Skipping a Grade - FAQ on Grade Skipping

4. The law does not require you to have a high school diploma to enter college. Most colleges and universities do require a high school diploma OR THE EQUIVALENT. Equivalent does not mean GED, although a GED can serve as the equivalent. Equivalent can be interpreted ANY WAY THE COLLEGE WANTS TO INTERPRET IT. For example: At some colleges, if a person has taken three college-level courses or CLEP exams, they will be considered for admittance, even if they don’t have a high school diploma. Other colleges recognize home schooling accomplishments as having the equivalent of a high school diploma. There are also correspondence and online courses that will equal the equivalent.

5. The school does not have to grade skip your child. You are at the mercy of state laws and regulations.

6. Most school systems don’t like the idea of grade skipping. If you decide to pursue a grade skip for your child, you probably will be in for a fight. If you’re not willing to do the research necessary to push everything forward, and if you’re not ready to argue your child’s way to the next grade level (or more), then it may not be worth it to enter the fight.

7. If the public school won’t let you grade skip, then try a private school, or opt to home school for a while.

8. Arguments some schools use to stop you from grade skipping: a. Your child is not socially mature enough to enter the next grade level. b. Although your child may be socially mature enough now, he or she will have trouble when he/she gets older and other kids start physically maturing. c. Kids at this age tend to even out by middle/high school. d. Skipping a grade will hurt your child socially.

Interesting Link:
The Australian Capital Territory Department of Education and Community Services School Policy for Gifted and Talented Students - May 1998. After stumbling across the above web page, I found that the policies and stratagem regarding acceleration, grade skipping, and gifted education in the Australian Capital Territory were well thought out and forward-thinking. I am presenting the link here as a resource for readers.

Deciding To Grade Skip
1. Talk to your child. Does your child want to grade skip? The child must be on board with a higher level of work, or a grade skip may fail. It is unlikely that an unwilling child will do well at a higher level. 2. Decide what you will do if your child is allowed to grade skip and you find that you’ve made a mistake or that the grade skipping hasn’t worked out as you planned. What will you do? How will your child feel about that decision mentally, socially, academically? 3. The number one criticism of grade skipping is lack of “social maturity”. Do you think your child is socially mature enough for the next grade level? Do your child’s teachers, coaches and/or other parents’ view your child as socially mature? This issue will be brought up in the grade skipping discussion. 4. Is grade skipping a better idea than other educational options? Would home schooling be a better option? A different public school? A private school? Make sure that you examine all of your options and their pros and cons as they relate to your child and your family. 5. "Does my child have to be gifted to skip a grade?" We recognize that some children skip grades because they work hard. Traditionally defined giftedness may not factor into "the picture" for these students, but they have just as much of a right to grade skip as "gifted" students. Their effort may require more extra work, and administrators may be resistant, but if a child can demonstrate enough mastery of material to move into a higher grade than that child should be allowed to grade skip.

