It鈥檚 a question almost every parent of a gifted child struggles with at some point: should my child skip a grade (or more)? For many gifted children, grade acceleration is beneficial. Students are placed in classes where they are truly challenged and with peers more on their intellectual level. But, for some children, skipping a grade can be harmful to their social and emotional development. Being away from age group peers and automatically viewed as the 鈥渨hiz kid鈥� has the potential to lead to bullying or other emotional damage.

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. (Frustrating, I know.) However, there are some common pros and cons to guide you as you make the decision.

Pros

Academic Satisfaction
Several studies have shown that children who accelerate do not suffer academically. In fact, their grades are often higher than their peers who did not accelerate and on par with older students in their grade-level, . Accelerated students also report increased interest in and enthusiasm for school, leading to a higher rate of academic satisfaction.

Community of Intellectual Peers
that, when students are among intellectual peers, they feel better socially and perform better academically. Allowing a child to skip ahead places them in learning environments with students who, while not their age, are on par with them intellectually. This community is invaluable for all children, but .

Reduced Behavior Problems
These students and grasp the material. As a result, they engage in activities to occupy their downtime, which can include distracting other students and disrupting lessons. However, when students feel challenged by academic material, they are less likely to cause problems in the classroom. Additionally, being appropriately challenged can help behavior later in life by building appropriate coping skills for encountering obstacles.

Cons

Emotional Unpreparedness
Since gifted children sometimes experience , they may be academically advanced but emotionally immature. If a child is already lagging behind their peers emotionally and socially, acceleration into an older age group , especially if there are not many other accelerated students. While certainly not an issue for all gifted children, it鈥檚 important for parents to consider their child鈥檚 temperament and if they can handle the pressures of being the young kid in class.

Unexpected Challenges
Gifted kids who are being considered for acceleration are often used to being at the top of the class. When moving up, this may change and for some students. Parents should prepare students for this ahead of time, support them as they adjust to the new environment and ensure them they are not a failure if other students are above them or the arrangement doesn鈥檛 work out.

Bullying
Bullying is an unfortunate reality in the modern school system, most notably for any child perceived as 鈥渄ifferent.鈥� 聽Ken Newman, who skipped a grade in elementary school and went on to attend Cornell University at age 15, for being smaller and younger-looking than his classmates. This can be , where the differences of gifted kids are most likely to be noticed. Luckily, incidents like Newman鈥檚 are more outliers than the norm, but they still happen on occasion.

If skipping an entire grade isn鈥檛 ideal for your gifted student, there are other options.

鈥淪kipping a grade isn鈥檛 the answer for every gifted student,鈥� of the Connie Belin and Jacqueline N. Blank International Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development. 鈥淎cceleration means matching the curriculum to a student鈥檚 abilities. For one student, that may mean grade skipping; for another, it may mean acceleration in a single subject, like math; for other students, enrichment-based activities in the classroom are all they need.鈥� Other acceleration options include starting kindergarten early, enrolling in high school AP courses or advancing to college.

At 优蜜视频, we believe every child has a unique set of needs, and whether or not grade acceleration is the right choice depends on the needs and personality of your child. And no one knows your child like you.

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Defining 鈥淕ifted鈥�:

There are many , none of which are universally agreed upon. However, 优蜜视频 advocates for this definition:

鈥淕iftedness is asynchronous development in which advanced cognitive abilities and heightened intensity combine to create inner experiences and awareness that are qualitatively different from the norm. This asynchrony increases with higher intellectual capacity. The uniqueness of the gifted renders them particularly vulnerable and requires modifications in parenting, teaching and counseling in order for them to develop optimally.鈥� 鈥� Columbus Group, 1991

Similar to how students can experience gaps in learning (for example, a student enrolled in calculus who is unable to solve basic geometry problems), children who develop asynchronously may experience 鈥済aps鈥� between their intellect and other parts of self. One such occurrence is found in learners who encounter psychomotor setbacks with coordination or writing skills, despite their deep intellectual capacity. Often, gifted learners experience frustration and a widening gap between their intellect and their social and emotional behavior. Because asynchrony often creates these developmental gaps, it is crucial to provide appropriate resources and opportunities that best identify, challenge, and assist each gifted child鈥檚 specific needs.

