Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Grade skip vs gifted program

I keep starting posts and running out of time to finish them but aquinas has posted most of what I was trying to go for.

We've been through a similar decision with both kids and I'll add a couple more things to consider....

Friends - leaving our neighbourhood school has meant that getting together with classmates can be up to a 45 min drive rather than the kids across the street or a few blocks over.

School involvement - I used to volunteer regularly and attend most school functions when they went to the school 5 minutes away and going to a craft day or the science fair was no big deal. Now it is a lot more challenging which has meant that we often skip those types of activities and DH and I are basically not involved at all with the school.

Peers - I would recommend talking with the school about what they mean by gifted and what their program is. I would want to have a sense of how kids are determined to be gifted. Is entrance based on IQ, achievement or a combination? What is their criteria? Is it about acceleration, depth and breadth or a mix? A program designed for high performing MG kids will likely look different than a program aiming to meet the needs of 2E PG kids for example. It isn't necessarily that one is better or worse but you're looking for information to see if it is a good fit for your particular child.

How do they handle kids that still need more? If their answer is "differentiation" then I'd press for specific details of what they've done for their most extreme outliers.

I have two very different kids with different needs so I've looked at this through different eyes each time we went through the decision. There have definitely been some trade-offs but nothing that surprised us. In the end the gifted program has been worth it and it has been a decent fit for each of them in different ways. The peer group and level of classroom discussion has made up for some of the things that aren't as ideal but for every child and program there are different variables at play.

Good luck!

Chay, you definitely hit the points on why we wanted her to go to our neighbourhood school. Unfortunately, i got ahead of myself. There is a new principal and it appears that they are not so fond of grade acceleration. The gifted program at the other school doesn't have consistent requirements when accepting students - you can use an IQ test with scores as low as 120, recommendation by teachers and a brief achievement test. I think they go at somewhat of a faster pace and more in-depth, but it's still the same grade level material. It's a public school after all. The gifted program coordinator seemed a little surprise by my request to grade skip as she explained the kids in the class are all gifted. Yes, because all gifted kids are the same. I only discovered my kid really knew how to read at 4 because she picked up a new book and read it aloud. A grade 2 level book.

I'm extremely frustrated and sad.

Yep, that's what we're here for... there is no time to waste being frustrated and sad, so please allow us to sponge that up and blot it away with a knowing nod and BTDT pat on the back.

Moving right along...

It seems you've just learned the school's level of familiarity with acceleration is nil and non-existent. So you are progressing through a list. You've got your work cut out for you. But we are here to help and we are up to the task. Be sure to make your your own custom list, with input from your spouse.

Following the basic advocacy advice about meetings, you may wish to sent a polite and positive follow-up e-mail summarizing your conversation with the gifted school. In that e-mail, you may wish to link some resources regarding acceleration.

Be sure to read up on BTDT pros and cons of acceleration with your spouse... be sure you are both in agreement... discuss frequently over time... ensure you remain in agreement for all advocacy efforts.

Have you read your State laws and each schools policies? Going forward, be aware that these may change over time.

indigo - I get frustrated and mad for other parents when I read through their stories on this board! But thank you for understanding my frustrations. By the way, there are no state/provincial laws - it is up to the school to decide however when i called the superintendent's office, i was told "studies have shown grade skipping showed disastrous results."

Our pro/con list is pretty much what you had detailed and unfortunately right now the convenient 2 minute walk is weighted pretty heavily on the pro list. We both work full-time, and while our jobs are flexible it is so disruptive to take 30 minutes out to pick her up, only to pick up her sibling at a different school 1 hour later.

Both schools have agreed to meet with us (i'm taking that as a good sign), and I am now putting together a package - IQ test report, current school's first term report card, and some work samples. I'm thinking of also asking her teacher to write something to confirm what she has covered and some comments on her abilities.

I feel like the gifted program has to be stellar in order for me to think it's worth it. Deep down I know that she needs to be with advanced kids in order to try hard; otherwise, she does the bare minimum because it's still leaps and bounds ahead of her peers. There is a nearby "gifted" school that shows weekly spelling tests for the classrooms and i sighed looking at the words for the second grade class. I asked my daughter before bed if she could spell some of those words, and she recited the spelling without skipping a beat.

Me, too. But we cannot make progress based on emoting... only based on facts and evidence, both empirical evidence from research studies, and anecdotal evidence from lived experiences. So we shift gears from emotion to fact-gathering, prioritizing, and presentation.

I would politely ask for his sources/resources... which studies? I would read anything he provides and analyze the study itself... population size, length of research study, etc. But my guess is that he may have nothing. Either way, I would read up on the acceleration resources linked upthread, and share those with him for his consideration. I would offer to meet to discuss the resources. If you are choosing NOT to attend that school, you may still wish to send a link to the resources of the acceleration institute... as your paths may cross again.

There are pros and cons to everything. As long as you and your spouse agree on a decision and understand why it was the best (or least-worst) option at the time, you are in a good position to deal with any downsides together.

Excellent. Keep a copy for your family as well. Arrange everything by date in a ring binder so you have information readily available as needed for any future advocacy.

Many, if not most, gifted kids may experience appropriate academic challenge and intellectual peers largely through after school activities, enrichment, gifted summer camps, etc.

Is your child a Davidson Young Scholar?

If so, they can help to advocate for your child with the schools. They were extremely helpful in our daughter's case.

Speaking from experience I can tell you first hand that if your child is >MG there will be no perfect school out there - it just becomes a matter of stacking up the pros and cons on each side of the scale for each choice and checking for the alternative that is skewed the least sub-optimally.

Redo the above periodically.

This forum is a great place to learn, to vent and get support.

madeinuk: unfortunately, we are not in the US and cannot apply.

Thank you everyone for your input, comments and links to other threads. I am super grateful this group exists, though i sometimes feel like i spend way too much time reading through the threads. I can't believe how hard the decision was for us. Both schools agreed to place her 1 grade ahead. I came to realize that solely bringing an IQ report is insufficient and was armed with a recent report card, letter from her preschool, and sample work. I even printed off a few grades of the provincial math curriculum and asked her teacher to check off what she has completed so far. Of course, that made me a little sad knowing that she will have completed 3 grades worth of math in 1 year. I also made sure they knew that we were not trying to rush her, but felt that moving her up one grade would make it easier for the teacher to accommodate her. We also didn't think that being told she is the smartest kid in the class was good for her development, and she needed to learn the same skills everyone else got to learn in order to ensure her success when she was older. She needed to learn how to struggle a little bit and deal with challenges. I definitely made sure not to use the word "bored" or "gifted"!

After much debate, we decided to put her in the G&T program. The teachers and admin seem to "get" gifted kids, and even confirmed there would be approximately 3 HG/EG kids in her class. From what i'm told, they accept kids who score in the 95th percentile.

Thanks again everyone!

This is music to my ears! Please be sure to stick around and help advise other new parents.

If it wasn't for this site, I wouldn't have been as prepared. I hope to be as helpful as others have been, and also give hope to those who may have to advocate for their kids.

If option two is viable, then I suggest doing it.