How to skip a grade (Expert tips, Best time, five Alternatives, Best Option?)

Skipping a grade is a form of academic acceleration set aside for students with cognitive abilities, which allows them to skip the entire curriculum of one or two years.

Parents of brilliant children are frequently concerned about their children skipping a grade.

The general consensus is that students who possess cognitive abilities are often studying below their appropriate levels, hence the need to skip a grade.

However, one of the misguided traditions of the past was that only intellectual characteristics should be the considerations for skipping a grade.

But, in recent years, other factors such as emotional and psychological preparation have been taken into account.

As a result of these technicalities, the decision to skip a grade must now be made unanimously by the student, parents, teachers, and other experts.

Let’s walk through the how, the requirements, the best time, and the various alternatives to grade skipping.

Table of Contents

Is Grade Skipping the best option for your child

Many parents are usually caught in cross-minds about whether they should skip a grade for their child or not.

A recent study has shown that there is no simple yes or no answer to this dilemma, as the entirety of a child’s life should be considered.

However, there are certain things to look out for that would help you decide whether or not your child should skip a grade.

1. Cognitive Traits:

A recent research on 567 students showed that 91% of students who skip a grade are usually those with high IQ.

Assessement of abilities are based on their mathematical, language, and logical reasoning abilities.

The skills displayed by these children are usually way beyond what is considered normal for students of their age.

Thus, students with an IQ of 120-130 are usually deemed gifted and are considered to skip a grade.

Furthermore, schools are known to try to evaluate a child’s academic strength before deciding to skip a grade or not.

They are also various ways parents can test for their child’s cognitive traits, although they vary in prices and methodology, they achieve the same goal.

There is often a tendency to make the wrong choice in making the selection of cognitive traits assessment to use for your child.

However, seeing the school counselor can help rectify that confusion and help you pick the right test for your child.

2. Physical Attributes:

The educational system is in the form of levels, each of which prepares you for the next.

Even though certain individuals show impressive cognitive traits, it doesn’t make them skip certain grades.

The majority of grade skipping occurs in primary school, while a child’s physical skills are still developing.

However, it is important to note that certain characteristics such as handwriting and other related physical skills can help you ascertain if your child is fit for grade skipping.

This is important because most of these skills are built in those elementary classes and skipping without knowing them could put your child in an awful spot among peers.

Physical structure such as height and body size are often determining factors in whether your child will be accepted or not into a certain grade.

Thus, grade skipping works best for those who started school later than their peers but come in with similar skills as their peers.

3. Social and Personal Traits:

Excluding the two traits above of both cognitive and physical attributes, social and personal traits are one of the major factors for failed or successful grade skipping.

Some kids often tend to have the desire to mingle with children that are older than them rather than their peers.

This tendency often irradicates any fear that a child that skips grade may not fit in with their new peers.

Despite any deliberate effort that can be made to foster this, it is often more effective when the tendencies are natural.

It goes a long way to show that that particular student has the adaptability levels to skip a grade.

Also, it is expected that a child who intends to skip a grade, even though he/she might have both physical and cognitive traits, must be motivated to skip.

Often, grade skipping is not successful because the next grade comes with extra work that the child has no preparation to achieve success in.

4. Research-Based Tools:

Finally, you should use a tried-and-true method to determine if your child is ready to skip a grade.

In schools where students are in chronological age, grade skipping is common.

However, for schools grouped based on level of development, a brighter child does not necessarily need grade skipping.

This holds because that level or grade may be the most appropriate grade for that child to excel despite the ability difference.

In addition, techniques such as questionnaires can be used instead of testing to assess whether or not a child should proceed to the next stage.

Moreover, certain scores in this survey, which are usually inputs from both teachers and parents determine if the child is due for grade skipping.

Best time to skip a Grade

Research into grade skipping has shown that elementary school is the best time to skip grades for a child.

However, there exist some outlying exceptions to this rule. Below is a list of when to skip grades between elementary school to college.

Admission to kindergarten for children under the age of six.
Skipping kindergarten into first grade
Admission to middle school, high school, or college at an early age.
From elementary school to high school, skipping a full grade is possible.
Completing one grade in one semester or three grades in two years.
Early high school or college graduation

Five (5) major requirements to skip a grade:

1. Get Some Information:

This is a very crucial requirement in grade skipping, it involves putting together sequences of events that made you consider grade skipping.

Having this data allows you to evaluate it and deliver it to the school with confidence.

It is also important to ask questions from experienced people to enable you to take the right steps.

You also have to confirm that your child is willing to subscribe to the change that you are about to offer.

2. Evaluate:

After gathering the information you need, it is important to evaluate this information, to ensure that your child is ready to skip a grade.

Moreover, cognitive abilities are not the ultimate, you have to make sure that your child is ready in all aspects.

It is important to be sure that they are not just outstanding in one area rather they should be outstanding in every area.

They should possess the physical, emotional, and social adaptability to be able to survive this grade skipping.

3. Consider the School’s Policies:

After discerning that your child is ready for the skip in grade, it is important to consider the school’s position.

The school often has a stronger position in deciding if your child will skip a grade or not, therefore it is important to ensure your request is in line with the school’s policies.

Some schools may have policies dictating only certain times for grade skipping, some may have very strict guidelines on the subject matter.

Either way, understanding the school’s stand allows you to know how to go about it.

4. Speak With The Teachers:

Several cases of grade skipping have occurred due to teachers’ evaluation and recommendations.

A recent study showed that most parents are usually unaware of the need to skip a grade unless the teacher makes such a recommendation.

These teachers are in pole position to notice the outstanding performances of your child, hence they are to be consulted first on such matters.

The teacher’s feedback will give you an overall insight as to how ready your child is to skip a grade.

5. Getting Approval:

After fulfilling the above steps, you can now apply for the skipping of a grade.

The process varies from school to school, while some may just involve you getting a letter across, others may involve a meeting with the teacher, principal, and parents.

This is to ensure that they are all in consensus, after which the grade skipping process is approved and implemented.

Alternatives to skipping a Grade

1. Subject-specific acceleration: The student is moved to a higher-grade classroom to study the subjects that will help them learn more effectively.

2. After-school programs: This is an after-school program for students who require it.

3. Ongoing Progress: As soon as the child has mastered previous work, more advanced work follows.

4. Self-paced instructions: This allows students to receive knowledge at their own pace.

5. Online learning: This involves receiving classes online or outside school to increase workload.

6. Compaction of the curriculum: Shorten a whole year’s work into a lesser period.

Conclusion

The educational system is a delicate one, decisions on a child’s education can make or mar that child.

Grade skipping decisions should not be made lightly, as many children have suffered greatly owing to incorrect grade skipping.

Parents, teachers, and other professionals should ensure they make the right choices and follow the guidelines laid down in this article.

Awesome one; I hope this article answered your question.

How to skip a grade (Expert tips, Best time, five Alternatives, Best Option?)