is an extremely common characteristic in gifted children and adults. Children who feel things with great intensity experience the world in a different way. Gifted young people are often more aware of, stimulated by, and affected by their surroundings. Emotional or physical reactions to events can last longer than expected and are often replayed in the child鈥檚 mind. Kazimierz Dabrowski coined the term 鈥渙verexcitabilities鈥� to describe intensities in five domains: intellectual, imaginational, sensual, psychomotor, and emotional.

More than Achievement

It is a common myth that gifted children automatically perform well in traditional school environments. 聽Gifted children are not intrinsically motivated by good grades; they are more passionate about the acquisition of knowledge than performing rote tasks. This causes a problem when the school structure and grades rely on repetition and memorization. Bored, unchallenged students may disengage from聽the learning process, which can lead to 聽or聽academic failure.

More than a Test Score

Though testing can be a helpful source of information to assess students鈥� abilities, it does not give a full picture of who the students are, what they care about, and what they are capable of accomplishing. Many factors, including learning disabilities and developmental asynchronies, can profoundly affect a student鈥檚 scores. It is important to look beyond GPAs and IQ scores when assessing a child鈥檚 gifts.

Feeding their Minds

Gifted students learn differently from their age mates: they learn at an accelerated pace; delve into topics of interest with greater complexity, scope, and depth; and approach learning from a more intuitive and sensitive point of view. They thrive on discovery for learning and the flexibility for exploration to feed their ravenous hunger for knowledge. Just as the human body needs nourishment to survive, the gifted child鈥檚 mind needs to be fed. When gifted kids are not learning, they often become anxious, worked up, and tired.

Highly gifted kids will typically change educational environments several times over the course of their K-12 education in an attempt to find the right accommodations or fit between the school system and the student. When a highly gifted child is successful in a single school system, it is often thanks to acceleration.

is an extremely viable option for students who need additional challenge in the classroom. This can take several forms, including grade-skipping, single-subject acceleration, or classwork performed in more depth or at a quicker pace. are also becoming a more viable option. If your child鈥檚 school will allow use of such resources, take them up on it.

Needs beyond the Academic

Gifted children are more than their minds. While intellectual challenges are necessary to keep one engaged, gifted children need more than intellectual stimulation to thrive. Along with advanced intellectual capacity, these individuals also have social, emotional, spiritual, and physical needs. Children with unusually advanced intellectual abilities are uniquely vulnerable to social and emotional challenges stemming from their asynchronous development, which can make it difficult to navigate a world that does not readily understand them.

Gifted students not only think differently, they feel different from their age-level peers. Children who are significantly different from the norm are in need of differentiated programs designed specifically to meet their unique needs.

. They聽notice聽differences between themselves and their classmates; they have different vocabulary, different interests, a deep passion for learning, and endless curiosity that they don鈥檛 see often in their age mates. This can be confusing to them, especially during聽the early years of school. It is important, therefore, for them to be with other gifted children and understand that they are not alone.

Understanding and acceptance of giftedness 鈥� and the unique joys and challenges that accompany it 鈥� is crucial during childhood and adolescence, as these are critical stages of development.

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You know that your child is different, and you may or may not know why or how. You search for answers and find out that your child is gifted. But what does that mean? How do you accommodate your child鈥檚 needs now that you know what they are?

Identifying and Acknowledging Your Child鈥檚 Gifts

Because you as a parent know your child best and see your child the most, you are the most likely person to notice your child鈥檚 gifts. Parents usually notice signs of giftedness in the first five years of their child鈥檚 life. 50%-90% of parents are proficient at recognizing early intellectual advancement in their children. As children near the age of 5, the accuracy improves.

Giftedness is fairly evenly distributed between genders. However, more girls are identified for school gifted programs than boys. As a parent, you know your child. If you suspect that your child is gifted, do something about it.

