Please help! I need help deciding what to do with my 4th grade DS. I had him assessed and today we found out that he is 3-5 grade levels ahead of his peers. Here it is and this is not a brag His reading and reading comp are 9th,vocabulary are and spelling are 8th. All other subjects accept math are 7th grade. In math he is on 4th-5th grade level. Initially I was going to do 5th grade and add in more advance work, but now that I have these results, I am considering skipping 5th all together and putting him in Kumon for his math. I just don’t see why he should have to do the 5th grade if he has surpassed that level. I was going to just get a guide for 5th grade and fill in anything that he would be missing. Let me also add that I am not an fan of skipping grades but I'm really not sure what do with him now. Any thoughts??
I would throw 'grade level' out the window and let him work on the level where he is up to his understanding. Skipping things he doesn't know or isn't sure about will obviously cause problems. But if he is READY for ABC then put him there. I think that should go for all our kids. If the child is behind 2 grade levels, why stick him in the grade level he is 'supposed' to be in? He wouldn't benefit much from it?
I agree about throwing out grade level. But agree, be careful about skipping a math grade because there might be a concept or two that he's not learned that he needs to. I would see if you can borrow the next grade level and just scan through it to be sure he knows everything...if there's anything he does, then teach that. As for everything else...I would start to introduce a lot of classic literature to him right now. If he's ahead in reading he should be able to handle it, and it would have great value to help him continue to progress. That is awesome news by the way!
Well, he's not behind in anything. My thing is why stick him in the 5th grade when he is on 7th-8th grade level, but at the same time if there something crucial that he would NEED to know in 5th (not math)? I could just fill it in, like I have been doing since we started HSing. We would not skip a grade in math. His math would be his grade level. So he would have 6th grade curr, with 5th grade math. We have no intensions on skipping a grade in math. NO WAY! But I will put him in Kumon to bring his math up to par with the rest of his grade level. Also I failed to mention that we are year around homeschoolers. I just kind of feel like he already got 4th & 5th grade in one year. The test he was given starts at the lowest grade level and the student works until he can't go any futher. As for the grade,I have to have a grade level because of the umbrella we use. Plus he was in PS up until 3rd so he knows what grade he's in and he likes having a grade.
I am guessing you use some sort of curriculum in a box.. even if you use a different publisher for each subject. It's a lot easier to throw grades out the window when you don't use such things. Most of what we use isn't curriculum at all, and what litte that we use that is can span a variety of grades.. Easy Grammar (we have the first editions of their books, 2 volumes that cover about 4th-12th grades!), Writing Strands (they are levels, not grades, though you can judge by age where they should/could be), and even most sciences aren't on specific levels (right now we are using Prentice Hall Science Explorer set that is written for grades 6-8 in a public school setting, but things like REAL Science Odyssey and Real Science 4 Kids are written to be flexable grade wise). I don't believe in grade levels, it was one of the hardest things for me to throw out the window when I started homeschooling (and assigning grades to work), but it's been one of the very best moves we could have made. (ps, we haven't done such a thing since right after we brought my son, then a 2nd grader home, but I remember having his reading evaluated and he tested at 8th grade for both vocabulary and comprehension... I soon threw all thoughts of such things out the window, now here we are in our 4th year and working on what ever is working for us at the time without thinking of grade levels at all.. I do keep track of what grade he should be in if he were in public school because it's easier for outsiders to grasp a grade number)
We've skipped two grade levels in math - 5th and 7th. With Teaching textbooks they definitely give enough review in the beginning of each grade level that kids can catch on. For example - we skipped 7th grade and went to pre-algebara and so he's never done percents until this year. But he did fine. Plus, since you're homeschooling if he gets stuck on a topic you just slow down until he's unstuck. Then move forward again. I would look over the table of contents of the books you are looking at and see how many topics will be totally unfamiliar to him. If it is more than half the book, then maybe go back a grade, otherwise go ahead. You really can't screw this up if you're paying attention and going at a pace that accomodates him. He won't miss anything - it always comes back around.
Yep we use calvert and that is the problem. I have to order a grade level. They have it where you can order the grade but get the math seperate. His next grade level would be 5th but I am just thinking about ordering 6th with 5th grade math and calling it a day. Now, i do have a lot of stuff that isn't curr. I have a lot of books in general. Math, history, lit., science. I suppose if i wanted to I could not order the Calvert and use what I have. I have actually tinkered with the idea of doing that to save money. We actually worked out of some of those books while using Calvert. We also used Core Knowledge, but i found that we are ahead of that 5th grade as well. So I would have to move to 6th for Core Knowledge anyway. The school he came from uses Core Knowledge, so if he took a test to go back to school they would probably place him in 6th or 7th grade and send him to the 5th grade class for math. Or have him stay after for math (according the my teacher friend.) I just spoke to one of DS's old teachers (teacher friend named above) who also HSed before becoming a teacher.She said to just get the 6th grade curr, and purchase 5th and 6th grade math, work alternating schedules out of both books if he can do the 6th grade math. She said skipping doesn't matter in the younger grades as long as the material is learned at some point. It only counts in High School here because that is when you need credits.
