Key Criteria for Grade Accceleration in School

[SKL]

If a child attends (or will attend) school, and is 2+ years ahead of grade level academically, what are the criteria you'd use to decide if acceleration is the right move? How can I benchmark my child against such criteria?

 

A teacher (whose opinion might matter) keeps trying to convince me that even if a child is years ahead academically, it is still better for her to be with her age-mates. (I should note that I am only planning to accelerate my kid into the class she'd attend anyway if she were 3 months older.)

 

Personally I feel she will hold her own and then some if accelerated. It is my opinion that she is enough on the "mature" side emotionally and socially to cancel out the small age difference. But obviously my saying that is not going to convince someone who has not spent time with her.

 

I'd love your thoughts. However, please note that full-time homeschooling is not an option, as I have to work full-time. I'm afterschooling her for now, to feed her hunger for knowledge and to build a case for accelerating her a year or two from now.

Edited August 28, 2011 by SKL

[JenneinCA]

You need a copy of the "Iowa Acceleration Scale". It is a check list of forms for you to fill out, the teacher to fill out, and maybe other folks to fill out too. It then gives weights to the answers and recommends a course of action.

 

Check with the school to see if they have it.

[KAR120C]

Iowa Acceleration Scale Manual

 

I've not used it myself (DS has never been in PS) but the people I know who have successfully accelerated their kids have had good things to say about the process that the IAS puts you through to make that decision.

[KAR120C]

You need a copy of the "Iowa Acceleration Scale". It is a check list of forms for you to fill out, the teacher to fill out, and maybe other folks to fill out too. It then gives weights to the answers and recommends a course of action.

 

Check with the school to see if they have it.

Apparently I was typing too slow.... :D

[Crimson Wife]

There's a lot of really good information on acceleration in the book A Nation Deceived: How Schools Hold Back America's Brightest Students by the folks at the Belin-Blank Center for Gifted & Talented Education at the University of Iowa. You can download a copy free here. Volume II, chapter 8 is the section on whole-grade acceleration.

[Crimson Wife]

Having done this, the best advice I can give is do not accelerate if your child will not be in the top 5% academically in the receiving grade - in all subjects. You want her to learn and to excel. Also consult with the school psych on the social and emotional - you want the best fit.

 

There were a handful who skipped when my ds skipped in primary. Every single one regrets it now except mine, as they nearly flunked Alg I and 8th grade English (the school graded on a curve, and every single child in the Alg I class except mine will be repeating in 9th - yes it was an excellent teacher, my kid excelled on the Regent's and in the class with no outside assistance, but his fellow skippers missed too much of the grade they skipped in mathematical reasoning and their algebra tutors couldn't make it all up). Yes, they are bright, but not gifted and not emotionally mature enough to handle the middle school lit a year ahead. They have trashed their high school transcript by starting with 85s in Algebra and Earth Science, just for the prestige of being 'grade skipped' and 'accelerated'. Some of them advocated for three years for the skip before the principal gave in too. Be wise.

 

I'm sorry, but I could not disagree with this more. It's actually making my blood boil, so I'm going to need to cool off a bit before I respond further. :cursing:

[matilda]

An teacher (whose opinion might matter) keeps trying to convince me that even if a child is years ahead academically, it is still better for her to be with her age-mates. (I should note that I am only planning to accelerate my kid into the class she'd attend anyway if she were 3 months older.)

 

There is a lot of teacher input in the Iowa Acceleration Scale. If this teacher really does have a say, her opinion is going to turn the results towards not accelerating, even if you convince the school to fill out the questionnaire.

 

You may have to work with this teacher more. Do you already have an IEP and was she involved in the process? Perhaps the school can offer a compromise between skipping a grade (if that is off the table for the school) and whatever they are doing for your dd right now.

 

Good luck. I have been here before.

[Tattarrattat]

Here's our past experience. DS was grade skipped and subject accelerated when he was in ps. At the time we didn't use IOWA Acceleration Scale. We successfully advocated several times by providing samples, private testing scores(IQ/Achievement), SCAT scores etc. at various times. These made school realize that this kid indeed needed some acceleration. Though his scores were very high, the school still administered their own testing on reading and math each time which I think was reasonable. I think it was these in-house testings that really let them make the decision. Of course the social aspect also played a role in their decision. They wanted to make sure he was mature enough to be with older kids.