Some are skeptical of early identification. This is often associated with the assumption that giftedness equals extraordinary achievement. As many parents pointed out at our most recent parent support group meeting, this skepticism can also be due to a parent鈥檚 fear of what 鈥済iftedness鈥� means or a belief that the child is 鈥渨eird鈥� or 鈥渏ust smart.鈥� However, signs of giftedness do appear early in gifted children, and the earlier you notice and address them, the more support your child is going to have throughout his or her childhood. This is important, as giftedness rarely evolves into achievement unless there is a combination of cognitive ability, motivation, and an enriched environment.

What You Can Do At Home

• Compliment your child for his or her abilities and efforts. Recognize real accomplishments.
• Demonstrate how to prioritize. Assist your child in learning how to pick and choose activities. Demonstrate and stress the importance of down time and balance.
• Share data relevant to your child. If a child takes an assessment, he should be told the results and what they mean. It is really important that your children understand who they are. This includes their abilities and needs as gifted kids.
• Enjoy. As challenging as it is to have a child that is different from the norm, some of the hallmarks of giftedness are a sense of humor, an excellent vocabulary, and high levels of perceptivity. No matter what your child鈥檚 level of giftedness or your school鈥檚 level of support, do your best to end most days looking at the positives and saying to yourself, 鈥淲ow! Am I ever lucky!鈥�

The Gifted Child at School

The traditional school system can be difficult for your gifted child. If you walk into a doctor鈥檚 office, they examine you, talk to you about your symptoms, and run tests in order to diagnose you. If you walk into a school, they ask how old you are. Nothing else is taken into consideration. This is a problem when your child is outside the norm.

Just as the human body needs nourishment to survive, the gifted child鈥檚 mind needs to be fed. When gifted kids are not learning, their minds are not being fed, and they get anxious, tired, and worked up.

Highly gifted kids will typically change educational environments 3 to 4 times over the course of their K-12 education in attempts to find the right accommodations or fit between the school system and the student. When a highly gifted child is successful in a single school system, it is often thanks to acceleration.

Acceleration is an extremely viable option for students who need additional challenge in classroom. This can take several forms, including grade-skipping, single-subject acceleration, or classwork performed in more depth or at a quicker pace. Advanced online resources are also becoming a more and more viable option. If your child鈥檚 school will allow use of such resources, take them up on it.

There are a few concerns that parents and educators sometimes have with acceleration. It is important for you to know that studies show that acceleration works well and that students who have been accelerated rarely regret it. In fact, most kids who were accelerated wish they were accelerated even more. Will there be social differences between a child who was accelerated and his or her classmates? Absolutely. But many families feel the benefits of acceleration outweigh the emotional challenges that come with such a transition. These are not barriers that should stop your child from getting the education he or she needs. Acceleration is about meeting your child鈥檚 educational needs, and this is important to your child, as well.

When talking to the school about your child鈥檚 abilities and needs, bring a sample of your child鈥檚 advanced work to demonstrate the level at which your child is performing. This will resonate with teachers and administrators more than test scores 鈥� although those help, as well 鈥� and your word that your child is advanced.

Do your best to help make schoolwork challenging and interesting for your child. For many parents of gifted children, it is like pulling teeth getting their kids to do homework. Many gifted children also make silly mistakes on homework and tests because they rush through, knowing it is easy for them. Help make assignments interesting. There are unconventional ways to make your child pause, pay attention, and think, like doing multiple things at once. For example:

• Integrate movement of the body while completing the assignment. For reading assignments, draw a line on the floor of the hall with masking tape. Have your child walk the line while reading the textbook.
• If the assignment is not a linear progression, alter the order of activities in an assignment. For math problem worksheets, have your child start at the bottom of the page and work upward (or right of the page and work toward left) or make a design on the page rather than doing the normal left to right, top to bottom progression.

