Ideas for a gifted kid........

20 years ago

Our son is set to start second grade next week, but....

We've just had him tested by an independant child psychologist. The early results show him to be at a 5th grade level for math and around a third or forth grade level for reading/lang. arts.

Clearly second grade isn't the place for him to be, but is also clear the simply skipping him to third grade also may not be the best answer.

Has any one had any experience with self-guided computer based programs that he could do on his own during the normal math/reading periods of the day?

We found one for from Stanford (http://epgy.stanford.edu/), but haven't found any real opinions about it. Our thought with this was that our son could go to the school library during math/reading and use this programming. We'd of course foot the bill.

None of the private schools in the area seem to be any better equiped to help then the local (excellent for 95% of kids) public schools.

Any other opinions or thoughts on possible options?

TIA

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Comments (3)

sheilajoyce_gw
20 years ago
In our district, the students highly gifted in a specific area often are assigned either to a class of gifted students and/or to a higher grade for that part of the day's instruction. So he might be taking math at the same time and with the 3rd or 4th grade.

You have to be careful as to what the testing tells you. Does he have all the 3rd grade and 4th grade concepts down pat? Or does he just do as well on the test as a 3rd or 4th grader would who is taking this test?

Make an appointment and take the test results and any report from the psychologist to the school and sit down with the principal and ask what can be done for your child. I suggest doing this before school starts. I assure you, your child is not the only one so gifted in a school of any size. The principal ought to have some experiences with this type of student and some good suggestions.
sweeby
20 years ago
IMO, reading 1-2 grade levels ahead isn't unusual, and should be something the classroom teacher is well-equipped to handle.

But being three years ahead in math is a bit more unusual, and could make 'regular' classroom math boring for him. If your school has a gifted & talented program, I'd find out about getting your son into it. If not, I'd look at getting extra, advanced math work for him to do to suplement what's being done in class. Maybe some 'extra credit' problems? Brain teasers? If the school's not receptive to enriching his math program, you may be able to find some great books at teacher supply stores or places like Lakeshore Learning -- something fun, not just higher-grade drill work.

You stated "Clearly second grade isn't the place for him to be" -- I'd respectfully disagree. There's more to school than academic instruction at the best level for each child. There are all sorts of social and developmental ramifications that need to be considered, and a second grade classroom may be exactly where he ought to be.

My sister's son (with an IQ estimated at "well over 200"), was successfully mainstreamed through 7th grade with the addition of more challenging work and some independent study projects. He skipped 8th grade and will completing 9-12th grade in 3 years, starting university next year at (gulp) almost 16...
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boom_to
20 years ago
Hi,
This is my first time on Home Forum. I am homeschooling my 2 children age 9, and 7 from the beginning. We have so much freedom to educate our gifted kids by not fixing them in any grade level like in public schools do.

My almost 9 years old girl (born in Oct.) work at 5th. gr. level. She is using an on-line Math program called Aleks.com.. Please visit the website which also offers a limited time trial. If you decide to sign-up later, the price is about only $20 a month which is very affordable for us. The program was funded by National Science Foundation. With this program, last year my dd finished 3rd and 4th. grade level in 5 months. She is on her 75% of 5th. gr. level.
Mantally, and socially, she definitely loves to play with the kids the same age as hers than the kids who are 2 to 3 years older than her.

Hope this website that I recomend help you find your way. It definitely works with my dd.

Ideas for a gifted kid........

Comments (3)

sheilajoyce_gw

sweeby

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boom_to

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