Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Considering grade skip

I have a nine year old DYS DD. Her school is strongly encouraging a grade skip. We have been hesitant because of social skills ( she is mature but does not have any close friends in her grade) and I am beginning to question my decision. She would go from 3rd to 5th and honestly, fourth grade looks like a ton of repetition, I don't thing her social situation could really get any worse. This year she did become good friends with a girl in 5th grade that unfortunately had to move. So what experiences have you had with grade skips? The good and the bad? I am a little concerned that it puts her on the younger end so if she accelerates through high school she will be much younger going in to college. Thoughts??

Grade skipping (also called whole-grade acceleration) is a frequent topic of discussion on the forums, as it is such an important decision. As this individual post is a bit large and unwieldy, created a new thread here (2021).

No doubt others will share their stories, but I'll begin by saying that because each child and learning environment is unique, every case is different. The Iowa Acceleration Scale (IAS) is a tool made to help evaluate the appropriateness of full-grade acceleration in a given set of circumstances. As there is good and bad in everything, there are both pros and cons to acceleration. Many old threads discuss the ups and downs of acceleration. Here is a link to one thread which contains links to several other discussion threads on acceleration.

Here is a quick summary of those links, an acceleration roundup, in case it is more convenient to read them listed in one post:
- Grade skipping tradeoffs (2014) discusses possible drawbacks, downsides, and disadvantages to grade-skipping.
- Kindergarten, experiences with grade-skipping? (2008)
- Effects of Early Grade Acceleration (2015)
- Accelerated schooling - skipping a year (2013)
- Skip a grade? (2014)
- old post (2013) discussing acceleration (Tamara Fisher archives: Unwrapping the Gifted)

- More old threads on acceleration:
EG/PG and not accelerated? (2008),
The other side of the coin (redshirting) (2008),
skipping up a grade (2008),
Grade skipping - revisited (2009),
Possible Grade Skip for Child (2011),
Against Accelerating the Gifted Child (2012),
Grade skipping and STEM accomplishments (2012),
Skipping/Red-shirting (2013),
Help: Multi-grade skip possible...... need advice (2013),
Leveling Out (2013),
Plateauing (2013),
grade acceleration? (2014),
If you or your child skipped a grade (2014),
School Administrators as Politicians (2015),
What to say when students ask about a grade skip (2015).

- Newer discussion links on this topic include:
Anyone choose NOT to accelerate? Is that crazy? (2016),
Grade skipping resulting in early college (2016),
Adding a link to a thread on early college (2016),
article mentioning acceleration - SMPY study (2016): Thinking of skipping a grade? (2016),
options for 15 year old after high school (2016),
For BTDT: Anyone decide not to accelerate? (2017),
Transition Meeting/Grade Skipped/Advocacy Skills (2017),
Grade skip vs gifted program (2018),
Grade Skip - Yes or No? (2018),
Cold feet with upcoming grade skip (2018),
College at 16 (2018),
college at 15 before high school graduation (2018),
14yo going to college - advice and tips please (2019),
Full-Grade Acceleration to 1st Grade Issues (2019),
Child reluctant to grade skip (2019),
Expected grades after grade skips (2019),
Exceptionally gifted children by Miraca Gross (2020),
How bad is the social aspect of grade skipping? (2020),
The (Gifted) Kids Are All Right (2020).

- a few thoughts about gym class or physical education (PE):
Grade skipping tradeoffs - denying accelerated students their earned awards (2014),
Grade skipped and facing middle school (2015),
Grade skipping and sports (2015),
Subject Acceleration and Changing Buildings (2016).

There is also this bit of insight from an old post (2013): Here is a link to a post (2016) which seems to understand very well why many students (and their parents) choose full-grade acceleration. In addition to expressing understanding, this post also mentions the research on acceleration: Here is a link to a research paper, The Socioaffective Impact of Acceleration and Ability Grouping - Recommendations for Best Practice (2007), mentioned in a thread called Looking for information about social development.

Here is a link to a post which mentions potential costs of NOT accelerating (2016).

To help minimize the numbers of persons who suffer the lack of appropriate acceleration, the Acceleration Institute has conducted and presented research showing the generally positive results of a grade skip, especially when factors listed in the IAS are proactively considered/weighed in the decision-making. Two things may work against broader acceptance/adoption of acceleration:
1) Entrenched thinking of "peers" as being those of the same chronological age (rather than intellectual/academic peers)
2) Common Core has ushered in an era of extensive data collation enabling the evaluation/rating/ranking of schools and teachers based on achieving equal outcomes among their student populations. Closing achievement gaps to gain a positive evaluation/rating/ranking may often involve capping the growth of students at the top