How to Approach Your Attempt at Grade Skipping

1. Past Cases - Have other children in your school system grade skipped? Who are they? What were their experiences? Note that someone else’s good or bad experiences with grade skipping in your school system will greatly affect the school system’s decision to accept or reject your request. You may hear something like “Well we’ve allowed other students to grade skip in the past, and we’ve found that it doesn’t really work out in the end.” How will you respond to that type of statement? You must know your facts. 2. Do Your Research - Know your facts before mentioning a grade skip. Look at the education statutes for your state and find out what the actual age requirement is for your state. If you can't find it, call the state education department and ask where the rule is "written" and write it down for future use. Don't just take a verbal explanation. Ask "Where can I find that information written?" Then go look it up. (I also make a photocopy for my records when I'm looking things up - that way I'm prepared for the certain future battle with the administration.) You don't have to let everyone know that you've done your research. I usually save that tidbit for when the argument starts. 3. Organize - Get a three ring binder and some paper. This is a long process. 4. Collect the following, make copies and place in the binder: All report cards All test scores from scholastic aptitude tests, entrance exams, IQ tests (if taken) Any award letters, special recognitions or honors Teacher comments and assessments. If possible, ask the teacher for a written letter of evaluation. It’s probably best not to mention the grade skipping idea at this point. You want to get an unbiased, detailed evaluation of your child’s performance. Any outside academic information. For instance, private French tutor, Sylvan Learning Center participant, computer camp, etc. 5. Assessing Reading Ability - Make a list of the last 10 books read by your child. (be honest, your child will most likely be asked to demonstrate reading ability). 6. Assessing Math Ability – What procedures is your child able to do? Note that just because a child can do a complex math problem doesn’t mean that he or she can skip grades. He/she must not have gaps in learning and he/she must have a comprehensive understanding of the math level. Otherwise, you will immediately be turned down. Do not attempt to argue that he/she knows “part” of the advanced math level. It most likely won’t work. 7. Testing - Be willing to have your child take tests, but don’t offer that he/she takes a test until your idea of grade skipping is rejected. You are better off if your child is allowed to grade skip without testing because if a child does poorly on a test, you may be locked out of further discussions on grade skipping, even if your child is a little genius. However, you probably will be required to have your child tested at some point in the process. 8. Making Your Request - Put your request in writing to the Principal of the school. At this point, you don't have to write a long letter. Just say, "I feel that Suzie is academically and emotionally ready for first grade and I am requesting that she be admitted to the first grade for the upcoming year (input month)." I would also get the admission paperwork for fall admittance, fill out the forms and include them with the letter (because I'm bold like that). By filling out the official papers, you require that the school district respond to you in an official manner. **Just be sure to be completely honest when filling out the forms. If the wording doesn't match your situation, cross out the word by putting line through it and place the correct information above the crossed out word. For instance, lets say there is a check box saying "I certify that my child is at least 6 years of age by such and such a date." Well, if you can't check the box without lying, cross out the 6 and place a 5 there or whatever the age of your child is. Adapt the form how you need to. They won't be happy about it, and they don't have to accept the form like that, but that doesn't mean you can't do it.

9. After You Make Your Request - The school district will most likely call you at this point because they don't want to put anything in writing. You will be told that it isn't possible because of the state laws (which you have looked up already). At this point, you will let them know what the exception to the rule is (if there is one) OR They'll surprise you and tell you to fill out the enrollment papers! The exception to the rule: Many rules or statutes are vaguely worded. Here is an example of an education statute from the State of Connecticut where I live: You will notice that this statute gives an age "range". There is no specific age restriction saying that a child cannot enter school earlier than 5 (again every state is different and I'm not a lawyer, so always consult an attorney just to be sure). They seem more concerned with getting a child into school than keeping them out. Your state will probably have something different (See the links in some of our question and answer sections below, one of which mentions the State of Nevada, to get a different idea of age requirement and exceptions).
	Connecticut State Education Statute on School Attendance: Sec. 10-184. Duties of parents. School attendance age requirements. All parents and those who have the care of children shall bring them up in some lawful and honest employment and instruct them or cause them to be instructed in reading, writing, spelling, English grammar, geography, arithmetic and United States history and in citizenship, including a study of the town, state and federal governments. Subject to the provisions of this section and section 10-15c, each parent or other person having control of a child five years of age and over and under eighteen years of age shall cause such child to attend a public school regularly during the hours and terms the public school in the district in which such child resides is in session, unless such child is a high school graduate or the parent or person having control of such child is able to show that the child is elsewhere receiving equivalent instruction in the studies taught in the public schools. The parent or person having control of a child sixteen or seventeen years of age may consent, as provided in this section, to such child's withdrawal from school. Such parent or person shall personally appear at the school district office and sign a withdrawal form. The school district shall provide such parent or person with information on the educational options available in the school system and in the community. The parent or person having control of a child five years of age shall have the option of not sending the child to school until the child is six years of age and the parent or person having control of a child six years of age shall have the option of not sending the child to school until the child is seven years of age. The parent or person shall exercise such option by personally appearing at the school district office and signing an option form. The school district shall provide the parent or person with information on the educational opportunities available in the school system.