Everyone will see your child differently. It is important to recognize this early on. No two teachers will be the same, and you will likely have to advocate for your child鈥檚 needs often and in different ways. Most educators want to have the best interest of your child and your child鈥檚 education in mind; sometimes it is just difficult for them to understand what that means. Be patient, and be flexible.

To be notified of future 优蜜视频 Gifted Child Parent Support Group meetings in the Los Angeles area, please contact us or sign up for our email newsletter and make sure to enter your zip code in the form.

The most viewed posts of the last year were:

1. Top 5 TEDTalks for Parents of Gifted Kids
   鈥淚 love TEDTalks. Whenever I need a break from my day-to-day routine, I watch a TEDTalk and lose myself in the brilliance of people and their ideas鈥�.For your viewing pleasure, here are my top five most powerful, informative, and stimulating TEDTalks for parents of gifted children. Enjoy!鈥�
2. 15 Strategies for Managing Your Child鈥檚 Intensities
   鈥淓verything that makes your children intellectually intense also makes them emotionally intense. These intensities can be difficult to manage as a parent. Once you understand what intensities are and where they come from, you can start implementing strategies to help your child manage these overexcitabilities.鈥�
3. Too Fast, Too Slow, Just Right 鈥� Acceleration for the Gifted Child
   鈥淢any gifted children only have the option of participating in advanced extracurricular programs. While a lifeline for highly able students, these classes are held after school and on weekends, which means students remain unchallenged during the traditional academic school day.鈥�
4. Breathing in I Calm My Body: Intensities in the Gifted
   鈥淐hildren who feel things with great intensity experience the world in a different way. Gifted young people are often more aware, stimulated, and affected by their surroundings. Emotional or physical reactions to events can last longer than expected and are often replayed in the child鈥檚 mind.鈥�
5. Preparing for an Independent School Interview
   鈥淲hen applying to competitive, selective independent schools, many things count, including grades, test scores, extracurricular activities and the interview. Here is a basic list that will help students and parents get through this important part of the admissions process and allow the applicant to show yourself as the accomplished, unique person you are.鈥�

And, as a bonus, the post that received the most 鈥渓ikes鈥� was:

Parental Expectations
鈥淲hen my sons were in elementary school, I argued with the teachers every year to get them the instruction that they needed. When they reached middle school, I found the solution: a school for gifted and talented students….The school offered my children what they needed 鈥� academically, socially and emotionally. The school also brought out all my insecurities.鈥�

We鈥檇 like to take this opportunity to thank our monthly guest writers, Carole Rosner and Lisa Hartwig, for helping us create great content for our readers. We would also like to thank all of our readers 鈥� you鈥檙e the reason we write here! If there is anything else you want to see on this blog, please let us know any time. You can comment on any post or contact our office.

Thank you for a great year! We look forward to many more!

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Kate Duey is a private college counselor serving gifted students. She has worked with students on traditional schooling paths, home schooled students, community college students and students seeking accelerated or early college entrance. Kate is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Business School. She has a Certificate in College Counseling from UCLA.

Razel Solow, Ph.D., and Celeste Rhodes, Ph.D., turn the chief criticism of early college entrance–that early entrance inhibits healthy social development–on its head in (Great Potential Press, 2012). Their book is centered on a longitudinal study of fourteen women who entered Mary Baldwin College鈥檚 Program for the Exceptionally Gifted (PEG) between the ages of 13 and 16. Dr. Rhodes, who had been the Assistant, Associate and Executive Director of PEG, began the study supported by a grant from the Malone Family Foundation. When poor health precluded her from continuing her work, Dr. Rhodes invited Dr. Solow to finish the project. Dr. Solow is the former Director, Center for Gifted Studies and Education, at Hunter College.

Rhodes and Solow鈥檚 case study materials stretch from birth into well-formed adult lives. Pseudonymously presented, the PEG graduates share their lives鈥� stories in detail. The reasons they entered PEG offer important insights into the life of a gifted girl in middle school. Many scholarly publications on the development of gifted children precede College at 13, but Rhodes and Solow stay away from normed studies. Instead, they stay with their subjects鈥� voices and let these fourteen women describe the world of giftedness. The women share stories of being isolated, confused, humiliated and slapped. The authors spare nothing.

