Skipping a grade

[Anonymous]

Where's OP? Many questions here to be answered.

[Anonymous]

OP it has been covered on these boards before, the easiest way to do this is to leave public, skip into private and return to public at a higher grade - but that's disruptive. We actually did this but only because we went from public to private in California, our DC was deemed eligible for moving up a grade within the private (2nd grade) and after that year we moved to the DMV area so DC went automatically into 3rd. I checked with the Dept of education and the public ES we enrolled into and by that grade, its policy to just carry on so long as there have been no problems. It has helped our child. They are not behind socially, and they are still getting top grades, off the charts, so it mitigates the problem but doesn't entirely eradicate it.

[Anonymous]

OP: Husband grade skipped as a kid. Fast forward to our second child, and he was always very far ahead (read at age 4, highly able in math, etc.). We decided not to push for grade skip and he's been in every GT program that MCPS has. He's currently in middle school and nearly all his friends are a year ahead of him and going into high school. This is the first year that I truly regret not grade skipping him back in K b/c he's unhappy about being left behind by his friends and not seeing them as much next year.

There's no way to see that far into the future to know what's right for your child...

[Anonymous]

I would go broader with her education at this level. Pick up a language, have her read everything she can get her hands on. If she's a math/science girl, there are loads of educational programs she can view at home and workbooks/experiments she can do.

Jumping from 1st to 3rd is a big leap, developmentally. It's not just about her socialization skills but how she will be treated by others if they are aware of her age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP: Husband grade skipped as a kid. Fast forward to our second child, and he was always very far ahead (read at age 4, highly able in math, etc.). We decided not to push for grade skip and he's been in every GT program that MCPS has. He's currently in middle school and nearly all his friends are a year ahead of him and going into high school. This is the first year that I truly regret not grade skipping him back in K b/c he's unhappy about being left behind by his friends and not seeing them as much next year.

There's no way to see that far into the future to know what's right for your child...

You mean his friends skipped a grade, or that he made friends with students who were in different grades because they were in some classes together?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP: Husband grade skipped as a kid. Fast forward to our second child, and he was always very far ahead (read at age 4, highly able in math, etc.). We decided not to push for grade skip and he's been in every GT program that MCPS has. He's currently in middle school and nearly all his friends are a year ahead of him and going into high school. This is the first year that I truly regret not grade skipping him back in K b/c he's unhappy about being left behind by his friends and not seeing them as much next year.

There's no way to see that far into the future to know what's right for your child...

You mean his friends skipped a grade, or that he made friends with students who were in different grades because they were in some classes together?

Through afterschool activities and morning bus, he ended up making friends with kids who are a grade ahead. He only has one friend in his actual grade at school. He talks about how his brain is more aligned with the older kids. MCPS would never allow him to move up to higher grades for even a single class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP: Husband grade skipped as a kid. Fast forward to our second child, and he was always very far ahead (read at age 4, highly able in math, etc.). We decided not to push for grade skip and he's been in every GT program that MCPS has. He's currently in middle school and nearly all his friends are a year ahead of him and going into high school. This is the first year that I truly regret not grade skipping him back in K b/c he's unhappy about being left behind by his friends and not seeing them as much next year.

There's no way to see that far into the future to know what's right for your child...

You mean his friends skipped a grade, or that he made friends with students who were in different grades because they were in some classes together?

Through afterschool activities and morning bus, he ended up making friends with kids who are a grade ahead. He only has one friend in his actual grade at school. He talks about how his brain is more aligned with the older kids. MCPS would never allow him to move up to higher grades for even a single class.

But MCPS allows red shirting. Strange the student population isn't a normal distribution.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP: Husband grade skipped as a kid. Fast forward to our second child, and he was always very far ahead (read at age 4, highly able in math, etc.). We decided not to push for grade skip and he's been in every GT program that MCPS has. He's currently in middle school and nearly all his friends are a year ahead of him and going into high school. This is the first year that I truly regret not grade skipping him back in K b/c he's unhappy about being left behind by his friends and not seeing them as much next year.

There's no way to see that far into the future to know what's right for your child...

You mean his friends skipped a grade, or that he made friends with students who were in different grades because they were in some classes together?

Through afterschool activities and morning bus, he ended up making friends with kids who are a grade ahead. He only has one friend in his actual grade at school. He talks about how his brain is more aligned with the older kids. MCPS would never allow him to move up to higher grades for even a single class.