E-mail Questions and Answers

E-MAIL QUESTION: I am sure you have heard similar stories many times ... Our daughter I believe is gifted, not profoundly gifted, but probably a few years ahead. She started spelling just before turning 3 and at a month over 4 was reading Amelia Bedilia to her grandfather (all 50 pages in one sitting). I introduce her to new math concepts as complex as negative numbers and she picks them up quickly. Our other daughter has not met the same milestones and I acknowledge this. I feel like this shows that I am not an overly biased parent. I feel like I am being objective in my observations and have paper work from her current kindergarten. The problem is that the county that we are in is not the same as the county where her day care / kindergarten is. My wife and I feel that she should be in the magnet program and start in first grade. However, the current school county to which she is zoned, says that "she is too young based on state law, etc, etc." We are trying to meet with the principals of her zoned school and the magnet school and even some employees at the state level. If there was an objective assessment by the school that is done and the results are that she is not either emotionally or intellectually ready, we would accept that. However, facing so much bureaucracy is frustrating. Is there any advice that you can give? E-MAIL ANSWER: (From Donna Betancourt) My first thought is to go find the law and read it for yourself. Most education laws have a loophole of some type or are worded in such a way that you can argue your way, if you think it through. If it is, in fact, a law with no loophole, my guess is that you would have to choose to follow the law or work to change it (neither choice benefiting your daughter). Also, talk to as many people in the state about the law and see what everyone thinks. Someone may unwittingly have the answer to your problem or lead you to a new clue to follow. Keep in mind, however, that many school administrators have never actually read the law and may only be quoting what they think the law says. For instance, when Lauren started college, the Director of Financial Aid (with years of experience), told me that Lauren was not eligible to receive FAFSA aid because she was only 13. Other administrators told me the same thing. I looked up laws and regulations and spent hours on the phone with FAFSA until, finally, I found the one person who knew the right answer and directed me to the exact page in the regulations that allowed the aid. So, research and persistence may pay off in your situation as well. I do agree that dealing with bureaucracy is frustrating. That is why I chose to remove Lauren from the bureaucracy entirely. I was just "tired" of going into the school system on a daily basis trying to fight for a better situation. Unfortunately, you may have to make other arrangements as well... such as a private elementary school, maybe a 1-6 grade Montessori program if that is available in your area. We were fortunate enough to have an elementary school for gifted children that allowed children to group by ability, not age. You also mentioned testing for emotional maturity, etc. Follow what YOU think is right for your child (after carefully listening to what everyone has to say, of course). Both administrators and teachers told me that Lauren was not ready for this or that throughout the years and they were just flat out wrong. Lauren is 18 now and has been out of college for some time. Looking back on it, she was ready for everything I thought she was ready for. I get the impression that you are willing to do the footwork and do what it takes. However, from my experience, your situation will continue to be frustrating. Just press on, do lots of research and know the facts for yourself and you may find an opening. It will all be worth it in the end. I now breathe easy! Good luck!