Grounded in this detail, Solow and Rhodes make the case that socialization and social development ought not to be confused. Socialization, the art of joining a group, can be impossible if the group is fundamentally hostile. The middle school years, when students turn away from their families and toward their peers, present a painful choice: give up your passions, conform and be included; or not. Beyond fellow students, the girls鈥� teachers are a mixed bag, some supportive and some clearly annoyed. The consequences of socialization denied include social development inhibited. Echoing her fellow PEGs, Julia says, 鈥淣ot caring about what everyone thinks is one thing, but feeling okay about being different is something else.鈥�

Supportive parents are the heroes of the book, and Solow and Rhodes get to the parents鈥� stories straightaway. It takes a special kind of mother and father to move a thirteen-year-old daughter onto a college campus. Words describing home life with these parents include 鈥減eace,鈥� 鈥渢rust鈥� and 鈥渟eriousness鈥�. Over and over, the parents talk about how they want their daughters to pursue the daughters鈥� dreams and interests. Comparing these students to a study of 81 class valedictorians in Illinois, Solow and Rhodes observe that there are important differences between parents who want their children to succeed and parents who want their children to grow. Identifying those parents, and the support they have given and likely will give, is crucial in making radical acceleration work.

And what happens twenty years or so later? These students have remarkably unremarkable lives. To be sure, most of them continue as students (eight MA/MS/MFA degree holders, and one in progress; one lawyer; one Ph.D. and one in progress; one MD in progress). But they don鈥檛 speak of isolation and feeling different, even when they are different. One young woman entered law school at eighteen and surprised her classmates when everyone went to a bar and she couldn鈥檛 order a drink. She was confident, they were respectful and the evening rolled on. Other alumnae describe the nuts and bolts of everyday life: putting a bed in an office because of fibromyalgia; struggling to come out to a father; and coping, simultaneously, with her desire to build a woodworking business and her promise to finish her parents鈥� kitchen remodeling. These details are small, sometimes humorous and very reassuring. Being denied normalcy in their mid-teens, these women are having mostly stable and mostly happy ordinary adult lives.

Two clear advantages of radical acceleration for women emerge. First, they have more time to complete their educations and build careers before they start families. The challenge for many women, especially working in professions which require lengthy educations and apprenticeships, is the point at which to divide a career between working flat out and working with flexibility once professional credentials are in place. Second, being younger at graduation means the women have 鈥渆xtra time as a bonus, not as a launching pad for another round of running ahead.鈥� It struck me that these are not really bonus years, but transferred years. Skipping over high school moves years that can be destructive and esteem-busting into years better lived because the whole self is better formed. Social development is a lifelong affair.

College at 13鈥檚 shortcoming is that these are successful entrants and graduates of radical acceleration. Rhodes and Solow鈥檚 fourteen PEG alumnae are among twenty handpicked by Mary Baldwin鈥檚 administration. Did everyone鈥檚 story go so well? What about the students who dropped out of PEG or struggled with their youthfulness after graduation?

Solow and Rhodes do us all a favor by shining light on a subject that can arouse passions without understanding. We talk often about supporting the whole gifted child. What exactly does radical acceleration offer the whole gifted adult? Not every gifted child is a good candidate for radical acceleration. Not every gifted child is a good candidate for high school. College at 13 contributes to understanding the differences.

Have you read College at 13? Please let us know what you thought in the comment section below!

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Lisa is the mother of 3 gifted children and lives outside of San Francisco.

At my son鈥檚 kindergarten parent/teacher conference, his teacher played a game with my husband and me. She put 3 marbles on the table and asked us to close our eyes. When we opened them, we saw 2 marbles. She asked us how many she was holding in her hand. When we told her 鈥渙ne鈥�, she repeated the game with 4 marbles.