 

 

HTH.

[SKL]

Of course the social aspect also played a role in their decision. They wanted to make sure he was mature enough to be with older kids.

 

 

HTH.

 

How did they determine whether he was mature enough? Input from previous teachers? How would that work if the grade acceleration occured between schools, e.g., pre-K in School 1 followed by 1st grade in School 2? She will necessarily change schools because her current school only goes through KG.

[Dmmetler]

I still think the smartest way of handling acceleration (after the PS system had done the Iowa Acceleration scale and a bunch of testing, and reluctantly agreed that it was warranted to allow DD to enter K despite having missed the cut-off by 7 weeks) was the private school she eventually ended up attending. She simply went to the K class and spent a day with the current K students. By the end of the day, the teacher commented that she'd forgotten that DD was barely 4 in a group of 6 yr olds, that she fit in very, very well socially, and that academically she was more ready for K-or 1st-than about half the students in the class currently. She was more than willing to accept DD in her class, and was well aware that she'd have to work to provide extensions to accommodate her need for higher level content.

 

And, since then, it's been borne out quite well-DD's best social fit is with kids about 6-18 months older than she is, and in almost every activity she's done, she's ended up skipped to that year older group as soon as the teacher/coach sees her in action and gets to know her a bit.

[SKL]

Interesting viewpoints / experience.

 

One thing that strikes me is that when asked about her school day, my daughter kind of rolls her eyes and doesn't answer. And when she does talk about a friend at school, it's always someone who is in a higher class. I don't think she identifies with the kids in her class, most of whom are younger than she, and who are still at the stage of screaming fits, wetting their pants, etc. I feel badly for her and it sucks to be so powerless to change it.

[LittleIzumi]

Interesting answer. We are in the process of pursuing a grade skip, and if it doesn't happen I will (hopefully) pull dd & HS her again. In her first week she kept coming home & telling me, "I didn't learn anything today!" :glare: Her teacher wants her to move up at least in certain areas, and I'm waiting on the school psych. I agree on needing to pretty much know everything in the grade being skipped to, if not more. I'm off to read that IOWA link.

[EKS]

I agree on needing to pretty much know everything in the grade being skipped to, if not more.

 

This is why I'm skeptical of acceleration as being a great solution for advanced kids. Why bother with the skip if the kid already knows (or learns in an instant) everything being taught in the next grade? And acceleration doesn't resolve the pacing issue.

 

Now, acceleration at home is entirely another matter.

 

BTW: I agree with the PPs who've suggested taking a look at the Iowa Acceleration Scale.

Edited August 28, 2011 by EKS

[LittleIzumi]

This is why I'm skeptical of acceleration as being a great solution for advanced kids. Why bother with the skip if the kid already knows (or learns in an instant) everything being taught in the next grade? And acceleration doesn't resolve the pacing issue.

 

Now, acceleration at home is entirely another matter.

 

BTW: I agree with the PPs who've suggested taking a look at the Iowa Acceleration Scale.

 

Because it's less boring than the current level. :glare: (There are supposed to be a lot of great, challenging things at this school, so I'm hoping they actually kick in more higher up here. K is not cutting it.)

[SKL]

I agree on needing to pretty much know everything in the grade being skipped to, if not more.

 

She will, but why is this considered ideal? Or is it that this is what's needed to get the attention of the powers that be?

[regentrude]

This is why I'm skeptical of acceleration as being a great solution for advanced kids. Why bother with the skip if the kid already knows (or learns in an instant) everything being taught in the next grade? And acceleration doesn't resolve the pacing issue.

 

 

:iagree:

And even if the material of the next grade is not yet mastered, the gifted kid will learn it faster than the classmates and will then be bored maybe not that very year, but the following one. Grade skipping can only be a temporary fix - it does nothing to resolve the inherent problem that some kids learn faster than others and that school is geared towards the average student.