I've heard similar things with using Calvert.... so maybe THEIR 5th grade level is not the same level as the testing departments? Does that make sense?
I think you'll find this very interesting. You only need to read Vol 1 (it's quick). Vol 2 is the same thing, but in WAY more nitty-gritty detail. http://www.accelerationinstitute.org/nation_deceived/ My son is in the same sort of situation. His writing stinks. His motor skills are delayed, so it'll take a while for him to catch up to normal. He's 4, so that doesn't help either. He's in 1st for math, 2nd for grammar, 3rd for comprehension, and 5+ for reading (decoding/phonics). When saying he's "in ____ grade", I always say 1st, because it's his lowest subject, but depending on the situation, I'll also state that he can't write. For now, it's fine. When he gets into 3-4-5-6 grades, though, writing will be much more important, so he'll be excluded from group activities. He won't be able to do note keeping or anything like that. Sorry... probably more info than you needed. The point is, I also tend to veer away from "grade level" questions. I let him do each subject at his own pace, whatever the pace may be. If he gets too far ahead or behind in a particular area, I'll either help him or divert his attention to something else for a few months. It works for us. *shrugs*
I think sometimes the tests are funny, my ds entered high school with a college level reading level,according to the state test he took, but this is the same child who had refused to learn to read. He also has a spelling problem that is horrible and I sent him out for highschool where it got worse not better... so.. according to the test several ofhis areas are ahead of his level but there are always other things that are not on those tests that our kids need to know, I would go through the curriculuims testing to see where the child fits and go with that. Each curriculum should have an assessmnt or placement testing program to do so do it and see what areas he needs to do what in?
If that is the case I would DEFINITELY go ahead a grade. You can always slow down and supplement with other things that are low cost or even free. Good luck! :lol:
Dana- I found that Calvert is a year ahead in some things, including Core Knowledge. This is why he would be placed in grade 6th or 7th if he were to return to his old school. They use Core Knowledge. If they put him in 5th, they would find that he learned it all in Calverts 4th grade curr. Also we learned a lot in addition to Calvert. We never have used Calvert as the schedule suggested.It's more of a guide.We always alternate weeks, three weeks on Calvert, one week off. I have decided to skip 5th. Use what I have for 6th grade and order 5th and 6th grade math probably from Calvert . Along with some of the enrichment programs they have. I really like Calvert,so I don't want to leave. I also like Core Knowledge so I will be using What your 6th grader needs to know to fill in any gaps of what he may miss in 5th grade. Does that make sense?
You need to explain this testing. If you are talking grade equivelents on something like the Stanford or ITBS, then that is one thing. Saying grade levels ahead does not really help as each curriculum is at a different level and doing different things. You are best off picking the approach you want and then finding out which level he would be at within there.
I agree with Crazymama. And thing is, most homeschoolers do test a couple grade levels ahead. Yet, they are using the same curricula you have to chose from. My daughter did BJU English only through 5th grade. Yet, she was testing GE of grade 10 by then. See what I am saying? Her grade equivelent for math is 13+. In fact, we have stopped doing standardized testing now as last year, at 12, her GE (grade equivelents) were all at 13+ so there is no value to further testing. She is 13.5 yrs old now.
Makes sense to me! I'm with you on a lot of it Don't be shocked though that once he hits 12-13ish his brain goes out the window!!! LOL No kidding - we haven't found Jake's yet..... he seems to be reverting at this point and he's losing brain cells or something when he gets "hit" with testosterone
That makes sence if you are using a set program, do they let you test for grade level in that then? With my ds we went with 8th math and Science and the rest was 7th, so mixing works well for me I meant before that I would not skip all the way to 9th, cause thats whta I thought you were saying lol sorry. but one grade I would do it if he is testing that high across the board, then the math the way you haveit if you can afford to buy both years go for it!
Nope just skipping one grade, but not in math. The only reason I am using the term "grade level" is because it works for us. DS is used to it and I order curr. I have to order a grade level.
ok, thats no problem I think it willwork my dd has never been tested and is graduating this year a year early or there so. She did k and 1 in one year and went on from there at her own pace still , technically she is 2 years but ony because of when her birthday is. So we call it only one, lol silly as it is she likes that better.
That is sooo true!! My daughter was so bright and so ahead and all. Then when puberty hit, her brain practically fell out! LOL
