Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments skipping 2 or 3 grades mid-year?

Whether it is a positive or negative, sitting with classmates who are much older, really is highly individual to the child, family, and school systems. My own experience with skipping multiple grades in math midyear was first, at a similar age to OPs DC, and second, a few years later. The first time, I believe I went up two grades midyear, on a school change and grade skip. On this occasion, I placed into a mixed-age classroom. I don't remember any noticeable social effects specific to the skip, probably because the school model was ability grouped/mixed age departmentalized classes.

The second time, I was a two-whole-grade-equivalent skipped seventh-grader, additionally SSA into algebra II. I had something like pre-algebra the previous year, independent studied (not sure what, TBH) the first few weeks of seventh grade, then sat in an algebra I class for, I think, a chapter or two, and finally ended up in algebra II/trig, in a class of 11th and 12th graders, who were probably six to eight years older than I was. This worked out for me, without being any worse off socially, I don't think, than I would have been staying with my age/grade peers. Of course, I also had the benefit of a MS/HS joint campus, very accommodating school administrators, and savvy and persistent parental advocacy. And an unusually warm, accepting school climate.

So it can happen. Though more often one must choose the least-worst solution. Or prioritize particular downsides.

Thank you all so much for your help. My husband and I feel much more confident putting him in the 3rd grade math class, which from what we can tell he knows most but not all of the curriculum. Then we can address if we should do compacted math the following year. We'll continue to brainstorm what the first 30 minutes of his math block will look like, but I'm so grateful for this community who has experience with other "not-so-typical" kids and can offer such valuable advice!

We were in the same situation at this age. After a few weeks in 1st they put our ds in 2nd for math and L/A. In 2nd he went into 4th. In our district 4th is where you get the drills. 100 multiplication and division problems up to 12 in 5 minutes. When he was in 3rd he was in 5th math and L/A. At the end of this year he really soared. The school at this point was out of resources. They came up with a plan but it fell apart during the summer and the start of 4th. We started AoPS pre algebra this year at home and then switched to a private school where middle school starts in 5th.

Take it one year at a time and go with your gut. When you get something in place, enjoy the breather. Work at home, make it fun. Give him a hand and take his lead when he decides to run with it.

I just wanted to update where we are now. You are all so helpful and it is so encouraging to be able to talk with other parents with similar experiences! So thank you in advance! DS6 goes to a 3rd grade classroom for math now (mid-year switch) and absolutely loves it. He went from addition fact families to learning about fractions, which is fun and new to him. So far, that's a success.

I just got his winter MAP-P math scores and he had a big jump. He went from a 218 in the fall to a 246 this winter. The school had inquired about him taking the MAP 2-5 test and was told it wasn't necessary, that he could stay at the MAP-P because it would self-adjust. It looks like that score is 99% for 5th grade and 90% for 7th. I feel it would be more accurate if he took the same test as the other 3rd graders in his math class. What is the best way for me to find out where he really is in terms of needing math instruction? While he is happy in 3rd grade, his teacher seemed to be implying that based on his MAP-P we might need to make a different long-term plan.

That is a high P-MAP, but I do have to warn you that I do not think that P-MAP is very accurate at that score range (I also have high P-MAP and MAP scorers). I would expect that he would still score high on the 2-5 version, but it is a different test. I would highly suggest switching him to the 2-5 version:

https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1nA_PlvjvwFTi5vMwRxlfmmVUJo63pfwn67ZAMHaV4oU

Loy58- Thank you, I understand completely that it would be ideal for him to take the 2-5 version. The document you attached explains it well. We had asked that he try that test, but it doesn't seem the school system feels it's necessary (even though his teachers think it would be helpful). I guess my question is, if he cannot take the 2-5 version now, is there some other way we can get an accurate picture of his current math skills? Or even better, where he may have holes etc.?

Just updating this thread, as all of your input as been so helpful. My DS7 did move from the first grade math to the more advanced 3rd grade math classroom this year for the second semester. It's gone really well and he loves math again. Once he was officially enrolled in the 3rd grade math class, he was given the MAP-M (instead of MAP-P) for the spring assessment. His score dropped considerably, which we anticipated since a 246 on MAP-P seemed highly unlikely for a six year old. He scored a 225 on the spring Map-M and will be going into a compacted 4/5 math class next year. Taking things year by year, but at least right now it seems to be a good fit. :-) Thank you to everyone who encouraged me to really push for him to take the MAP-M instead of the MAP-P, I think it gives everyone a better picture of where he is.