 

Now, can skipping K be a sensible solution for an advanced student? Absolutely. But I would not expect miracles - it is very likely that the "I don't learn anything!" drama resumes in 2nd grade.

 

My 8th grader was taking a college physics class and found the pace too slow to be challenged.

[SKL]

This is why I'm skeptical of acceleration as being a great solution for advanced kids. Why bother with the skip if the kid already knows (or learns in an instant) everything being taught in the next grade?

 

My conversation earlier today with that teacher had me thinking: why make a young child sit in a classroom 6-7 hours a day if she isn't learning anything? Maybe I'm just not getting it, but I thought the main point of school was to impart academic knowlege. Obviously you don't want a 6-year-old spending the day with teens, but my proposal isn't that radical IMO.

 

Accelerating her to the next grade (assuming she's socially ready) at least improves the quality of the conversations that go on.

[regentrude]

My conversation earlier today with that teacher had me thinking: why make a young child sit in a classroom 6-7 hours a day if she isn't learning anything? Maybe I'm just not getting it, but I thought the main point of school was to impart academic knowledge.

 

Very good question. I asked myself that for all the five years my kids attended american schools. (Till I broke down and pulled them out)

Just be aware that a kid who does not just have a temporary advantage but is gifted WILL reach the stage of not learning anything in school EVEN with a skip.

 

Accelerating her to the next grade (assuming she's socially ready) at least improves the quality of the conversations that go on.

It certainly won't hurt. But don't expect too much ;-)

[SKL]

Just be aware that a kid who does not just have a temporary advantage but is gifted WILL reach the stage of not learning anything in school EVEN with a skip.

 

I don't know . . . I was gifted, accelerated one year (really not a big deal since I had an October birthday), and at or near the top of my class always. But I would not say I ever learned "nothing." There are enough activities, at least after grade 2-3, that are open-ended so the gifted student can take it further than the others. I recall in 6th grade when we had to write our first research paper. The teacher expected one page, but mine was 12 pages. Book reports, etc., allowed for a range of interests / challenge levels. Even after I moved from private to public school in 8th grade, I was able to apply my brain to writing assignments, extra credit science presentations, etc. High school was probably too easy even after acceleration, but I finished in three years, so that helped. Nowadays they have more options for motivated high-school kids.

 

I agree that if your child is really profoundly gifted, you have a problem on your hands (my nephew is like that, but at the same time has special needs, so I can understand the mixed blessing of giftedness.) It remains to be seen if my kid is "that" brilliant, though I'm pretty sure she's smarter than I am.

[Dmmetler]

In our case, a one year skip didn't do anything academically-DD still needed to be on a different level than the class, but it did wonders socially-and the same has been true since we started homeschooling. Being on the young end instead of the old end of an age group is great for DD, especially if it's a multi-age group where there's a wider range of levels and she can find her own depth, and if those social needs, at least, are being met, it's easier to find ways to accommodate the academic needs. Having her in her age-based grade level means that she's not getting either social or academic needs met.

 

DD's K teacher, who encouraged us to homeschool, made the same statement-that after about 3rd grade, there's enough independent work that DD would probably be able to enrich for herself a good deal of the time (and that K was open ended enough that the same applied), but for 1-2-3 she felt DD would be best outside a traditional classroom.

Edited August 29, 2011 by dmmetler

[melmichigan]

Just be aware that a kid who does not just have a temporary advantage but is gifted WILL reach the stage of not learning anything in school EVEN with a skip.

 

For us it just accelerated the fight, we made it through third grade and ended up pulling my DD. Now she doesn't accelerate at a super speed but spends much more of her day following her interests, not just taking up a seat on count day. Academically she is moving faster than she would have been able in PS and is much happier, school had become such a chore. Fight for a skip if you think it is warranted but that said, just don't expect too much.

 

By the way SKL, I'm glad you found some joy in high school, many of us had no such experience and still view it as having been a collosal waste of time and potential.

Edited August 29, 2011 by melmichigan

[Crimson Wife]

Feel free..we all have different experiences and I've BTDT. You can disagree with my experience all you want, but it's reality. Reminder the fit in the next cohort is very important. Schools are not opening enough seats for all who are qualified for honors and accel, which means a skipped child may not even get in the class he needs in later years.

