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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
Aiden is not highly gifted in math.  He’s doing algebra with dad in 5th grade—not advanced calculus.

School can not operate this way because too many parents will want to rush their kids through math. The kids who are rushed through will suffer. It affects the school and the teachers who have to teach these kids later and find out they have been rushed through. Hopefully it doesn’t affect the actual level of instruction for other kids but I think we can all imagining how it might.

It’s not about comparisons. Surely you understand quicker or earlier does not equal smarter. I think parents like you are the ones who have an obsession with being the best. Aiden is the best because he was skipped into algebra I in 6th grade? That’s validation for parents who need that sort of thing. It’s a way for Aiden to be the best without him actually being the best.

Aiden doesn’t look as advanced when he’s with his peers in 7th grade Algebra I. He may still shine in that class, or other kids may outshine him in that class because the have a deeper understanding. Even if he’s taking the next year’s math class with a tutor those same-aged, non-tutored kids may outshine him in his school class and I think that’s a source of anxiety for his parents. Much better to just keep pushing ahead... get the skip and rest on those laurels.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with Aiden taking the normal math sequence in school. It’s not a race.

My oldest did enter kindergarten reading chapter books. They did not skip her into 4th grade reading. 
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Again, why do you care what Aiden is doing?  I doubt you're just altrustic enough to be looking out for Aiden's best interests, so your main concern seems to be that Aiden is getting a higher placement than your kid.

Schools can clamp down on rushing kids through by having rigorous pre-tests.  If Aiden has mastered the material that is to be taught in that grade, it's a waste of time teaching him things he's already mastered.  If he hasn't mastered the material, but instead just knows it reasonably well, then he shouldn't pass the pre-test.  FWIW, in FCPS the kids who take Algebra in 6th have to pass a bunch of tests showing that they're ready.  They don't just take the parent's word for it.  Kids who have been studying Algebra with their dad would be unlikely to pass the tests.

I'm not obsessed with being the best, but I also don't understand trying to control other people.  My kids are both very naturally talented at music.  By talent alone, they should be the ones getting solos or making it to the best orchestras in middle school.  But, there are many kids in their schools who have been taking private lessons for years and who practice at least an hour every day.  Those kids are much more advanced than my kids and will get all of the good orchestra slots and solos.  I'm not going to whine that it's unfair or try to make those other kids (mostly Asians, incidentally) practice less.  We've accepted that other families have prioritized music more than we have, and we accept that we don't get to be the best.  [/quote]

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