I was asking because it was my understanding that some advanced math classes can have students of different grades in them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP: Husband grade skipped as a kid. Fast forward to our second child, and he was always very far ahead (read at age 4, highly able in math, etc.). We decided not to push for grade skip and he's been in every GT program that MCPS has. He's currently in middle school and nearly all his friends are a year ahead of him and going into high school. This is the first year that I truly regret not grade skipping him back in K b/c he's unhappy about being left behind by his friends and not seeing them as much next year.

There's no way to see that far into the future to know what's right for your child...

Did your husband have a bad experience as a child? You say he skipped a grade and then fast forwarded 30 +/- years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I would go broader with her education at this level. Pick up a language, have her read everything she can get her hands on. If she's a math/science girl, there are loads of educational programs she can view at home and workbooks/experiments she can do.

Jumping from 1st to 3rd is a big leap, developmentally. It's not just about her socialization skills but how she will be treated by others if they are aware of her age.

Disagree.!! That's the same dilemma/problem with honors programs or courses. They think the way to solve "my child is not challenged" is to give him more work than everyone else. Which usually just raises the misery factor rather than lowers it. Smart kids need free time too and a social life too. Don't do this piling on as if that helps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I would go broader with her education at this level. Pick up a language, have her read everything she can get her hands on. If she's a math/science girl, there are loads of educational programs she can view at home and workbooks/experiments she can do.

Jumping from 1st to 3rd is a big leap, developmentally. It's not just about her socialization skills but how she will be treated by others if they are aware of her age.

Disagree.!! That's the same dilemma/problem with honors programs or courses. They think the way to solve "my child is not challenged" is to give him more work than everyone else. Which usually just raises the misery factor rather than lowers it. Smart kids need free time too and a social life too. Don't do this piling on as if that helps.

I agree. Loading the free time doesn't make up for wasted class time.

[Anonymous]

A lot of this post doesn't make sense to me. Kids one year older are not that different - especially with the range of birthdays. Your child probably became friends with one child and then joined his friend group.

This will only be an issue for a few years until either your child enters a magnet or they hit the grades where tracking starts.

You might also want to do some more research, the great majority of kids that at younger ages are evaluated as being quite ahead end up normalizing because there is so much variety of levels early on. Obviously not every kid, but it is something to consider.

[Anonymous]

It all depends of a kid.
I have very mature daughter, who is youngest in a grade. (Was directly on cut of, and could go to school either year.) Very happy in MS. Has so many friends. Socially very advanced. Much happier in MS than was in ES. In all advanced classes, and does not struggle academically.
Have son who is one of the oldest in class, and totally immature but still advanced academically.
I would think twice about skipping grade for a boy. But will not think twice for a girl.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP: Husband grade skipped as a kid. Fast forward to our second child, and he was always very far ahead (read at age 4, highly able in math, etc.). We decided not to push for grade skip and he's been in every GT program that MCPS has. He's currently in middle school and nearly all his friends are a year ahead of him and going into high school. This is the first year that I truly regret not grade skipping him back in K b/c he's unhappy about being left behind by his friends and not seeing them as much next year.

There's no way to see that far into the future to know what's right for your child...

You mean his friends skipped a grade, or that he made friends with students who were in different grades because they were in some classes together?

Through afterschool activities and morning bus, he ended up making friends with kids who are a grade ahead. He only has one friend in his actual grade at school. He talks about how his brain is more aligned with the older kids. MCPS would never allow him to move up to higher grades for even a single class.

But MCPS allows red shirting. Strange the student population isn't a normal distribution.

Not PP, but it is one of the things I cannot understand. They are extremely fine with holding kids back, but make it nearly impossible to accelerate students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A lot of this post doesn't make sense to me. Kids one year older are not that different - especially with the range of birthdays. Your child probably became friends with one child and then joined his friend group.

This will only be an issue for a few years until either your child enters a magnet or they hit the grades where tracking starts.

You might also want to do some more research, the great majority of kids that at younger ages are evaluated as being quite ahead end up normalizing because there is so much variety of levels early on. Obviously not every kid, but it is something to consider.

The last two sentences are very true! DD in 3rd now and of all the kids who were in the highest reading groups in K almost none are in the highest reading groups in 3rd. You kid could be the 1-2 who continue to be ahead or maybe not. The other kids who started out in K and 1st being really advanced well are still doing great but they are no longer outliers.