Help me think this through: skip now or next year?

[Geofizz]

While I know we have the right to refuse any whole grade or subject acceleration, the school is pretty much saying DS should either grade accelerate *now* with an additional subject acceleration in math, or he should accelerate for the start of next year.  They don't see a way to sustain him beyond the end of this year, and through the meeting, it became clear they couldn't even do that.

The math has to happen, that's clear.  They made the case to me that the rest should happen as well.

DS is an old-for-grade kindergartener, but in a red-shirt heavy district.  He goes half day right now, so the immediate impact of the switch will be moving to all day.  Because our sitter is fully supporting herself on her watching my kids, this would cut her hours my more than half, so I anticipate we'll lose our sitter. 

The immediate switch they'd make is into a different instructional format than he's in now.  He'd go into the other format in the school with multi-aged classrooms.  This will then put him into a 1/2 class, so my kindergartener will be in a room with kids now turning 9.

Without half a year of 2nd grade math, however, they don't see him being able to move into 3rd grade math next fall if we don't do the switch now.  He's already worked all the way through 2nd grade math on an online program they gave him, but he is lacking the pieces of putting it on the paper, timed tests, and the like.

I'm leaning towards the first option because it solves the math bit and it gets him out of a less-than-great kindergarten class.   I suspect DH will lean away from this option because he's anxious about social bits (I'm familiar with the retorts -- he's going off his own experiences, though), and family stress in the transition:  we'd have to hire a new sitter likely, yada yada.

The school will have to do a full "acceleration packet" first which includes the IAS.  I've seen the IAS and I'm pretty sure he's got almost all the points in it.

What other things might I want to consider?

[KCMichigan]

Originally Posted by Geofizz 

DS is an old-for-grade kindergartener, but in a red-shirt heavy district.  He goes half day right now, so the immediate impact of the switch will be moving to all day.  Because our sitter is fully supporting herself on her watching my kids, this would cut her hours my more than half, so I anticipate we'll lose our sitter. 

The immediate switch they'd make is into a different instructional format than he's in now.  He'd go into the other format in the school with multi-aged classrooms.  This will then put him into a 1/2 class, so my kindergartener will be in a room with kids now turning 9.

9 year olds in 2nd?!? Wow. That means they would be 7 in K.

I would skip up to the split. Honestly, especially if he is old for grade.

The range at the start of the year for 1/2 would be 6-8 year olds (here in a later cut-off state it would be 5-8). So if your DS is in that range, he should be alright socially. Yes, there is likely to be mostly older kids, but there should be a few 6 yr olds that would be his age or younger. 

A split is also often selected to include independent workers (since it is challenging to manage two curriculums) and it is likely to be a good 'group' of kiddos that would be good role models. I know in our area-- splits are made up of the best independent and 'grade level or higher' kiddos so he also might find some academic challenges that he may not get in a non-split class.

Also teachers that accept splits are often fairly involved and more likely to be used to working with multi-age/multi-skill groupings. Class sizes are often smaller as well.

My two DDs are not exceptionally interested in math-- and they are whizzing through the 1st grade math program as the youngest (6 yrs 3 months) and they get a bit of enrichment with a few other kiddos because they have a good teacher (not a GT program). If they had even higher math skills, I would be worried.

I will add-- we moved, but I had my 5 yr old DDs enrolled in a K/1 split. Then we moved and we simply skipped K and went to 1st, it has been a good experience so I support splits and may be a bit biased! They will be 6 years and 10 months for the start of 2nd grade next year.

I would try it out this year, rather a good mid-year experience than try to backpedal or have the split fill next fall. Also , he will be a full 8-9 months older by then and may really really benefit from the acceleration in math.

IAS is a good scale, but also take in consideration the temperment of your kiddo and the temperment of the classroom teacher that would be picking him up mid-year. A good teacher can really make or break the best of plans!

[emilysmama]

My first thought would be to very carefully consider writing skill level of the child, yes, even in math. 

When my dd was in first grade, the teacher worked very hard all year to develop those writing skills.  Simple things, like picking up a pencil and forming letters and words, were very tiring and quickly drained a lot of energy for my dd as a first grader because it was not something that she did a lot of in kindergarten.  (I have heard that this is typical for first grade.) And I think that my dd was at the very strong end of her class in terms of writing skills from the beginning of the first grade and all the way through first grade.  Plus, her penmanship was absolutely gorgeous from the start.  (No thanks to her parents, who have terrible handwriting.)  So I would have thought that writing would not have been an issue for my dd doing higher-than-grade-level math.