E-MAIL QUESTION: Hi, My name is QQQQQQ, and I have a few questions about skipping a grade. First, my daughter is only 4, and about to enter Pre-k this August. Her birthday is in December, so the school initially wont let her enter Kindergarten, but we have been home schooling her since she was 2 years old and she is currently learning the curriculum of Kindergarteners, and doing quite well with it. Is it appropriate to try to get my daughter into Kindergarten anyways, or should I let her go through Pre-K first? We are wanting to let her go to school through her Kindergarten years, and after that we plan to home school again, and I don't want her progress to fall behind because she is not being stimulated. Am I just being overzealous about it? Friends have told me not to worry because pre-K and Kindergarten are mostly about the social interaction, and since she's an only child that is the main reason we have decided to let her attend school these first few years. Any advice you can offer would be very much appreciated. Thank you. Sincerely ANSWER: (From Donna Betancourt) Lauren and I were in a similar situation. I skipped her over kindergarten to first grade. Everyone advised me not to do it and that she would eventually "even out" with the other children. This terminology really disturbed me because I didn't want Lauren to "even out" (which translated into "dumbing down" in my mind). The principal of the elementary school I wanted to skip Lauren to was also the head of the gifted program in our town. He advised that I was foolish (my word, not his) to pursue grade skipping. I pushed forward, thanked him for his advice and asked how to skip her ahead anyway. He told me to write a formal letter requesting the grade skip. I did, and she skipped ahead that year. It is my belief that every parent has to make his or her own choices about grade skipping. EVERYONE who advised me about not grade skipping now have children who have dropped out of either high school or college or who are not doing well in the academics they've chosen in their adult lives. I am so glad that I followed my gut and did what I wanted to do. However, it took a lot of thought and I posed a lot of questions to myself. Such as, am I doing this for myself or Lauren? Is she able to handle both the social interaction and the academics? In 10 years, will she still be able to fit in socially? There are a lot more questions. I satisfied the questions for our situation. I'm glad I skipped her ahead, but each case is different. As for being overzealous .... I felt a sense of urgency that Lauren be pushed forward. Other parents who have advanced children have indicated that they, also, felt this sense of urgent need to keep their child in "stimulated" environment. Other parents didn't understand this urgent need and thought that I was overzealous. In later years, a few called me and asked me how they could advance their child as I had advanced Lauren .... but by then it was too late for their kids (in my opinion). Again, you have to make your choices based on what is best for your child in your situation. Also, note that going against what society thinks is best is a lonely road and sometimes, very hard. You probably already know what the right answer is. Think it through and follow your gut. Hope that helps

E-MAIL QUESTION: Thanks for the website and the information. We have a 13-year old gifted student who would like to, at a minimum, compact his high school career, if not avoid it altogether. To that end we are starting a campaign to get him high school credit for courses he is completing in middle school. Do you have any guidance for us in convincing the administration that this should be done? We understand that one similar case was made in court and won on the basis of age discrimination, but we have not located the case law at this time. Thanks for any help. ANSWER: This is Lauren's mom, Donna. Everything in this process depends on the people involved and how they view the process. Some administrators delight in being involved in advancing kids and others see it as a threat to their jobs. You have to be sensitive to what type of individual you are dealing with and make adjustments accordingly. Therefore, there really is no "one size fits all" advice that can be given. I started by making folders, looking up education statutes for our state, looking up high education regulations for our state and writing down my case (for myself) so I could keep my arguments straight. I also tried to make requests in writing as often as possible. If your son is up for testing, try getting as much test evidence of his success as possible. Have all test scores sent directly to you and don't tell anyone you're taking the tests until after you have the scores. This is what I and other parents have done. Tests that I used with Lauren are SAT tests and CLEPs, both given by the College Board and both don't have an age requirement and neither requires "permission" from anyone. Although some people don't like to give younger kids tests, I feel it worked to our advantage because it allowed me to place evidence of success at a higher level to administrators. Courts will want to see evidence as well. Hope that helps and good luck! By the way, Lauren has been graduated from college for three years now and we don't regret early college one bit! Good luck!

E-MAIL QUESTION: I've read a few of the posted messages on your site and have a question of my own. In one of the answers posted it was suggested that parents ask about whether testing could be done to find out if your child would qualify for grade skipping. What tests are typically given? I've heard that intelligence testing is sometimes required. Is this true and for what purpose? I would hate to subject my child to unnecessary testing. Thank you. ANSWER: Hi, This is Lauren's mom. Testing depends on your particular school system. Our school system only required that I write a letter asking that Lauren be skipped ahead. They required no testing whatsoever. Each school system is different though. You'll have to check around the different schools in your area. Everyone will give you different information, so you'll probably have to do a lot of digging to find out what actually has to occur to skip a grade. Note that skipping a grade is different from skipping grades and entering college directly. Two different things. I do think that most schools will try to "test" before allowing a grade skip. Again, it all depends on your school system. If you don't want your kid to test unnecessarily, try to grade skip without the tests. In order to get into college, Lauren had to take the SAT and also took CLEP exams to prove she had the basic knowledge to enter college. Hope that all helps and good luck!

