Thanks everyone for the reassurances...sometimes I just doubt myself and feel overwhelmed. I want to stay within the safety of a curriculum but it is becoming more apparent that teaching where the child is at can be somewhere else. I need to get comfortable being outside the box and let learning occur rather than trying to direct or control it's flow. Additionally, I hope to become more settled with the hills and valleys. Thanks for all your wisdom ladies!

that my 6dd is reading at a 5th grade level (out loud to me) and doing 50 problems of three digit math additon and subtraction (carring/borrowing) daily. I am kind of worried... we are getting out of the box....I want to stick to a math program but she is wanting to do addition/subtraction worksheets. We are using Singapore 2A but we are out of the box so to speak. Do I let her run or pull her back? With reading....she was reading 3rd stuff but now suddendly (overnight) is reading 5th grade materials. She is jumping and I am trying to catch up. I am feeling a little nervous.

I donot know if my dd6yr is gifted or not but I do know she is working ahead of first grade. Some days she blows me away and other days not so. I am very thankful to be homeschooling for I can go at her pace. I am sure without a doubt ps would be difficult for her just because she has been able to learn without bells, social distractions and lowered expectations. I come to this website for curriculum ideas/resources and have found valuable suggestions. Accelerated or gifted doesnot matter to me at this point (in the past I really wanted to know). Now, I am more interested in finding my dd valuable educational materials, making sure we keep on track with her interests and abilities and enjoying the journey of learning together. I have found that most often a child's gift is found in their interest(s), the one(s) that keeps coming back, year after year.

Congratulations to you both!

This is so funny....reminds me of my 6dd who after being stung by a bee removed the stinger and looked at it under a microscope!

My dd6yr is doing for 1st grade: Singapore finishing 2A, then 2B & 3A REAL Science along with other science programs SOTW vol 1 Writing program SWR for spelling Various books of her choice for reading to me Poem memorization Piano Tap & Musical Theater Co-op Art

I just respond by saying we can work at our own pace fast or slow, can go on field trips that are of interest and homeschooling is a lot of fun. I never talk about what we are actually doing except the basics such as math, science, history, etc. I did have a friend suggest I send my youngest to school so it would be easier to help my oldest who has learning issues. I told her we have already covered first grade and she would be extremely bored. I stop there in explaining anything else. I only talk to my mother and my husband about what the kids are really doing. I have learned it is just better to say nothing about being ahead.

I read the article by Hirsch, thank you for posting. I was not surprised by the findings however a couple of ideas caught my attention. If the ability to decode quickly is essential to fluency along with an understanding of basic sentence structure, why is grammar disconnected from reading and rather taught with writing? I have taught my children basic grammar while they were reading so that they may understand the context of their reading. With regards to vocabulary, a child may understand a word orally but not be able to decode (read) that same word. The disconnect is a place for remedial reading (phonics). Additonally, it is vital that children "hear a word" in additon to "seeing a word" otherwise they may acquire an understanding of a word in writing but not be able to speak that word if they are unable to phonically sound out that word. Once again a case for phonics! Interesting fact from article: 12th grade student, scoring well on the verbal portion of the SAT knows between 60,000-100,000 words! After reading this article, I once again am reminded to read more nonfiction to the kids. By the way, DORA tests comprehension with nonfiction reads.

One thing to mention about this area of the test. My daughter knew enough about soil erosion without reading the section (she did though) to get each comprehension question correct. So.....previous knowledge on the topic to read can effect one's scores. Just my .02

We just purchased GeoSafari Laptop....my 6yr loves this! I cannot keep her off. I find her retesting herself so she learns each informational card. I hear there are additional cards. Just a fun learning toy.

I hear what you are saying about vocabulary....DORA is really testing oral vocabulary skills when not in the reading comprehension piece.

My 6dd took the DORA test. A couple of problems right off the bat...she wanted to go too fast and carelessly clicked which produced wrong answers right away. She got pretty far with reading comprehension but wanted to stop all together at the Trail of Tears. I wanted her scores but messed the whole thing up (to long to tell you about) so she took it again. Well this time I had her sloooow down and she did much better but then got tired and went to the reading comprehension and made grave errors due to mouse errors/being tired....she did not even get to where she was the first time around. So looking at her scores is a little tricky. I did learn that "testing" has its flaws and limitations. I was surprised to see her vocab at high 5th grade, wished I could view her reading comprehension.

Thank you for the reviews....I went ahead and purchased DORA thru the Homeschooling Buyer's club (saved $8!)-thanks for that tip!

I am considering using the DORA test to assess my dd6yr and dd8yr. If you have used this assessment, was it helpful? I am testing each for a different reason. My 8dd is a struggling reader (she has some learning disabilities) and my 6dd is an advanced reader. I would like get a better picture of where they are at and also want to chart their progress. We have been using Spell to Write and Read for a phonics and spelling along with daily readings of 20minutes. Also, how long is the k-12 assessment?

My vote: Let her try....so much learning will occur in working towards her goal, whether she reaches it or not. What does she want to study in college? I am excited for your little girl's future! Wishing you all the best!