But in fact, it was. When the first grade teacher started having my husband and me teach dd do third grade math at home to keep her from getting bored, I was surprised to find out how even the slightest weakness in writing skills made her struggle with learning math.  For me and my husband, at least, we needed our daughter to be able to think with a pencil in order to be able to teach her things like regrouping.  For example, if I think the number nine, then I need to be able to automatically write down the number nine without thinking, before I decide what mathematical operation to do with the number nine. In contrast, I found that, during the first grade, if my dd thought the number nine, then she had to divert a lot of brain power to direct her fingers to form the number nine on paper, and by the time the number nine has been formed on paper, dd has lost her train of numerical thought.  It wasn't until second grade when things clicked for dd because, at that point, dd was able to pick up a pencil, and automatically write down numbers as she was thinking them.  The moment that dd reached this point, doing math at the higher grade level became very easy for her, instead of a struggle.

That's not to say that this would be an issue for you.  It is very likely that my dd is not nearly as advanced in math as your child.  Perhaps your child will do just fine without having to write things down.  Also, it is very likely that my husband and I compounded this issue because my dh and I insist that dd show all her work in writing.  (That's just because it's a pet peeve of mine from having to grade so many problem sets with just the wrong answer, and no work shown.) So there's a lot of writing that dd has to do right there. (But still, if I had to do it all again, I wouldn't budge on my insistence that dd show her work in writing.  But that's just my family, and this wouldn't necessarily be a good thing for other families.) Plus, we insist that dd always figure out a way to check her work in a way that is different from the way she originally did the problem, so there is still more writing for her there too.  So you may very well not have the problems that we deliberately saddled our dd with.

Edited by emilysmama - 2/8/12 at 12:16pm

[Geofizz]

emilymama, I grade similar problem sets.  ;)  I have similar concerns.

That's an interesting comment about the writing.  We were thinking about the writing with regards to size -- when DD was in 5th grade math as a 3rd grader, the layout of the page didn't give her large writing enough space to fit in on the problem.  DS's handwriting is fine for automaticity for numbers.  I suspect it will take him time to get up to doing 30 addition/subtraction problems in 2 minutes, though.  We may work on that at home to help support that.

KCMichigan, our school has two instructional systems within the building.  One is "informal" and the other "contemporary."  Informal is Montessori inspired (but using the same curriculum as the rest of the district ) and is multi-aged.  Contemporary is traditional and single grade rooms.  So parents select into each program, which means that the kids in the rooms aren't necessarily hand picked for the format, and the teachers are only marginally selected into this format.  We had a rather negative experience with DD in one of the two rooms DS is likely to be placed in (though I'll be making some phone calls tonight...)

And yes, DS came home today having eaten a cupcake at 10 am because some kid just turned 7 in his class.  BO becomes a problem in 4th grade as these kids turn 11.  It's a crazy world.

DH and I have a lot to think about, that's for sure.

[moominmamma]

I would leave him for now. I think the transition from half to full days, and into a new classroom, is a little stressful. Add to that the stress of a new set of academic expectations (the writing, testing, etc.). And the stress involved in him getting to know a new sitter. Unless you had been planning for this all along, unless he's miserable in KG, I'd leave him.

If he's in school just for half days, I would think it would be easy for you to find a couple of hours spread over the course of each week (evenings, weekends) to work with him on the timed-test, pencil-and-paper portion of the 2nd grade math curriculum that he's lacking. If he can't pick that stuff up in ~20 minutes a day of one-on-one for 6 months, he's not developmentally ready for it, and 3rd grade next year is not likely to work well. I think that would be a better use of his time, in terms of bringing him up to an end-of-2nd-grade level, than another 2.5-3 hours a day of school. 

Then next year I would ask to have him in the 1st/2nd classroom (with acceleration to 3rd for math) on the understanding that he will compress 1st and 2nd grade learning into that year and accelerate to a 3rd-grade classroom the following year. At that point the skip will be all within a full-days context, and he'll have social connections with some of the kids, and there will be plenty of time to get used to the idea.

Miranda

[Geofizz]

Thanks for the comments, Miranda!

Interesting, based on your comments, I now know I'm really leaning towards the immediate switch option.  I've got a retort to everything you have to say there. 

