Should My Child Skip A Grade?

Image Source: http://www.brushschools.org/gifted-and-talented-education

Skipping a grade at school used to be fairly common in the 80’s and 90’s as parents and educators would allow students who were excelling to skip a grade. The thinking behind it was that students who are way ahead of the curve, get bored in class and become listless. They get so accustomed to being ahead of the others that they stop paying attention and that may actually lead to poor academic performances down the line. Skipping a grade comes with social consequences however, and these may actually lead to bigger problems. If your student has an opportunity to skip a grade, you have to consider very carefully what the right course of action is.

What to Consider
Schools take a number of factors into consideration when weighing the suitability of candidates including intellect, achievement, physical size, peers, motor skills, and social and emotional development. Of course intellect and achievement is probably what alerted them to the possibility in the first place. Physical size is important because if your child is so much smaller than their new peers, they may feel awkward and may not be able to fit in socially.

The same goes for social and emotional levels. If your child prefers to mix with adults or older students, skipping a grade may actually help them feel like they can relate better to their new peers. If they have firm friends in their current grade and enjoy a healthy, happy social life, skipping a grade could have a negative impact on their social and emotional wellbeing.

Get a Professional Assessment
Once you have the recommendations of the teachers and other professionals at your student’s school, ask your pediatrician for a reference to a professional education therapist. They will spend time with your student to determine their abilities in all the pertinent areas from emotional maturity to academic ability. Getting a professional opinion will help you to make an informed decision.

Gifted students can be quirky and you must be sure that they can handle the social and emotional changes. If they can’t, moving a grade may keep them academically engaged, but the social and emotional toll may be too high. However, if you don’t move them, they may suffer academically and fail to reach their full potential. The dropout rate for gifted students is much higher than the average because of problems adapting socially and academically.

There are alternatives to skipping a grade that bridge the gap for students who are academically gifted. Some schools allow gifted students to skip subjects rather than grades. This means that if your child is in second grade, but is reading at a fourth grade level, they can join a fourth grade class for reading, but stay in their own class for the rest of the day. Students who are gifted can also join advanced classes where their particular academic needs are fulfilled. Students can  take extra lessons with tutors who help to challenge them academically while keeping them in the same grade. As they enter higher grades they may even take college credit courses that allow them to enter college at a sophomore or higher standing.  We had a student who remained in his class and when he graduated and entered the University at Buffalo he had 64 credit hours! After two years of undergraduate study he is now working on his PhD.

Discuss your options with your student, your teachers, principal, education therapist and tutors to find the very best solution for your student. Constantly monitor and reassess the situation so that you are able to provide the most suitable solutions as their needs change.

Gifted Challenges

Source: http://www.allencountyesc.org/DepartmentsPrograms/GiftedHomepage/GiftedStaff

Having a gifted child can certainly a blessing, but most North American education systems do not have sufficient means to challenge and accommodate a gifted student. Large class sizes and limited resources mean that teachers have to focus on the average students and rarely have time to provide the challenges and encouragement a gifted child needs. This often leads to a lack of motivation, boredom and wasted potential. In extreme cases, the gifted student suffers from social alienation and anxiety that result in behavioural problems and underachievement. Gifted students have a propensity for dropping out of academic institutions.

How do I know if my child is gifted?
Gifted children are tested by (among others) the National Association for Gifted Children in the US and by MENSA in Canada. Gifted children excel in one or more fields. Some provinces and states have special programs for gifted children, but most have to make do with the same curriculum as their peers. This poses not only academic dilemmas, but also social ones. Gifted children are often more sensitive or energetic and have a drive for perfectionism.
Identification of gifted children is difficult as educators are not trained to recognize behavioural traits and gifted children often don’t do well in class. The ineffective process of identifying gifted children, and the lack of funding to help them develop means that most of them slip through the cracks and end up underachieving. Most educators and funding are geared towards kids who have learning disabilities or special needs and it’s difficult to garner support for the gifted child.

Challenges gifted children face
Chandra Meseley has a gifted daughter, Nya and she discusses some of the difficulties her daughter faces; “There are other characteristics of giftedness that for many, including my daughter, are telltale signs – excessive energy, unending curiosity, emotionally advanced, early and superior language skills or a need for perfectionism.”
Nya’s teacher, Brenda Natt explains the behavioral difficulties and need for perfection that gifted children have: “While their IQs are high, they have behavioral aspects that need special attention and the right teachers with the right understanding to guide them.”
Boredom and behavioural issues severely hamper the development of gifted children and they often end up at the bottom of their classes or dropping out altogether.  Jack Goldberg, from the University of Alberta, explains; “[The gifted student] may be bored. The loss, though, would be largely his own. Parents would argue it’s society’s loss, because this kid is a budding Einstein. But the truth is that most gifted kids don’t become Einsteins.”

Solutions
Most parents find the best remedy is a gifted course or a private tutor who has experience with gifted children. While completing their curriculum at school, the students are further challenged with tasks and projects that give them a deeper understanding of what they are learning at school. Tutors also help to build confidence and challenge young gifted minds. Tutors work hands-on with your child to fulfill their individual needs and work at a pace that suits them best.

(Note: This post originally appeared on the Tutor Doctor blog on Aug. 25th)

Too Smart for School?

In today’s education system, with classroom sizes increasing, individual students can often be ignored in the crush of trying to get everyone on the same page. For students who may already be ahead of their peers, teachers may not have a plan in place to keep them engaged. Before jumping to the conclusion that your child is just too smart for school, try engaging with them and figuring out how to make the situation better.

First, make sure that your child truly is performing to the best of his or her ability. Just because she’s getting straight A’s in science doesn’t mean that she’s really grasping the material. Sometimes, students claim they’re “bored” in school when they don’t understand what’s going on and feel left behind, and that isn’t always reflected in a GPA. After all, I managed to pull of an A throughout Chemistry without ever really understanding what was going on.

Does your child spend more time daydreaming than studying?

If your child truly is bored in school, try providing “extra” education at home. Hire a tutor, enroll them in an educational camp for a topic they’re interested in (check out your local museum, zoo, or university for some great opportunities), go on educational family trips and put the focus on learning…the opportunities are endless. Don’t let learning stop in the classroom, and let your child see the connections what they learn in school can have with the real world.

Have your child take advantage of extra periods to stay after with a teacher to get some extra attention. A lot of teachers will appreciate the display of enthusiasm for their subject, and your child can benefit greatly. If the school has a club centered around a subject area (Physics Club, Drama Club, etc.), then encourage your child to participate!

Another option is to get your child involved in a school’s peer tutoring program. The best way to truly learn something is to teach it, and peer tutoring can also look great on a college application! If your child’s school doesn’t already have a peer tutoring program in place, have your child spearhead the effort to start one! The guidance office might be a good place to start, or if your child has a particular subject area in mind he can approach a teacher in that department.

The bottom line is if your child is bored or not feeling the energy about going to school you need to do something. The problem usually leads a smart student to falter and next thing you know the great grades they used to have become failing grades. What are some other tips you have for keeping smart children engaged in school?