Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Elementary School Kindergarten 2009-2010

We had our meeting with the school yesterday about DD4 skipping K, and got the call this morning saying she can start 1st next week!

I'm so relieved it is all over. (For now.) I have been so stressed out about the meeting for months and we didn't have a good backup solution if it didn't work out.

First day of school is next Wednesday. I'm getting nervous, but DD is super calm. It is great to hear about everyone elses start of school adventures. I hope all the DC have a great school year.

That's great news! Way to go re: your advocacy. Good luck next week.

I have to go back and read everything, because it's very late.

DD5 is going into K next Wednesday. It's going to be a weird year, I think. I know it perhaps doesn't

She's just mostly done with her first chapter book (Dinosaurs before Dark). She's been reading independently for a year now.

She just asked me to get her "books about math" from the library, so I picked up a few Time Life "I Love Math" books that are really stories with lots of math concepts covered. And she understands them. She's asked to do math at home over the summer. Not a lot of problems, but some, just for fun.

But she's worried K will be hard. She has selective mutism too, so even though she's had different tests (not IQ tests per se) to show she is 2-3 years ahead of her age.

They do Saxon Math at school. Not a great program for gifted kids I hear due to the spiraling curriculum.

She also didn't get the teacher we both wanted. I know nothing about her, but new the other half-day kindy teacher well since dd1 had her 2 years ago. We both cried (of course I didn't let dd5 see me cry about it). The only good thing to come from it is that she's not in the same class as a friend of hers who is a little snotty and bossy.

She *could* be grade skipped, if it weren't for the selective mutism she has. I have to see how that goes this year first, before I push to move her up if she's getting bored. Unlike dd7, she definitely complains loudly when she finds something boring.

I am prepared to keep afterschooling her sister and her, hopefully to make up for any deficits in the curriculum. I've been doing this for 2 years now though because they've been asking me to do things at home to learn more.


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Sorry about the confusion, I didn't realize that the convention is to write dd+age, not dd+birth order.

DD4 (almost 5, as she reminds us frequently) is starting 1st on the 1st and will likely get extra acceleration in reading. DS7 will also get a +1 acceleration in reading.

She delights in telling people that she's skipping kindergarten, even though we haven't really made much of it. I think she's pretty chuffed with herself for passing the tests. Reactions have been quite positive overall; I think her very young age and cheery innocence about the whole thing helps. She also only tells people she knows and likes, which probably helps, too.

Does anyone else's little one talk about grade-skips?

Val

I'm joining in here with another kindergartener. DS5 will be six in a month. He's going to a charter school, it does not have a gifted program but is set up more to handle a wide range of abilities. It's an all day program, which I'm nervous about, but the school seemed to be a better choice. He hasn't been assessed but has a lot of the traits, he reads well, understands things quickly, he's been obsessed with the Magic School Bus for two years now. The administrator of his preschool felt strongly that he is gifted.

My biggest concern is his perfectionism. If he can't do something instantly he either gets frustrated or goofy and quits. He sticks to what he knows and is reluctant to move past it. I've questioned my judgment about him being gifted, maybe I'm trying to see something that isn't there, because it seems like avoiding a challenge is so atypical of a gifted child. It is there though, I see it in a lot of different ways, he just rebels when he knows he's being challenged.

I'm glad I found all of you and hope to learn and contribute. I'm fortunate that IRL most people who know him see what I'm talking about and will bring it up to me. I've had some smart aleck comments though if I mention gifted education. Online I belong to a parenting board and I don't like to bring it up there, too many people think it's all about the parent seeing something they want. They don't understand that I wouldn't choose to have his schooling be harder.

I can't believe some of the people here have a four year old who is starting first grade this year! Our public school system wouldn't even let my four year old start kindergarten, even though he's ready for first and could pass for a six year old. That's part of the reason why we're going private.

DD will be attending a private school too. The public school might even have discouraged us from even sending her to kindergarten....

Val

Hi MNMom! so glad u found us. There are so many myths about gifted kids! In fact gifted kids are an incredibly diverse group. There are many many highly gifted kids who become afraid or reluctant to take on challenges. I believe that one common pathway to this kind of perfectionism is when a child spends 'too much' time in educational setting which is far below the child's readiness level. keep reading and posting ....you are welcome here! best wishes grinity

Our public school uses a guided reading curriculum and each child reads at their level every single day whether it is a K level, 2nd, 4th etc. many public schools have gone to this model. As far as acceleration goes, does it really benefit a profoundly gifted child to move up one grade level when they are functioning many grade levels above their same age peers? At least if they are with their age level peers they "fit in" a little in one respect, what is the point of a single grade acceleration? I really try to consider what our ultimate goal is for our DS, not just his Kindergarten year.

Woof. That's really great. Public schools in our area don't do that.



I think this depends a lot on the child. Some HG+ kids don't fit with age-level peers at all. Some do.

My DS9 fit in pretty well with his age-level peers before skipping third. But he was going barmy doing grade-level maths, which was way below his level. After the skip he got extra acceleration in maths and he started spending time with a couple kids who are 2 years older than him, and he got on with them really well.

He's doing another skip this year to 6th. I'm hoping it'll work out socially. We'll see.



I agree that single skips aren't always great solutions. They mitigate the boredom, I suppose.

My opinion: all schools should be ability grouped. If there was a will, this would be doable. The schools could schedule maths/reading/art/whatever at the same time and the kids would just rotate to where they belonged.

We sacrifice to send our kids to private schools that ability group, which is why DD4 (soon 5) will be able to skip K and start 1st. They're going to give her an extra acceleration in reading. Our local public schools are anti-skip and anti-subject acceleration, and so DD, who practically eats books, would be forced to name letters and the sounds they make. Ouch!

Val