DH and I will have to play devil's advocate to each other in the coming nights to suss out all the ins and outs of this decision.

But fundamentally, while DS says he loves school, he's very unhappy with school.  Clear as mud?  He loves school, but the pace is driving him nuts.  He only occasionally expresses it, but when he does, look out -- a torrent of comments.  Sadly, a lot of his complaints wouldn't be an issue with the right kindergarten teacher.

And FWIW, I think he can get the timed test thing down in a matter of days if we do it at home as well.  Writing is generally fine (completed Singapore 2b independently when I wasn't looking), but there are additional aspects to morphing that into the batty EverydayMath that has me concerned.  EM days are numbered, of course, going the way to the dinosaur come next year...  The school administration doesn't take any parent's word on these things.  They cannot move him forward until they see those skills with their own eyes.

[KCMichigan]

Originally Posted by Geofizz 

emilymama, I grade similar problem sets.  ;)  I have similar concerns.

That's an interesting comment about the writing.  We were thinking about the writing with regards to size -- when DD was in 5th grade math as a 3rd grader, the layout of the page didn't give her large writing enough space to fit in on the problem.  DS's handwriting is fine for automaticity for numbers.  I suspect it will take him time to get up to doing 30 addition/subtraction problems in 2 minutes, though.  We may work on that at home to help support that.

One of my DDs had writing issues at the start of the year-- but really now midway it is automatic.

In 1st grade our kids do Mad Minutes-- they have to do 15 +/ - or mixed problems in 1 minute (1st). They are sequential---  +1, +2, up to 12s then -1, -2, etc up to 12. They have to master all 15 in a minute to move forward. It really helps with automaticity of writing--- even if they know the facts. The speed is what one of my DDs struggled with, but that said- she has mastered the + and is 1/2 through the - and the year is 1/2 over.

If your DS is OK with writing and being timed, it should not be a problem. 

KCMichigan, our school has two instructional systems within the building.  One is "informal" and the other "contemporary."  Informal is Montessori inspired (but using the same curriculum as the rest of the district ) and is multi-aged.  Contemporary is traditional and single grade rooms.  So parents select into each program, which means that the kids in the rooms aren't necessarily hand picked for the format, and the teachers are only marginally selected into this format.  We had a rather negative experience with DD in one of the two rooms DS is likely to be placed in (though I'll be making some phone calls tonight...)

YIKES!! Hope it works out.....

And yes, DS came home today having eaten a cupcake at 10 am because some kid just turned 7 in his class.  BO becomes a problem in 4th grade as these kids turn 11.  It's a crazy world.

THAT scares me!!! My girls will not turn 7 until two months into 2nd grade!!!!  They are young for grade, but did not do early entry (Dec cut-off). There are some redshirted kiddos, but not so much that there are 7  yr olds in K.

Originally Posted by moominmamma 

If he's in school just for half days, I would think it would be easy for you to find a couple of hours spread over the course of each week (evenings, weekends) to work with him on the timed-test, pencil-and-paper portion of the 2nd grade math curriculum that he's lacking. If he can't pick that stuff up in ~20 minutes a day of one-on-one for 6 months, he's not developmentally ready for it, and 3rd grade next year is not likely to work well. I think that would be a better use of his time, in terms of bringing him up to an end-of-2nd-grade level, than another 2.5-3 hours a day of school. 

I disagree, my DDs would have been age OK in K (1/2 day here) or 1st....but very very restless in K. Most programs for 5/6 yr olds are not available during the day (most are afterschool) and that is really good stuff that would be worth having 1/2 day school!

You could afterschool or enrich at home, but if the school can do it and you plan to compact him or do 1/2 1st this year and that leaves open the option of doing a compaction next year for 2/3 or staying in 2nd or even doing a 2/3 split with him having access to 4th+ material.

Plus a lot can change in the next 6 months. If he is unhappy, restless at school--- I would try 1st, but that is just my opinion. It is slightly swayed by the success we have had with having young for grade 1st graders (they get advanced reading  1-2+ years and enriched math- additional thinking problems and activies). Plus if he is old for grade, it is a much smoother transition than young for grade.

Originally Posted by Geofizz 

But fundamentally, while DS says he loves school, he's very unhappy with school.  Clear as mud?  He loves school, but the pace is driving him nuts.  He only occasionally expresses it, but when he does, look out -- a torrent of comments.  Sadly, a lot of his complaints wouldn't be an issue with the right kindergarten teacher.