Our son鈥檚 teacher told us she played this game with each student until the child no longer gave the correct answer. All the children in her class stopped at 10 marbles, except my son. She played with him until she had 20 marbles on the table. Then she stopped. She told us that he was clearly very good at math.
I left the meeting feeling proud of my son鈥檚 talent and satisfied with the teacher鈥檚 assessment. My husband wasn鈥檛.

鈥淲hy didn鈥檛 she keep going until he gave the wrong answer?鈥�

From that moment, 鈥済ood at math鈥� wasn鈥檛 good enough for me. I wanted to know his limits. Then I wanted him to learn something new. Thus began my search for the perfect test: the one that would convince his teachers that he needed something different from the rest of the class.

I started with an . That was a terrible idea. I learned that he not only had exceptional perceptual reasoning abilities, but he also had excellent verbal abilities. When I shared this information with the principal, she was wary. What kind of parent gives her 5 year old child an IQ test? Clearly, I was one of 鈥渢hose鈥� parents. I not only complicated my search, I acquired a label that would follow me throughout my son鈥檚 elementary school years.

The psychologist who administered the IQ test also gave him the Wide Range Achievement Test. His Reading and Arithmetic achievement scores placed him in 3rd Grade. I approached his 1st grade teacher with these scores and asked if she could give him 3rd grade level work. She was sympathetic to my request. She thought she could deliver an appropriate reading curriculum. Unfortunately, she didn鈥檛 have the resources to deliver a 3rd grade math curriculum in her class and the school would not allow him to sit in a 3rd grade classroom.

I decided to make alternate arrangements for math. I enrolled my son in an online math program through the Educational Program for Gifted Youth (鈥淓PGY鈥�). He worked on the computer at home and brought the homework assignments to school. Finally, I understood what my son knew because I saw it on the computer screen every day.

I remained optimistic when my son started 2nd grade. I gave up on the advanced reading curriculum, but I continued to advocate for accelerated math. I doubled my efforts. My son took the Sequential Test for Educational Progress (STEP) for mathematics computation. The test detailed scores in reading and whole numbers, fractions, decimals, percentages, denominate numbers and algebraic manipulation in math. He scored at a 5th grade level. Armed with the STEP results and the completed EPGY math curriculum, I tried again.

His 2nd grade teacher was hostile. Through her behavior and comments, she delivered two messages to my son. First, he is not as smart as he thinks he is. He may be good at adding, subtracting and multiplying numbers, but he didn鈥檛 understand math concepts. (Later, I would learn his conceptual math abilities are particularly strong.) Second, he needed to be quiet about his abilities, or risk being ostracized by the class. Given the teacher鈥檚 hostility to my son, I did not push . She allowed him to work on word problems independently, but that was all.

I brought out all the big guns in 3rd grade. I not only had him take a second STEP test for math, I contacted Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth for an Educational Evaluation. Two Ph.Ds wrote a 3 page Educational Evaluation that concluded: 鈥淭o avoid repetition of material and the subsequent boredom and decrease in motivation, (my son) should be allowed to work on fourth grade-level math or higher.鈥� The teachers refused. I gave up. We hired a tutor so he could learn new math concepts after school.

By 4th grade, I learned that no test was going to convince any teacher at our school that his math curriculum should be accelerated. I sat in a room with my husband, the principal, my son鈥檚 4th grade teacher, copies of the California Education Code, the school district鈥檚 policies, and the book Teaching Gifted Kids in the Regular Classroom: Strategies and Techniques Every Teacher Can Use to Meet the Academic Needs of the Gifted and Talented, and I got mad. I got leaning-over-the table-finger-poking-red-faced-mad. My surprised husband (the reliably hot headed one) jumped into the fray and suggested that 鈥渨e all step back and try to find some common ground.鈥� It worked. We got the teacher to pre-test our son before each math lesson. If he demonstrated mastery, he was allowed to skip the lessons. We kept his tutor. When he tested out of a concept, he was allowed to work on the tutor鈥檚 assignments during class. In addition, the classroom teacher did not assign him any homework.

