Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Challenged - when does it happen?

In our case, MS was a little bit of a challenge, but that was largely due to how little time DD(now)14 spent there. For us, MS is grades 6, 7, and 8. Our DD skipped from 5th to 7th, and between adjusting to a little more rigor, a new daily schedule, being in a school over 10 times larger than her elementary, and being bumped into accelerated math, she was somewhat challenged. The next year she started her days at the HS, and took three classes for HS credit. Those three classes were the bulk of her challenge. Your DDs MS sounds like it might be more rigorous than my DDs, so you may not need go our route of doing 3 years of MS in 1.5 years of attending MS classes.

HS has been hit or miss on challenges. Some classes she gets a little bit of a challenge, other classes are complete cake walks. The electives do will give your DD more opportunity to take classes in her interests.

Our DD did do a CTY Intensive Studies Neuroscience class last summer and had an absolute blast - both socially and academically. She's going back again this year.

Best of luck,
--S.F.

in my little NZ city middle school is the first time there is any gifted programming but it is for the top 15℅ based on one test so really it is a high achiever class. up until then he gets to test into a couple of pull out classes which he is doing now. As far as I know a number of the identified gifted kids have missed places through already being disengaged. I think I might have enjoyed high school academics if I had got them several years earlier and I don't think it would have been any worse socially.

The skip is challenging for as long as it takes to catch up and address any gaps - weeks at most. The rate of learning is such that a mere skip only temporarily halts them. I am using AoPS and next year will be using an online LA class as I am very unwilling to skip my DD again.

If you go the normal route, then sometime in college.

I don't want to be unnecessarily discouraging so I'll just say middle school curriculum is definitely information-light. The teacher makes a big difference, especially if they're capable of adding extras info or a answering questions, or if they make the lessons themselves.
However, based on my limited experience it seems like HS is at least a refreshing break in the monotony,if not challenging. Common core is less prevalent, there's a faster pace in the honors courses (of at least faster-feeling, no promises), and there's less handholding - assignments are due when they're due,no question, and your goodness sake's you can't retake a math test six times even if - gasp! - you might get a B or feel bad about yourself. Biggest pet peeve, BTW.
Honestly, I find myself asking these same questions with HS coming up. When do I settle for challenging enough? When is it just too late, wait for college? Does our school even have anything challenging to offer? Is it alright if the only challenging class is an elective and maybe a class with a good teacher? I can't say. But I can hope for the best.
Middle school might not be challenging, but it's fun. Especially those electives, at least if they're taught well. (I guess I can't assume that, can I? Nothing ever is...)
Good luck!

Well, it depends on your DD's cognitive profile, personality traits and other general essential skills (writing, executive functional, social, emotional) as well as each individual teacher and each educational institution (including interacting peer groups). It is possible for the answer to be never, if for example, she attends second rate educational institutions through college and consistently miss any of their available great teachers and their strongest peer group. It is also possible for the answer to be 6th grade, if for example, she is at an elite school with a significant population of extreme talents in her specific classes. For example, I know a public middle school(not our school) that has many many students who qualify for AIME (by top scores on AMC10/AMC12) as well as some who qualify for USAMO/USAJMO (by top scores on AIME).

Whether your DD finds challenge within her particular middle school will depend on her personality as well. Middle schools around here tend to be product oriented (writing as well as multi-media)so it is up to the student how deeply/broadly they want to research and what level of work they want to produce.

If you want to find out what your DD is capable of, then consider signing her up for the SAT, particularly to see where she is and if she is anywhere near the ceiling on the verbal. For math, the ceiling is not particularly high as compare to many competition math problems. You can start her on the AMC8 (easiest of the AMCs) to see how well she solves non-routine math problems. Quite a few 5th graders (and even some 4th graders) participate so it should be a decent range of problems for her to try in 6th grade. The next AMC8 is in November but there are a ton of past ones that she can try at home before the real competition. If she gets a top score on the AMC8, then move her up to the AMC10 as that has a much higher ceiling.

Much challenge may be found in school extra-curriculars such as Quiz Bowl, Mathcounts, Chess Club, Honor Band/Orchestra.

Maybe in math--but in LA and social studies you can always go deeper. With the right teachers it has worked well for my dd (with DYS scores).

I have now heard positives from several of you all about CTY so will go back and look at their courses. I think I remember signing up? sending in something? to CTY last year. I will say that I am glad both DDs are in band (fun and social). They will take music classes again this summer.

Yes, executive function is the name of the game here. DD is ADHD inattentive type so we will be all over that issue. Luckily I have seen her improve 1000% concerning homework. She just gets right to it, no fuss, no bother! Amazing! Even the lunchbox has been coming home!!
Social/emotional? She seems to be doing better, and appears to have more friends now. We will be watching closely next year. She was one of the younger 4th graders so now is a very young 5th grader. Put her in the middle of a bunch of kids going through puberty? Big concern of mine. Question -How does one deal with a child who is younger than average who sees all the "big" kids get cell phones, electronics etc . Do you go by age or grade level? Children want to fit in.

Well I have to claim ignorance of AIME so I am off to research that! And when you mention the SAT that feels so foreign to me as my DH and I took it late high school as is typical. DD was set to take the Explore test, but we had a death in the family that same weekend.

Another point - I have heard that middle school here is also project oriented - THAT - will be fun for DD. She writes all the live long day and loves Power Point, Haiku Deck...

One last thing. I am fretting about the increase of work load and the ugly monster "perfectionism". DD went berserk a few weeks ago when she attempted to do an online game for math which was part of the week's homework. It was timed so she just couldn't do it (anxiety). She was sobbing and insisting she take it again and again until she got it right. I had to physically take the computer away and talk softly that it was time to "let it go." Sometimes she insists that certain homework is due RIGHT NOW, and only because DD11 is in the same grade do I know that that is not the case. I am going to be furiously waving the 504 at all the middle school teachers. They had better follow it!!