And FWIW, I think he can get the timed test thing down in a matter of days if we do it at home as well.  Writing is generally fine (completed Singapore 2b independently when I wasn't looking), but there are additional aspects to morphing that into the batty EverydayMath that has me concerned.  EM days are numbered, of course, going the way to the dinosaur come next year...  The school administration doesn't take any parent's word on these things.  They cannot move him forward until they see those skills with their own eyes.

We have EM in our schools.....the K program is simply easy. The 1st is too. If your DS is working in the 2nd grade text--- he should be able to continue to do so in a split, correct?

I agree that the timing is a matter of getting used to as long as he does not mind the timing (perfectionist or anxiety) he should be OK with it.

If he switched K teachers-- would that solve the problem? That may be a good solution too. Or do 1/2 and 1/2 (am K and afternoon in 1st) as a transition? I know our 1st do more specials (gym, recess, etc) in the afternoon and he could 'test the waters' and build some relationships.

[moominmamma]

Originally Posted by Geofizz 

But fundamentally, while DS says he loves school, he's very unhappy with school.  

Ah, see, this is the crux of it. If he's that unhappy, something needs to change. Kids should not be miserable in school! 

If you think more school, but in a different, slightly more challenging classroom, would solve his unhappiness, go for it. Presumably he'll need to be skipped sometime soon. There is absolutely no point in keeping him where he's miserable in the hope of a smoother transition another time. I agree with you. 

Miranda

[Tigerle]

Originally Posted by Geofizz 

And yes, DS came home today having eaten a cupcake at 10 am because some kid just turned 7 in his class.  BO becomes a problem in 4th grade as these kids turn 11.  It's a crazy world.

DH and I have a lot to think about, that's for sure.

sheesh, and I worry about DS, as a fall-born kid, being in a classroom with summer- and fall-born boys who are over a year older.

In this situation, I'd actually much prefer the split, because in this format it is clear that there is a wide spread by design and the expectations, behavioral and otherwise (eg writing and speed), aren't the same for everyone. Whereas the spread in his traditional K class is already huge but they are all supposed to be on the same page.

I wonder what would happen if school administrations insisted on an evaluation with a formal diagnosis" of immaturity required for redshirting, or 6 yo were required to go into 1st....

[pigpokey]

I would try it now, and see how it goes.  If the older kids are mean or it is too much for him, then you will know and can plan for home school or virtual school in the fall.

For now, I'd advise you to keep paying your sitter the same amount with the reduced hours if you want to keep her around during the trial, and consider that you may need her to implement your home school or virtual school curriculum and may need her in the summer months.

My athletically and academically gifted son is home schooled but has been in a gymnastics training group nine hours a week with kids 2-2.5 years older since June.  He just turned 7.  Four of them and one of him.  For some reason the boys on our street that age accept him well, and his best friend is 9, and he has another good friend that age.  But this group at gym has not been very accepting of him.  So that's just an anecdotal reason why I'd personally be concerned about putting my son in the grade that would be appropriate for him in school based on academics.  Might be good ... depends on the kids.

[Geofizz]

Homeschooling is not a consideration.

[ollyoxenfree]

Can you afford to keep the sitter, i.e. continue to pay her as if she were still working her current hours? Kind of a working notice situation for the next few months (what happens during the summer - do you need a full-time sitter then?)? Perhaps there's some arrangement you can reach with her.  If agreeable, she can take on a few other tasks, along the lines of "personal concierge", in the time she isn't actually caring for your DS. It would provide a little continuity for your DS and make things easier for you all. 

Have you had an opportunity to observe the classroom that he would move into? Would it help if he visited that classroom for a week or so before making a final decision?  Perhaps he could continue half-days in his current class, according to his normal schedule, and then spend the remaining part of the day with the new class. It might give you a little more information on how he interacts with the students and the new teacher. 

Best wishes with the decision. 

[Geofizz]

Originally Posted by ollyoxenfree 

Can you afford to keep the sitter, i.e. continue to pay her as if she were still working her current hours? Kind of a working notice situation for the next few months (what happens during the summer - do you need a full-time sitter then?)? Perhaps there's some arrangement you can reach with her.  If agreeable, she can take on a few other tasks, along the lines of "personal concierge", in the time she isn't actually caring for your DS. It would provide a little continuity for your DS and make things easier for you all. 

