Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Skipping 7th or 8th grade

Has anyone had experience with skipping a middle school year? We are thinking of approaching the idea with DD12's school. She is in favor as it would give her access to the high school classes next year. She was 3 years accelerated in both language/arts and math during elementary school. She has just started middle school and is in a high school Geometry class and doing great. In her other classes which are not accelerated, she has started to complain of boredom again and the slow pace of the classes. She is really interested in some of the high school classes and I think she can handle them. She is in a 7-12 grade school so it maybe also possible to ask her to be allowed to attend the high school classes as a middle school student. I almost skipped her 5th grade but was talked out of it by the school administration. They said she would be fine academically but the social aspects were worse than encountering the boogey man. I had not yet found this board and or know what I know now so allowed the spooky stories of teenage pregnancy etc. to stir me away from it. Now I am back thinking that she maybe better off being officially in a higher grade than just accelerated as it seems it makes it more legitimate. So thoughts and experience would be greatly appreciated.

My eldest skipped 3rd and 5th (in 7th now), so he's a fair bit younger than his classmates. He's had zero social issues, but he goes to a small private school, so bear that in mind if your daughter attends a big school. Last year he took his teddy bear to school and I wasn't sure what would happen. Soon all the other kids were taking their teddy bears to school. They even had a Christmas party with their teddy bears. That was nice.

I'm inclined to think that teenage pregnancy depends as much on the personality of the kid as it does on the school or home environments. Is your daughter more insecure than other girls her age or more confident? Is she easily led by others or does she prefer to make her own decisions?

I don't think a one-year skip is a big deal unless the child is very very small (but this probably matters less at your daughter's age than it would at age 7 or 8) AND very socially awkward AND insecure, etc. Kids typically know all the kids in the grade ahead of them and spend time with them anyway.

What does your daughter have to say about the idea? She's presumably old enough to think it through a bit.

Do you have a copy of the Iowa Acceleration Scales book?

Val

Hi Val, thanks for the response. I did not know the Iowa Acceleration Scales was also for middle school. I assumed it was for elementary. My daughter is a gorgeous 12 year old who can pass for 15 easily. She is tall and pretty secure. Sometimes she falls into falling the crowd but for example just the other day she went to a party where they had dirt bikes and she refused to ride without a helmit even though she ended up being the only one wearing a geeky looking one. So she can do it emotionally just not sure if it is done often or what. Also wondering what people think of acceleration versus grade skipping. She is totally for the idea..ohh the house just filled with kids.

My dd12 skipped 5th and is now an 8th grader. She turned 12 just a few weeks ago. We don't have any experience with skipping a later grade than that, though.

I'd say that socially it has worked quite well in middle school for her to be one of the youngest, though. She fits in a lot better with the kids in her current grade than she did with the kids in her grade pre-skip.

If your dd is already attending class with kids in the older grades for some of the subjects, it might make the social adjustment easier as well.