 

A student doesn't need to be in the top 5% to get into the honors track, just the top 20%. And I'm sorry, but getting a B on one's transcript is hardly "failing" or "ruining one's transcript". Some of us actually care about our children being intellectually challenged rather than obsessing about external markers of achievement like GPA's, being named valedictorian or salutatorian, admission to an Ivy League university, etc.

 

I'd much rather my child get an 85 in a challenging class than have a perfect 4.0 but be bored out of his/her mind. BTDT and I'm not going to inflict that experience on my children.

[LittleIzumi]

My conversation earlier today with that teacher had me thinking: why make a young child sit in a classroom 6-7 hours a day if she isn't learning anything? Maybe I'm just not getting it, but I thought the main point of school was to impart academic knowlege. Obviously you don't want a 6-year-old spending the day with teens, but my proposal isn't that radical IMO.

 

Accelerating her to the next grade (assuming she's socially ready) at least improves the quality of the conversations that go on.

 

...to get dh on board, really. Even he (who wanted me to put her in PS, any PS, because I was totally overwhelmed with a new baby & such) is worried about how little she's learning. We figure it will at least be better in the next grade up, and then if she's not learning new things I can pull her. We do both agree that she is not getting enough positive out of where she is to stay if they don't accelerate her. I am working on being prepared to actually homeschool her when we get to that point. Before I was not meeting her needs--but I can now see I was doing a lot more than PS does. Dd loved the novelty of school for a couple of days, but now she wants to be in "half-day first grade" and be homeschooled on Mondays. :lol:

[SKL]

...to get dh on board, really.

 

I'm sorry if my comment ("why keep a kid in school when she's learning nothing") seemed to be picking on you. I was actually talking about a teacher I'd talked to this morning at church (she teaches at the school I'd like to send my kids to next year). She was going on about how she too had gifted offspring, and how every year her class has very advanced kids per test scores, but they choose not to accelerate them or even put them in challenging gifted programs. "Let kids be kids," and all that. I tried to explain to her how my kid begs to learn new things, and giving her more opportunities is just letting her be herself. I don't think I got through, though. So later, walking away, I thought about all those kids she talked about who were way beyond all the curriculum but still spending their day sitting in her class, and I thought, what is the point of their being in school at all?

[LittleIzumi]

I'm sorry if my comment ("why keep a kid in school when she's learning nothing") seemed to be picking on you. I was actually talking about a teacher I'd talked to this morning at church (she teaches at the school I'd like to send my kids to next year). She was going on about how she too had gifted offspring, and how every year her class has very advanced kids per test scores, but they choose not to accelerate them or even put them in challenging gifted programs. "Let kids be kids," and all that. I tried to explain to her how my kid begs to learn new things, and giving her more opportunities is just letting her be herself. I don't think I got through, though. So later, walking away, I thought about all those kids she talked about who were way beyond all the curriculum but still spending their day sitting in her class, and I thought, what is the point of their being in school at all?

 

"Let kids be kids" is like, "Let kids be bored." I wasn't skipped until junior high & by then I had already learned how to get along & do nothing. Noooooothing. My parents actually did homeschool me for a couple of years scattered throughout, and I think they thought we weren't doing much or enough (I procrastinate a lot :tongue_smilie:) but honestly, I learned a lot in those years & remember much of it very fondly even now. In PS I was so used to it being easy that I didn't even want to try taking any class that might be challenging. :glare: (*mentally smacks former self*) Skipping me up helped some in that high school actually had a few classes that made me think, and one that made me realize I had no idea how to study (as I never had to previously). I ended up skipping another grade (by compressing 2 years into one, another HS effort) & going to college early & there I finally found some joy in education. That was probably way more than you wanted to know. :lol:

[SKL]

In PS I was so used to it being easy ....

 

Thanks for reminding me about this. School (including college) was always pretty easy for me. I could procrastinate until the night before a project/term paper was due and then crank it out and get a good grade. I got a scholarship to attend a "fancy" law school, and that's where I realized what actual competition was - and I was quite unprepared for it. I sucked in my first year because I was so undisciplined. I lost part of my scholarship, and it was impossible to bring my GPA up to a competitive level so I could get a good job right out of school.