Resources:
1. Studies conducted by the University of Iowa on the subject of acceleration,
2. Acceleration Institute,
3. A Nation Deceived (circa 2004),
4. The ten-year follow-up to A Nation Deceived: A Nation Empowered,
5. Iowa Acceleration Scale (IAS). The Iowa Acceleration Scale (IAS) is described on Hoagies Gifted Education Page here and the actual IAS, 3rd edition, is sold by Gifted Unlimited, here.
6. Gregory Park dissertation (2011)
7. Vanderbilt - When Less is More: Effects of Grade Skipping on Adult STEM Productivity Among Mathematically Precocious Adolescents (2013)
8. Presentation of Prof. Dr. Nicholas Colangelo at Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen, Netherlands (youtube video, 41:05, published Nov 2013)
9. NAGC webinar - Acceleration: Making Informed Decisions, PowerPoint slides (2015)
10. Accelerate Illinois, report presented by Illinois Association for Gifted Children (IAGC), 2017
11. Article on Davidson Database (A10313), excerpt from A Nation Empowered, listing 20 types of acceleration
12. Article on Davidson Database (A10487) including international guidelines for acceleration.
13. NCGRE (UNCONN) Key Findings include findings on acceleration (unfortunately, the infrequent use of subject matter acceleration)
14. NOTE: If a link is broken or if the linked contents have changed (such as occurs with an update or a redesigned website), then try looking for the link in the "WayBack Machine," internet archive.

As this individual post is a bit large and unwieldy, created a new thread here (2021).

It is actually possible that her social situation may actually get better if she is more mature than her age peers.

Our DS skipped 4th this year midyear and it's gone well. He's still closer working on building friendships (he's pretty introverted), but he loves his class and his teacher, and he found a couple kids who seem to keep him challenged. I think what really worked for him in moving ahead was being more autonomous and in depth with projects -- the higher expectations of personal responsibility in class were really appreciated. He can take things to the next level. He's chomping at the bit for more, which makes middle school look appealing in the fall, but he did express dismay that the 6th graders don't have recess, which is a pitfall of losing a year of a younger grade. But they will at least have P.E. every other day. There's really a lot to weigh, and I'm not sure yet if DD will also do a grade skip or not. It's such an individual thing, as the others have said. DS was an easier decision, I think.

It's handy that indigo quoted an earlier thread, so I don't have to repeat myself as much here.

I and one of our children each skipped fourth (I moved from third to fourth mid-year, and our child skipped into fifth on a school change). In both cases, the skip was into a multi-age classroom: I finished the year in a 4/5 combination, then went to a 5/6 combination the following year, and our child started the new school year in a 5/6/7 combination. The transition was successful, on balance, for each person, but I think whether yours will be as suitable depends greatly on the individual child, and the makeup of the receiving classroom and teacher. FWIW, I was quite shy as a child, while our child is pretty much the exact opposite.

And yes, this did, in combination with a few other skips, result in my entering college on the young side. We have not yet decided whether our child will enter college early, although if it seems appropriate at the time, that will definitely be an option. If your child is not ready for college, as a complete package, after high school, you can always do a gap year, have her take a course or two while exploring any special non-academic interests she has, experience the world of minimum wage jobs (not a bad life lesson, there), volunteer, etc. A grade skip now does not commit you to early college later.

I'm in Virginia, so I don't know how much applys, but I feel as if I should contribute to this. One thing, social skills are important, but those develope outside of school. Encouraging her to make friends in your neighborhood (bit of advice on that, I do not reccamend "Hi, my name is _____, can you be my friend?" It does not work all that well) is a good stratagy, and when I was her age, my best friend / mentor was a woman who was older than my mom. I learned a lot from her, and we still try to get together and eat once or twice a year. It may be that she just dosn�t get along well with her peers, and as long as she is getting some social interaction, she'll be fine. And if she knows enough to skip grades, let her. Yes, social skills can be an issue, but it is torture to be in a class below your mental level. If your kid is at a higher level knowledge wise, put her at that level, trust me you will spare her and yourself some unnecessary grief.

And consider that some people have gone to college at the age of 14 (that's the youngest I can remember, but I bet there was someone younger) I doubt that your daughter will have any issues. The main thing is that she needs your support, because with that she can go as far as she is able. If she needs friends, she will tell you, and even then, you only need a few good friends. A few months ago,my best friend moved away, and I found myself feeling trapped in the house because I had no friends to Hang out with and get out of the house for a bit. With in a few weeks I made four new friends, and I hang out with them quite a bit. If she feels lonely or trapped, she will let you know, and given the oprotunity, she'll make friends then. They might not be her age though, so be prepared for that.

Alright, I've gabbed enough, hopefully you got through that okay

Why do 6th graders not get recess? Here you get 20 to 30 mins mid morning and an hour for lunch then play all the way through school - i get 15 mins and 30-60 as an adult.

That is an excellent question, and one that I've heard answered as follows:
- Middle school students need the extra minutes for instructional time.
- The students get to walk between each class, so that is enough:
--- activity to keep them sharp,
--- "personal time" to see friends,
--- time to use the restroom facilities.
- Supervising students that age is difficult when there is not a specific planned activity.
- It's hard to get kids to settle down after a free period (recess).

Don't kids get gym class?

That's an excellent question, and the answer may differ among different school districts. I'm familiar with middle school students having gym class or Physical Education (PE) once or twice a week (not daily). Gym may rotate with "electives" in the student's class schedule.