JennW that was beautifully said...thankful for the loving guidance. I have been were you are at regarding testing. I just wanted to get my 6dd tested just so I could say "yes" she is gifted to myself. Now however I have loosened up and am really enjoying the ride. Kids are funny and often unpredicatable, just pulling questions/thoughts out in the most natural way. As for the subject of reading, my 6dd started out fast, then slowed down, then started fast again. Her goal this year is to read Harry Potter--this is her goal, not mine. I think it is a little ambitious considering she is reading at a 4th grade level but if she has the desire, well she just may pull it off. Motivation, let it come on her own time. No fear, your daughter will push herself when she is ready for a challenge. However, doing school work that is at her level and she just doesnot want to complete ...well, that is the time to push, push to completion (if it is for the day). I donot worry anymore about pushing my daughter, I worry about giving her enough challenge. Thoughts like, what will we do after that (book, workbook ) is done? Are there enough books for her to read? Are we doing enough science or math? I have set up my home so that many activities are available to my children for instance: a kid's sewing center (machine&fabric), art area with everything one would need & pictures from famous artists, and a science area with books/microscope/collections/elements chart. Yesterday on her own, she collected items to look under her microscope with much facination, showing us what she had found. Some people may think giving a microscope to a six year old is pushing, but she wanted one and really I think kids should be comfortable with such tools. My dd6 is also very socially aware and the discussion of what is cool came up along with the whole princess thing. We talked about how being called a princess can be a negative so she decided to play the part of a doctor princess, helping others rather than being self centered. She is currently working on a play, requested to learn to type (program) and has begun using word processing. This is what I am talking about...keeping up is sometimes hard for this mommy. Enjoy the ride....kids will create their own learning through play. Keep going on field trips, reading books together and discussing the world around you.

If you are homeschooling, I am not sure how you "will not put her more ahead." If you are looking science programs, I would suggest checking into Prufrock Press. The Cycles-Differentiated Curriculum (grade 1-3) is a wonderful science program however short (16wks) so you can move onto the next book which I believe is called Changes. These are fun science lessons that intergrate science concepts with fun simple exercises using crafts, writings and play acting.

I have not read "Outliers" but my husband has. The story of Bill Gates demonstrates how opportunity was critical for success in addition to his drive (10,000hrs), IQ and luck. In addition, Gladwell"s "Tipping Point" is also worth reading.

Last year during Sept-June we held school 5 days a week however I also counted field trips as school. There were weeks through out the year to take breaks for holidays, family & friend visits, and vacations (trips to Mexico and Arizona which I counted as school). We also took many nature walks, attended chess club, ballet, and piano lessons. A home school day consisted of piano practice 15min in the morning, memorization, prayers, kids reading outloud for 20min, writing 10 min, spelling 15min, math 20 min, science 1x a week or more for an 1hr, history 1xa week or more for an 1hr, geography 1x a week for 20min so about 2hrs a day. What is hard to count was all the learning time (discussions)that came from my children's questions/interests. I did seperate my kids for reading and math since they are needing individual attention and are at different levels. As for the summer, we are schooling light with science activities, writing, reading, and math. Both girls have been attending science, art, and pony camps so schooling time has been near impossible but we have done some. Next week they will be in a Girl Scout camp 9-3pm for the week. It has been very difficult for me to not be doing school with them but the break is needed. We start school again in August. Now that both the girls are of "school age" most of their extra curricular activities will occur after 3pm which will give us more time for school projects. Last year, I also began to keep a log of the books I have read to the girls. I read between 1hr to 1 1/2hrs a night to them on a regular basis. I would encourage you to enjoy the field trips, dive into children's literature, and take advantage of extra curricular classes so as to not get bogged down with workbooks or traditional school activities.

I would suggest Singapore Math if you are wanting a workbook. There is an online assessment test so you can gauge what book would be the best fit. I remember at this age doing a lot of Mommy Math too. There are many fun math games available.

My conclusions come from personal experiences and points of view from many authors who also share my opinion. I think this horse is dead!

As the original poster (OP), first of all my oldest child did attend AP classes through out high school so I personally have seen how ps can get it right. There are some great ps teachers out there. For instance, my uncle is a retired ps teacher (AP History) however he was the first to tell me that the institution of public school is doing an injustice to education! My friend's (ps teacher) child's understanding of living vs nonliving things and veg/fruit seed mix up was strange (because he was so adamant) but similar to how some children think. Yes, of course my children make funny, nonsense or incorrect statements and I am sure they will in the future, no worries there. During this time (OPing), I was reading "Conspiracy of Ignorance," dealing w/ a science camp (ps kids) that was undereducating my youngest and a child who wanted to tell me that a rock was alive meanwhile his mother is spouting that ps is seriously flawed. Sorry if some were offended by my post, I just needed to vent a little. In polls, there is a consensus among parents that ps is failing however when asked about their own child's school, they say their school is not. Why homeschool if our children could get a better education with public school? John Gatto's "Dumbing Us Down" and "Underground History of American Education" are great reads about our ps institution.

I do not know how I could ever not be accelerating my children. They are interested in so many things outside our boxed curriculum. Questions not easily answered that send me researching for answers, thank God for the internet! At times I feel inadequate for I donot have a speedy reply to every question. I just keep telling myself that we have time and soon they can do their own research (all in good time).

It sounds like it is safe to say that homeschool curriculum is fairly accurate in assessing grade level whereas ps standards (curriculum) are extremely low? The gap between a child homeschooled vs ps schooled is tremendous! Singapore math gives grade guidelines but how accurate are those if they are based on ps standards?

I am begining to rethink what it means for a child to be accelerated or advanced. How can I fairly evaluate how my children are doing, if my measurement is based on ps current standards? It would be hard for most homeschool students not to outshine ps students. Even those "what your 1st/2nd, etc. grader should know" books seem to favor low standards or am I wrong? I guess I could be looking at TIMSS and do some digging into other (Canada, England, etc.) educational standards for a more accurate picture.