Should highly gifted children skip grades?
Academically, I see the value. I wonder about the social aspect of skipping a grade.
Yes, they should skip grades. To have gifted children go the average grade promotion route would only do a grave disservice to them intellectually. Children should go as far as their intellect takes them. If a 7 year old child is intellectually suited for 6th grade, so be it.
---> good grief. I hope you are being the devil's advocate and you don't really believe what you say. A child who is seven should not be with twelve year olds in a sixth grade classroom. You think a child who is five years younger than the other students will be able to learn, absorb and succeed? Will he be able to make real friends in a sixth grade classroom?
No he won't. He will be very uncomfortable.
Actually, In a (true) Montessori classroom, children of all ages work and learn together. The older students help the younger. But, public schools will never place students of various ages in one classroom. Teachers are not trained or prepared to teach students of all different ages. Administrators would not be able to handle such "dis-organization." Even split classes - with second and third graders in one classroom, for example - are very hard for teachers to manage. From what I witnessed, students do not learn as well in split classes.
I am deadly serious...…...not being a devil's advocate at all. I stand by what I have stated.
I think this depends on the child's maturity. Intelligence and emotional maturity are two different things. There are ways to provide intellectual stimulation to bright kids, through pull-out programs or mentoring or independent projects, without taking them out of their same-age peer group.
That said, I think that as a child matures, taking his or her own desire to skip or not to skip into account is appropriate. The child should have some help with that decision with a counselor who has some training in working with bright kids. The student would have to decide is more painful, boredom or social difficulties? I suspect each child would have a different answer depending on the child's personality.
I think it is much easier for young children. My daughter did it and enjoyed her new class and friends. I did it when I was much older and regretted losing my social group. It was definitely of value academically.
Not skip. They should study during the summer or one semester and take the test to pass the next grade. That way it is fair for everyone to have a chance to pass a grade.
They SHOULD skip a grade or two. To make a gifted child be in a normative grade when he/she is suited for a more advanced grade isn't fair to the intellectual development of the child.
I also think it depends on maturity. My 3rd grader is now going to 4-5 grade mixed ages classroom and not only she is shining academically but she is also mature enough to have meaningful relationships with her friends who are older. If she were in her grade she would be bored with kids her age.
Definitely, a highly gifted child should be allowed to skip grades. It is tantamount to child abuse to have a gifted children not skip a grade. If a highly gifted child is forced to remain in a normative grade, he/she will become bored. Also, a highly gifted child will be bored with same aged peers. It is better for the child's intellectual development to permit him/her to skip a grade or two or three.
Better yet, if there is a school for highly gifted students or a gifted program within the regular school, enroll him/her into this gifted program. Highly gifted children need to use all of his/her intellectual potential. So many parents and our antiquated, backward educational system are loathe to let highly gifted students use their intellectual potential in favor of "being normal" which is a severe disservice to the student. Place the student in an environment when he/she will INTELLECTUALLY SHINE!
For girls, I see no problem. But as a male, boys can be bullies, so if your boy is smaller, then he could get picked out if he is younger. However, maybe it's not as much as an issue now as it was decades ago.
by Grace Marguerite Williams 5 years ago
There are children who are so aware at their young ages. They have a perception that some adults do not have. These children are often quite prodigious. They are usually the A students, even though they may not be A students, they have an intellectual curiosity...
by Susan Holland 10 years ago
Should student grades be affected by behavior in class?If there is a student who does well on academic work, should bad behavior that disrupts other students be held against the student? If not, how would you handle it?
by hillymillydee 5 years ago
How to know if your child is gifted?
by Grace Marguerite Williams 5 years ago
Gifted children should have their own schools & programs. They should NEVER be in classes with average children because oftentimes gifted children will be bored in such classes. Although AP classes are established in schools, it isn't enough. There should be schools...
by RM Gylbert 12 years ago
How do you challenge a gifted, academically advanced toddler?
by Eileen 13 years ago
Do you think gifted children are born 'gifted' or just given opportunities?These days we hear of many child prodigies but I was wondering are they really born intelligent or are they just more exposed to better toys, computers...etc?
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