Every educator has encountered parents who request, sometimes in a very forceful manner, that their child be allowed to skip to the next grade. They say the student consistently complains that he is bored, that he knows all the lessons the teacher presents and that the work is too easy. He tells them he never has Homework because he finishes it all in class. They are convinced that their child is not being challenged and they want him placed in the next grade, often in the middle of a term.
Sometimes the parents are right, but before a decision is made to move a child, there are many factors to be considered.
* Look at his last report card. Are the marks nearly all A's? Don't be misled by his pleas of boredom. If he's as smart as he thinks, it will be easier for him to write the correct answers than to think up creative mistakes.
* Look at his size and height. Will he stick out like a sore thumb among children who are a year older? Alternately, depending on his birthday, he may be almost the same age as many children in the next class. A child born on December 31st. of one year may be a grade level behind another child born on January 1st. of the following year. Actually, there is only one day's difference in their ages.
* Look at his friends. Are they all his age and many in the same classroom? Will his social life suffer if he is moved ahead? On the other hand, if he is more comfortable with older children, and many are in the next classroom already, he will fit into the higher grade quite readily.
* Look at his reading material. Many books have the appropriate grade level on the back cover. If he consistently chooses books which are above his present level, he may be ready to move on.
* Consider his physical health. Is he able to undertake the extra workload he'll need to assume as he catches up with lessons and notes the next grade has already covered? Is he unlikely to miss many days because of illness during this catch-up time?
* Consider his emotional health and his level of maturity. Has he passed the temper-tantrum stage? Will he willingly do the Homework he has been able to avoid until now? Does he cope well with change? What happens when he doesn't get his own way? If he usually bursts into tears, he may not be emotionally ready to leave the familiar classroom and people he knows to enter a strange environment, especially in the middle of the year.
* Perhaps most importantly, does the child, himself want to move ahead at this particular time? If he is mentally, physically and emotionally prepared to cope with the changes and the challenges the acceleration will present, then perhaps he should go on, even if the timing is irregular.
However, the decision should be made by jointly, by the school staff, the parents and the child. Omitting any of these parties from the decision-making process may hinder the child's future achievement.
Parents sometimes have a tendency to think their child is a prodigy, the best, the most attractive and the brightest among his peers. This is understandable, but it is only when he is viewed in comparison of others the same age will his superior abilities, or lack thereof, become apparent.
For this reason, it is vital that the matter of skipping a grade should be discussed first with the teacher, the principal and other appropriate staff members before a decision is made, or before informing the child that he might shortly be moving ahead.
Only by weighing all the factors carefully and conducting several conferences which include all the parties involved, will the best outcome occur and the welfare of the child be promoted.
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