 

Wouldn't it have been better for me to experience real challenge when the grades didn't impact the long term? I think so.

[Tattarrattat]

How did they determine whether he was mature enough? Input from previous teachers? How would that work if the grade acceleration occured between schools, e.g., pre-K in School 1 followed by 1st grade in School 2? She will necessarily change schools because her current school only goes through KG.

 

The first skip moved him from being one of the oldest kids to being one of the youngest, so it was not a big concern about social. He was new to the school at the time and the school didn't know him much either. When they later accelerated him in his favorite subject and then further skipped him again, the principal had already had plenty of time to observe him and felt comfortable enough with his maturity level. The teachers didn't have direct input in our case.

 

I agree with others who mentioned about one skip may not be enough. I still think though, if the child needs to be in school, one skip at a time is better than no skip at all even if both grades are easy for the child.

 

Pace is another issue. It's easier to move faster by homeschooling. But if homeschool is not an option, then it's necessary to re-evaluate the child's needs from time to time. It's not once-for-all settlement. Instead, it' more of an ongoing process. It'd be nice to have a cooperative school in this case.

[MBM]

If a child attends (or will attend) school, and is 2+ years ahead of grade level academically, what are the criteria you'd use to decide if acceleration is the right move? How can I benchmark my child against such criteria?

 

A teacher (whose opinion might matter) keeps trying to convince me that even if a child is years ahead academically, it is still better for her to be with her age-mates. (I should note that I am only planning to accelerate my kid into the class she'd attend anyway if she were 3 months older.)

 

Personally I feel she will hold her own and then some if accelerated. It is my opinion that she is enough on the "mature" side emotionally and socially to cancel out the small age difference. But obviously my saying that is not going to convince someone who has not spent time with her.

 

I'd love your thoughts. However, please note that full-time homeschooling is not an option, as I have to work full-time. I'm afterschooling her for now, to feed her hunger for knowledge and to build a case for accelerating her a year or two from now.

 

A good school will have material for students of different abilities and interests and not insist on a one-size-fits-all approach. Even the itty-bitty, poor Catholic school my youngest attended managed to differentiate. It worked because parents volunteered and then committed to helping students one-one-one with the teacher's oversight. If your school provides something like that (they might have aides, too), then it might not be so bad to stay in the same grade.

 

If they insist that your daughter must stay in the same grade but she is bored, then you could ask that they allow her to work on material she brings in from home.

 

I would only caution against moving ahead too quickly in math without having mastered underlying concepts. My youngest is in an advanced track with a number of students around his age, and while they are being challenged, some are moving ahead but floundering miserably. It's best to go at a speed that allows mastery but is not so slow that the student finds school painfully boring.

[Iucounu]

"A Nation Deceived" shows that results of whole-grade acceleration are generally positive.

 

I see Heigh Ho's arguments repeated on other forums sometimes. In my opinion it is not foolish to consider eventual college placement as one plans a child's high school years. However, I don't think that this is a compelling reason to avoid grade skipping in elementary for a child who is far advanced. There's a big difference between skipping one year and several; a first skip for an advanced child, especially one who is fairly old for her grade anyway, is not so dangerous.

 

In my opinion, an appropriate challenge level is necessary for growth. That means that a child must always be able to learn, and not just facts but all the skills and attitudes that help to form intellectual strength. Certain children must be accelerated to provide even a temporary challenge level, because there's only so much useful enrichment that can be done on material that's already old hat for a particular child. Stimulation is important.

 

I've often read that 85% mastery, on an achievement tool such as the MAP, is roughly equivalent to a good challenge level.

 

Another thing to consider is that some highly intelligent children get poorer grades when not stimulated-- and some are simply not cut out to be Rhodes scholars anyway. Giftedness does not directly translate to grades, although there may be a correlation. Even a prodigiously gifted person who applies herself is not perfect, and some gifted people are simply prone to make mistakes through absent-mindedness. That does not mean such a person does not deserve to be challenged.

