.

Thinking of your 3 to 7 terms of reception the government official cut off is about a term later than the dates the schools so in theory it is 2 to 6 terms rather than the 3 to 7 the schools use.