E-MAIL QUESTION: Thank you for starting a website on this information. I was very impressed as I am sure others are with your success! My daughter is completing the 7th grade in one week. She wants to skip the 8th grade and go directly to 9th grade. We have studied as much as we can on all the pro's and con's of doing this and have still decided this is what we want to do. However, I can not find any information on HOW to skip a grade. What is the process of skipping a grade? Who approves this? Can you help direct me to my first contact? I am really not looking for more philosophy or opinion on skipping a grade just how to do it. Thank you, ANSWER (from Donna Betancourt): Grade skipping procedures are different with each school system and also vary from child to child. Some school systems are more willing than others. First, know that whoever you approach about grade skipping in the school system will probably try to discourage you. Grade skipping is easiest when skipping kindergarten or skipping the senior year of high school to enter college early. Note that this answer is not related to entering college at a young age. This answer is focused on kids in traditional school systems. The first step in grade skipping is to collect your information. Report cards, test scores, standard test scores, a copy of specific education statutes or regulations that may apply, documentation that may be used to back up your request. I suggest going straight to the principal first. Teachers don't really have the decision making power to make the request happen. They will have to consult other people about your request. The more people who get involved, the less likely you will succeed. Even if that teacher thinks that your child would benefit from skipping grades, they may not want to make that belief known to other teachers or the principal because the idea of skipping grades has often been seen as a negative situation that harms children because of the lack of "socialization with age peers". By going straight to the principal, you take the pressure off of the teacher. So instead of the teacher initiating your request, they will be put in the position of "responding" to the situation when the principal requests their opinion. Note that the principal will also be in the position of justifying his or her position on the subject. By putting everything in writing, you make it a little easier for the principal because he or she has something to take to other officials (maybe the school board, superintendent, guidance counselor or whoever). Make sure your letter is based on facts. Build a case using strong facts about your child's abilities. When Lauren was young I wanted to grade skip her and got lots of opinions, mostly negative. However, I pressed forward by writing a letter to the principal formally requesting the grade skip. I suggest this strategy. Don't discuss the grade skip possibility with teachers. Discussion only gives people the opportunity to deny you verbally. Put your request in writing. Include your basic reasoning for the grade skip request in the letter, but don't go overboard. Expect them to fight you. In expectation of that fight, collect copies of all her report cards, test scores, etc and put together a package to support your argument. When (notice I didn't say "if") they reject you, come back with an argument such as "What can we do to make this happen? Is there some type of testing my daughter can do that might help us move her ahead?" Maybe they can give her certain assignments that, if she passes, will allow her to move ahead. Get creative. Also, you might want to look on the resources link of this website and look for the education laws in your state. Know your state laws before you argue. It is my experience that most educators do not really understand state education statutes or education regulations. Talk to people in your town. Ask the librarian if he or she knows anyone who skipped grades in the school system. Find out what problems those people may have encountered who gave them the problems. Ask kids and other parents too. Parents of older children, especially, college-aged children will have a wealth of information about your particular school system. Use them to find out about teacher / principal personalities, problems that other kids have had, etc. Do your research before brining the subject up.

If you want your child to skip kindergarten you must learn the school entrance requirements and limitations. You will find those in the state education statutes: Education Laws by State ANSWER: I think that kindergarten is the perfect grade to skip. It sounds as if you are a little nervous approaching the subject with your Principal. It is my experience with skipping grades that you will, most likely, run into resistance from the school system. They often prefer to package the kids by age and not think any further than that. If you really think that your child should be moved ahead, you have to (1) Know that you will encounter resistance (2) Be Prepared for school administrators and other officials to laugh at you or tell you that you don't know what you're talking about and (3) have conviction and a goal.