 

Of course, it's definitely possible to accelerate too far, or to have a failed first skip. (As an example, I've read of an eight year old child whose parent accelerated the child into high school, then was overjoyed that the child was attaining Cs; in my opinion this may have been going too far.) The IAS is a good way to begin thinking about whether it's a good idea to skip.

 

I don't think it's a good idea to consider a skip only when a child already knows everything in the destination grade. That means more likely than not that the child will not be stimulated.

Edited August 29, 2011 by Iucounu

[Crimson Wife]

I'm recommending that a skipped student be in the top 5% academically. That means he'll stay in the classes he needs. If he's only in the top 20% chances are very good that he's going to be detracked. Again, go into these decisions with eyes wide open to the particular local situation. The school has data that is useful.

 

Your philosopy sounds great - but it will get your child's grade skip effectively negated here. You see, an 85 average is req'd to continue here in honors/accel subjects - that is an 85 average on each unit, and 85 average in the course, and an 85 average on the Regent's exam. Your child who can only manage an 85 average w/ or without a 20 point curve in the course is unlikely to earn an 85 or better on the Regent's. For math, he will then go in to a Bridge course, where he will learn the missing skills and content, then the following year (if successful in bridge) will go on in the course sequence. His coursework may look like this: 8th Alg, 9th Bridge to Geo, 10th Geo, etc. The skip is effectively negated due to lack of mastery. Same thing happens in other subjects.

 

Your local situation sounds, if you'll pardon my French, pretty f'd up.

 

I have *NEVER* before heard of a school that did not allow students who receive a solid B in a class to continue on to the next one. At my high school, the minimum passing score was a C. Granted, most students who received a C or C+ did voluntarily switch to a lower track, but it strikes me as very bizarre for a school to set the bar at an 85.

 

Sounds like a recipe for creating a bunch of insane "tiger moms" (which, to be frank, is what you came off as before you provided the context of your unusual local situation)

[EKS]

Your local situation sounds, if you'll pardon my French, pretty f'd up.

 

I have *NEVER* before heard of a school that did not allow students who receive a solid B in a class to continue on to the next one. At my high school, the minimum passing score was a C. Granted, most students who received a C or C+ did voluntarily switch to a lower track, but it strikes me as very bizarre for a school to set the bar at an 85.

 

Sounds like a recipe for creating a bunch of insane "tiger moms" (which, to be frank, is what you came off as before you provided the context of your unusual local situation)

 

Our district has an "embedded" honors system, meaning that if you want an honors designation in a course, you have to have a 90% average or higher and you have to do some extra work (which is ill defined at best). No higher level assignments, just more of the same, and no higher level discussions.

 

In my view, it is a cop out and a crock.

[deacongirl]

This reflects my experience and why I will advocate for grade acceleration for my daughters:

http://www.wku.edu/academy/?p=430

What a Child Doesn't Learn

If during the first five or six years of school, a child earns good grades and high praise without having to make much effort, what are all the things he doesn’t learn that most children learn by third grade?

Susan Assouline, co-author of A Nation Deceived: How Schools Hold Back America’s Brightest Students (2004)

Take a moment to answer this ques*tion yourself. Or have your child’s educators and administrators answer it. What isn’t learned? As you skim over your answers, you may be surprised at the sheer volume. But on closer look, you may be astounded by the depth and weight of those answers – and the impact they make on your child’s life.

[SKL]

This reflects my experience and why I will advocate for grade acceleration for my daughters:

http://www.wku.edu/academy/?p=430

What a Child Doesn't Learn

 

 

Awesome link!

[Tattarrattat]

This reflects my experience and why I will advocate for grade acceleration for my daughters:

http://www.wku.edu/academy/?p=430

What a Child Doesn't Learn

 

 

Thanks for the link! Well said.

[La Condessa]

School (including college) was always pretty easy for me. I could procrastinate until the night before a project/term paper was due and then crank it out and get a good grade. I got a scholarship to attend a "fancy" law school, and that's where I realized what actual competition was - and I was quite unprepared for it. I sucked in my first year because I was so undisciplined. I lost part of my scholarship

 

This is what happened to my husband. He is so smart that he never had to learn how to study or work at anything that bored him until law school, when he lost his scholarship. He loved never having to work at anything in school, and somehow he still doesn't see why I want our kids to work at a level that challenges them.

