Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My son is currently a 3rd grader who’s STAR testing has him doing math on a 7th grade level and he reads on a 6.5 grade level. His teacher broached the topic with his mother and I. She says he is bored with the 3rd grade curriculum and thinks he needs more of a challenge. We’re torn, we are aware of the negative social aspects of grade-skipping, but we want him to put his best foot forward too. We would probably only consider skipping the 4th grade.
I teach gifted students at a public magnet. I have had quite a few who skipped grades, and a number who where red shirted. Anecdotally, the kids older for their grade have done generally better than those who skipped grades. Oh, and I don’t mean socially, being younger has not stopped them from having friends, just that they were typically less mature than their older peers, which led to more issues with academics when in a challenging environment.
Based on where you have listed as your location, the school system should have a rather healthy gifted program. Your school should have a gifted teacher or coordinator, if not contact the district coordinator. Your child’s scores are high but given the Huntsville area population he should have academic peers without skipping grades. Additionally, more and more systems are going towards selective content bumping, particularly for math.
The post above mine, by the way, is correct about grade skipping sometimes putting kids in a situation where they are not developmentally ready for the non-factual part of high school level classes.
__________________
When I post in bold red that is moderator action and, per the TOS, can only be discussed through Direct Message.
I teach gifted students at a public magnet. I have had quite a few who skipped grades, and a number who where red shirted. Anecdotally, the kids older for their grade have done generally better than those who skipped grades. Oh, and I don’t mean socially, being younger has not stopped them from having friends, just that they were typically less mature than their older peers, which led to more issues with academics when in a challenging environment.
Thanks for the response. He is one of the oldest 3rd graders at his school, he was born 9/11/09, most of his peers were born in 2010. So we’re not too worried about the age thing. Plus he is very outgoing and makes friends easily. I’m not really seeing much of a downside. Here is an article that I found on the subject, does it ring true to you as a gifted student educator?
Based on where you have listed as your location, the school system should have a rather healthy gifted program. Your school should have a gifted teacher or coordinator, if not contact the district coordinator. Your child’s scores are high but given the Huntsville area population he should have academic peers without skipping grades. Additionally, more and more systems are going towards selective content bumping, particularly for math.
The post above mine, by the way, is correct about grade skipping sometimes putting kids in a situation where they are not developmentally ready for the non-factual part of high school level classes.
Yes, he is in the GATE (gifted and talented education) program here, but it’s only about one-half day a week. It seems like he needs more.
Yes, he is in the GATE (gifted and talented education) program here, but it’s only about one-half day a week. It seems like he needs more.
He will get more when he gets to middle and high school. I'm also in Texas, and here kids as early as 5th grade take math classes one or two grades above. Once he gets to high school, he will have the opportunity to take AP and even college classes, assuming your high school does duel credit, as early as 10th grade.
OP, I'm all for a kid skipping grades, if he can do the work. Kids who are bored in their grade are at risk of giving up on school. Some gifted kids drop out by HS. I've known kids who were 2 grades ahead, and had no social issues. It depends on the kid and on the other kids in the class, too, I guess.
I think it's important to keep kids challenged and interested. My opinion seems to be the minority one on this forum, but I'm sticking with it. I think the alternative Old Hag presented, of selective course-skipping, if that's an option for you, sounds like a good compromise. In HS, he may have more options than waiting 'til 10th grade to take university courses, depending on your local college or university. If they have a gifted kids' program, that allows admission for HS freshmen or even middle school kids, that would be worth considering, if he's advanced enough at that point. Some level of college math classes, for example.
When I was a kid, I did the pre-kindergarten and pre-1st-grade thing (IOW, it was like being in first grade at kindergarten age, and kindergarten at late-preschool age). The school suggested putting me in 2nd grade after pre-1st instead of into conventional 1st grade (I would have been 1st-grade age). My parents declined, because they thought it'd be awkward if I was a bit younger than the other kids.
That meant I essentially took 1st grade twice, which would be excruciating for any kid who wasn't behind academically, let alone one who was ahead. I remember it sucked and I always wished they had just let me move up.
Based on his birth date, you should consider bumping him up.
Concur. I'd be very hesitant were he not close to age for the next grade.
I was a tag-ender, often the youngest child in the room, and clearly remember the frustration of being developmentally behind all the other kids. (I was GATE etc. all though junior high and an elite high school, so I had the chops... I just hadn't grown them yet. )
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I think the alternative Old Hag presented, of selective course-skipping, if that's an option for you, sounds like a good compromise. In HS, he may have more options than waiting 'til 10th grade to take university courses, depending on your local college or university. If they have a gifted kids' program, that allows admission for HS freshmen or even middle school kids, that would be worth considering, if he's advanced enough at that point. Some level of college math classes, for example.