It's a possibility that we've discussed.  She'd have an extra 4 hours a day to do our grocery shopping and laundry!  Hmmm, I wonder if she could install the new kitchen faucet.   (Actually, thinking about it... she might).

I work shorter days in the summer except for conference and experiment travel.  We were going to attempt to do the summer with camps for my work days and grandparent visits during my travel.

Have you had an opportunity to observe the classroom that he would move into? Would it help if he visited that classroom for a week or so before making a final decision?  Perhaps he could continue half-days in his current class, according to his normal schedule, and then spend the remaining part of the day with the new class. It might give you a little more information on how he interacts with the students and the new teacher. 

Yes, I would certainly ask to spend time observing, and then having an aid go with DS to visit a few times before the switch.  The half-and-half option is oddly prohibited at the state level having to do with providing full day kindergarten.  The math instruction is in the morning, as is the primary language arts block.  These are the drivers for the skip, so he'd need to be in the receiving grade in the mornings.  I would certainly suggest something like this for the transition. 

Best wishes with the decision. 

Whew.  I'm 90% sold on the idea to move now.  I think DH is about 40% sold. 

[Tigerle]

Originally Posted by ollyoxenfree 

Can you afford to keep the sitter, i.e. continue to pay her as if she were still working her current hours? Kind of a working notice situation for the next few months (what happens during the summer - do you need a full-time sitter then?)? Perhaps there's some arrangement you can reach with her.  If agreeable, she can take on a few other tasks, along the lines of "personal concierge", in the time she isn't actually caring for your DS. It would provide a little continuity for your DS and make things easier for you all. 

Have you had an opportunity to observe the classroom that he would move into? Would it help if he visited that classroom for a week or so before making a final decision?  Perhaps he could continue half-days in his current class, according to his normal schedule, and then spend the remaining part of the day with the new class. It might give you a little more information on how he interacts with the students and the new teacher. 

Best wishes with the decision. 

Great advice! Having someone do the grocery shopping and laundry too before picking up the kids, and you come into a clean house with a well-stocked fridge after work sounds like heaven - she could get dinner going too, hah! You may end up thinking "whatever, I like it better if he skips!"

I'd actually come back to suggest a trial period, and then go with your gut.

You haven't mentioned how you want to involve your DS in the decision, if at all...were you just planning to let him know "you are going to try out first grade, and if it goes well, we'll skip you", or will you phrase it sort of like this "if you like it better than K, we'll skip you?" I am really asking, I am wondering myself how much input a kindergartner should have in that kind of decision.

[Geofizz]

Originally Posted by Tigerle 

Great advice! Having someone do the grocery shopping and laundry too before picking up the kids, and you come into a clean house with a well-stocked fridge after work sounds like heaven - she could get dinner going too, hah! You may end up thinking "whatever, I like it better if he skips!"

I'd actually come back to suggest a trial period, and then go with your gut.

You haven't mentioned how you want to involve your DS in the decision, if at all...were you just planning to let him know "you are going to try out first grade, and if it goes well, we'll skip you", or will you phrase it sort of like this "if you like it better than K, we'll skip you?" I am really asking, I am wondering myself how much input a kindergartner should have in that kind of decision.

Our sitter is great in many ways.  Cleaning hasn't exactly been an area of strength...  :lol

The state actually mandates a particular probationary period (one quarter) before the final paperwork is even filed.  I'm hoping to work it with a slight of paperwork hand to delay the paperwork from going into the state until after the second week of May.  Then he won't have to take the state standardized test for math next year (tests start in 3rd grade).  The state policy is if the acceleration is less than a year old and the kid's "home" grade is under 3rd, they don't have to take the test in the receiving level.  I'm not worried about achieving in the math, but I am worried about a 7 year old sitting for the sucker.

I'm not sure how to proceed in talking to DS.  I asked him this morning what he liked most about school (math).  I asked him what he likes least (couldn't think of anything, but he has previously complained about a particular boy and has complained about reading the same books over and over again).  I asked him if he'd like a longer day.  He was enthusiastic about that idea, because he loves school.
 

I gave the school consent today to begin the acceleration packet.  We have achievement scores from last summer with jaw dropping results, but still no IQ.  I'm going to waffle if the verbal IQ isn't really high.  While this acceleration is justified based on his reading and writing abilities, it's being driven by the math.  I want to be certain that these abilities are squarely above the district population levels (rumored to be 115) before doing the acceleration.  I have enough worries in that realm -- the teacher doesn't have his reading level measured (the guess around the table was DRA 22-24), and he still can't read in his head effectively.