[wapiti]

This is what happened to my husband. He is so smart that he never had to learn how to study or work at anything that bored him until law school, when he lost his scholarship. He loved never having to work at anything in school, and somehow he still doesn't see why I want our kids to work at a level that challenges them.

 

Allow me to join the club, yet another who didn't learn to study until law school. I'd have learned so much more in high school and college had I known how to use the brain :tongue_smilie:. I too hope to stretch my kids' brains throughout their education so they don't miss out like I did. I knew we were in trouble a few years ago, when a teacher called me to say that my ds was underachieving... in preschool (for the potential that she perceived, not for "grade level").

[SKL]

Ha ha, maybe what we need is Junior Law School!

[boscopup]

Allow me to join the club, yet another who didn't learn to study until law school. I'd have learned so much more in high school and college had I known how to use the brain :tongue_smilie:. I too hope to stretch my kids' brains throughout their education so they don't miss out like I did. I knew we were in trouble a few years ago, when a teacher called me to say that my ds was underachieving... in preschool (for the potential that she perceived, not for "grade level").

 

Another coaster here! :seeya:

 

I didn't go to law school though, and I still coasted through engineering school. :tongue_smilie:

 

This is one of the biggest reasons I pulled my son out of school. I didn't want him to coast through school like I did. He was already getting 100s on tests he didn't remotely study for. A grade skip wouldn't have worked for him. He still would have been bored with the math and reading. His writing output wouldn't be up to par for the new grade. I just shudder to think how he would have done if he'd had to stay in school. His teachers tried to give him extra stuff, but they had 16 other kids to deal with, some of which were behind and needed extra help. There was also the issue of being required to do the regular work AND the extra work. Some kids will realize this and start to act "less smart" because they don't want extra work. My friend's brother did that in school.

[wapiti]

Another coaster here! :seeya:

"Coaster" doesn't sound so bad. I thought it was "slacker" :lol:

[chiguirre]

Your local situation sounds, if you'll pardon my French, pretty f'd up.

 

It's not that uncommon. Lots of places have a scale in which 93 is an A, 86 is a B, 79 is a C and 72 is passing. Even in hs circles it's not unknown, both Kolbe and Seton use a similar scale.

[Crimson Wife]

It's not that uncommon. Lots of places have a scale in which 93 is an A, 86 is a B, 79 is a C and 72 is passing. Even in hs circles it's not unknown, both Kolbe and Seton use a similar scale.

 

Not letting a student with a solid "B" in a course continue on to the following one is common? Really?

 

Different cutoffs for what constitutes an "A" vs. an "A-" vs. a "B+" etc. that I understand. But bumping a solid "B" student down into a lower track is screwed up.

 

I stand firm in my assertion that a student receiving a "B" in a more challenging class will get more out of the experience than if he/she takes the easier course for an "A".

[boscopup]

"Coaster" doesn't sound so bad. I thought it was "slacker" :lol:

 

Well, I was a "coaster" during most of high school - getting easy A's. I was a "slacker" my freshman year of college, when I slept through my chemistry course and got my first C ever. :lol:

[chiguirre]

Not letting a student with a solid "B" in a course continue on to the following one is common? Really?

 

An 85 is not a solid B on that scale. It's at best a B- or C+ depending on the school.

[Crimson Wife]

An 85 is not a solid B on that scale. It's at best a B- or C+ depending on the school.

 

Is it common for an 85 to be a C+? Really? That's not the scale that was used at my high school or college. I checked DH's alma mater and our zoned PS, and an 85 is a B there as well.

[chiguirre]

My hs and university used the 90-80 etc. scale, but I've heard of the 93-86-79 before. Both Kolbe and Seton use it, so it's certainly not unheard of for homeschoolers.

[elizabeth]

Yep, agree. Another route is to use the school pyschologist's experience...that person knows the developmental parameters and how the emotional and social fit will be in the receiving classroom and cohort. The psych can observe in the classroom if there is disagreement with the principal and receiving teacher and advocate on behalf of the child.