So, what did I learn from all of this? I learned that a good assessment (or several) can let you know what your child needs and give you the conviction to fight for it. I learned that no test will convince a teacher, not otherwise inclined, to deliver an accelerated curriculum if he or she lacks the resources or motivation. I learned that when nothing else works, righteous outrage sometimes is the catalyst to make things happen. I learned that to be productive, outrage must be coupled with a reasonable proposal. Most importantly, I learned that my son is the most accommodating child in the world to put up with all this nonsense.

What has your experience been with effectiveness of assessments in getting your children the accommodations they need? Please share with us in the comment section below.

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Kyle started to read when he was two. He carried the first Harry Potter book with him to preschool and proceeded to finish the book in a week. His preschool teacher told his parents that he needed to skip kindergarten, but the school district said it was against policy and that he should start kindergarten with his age peers. Kyle started to cry every morning and would try to negotiate ways to get out of going to school. He had few friends and was extremely emotionally intense. Reading was the only thing that made him happy. Knowing that something had to change, his parents pleaded with the district to do something. They worked with experts to assess their child and to learn coping mechanisms to help him deal with his intensity. Eventually the child was offered a grade skip, but the policy was not changed and the family was told not to discuss the issue.

In an ideal world, schools would identify and address the intellectual, creative and personal needs of all children. However, large class size, lack of funds, philosophical differences, inadequate teacher training, wide variety in student abilities and a myriad of other issues prevent this from being a reality.

Many gifted children only have the option of participating in advanced extracurricular programs. While a lifeline for highly able students, these classes are held after school and on weekends, which means students remain unchallenged during the traditional academic school day.

Research is clear on how to best meet the needs of gifted and highly gifted children in school, and it involves some form of academic acceleration. Acceleration is a program, service or administrative decision that shortens a student鈥檚 time in a course of study. Schools that offer services for gifted students are usually comfortable with subject area acceleration, curriculum telescoping and compacting. These forms of differentiation are good ways for students to remain engaged in learning.

Unfortunately, many parents are met with resistance when advocating for services for their bright young children. As experts in gifted education, we continually advocate for change to ensure that all bright, curious kids have a chance to be successful. Unfortunately, lasting effective change in our schools can take years, and these brilliant floundering students need challenging and enriched learning opportunities now.

Acceleration in the form of grade skipping is most common in early years of elementary school because it is often easier to determine basic mastery of content and skills. Research has demonstrated that, with solid planning, a grade skip is a positive solution to meeting the needs of highly able students.

Grade skipping

• Requires limited financial resources
• Positively impacts academic progress
• Strongly improves social adjustment
• Results in higher self esteem

Tom Southern and Eric Jones share that high ability students who are accelerated are actually more likely to make friends with students who have similar academic interests and are more socially mature.

础听 was conducted on 320 adults who were accelerated as highly gifted children 10 years earlier. The study found that more than 70% had no regrets about the experience. Of those that reported regret, 20% indicated they wish they had been accelerated more.

In our experience, the students who have the most satisfying experiences with acceleration are those who are performing well beyond their grade level peers, have an IQ score above 140 and have demonstrated frustration with the level and pace of instruction in the classroom. We have also noted that highly able students who are self-directed, excited and focused when presented with rigorous new challenges, have multiple interests and are somewhat socially mature do extremely well with grade skipping and advancement in single subjects.

Thoughts on what schools should do to accommodate the needs of highly able youth

1. Develop policies to address acceleration, including
   1. Criteria for grade skip, subject area acceleration and telescoping
   2. Credit or placement based upon performance
2. Train parents and teachers on forms of acceleration and strategies for success
3. Offer advanced placement and honor classes to student in middle school and high school
4. Provide information on early admission to college or dual placement

It is important to continually monitor the success of student progress academically, socially and emotionally. Kyle was accelerated again in third grade and entered junior high when he was ten. He participates in advanced enrichment classes, sports and music programs after school. For now it is a good balance. He is happy and is still interested in learning.

How does your child鈥檚 school respond to the need for acceleration? Please share your experiences with us in the comment section below!

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