Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Has anyone accelerated during upper elementary?

Got DD10's 5th grade schedule yesterday:

HR
Double period of math
Special (art, PE, computers, spanish)
Double period of science alternating with double social studies
Lunch
"TRIPLE" period language arts/reading, including a 25-minute 9th period of "supplemental" LA

I'm kind of horrified, as DD has gotten very little differentiated LA/Reading since she's been in school, and tested at about an 11th grade level at the beginning of 4th grade. When I mentioned my concerns yesterday with a friend on the school board, she suggested talking to the principal about acceleration.

So, here are my concerns: my kid is 10. She's a super-sensitive kid, and while she has good friends (she's been in this small PK-8 school since Pre-K), she also is hyper-sensitive to perceived slights, social drama, etc. She's an intense, emotional person, and still loves make-believe. I fear that, at this pre-pubescent age, acceleration would totally rock her world, and not in a good way.

So, has anyone accelerated a sensitive kid at this sensitive age? What were your experiences for the kid socially and emotionally?

Acceleration may be a full grade skip, or may be subject acceleration, for example changing your daughter's schedule to attend 6th grade language arts rather than 5th grade language arts.

How does your daughter feel about any type of acceleration? The Iowa Acceleration Scale (IAS) takes the child's viewpoint into consideration.

Good point--the last time I asked for subject-area acceleration, I was told the schedule wouldn't allow for it. But, the principal was new then. Now that he's settled in for a couple of years, and he and I have a decent working relationship, he might be more open to it.

DD10 is also entering 5th grade, so we don't have experience (DS was not given any option when he was the same age), but are planning to. We already signed her up for accelerated math through an online source. She was the first in her school to do that, but after we signed up we heard that at least another few families either signed up or are talking with the school about it. DD is sensitive and was wondering whether she'd feel weird if she sat in front of a computer everyday during math. So she was relieved after she heard that there are other kids who also signed up.

I will also start a conversation with their world languages teacher because the language that they offer at school happens to be the other language that my bilingual family uses at home so DD is already fluent. Last year she was bored silly because the class started from scratch. A few kids are in the same situation and I told DD that I'd advocate not just for her but for the group of kids together, and talk with the other parents as well. So she feels good about this.

We are also keeping our fingers crossed for instrumental music. The teacher promised that she'd do differentiation since many kids at our school have taken private lessons for a few years. But we have to see whether that's enough because DD's level is much much higher than most other kids with a few years' worth of private lessons under the belt. DD is used to playing music with much older kids so she is very much hoping that she'd get differentiation.

I'm determined to negotiate as best as I can. The kids deserve to have a productive time at school.

I am a little confused why you are horrified by your DD's schedule or how acceleration would address that particular aspect. One-third (3/9) of the school hours on reading/language arts is within the typical elementary school range. It may even be a tag low since more of the school hours (4/9) is being allocated to math/science/social studies. Of course, you can reasonably argue that more than 2/9 of the school hours should be spent on non-academics (specials/lunch/recess). However, would acceleration result in less than a one-third school hour allocation to reading/language arts?

We did a second subject acceleration at age 9 for a fairly sensitive kid without any notable issues. However, it was for math rather than reading/language arts. I would consider both the cognitve/achievement profiles of the kids in the current grade and the target grade. Actually, one of the reasons that we rejected a whole grade acceleration at age 7 was to keep DS with higher ability/achievement kids. Assuming that you meant 50 percentile 11th grade, that would be around 95th percentile 4th grade so whether your DD has a sizable cohort would depend on the size of her grade (current/target) and the cognitive/achievement profiles of the kids in each grade. For example, for DS a couple of years ago, I would estimate about 12 kids in his grade at that testing level (or above) but fewer kids in the next grade up. If you meant 75th percentile11th grade, that would be around 99th percentile 4th grade so it is unlikely for your DD to have too many cohorts and it would all depend on the cognitive/achievement profiles of the kids in each grade. My point being I am not sure a one year acceleration would make much difference in that case unless the target grade also had more higher ability kids.

I'll echo what Quantum says-- it's not necessarily the case that a single grade acceleration would make much difference on the cognitive front in terms of more appropriate instruction-- but I'll also reaffirm your concerns.

There is a BIG shift toward much more emotionally intense and distressing themes in middle school-- and while 5-into-6 might not take your child there THIS year, it would take your child there next year a year early.

Developmentally, that is something I'd be quite concerned about. That's completely aside from the drama that accompanies middle school outside of the strict curricular aspects, even.

DD managed that 3y acceleration only because she was there developmentally in most of the ways that mattered most in the social sciences and literature. If she hadn't been, oh my goodness, how much more difficult it is to accomplish appropriate instruction-- because bumping the LEVEL of instruction up also bumps the developmental level, and that just isn't right for a lot of HG+ elementary children.

Hopefully you can work something out.

I would agree that it depends significantly on the specific child, and her emotional/developmental level. When our already-one-year-grade-skipped DC was advanced from third to fifth in a(n unannounced) whole grade acceleration, the mixed grade receiving class actually was instructed in the sixth grade ELA, social studies, (and math, for our child) curricula (confusing, yes)--an effective 3y cumulative acceleration, which means that our 8 year-old did have to manage middle school themes.

This worked mainly because of 1) the temperament and maturity of the child, and 2) the sensitivity and flexibility of the teachers; and 3) it didn't hurt that the school was very small, cozy, and warmly-relational, which cut down on the early adolescent drama quite a bit. I'll note that this was not our sensitive child, but our hypersocial ebulliently-optimistic child.

I think it would be an excellent idea to sit down with your DD and give her some space to express how she feels about her current schedule, how her academic, social, and emotional needs are being met, what might improve her situation, etc.

Balancing aspects of development is such a challenge...I feel for you.

Thanks for your replies, everyone.

Quantum, I guess the problem is that I've had year after year of advocating for differentiation for my kid without her actually getting any, and now the areas where she needs differentiation the most (even though she's one of the top in her other subjects as well) is being extended, time wise, and lumped together, so she basically has 2 hours and 5 minutes straight of being bored and being told to free read. Hey, I like to free read as much as the next bookworm, but it's not what I want for my kid every day.

I think you're right, though, that acceleration won't fix that.

I suspect I'm getting my typical back-to-school anxiety as I gear up for another year.

Would more than 1-grade-level acceleration provide your child with appropriately challenging curriculum?

Tamara Fisher had a blog for Education Week, Unwrapping the Gifted, and frequently visited the topic of acceleration.

Unfortunately, lack of appropriate challenge (aka boredom) can lead to brain changes and underachievement, which can be difficult to reverse.

Do you have any resources to support this idea that I can share with the principal?