Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums THINKING BIG About Gifted Education grade acceleration

I am a little confused here - which type of standardized test scores don't show a deficit? Grade level standards-type group tests administered through the schools? Or something else?

My reply has nothing to do with acceleration (I would consider the acceleration so your ds is placed where he needs to be intellectually) - but I would also watch the things that were mentioned by his teachers as a potential concern (not answering quickly, for instance). The combination of gaps in your ds WISC scores + the notes about your ds not liking to write things down and also not answering as quickly as teachers would expect in a class group discussion sound much like my ds who is dysgraphic and has expressive language challenges. The explanations you have for them also are very reminiscent of what I thought was going on with my ds at around the same age! These might not be issues for your ds, but if they are, they won't disappear with an acceleration - note, they aren't a reason *not* to accelerate, but accelerating might not make them go away.


I agree, that shouldn't hold him back - but it is something you want to watch for and give him support with if it causes an issue. Actually, I'd be thinking through supporting him with it now whether or not he's accelerated.

polarbear

In MA, we use MCAS. He scored a perfect score on Math and ELA. So, the way I see it, compared to his peers his processing speed is not an issue. Compared to his other strengths, it stands out. But again, would this be an reason not to accelerate? I guess I am thinking I would rather advocate for him this way....should he encounter difficulty with the grade skip, I remind the teachers to allow some leeway given that he made an academic jump and may need time to adjust RATHER than explain to teachers in the next grade, please forgive my son's behavior, he's just under-challenged.

I did a quick google re the MCAS, and according to the internet (as in, I could be wrong lol!), the MCAS isn't timed. For students with gaps in processing speed like your ds has on the WISC, the impact is often see on timed tests; his score might not be as high as it could be *on a timed test* because he doesn't have time to answer all the questions.


No, this wouldn't be a reason not to accelerate, but it *might* be a reason to see how it impacts him, and if it does, try to get accommodations for it. Chances are, if it's an issue, it would impact him even if he doesn't accelerate. And this is an area that's tough to see in gifted kids - they perform at such a high level that it might not be obvious with the level of challenge he's given in school right now that there really *is* an impact. *If* there is an impact, it might show up in a larger way as he progresses into more challenging academics.


I agree with you, I'd go for the acceleration, and I think it's reasonable to expect it might take a little time to adjust and that's all ok. I also think it will be important to not dismiss what teachers have to say if they do note that he's not responding as quickly as other students (or other remarks). Right now you and his teachers are looking at his behaviors through the lens of - he's not in the appropriate intellectual setting - and that's no doubt true. The things I was trying to point out really don't have anything to do with accelerating or holding back - they are just things that might need accommodations, no matter what grade level he's in. What happened to our ds in early elementary was that when he was having some of the issues you've posted about teachers seeing as well as a relative low in processing speed score on his first WISC, we at first put it all off to perfectionism and under challenge, inappropriate classroom setting etc. A lot of that was real, but there was also a real challenge underneath that we weren't seeing, that was related to the large gap in processing speed on the WISC.

Best wishes,

polarbear

Re: MCAS. Yes to the untimed. (Or more-or-less untimed.) This is actually something to keep in mind as he goes up through the grades, as when it comes time for SATs, ACTs, or AP exams, he is going to need documentation, in the form of processing speed testing and accommodations on a 504 or IEP, to support the request for additional time (should that ultimately prove to be a functional concern). In the absence of routine timed assessment, you may not know that this is a potential concern for several years. And because MCAS is nominally untimed, you might not have documentation in any accommodation documents unless you ask for it. It needs to be documented in a 504 or IEP for at least a couple of years prior to the SAT/ACT/AP exams, or they will view it a bit suspiciously. So definitely pay attention to any feedback from teachers that might indicate functional impact from slow processing speed.

Also, not to downplay his outstanding performance at all, but, strictly speaking, a perfect scaled score doesn't necessarily mean a perfect performance, as there is usually a range of raw scores that can lead to the top scaled score, especially in ELA:

http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/2014/results/spring-conversion.pdf

In case you're interested....
Met with teachers and counselors yesterday. I think this is the route we are taking for next fall; my son will go into a grade 5 homeroom (school is 5-8), but take grade 6 math class and maybe ELA too. This is to give him time to adjust to pace and organization to middle school. They will put him on a 504 plan to accommodate the processing speed (it was noted that when given time, he produces well above grade level work, but when time is limited he shuts down and at times produces nothing). We will reassess in December whether or not to merge him into grade 6 mid year and then into grade 7 the following year. The important thing for me was that the school recognizes that they need to change the way they do things to accommodate his learning style and match his intellect. They are even suggesting some online coursework to be done in school to further his enrichment. In the meantime, we are waiting to hear of an opening at a private school known for it's rigorous academics and hopefully he will be a scholarship candidate. Thanks for all the opinions and information, it was immensly helpful.

That's great, Jodi! I'll bet that it feels terrific to have made progress and have a plan that looks so much more promising. It sounds nicely flexible, too-- definitely an advocacy win!

We have found this kind of "onramp" (via subject acceleration) very helpful when you get to boundaries between schools-- by the time my DS got to middle school, he thought he owned the place because he'd already been doing it the year before.

Sounds like a great plan.

Sounds like a plan My son did the same thing when in 5th - he was transported to the Middle School every day for 6th grade math class. Worked out great

There's a blog hop happening over at Hoagies' Gifted this week on acceleration: http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/blog_hop_acceleration.htm

Thank you...I will check this out as now the middle school is resisting partial acceleration. Counselors think he should whole grade. Principal says no. I don't know what to do. He is meeting with success this year, but is on a self-taught math program and is a year ahead. We just did the IOWA acceleration scale and it scored such that whole grade is recommended. I just want to make the right decision! ARG!