[ollyoxenfree]

Originally Posted by Geofizz 

Our sitter is great in many ways.  Cleaning hasn't exactly been an area of strength...  :lol

Yeah, I wasn't thinking she would do extra housecleaning.  IME that's a touchy subject for child care providers, unless they present themselves from the outset as general household staff who will do childcare AND housework.  Some are amenable to taking on other, non-cleaning, chores that tend to eat up your time - the shopping, drycleaning runs, charity clothing drop-offs, maybe household organization stuff (re-arranging your toy cupboard, as opposed to scrubbing bathtubs and floors). If she will cook that would be a great timesaver.

I'm trying to remember how we explained moving into a new class or school to our kids. Usually, we just told them and depending on age, explained our reasoning. We didn't make a big fuss and generally demonstrated our belief that the change was a good thing and our confidence in them to settle into the new class or school. DS switched schools in kindergarten - I don't think he even remembers that now.  

[Geofizz]

I signed the form this morning permitting the school to evaluate him formally for the grade skip.  I made it clear that we haven't made any decisions, but at least they should go ahead and collect the data while DH and I ponder.  I also gave the school a forum in which they can observe his social interactions in a mixed age environment (after school chess club).  It's 12 boys and 1 girl who all love chess, DS, 1 first grader, and the rest 2nd and up.  The receiving program has a reputation for lax classroom management, so while not exactly analogous, it's some information. 

I also came up with another solution that keeps him in half days considering that he's done with kindergarten level expectations.  We'll see if it will fly.  My new solution would have him go to kindergarten through recess, then spend the rest of his morning in second grade math.  This works for me since all his specials are before recess, so he'd get circle and story time, some writing time, reading group, and specials.  I might actually prefer that if DS' VCI comes in less than 125.  That will set him up for 3rd grade math next year, and leaving the door open for 1st or 2nd grade next year.

I heard a little about the other possible receiving teacher, and evidently she's kinda checked out on her way to retirement.  I asked the principal to please use his own judgment as he knows his teachers best, but I asked him prioritize a teacher who would relish the opportunity to work with a kid like DS.  I guess given the two choices, it might be DD's former teacher. 

[Geofizz]

Update:

DS took the cognitive and achievement testing required for the IAS this week.  We have the results.  Indeed, the skip is inevitable and the scores reveal that serving his math needs will continue to be difficult, even placing him into second grade math now.  His test scores place him into the gifted program immediately, something that otherwise can't happen until mid-way through 2nd.  When he hits 4th grade math, he'll then get an additional year of math acceleration.

The school psychologist has observed him in chess club (mixed age environment where DS is far from the best), and I've done my homework regarding long-term outcomes and the best practices.  I have a few remaining questions for the school psychologist regarding his ability to handle himself with a few 9 year olds, but I asked the school to schedule the next meeting (me, teachers (current & receiving), administration, gifted teacher, school councilor, school psych, and probably the district intervention supervisor) to make it happen. 

I'm hoping the week before spring break will be the move, otherwise it will be the last week of March.  He'll get 10-11 weeks of 1st grade and 2nd grade math before moving to 2nd grade w/ 3rd grade math.

[ChristaN]

Good luck.  FWIW, we skipped our dd whose fall bd put her as one of the youngest in grade and our area, too, is heavy on redshirting.  She is now 2 yrs or more younger than some of the kids in her grade.  It has worked out just fine and she is also further subject compacting (two years of science in one year this year). 

I have a hard time with claims like you've heard rumor of in your district that the district average IQ is ___.  Most of the kids in most districts haven't taken IQ tests.  The achievement level of a higher income district with involved parents might be unusually high, but that doesn't necessary lend toward the whole bell curve being shifted.  Kids can outperform their IQs if they are hothoused or otherwise growing up in enriched environments.

I hope that your son is happy with his new class.

[Geofizz]

Thanks. The school psychologist is now trying to make a case that DS shouldn't move. Argh!

I'm waiting for my own copy of the IAS to see if he's making stuff up.

No, most haven't taken an IQ test, but the state required gifted screening in 2nd, 3rd, and 5th grades. The average on the Test of Cognitive Skills and now InView is generally 110-115, according to the district intervention coordinator. While I wouldn't put it past this woman to completely make stuff up (I know she has in the past about Child Find), I don't have reason to doubt her on this one. :