 

Hmm Our school psychologist thought that dd was not a good candidate for acceleration based on....her coloring skills. She would not color the apple all red but rather used yellow and orange with a streak of green. Sorry but they are likely brainwashed by the same shoddy prejudices that taint the college/uni degree in education. I note that you afterschool. When I actually released dd from the artificial "age=grade" shackles she completed three years in one. The school psychologist had no more education than I do, in fact, far less. I am very glad I stood by my experience, education and the knowledge that most graduates of colleges of education are in fact not at all trained or experienced in gifted issues nor gifted instruction. Even the Belin Blank center in Iowa City finally had to cave and quit pretending the system itself is not broken. Acceleration is not adequate for the gifted who are more than two standard deviations from the norm. They have dormitories for their younger students many of whom are 13 or 14 years of age. Since I have been teaching college level classes for several years, I scoff at the notion that acceleration is adequate at all. Not only are more students in need of radical acceleration but many need to skip middle school entirely along with radical acceleration in high school. You know who has the maturity issues??? Parents and children who are talented in sports, drama, music etc who cannot abide the fact that gifted intelligence is at least equally inherited as are innate musicality or athleticism. They need to grow up and get out of the way of students who leap 6 feet a year intellectually. When I meet a school psychologist who is not firmly entrenched in this mentality I will eat my shoe. I have read hundreds of reports from them in my law practice and have not found one that actually had dealt with gifted students as a part of their practice. For godsakes they are using the Weschler to identify gifted students????!! That in itself shows ineptitude. And ignorance .

[elizabeth]

I'm sorry, but I could not disagree with this more. It's actually making my blood boil, so I'm going to need to cool off a bit before I respond further. :cursing:

 

You had me at hello....:lol:

[Dana]

Is it common for an 85 to be a C+? Really? That's not the scale that was used at my high school or college. I checked DH's alma mater and our zoned PS, and an 85 is a B there as well.

 

Our whole state has a "uniform grading policy" that also applies to homeschoolers. You want to talk f-ed up, this is it.

85 is the lowest B. 84 is a C.

 

What's really bad is that they do the GPA based on course NUMBER GRADES! (Seriously... check out the policy... you've never seen anything as dreadful.)

[melmichigan]

Hmm Our school psychologist thought that dd was not a good candidate for acceleration based on....her coloring skills. She would not color the apple all red but rather used yellow and orange with a streak of green. Sorry but they are likely brainwashed by the same shoddy prejudices that taint the college/uni degree in education. I note that you afterschool. When I actually released dd from the artificial "age=grade" shackles she completed three years in one. The school psychologist had no more education than I do, in fact, far less. I am very glad I stood by my experience, education and the knowledge that most graduates of colleges of education are in fact not at all trained or experienced in gifted issues nor gifted instruction. Even the Belin Blank center in Iowa City finally had to cave and quit pretending the system itself is not broken. Acceleration is not adequate for the gifted who are more than two standard deviations from the norm. They have dormitories for their younger students many of whom are 13 or 14 years of age. Since I have been teaching college level classes for several years, I scoff at the notion that acceleration is adequate at all. Not only are more students in need of radical acceleration but many need to skip middle school entirely along with radical acceleration in high school. You know who has the maturity issues??? Parents and children who are talented in sports, drama, music etc who cannot abide the fact that gifted intelligence is at least equally inherited as are innate musicality or athleticism. They need to grow up and get out of the way of students who leap 6 feet a year intellectually. When I meet a school psychologist who is not firmly entrenched in this mentality I will eat my shoe. I have read hundreds of reports from them in my law practice and have not found one that actually had dealt with gifted students as a part of their practice. For godsakes they are using the Weschler to identify gifted students????!! That in itself shows ineptitude. And ignorance .

 

Well said!

[kiana]

Digressing a little, but I really hate the 93-86-79 scale. It just encourages grade-grubbing, perfectionism, and going for every. single. freaking. point. Honestly I'd rather see a much more difficult exam with a far more lenient grading scale.

 

(Please note, I know you can't stop the schools from using them. I'm just whining. :) )