OT - child skipping a grade

[chicagoshannon]

My DH started 1st grade at 5. He has a Dec 4. birthday and the cutoff for K was Dec. 1 at the time. He skipped K and then later skipped another grade (4th maybe?). He graduated at 16. Graduated college at 19 and had his masters at 21.

I followed the normal sequence of school. My birthday is in April so there was never a cutoff issue. I was bored to tears. I was one of the younger kids in my class. There seemed to be an overwhelming number of kids with Nov/Dec birthdays in my grade. I was the smartest even though I was younger than most of the other kids. I WISH they would have grade skipped me. I was so bored and ended up being the helper for the other kids. It was not a fun place to be. I didn't really fit in with the other kids.

DH is SO glad his parents allowed him to skip. He was still bored in school and never had to try (until college). Socially he was probably behind the other kids in his grade but he does not care at all. He still had friends from the neighborhood ect.

My dd started K at 4 and is now finishing up 1st at not quite 6. We homeschool because she would not have fit in the traditional grade levels at this time. It is basically unheard of now a days around here to skip a grade. The public schools won't even consider it. It might have been doable in a private school but we didn't want to take that chance.

As of now it appears that DS will probably follow the typical age/grade start time. He is a July birthday though so might still be one of the youngest because red shirting is starting to catch on around here too. Good thing he'll be homeschooled as well.

Each child is different and you just have to hope you're doing the right/best thing for each one.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[FourBees]

I could have written this post 14 years ago I swear! My daughter was the same as yours only her birthday was in January. She went to preschool and although she was very social with the other children she was always reading or doing worksheets. Her preschool teachers and I talked to our school about her going into first grade and skipping kindergarten but the principal in particular was very against it he said she needed it for the social part. We tried explaining that she was very social but really enjoyed learning and was way ahead but they would not do anything. At the time Kindgergarten was only 1/2 day and she hated going to school. She would beg me not to send her saying she was sick and other things. When I would pick her up from school she would come home and get her workbooks and work for hours. She said all they do at school is play. Well first grade came and she had a wonderful teacher who arranged for her to go out with an aide and challenge herself. First grade went well but she was getting even further ahead of the other students. Well a few weeks into second grade she brought home a paper they were working on and threw it at me and said "look what they want me to do, I am not going to school anymore". It was something she would have done at age 4. So we again approached teacher and principal. We were told that there would have to be a meeting with a school therapist, teacher and principal. We were also told she would have to have special tests done at our expense that could run about 400-500 dollars (at this point we agreed). They had already done a state test on her and at the meeting we found out she tested out as a 6th grader in their 7 month of sixth grade. So her first grade teacher came into the meeting and basically said she was not for pushing a child ahead in school but our daughter was an exception and apologized for not having said something at the end of her first grade year she said she thought other kids would have caught up to her but it never happened she just took off. Needless to say the meeting did not last long both teachers and therapist agreed it was in her best interest to be put ahead. No extra testing at our expense needed to be done. The principal was not happy and said that when she got a little older it was going to come back to bite us basically. Fast forward to today. She graduated from high school two years ago Valedictorian and is currently in her Sophmore year at Cornell University studying to be a Midwife. She has been on the Deans list every semester! Sorry for the long story but I feel real strongly that you go with your gut because you her parents know best. Good luck.

 

[disykat]

And as far as the myth of students "leveling out" by 3rd grade (as our school principal claimed), perhaps yes, some kids catch up then because they're finally developmentally ready for it. And perhaps for some of the gifted population, they've given up and don't see the point in performing for a system that just keeps cramming them into a box.

No one here has claimed that gifted kids will suddenly be happy in a regular curriculum in 3rd grade. People were talking about reading readiness skills, which is not the same at all as identifying someone as gifted.

 

[Christen99]

I was a sixteen year old senior and gifted.

Academically, it was fine. Socially, I always thought it was fine until I had to make the "red shirt or push" decision with my Late Summer/Fall Babies - then I remembered that as a sixteen year old high school senior I was dating a 21 year old guy. He thought I was eighteen, because that is how old you are as a senior. That I was living in a dorm eight hours away from home at seventeen.

I was a mature kid and while I had a bumpy couple of years as a young adult from growing up a little fast, they weren't actually that bumpy. But I could have easily gotten in over my head.

A year ahead makes very little difference for most of your life - basically your entire adult life no one cares if you are 30 or 31. But the difference between being sixteen in a class where there are eighteen year olds (and nineteen year olds who have been held back) is a big difference.

My own kids are among the oldest in their class. Not for the academics - my daughter is very bright and could handle a grade above her - but because I don't want them in dorms at seventeen. And I'm one of the most permissive parents on this board who really believes in giving my kids a lot of independence - I'm definitely a "free range" parent.

You've met them but it doesn't sound as if you can identify them. Some kids level out by3rd grade, those who were pushed to learn to read, or do those baby signing gadgets. However, those who taught themselves to read in toddlerhood, or those who spend their time writing code "for fun", or even those who like playing with numbers constantly and weren't pushed to do any of this probably won't level out.

Some of us have kids who were identified as GATE, some have kids who were IQ tested, and some have kids who have shown exceptional abilities to do things that are several grade levels above their true grades. Some have kids who learn concepts easily, and are able to take it several levels further. According to several research studies, parents are generally the best predictors of giftedness in their children. Several research studies also show that siblings are generally within 10 IQ points of each other (not school IQ tests, but qualified testing done by neuropsychologists).

Honestly I put very little faith in GATE identification because it's done by people who don't "get" gifted. The only quantitative proof comes from testing...good testing. WSSPI, WISC-IV, SBLM, etc. testing by those who can test well, and more importantly interpreted by someone who can pick up nuances. We've done this testing, not by choice, but because we knew we are raising two special needs kids and we needed to understand those needs so we could provide those needs. Kids who are gifted are "special needs", because they are very different in the way they learn, interact with people, the way they need constant enrichment, and some of the extra "stuff" that accompanies giftedness. Some of those things really impact how one functions not only personally, but in groups with their peers, or society.

I'm thankful to belong to a local community of 350~ families with profoundly gifted kids (kids that score 180+ on the WISC-IV with SBLM norms and subtests). The discussion of people who don't "get" gifted kids, and those teachers who don't feel they exist is pretty common, usually it's teachers who have treated this kids horribly. Thankfully there are many options for educating kids.

 

[DVCBELLE]

My husband skipped 2 grades in school and it made a big difference socially for him...he's 46 and I still feel there are some social things he just never experienced because of it.

Our DD11 is gifted...taught herself to read at 4...and tests as gifted and in gifted programming since Kindergarten. We toyed with sending her ahead but maturity wise I thought it was best for her to stay back. I am so glad I made that decision now...I much prefer her to be the oldest over the youngest.

One thing I might suggest to you is a public school. They have the resources to challenge and push your daughter in the way a private school can't. We struggled with the same decision but the private school was honest that they didn't have the same resources. A public school will be able to meet her academic needs without sacrificing her social needs.

 

[crisi]

okay, to be fair, I teach special eduction. But maybe my definition gifted id different? I have met many smart kids. My nephew being nor. However, gifted? No, I can't say I have. I don't go around asking for IQ scores. I am finding it hard to believe so many are gifted or have truly gifted kids. The term average means most of us are average. If the majority are gifted then where are all the average ( low and high) kids?

Intelligence is a fairly normal bell curve. And gifted is defined as 5% of the bell curve - two standard deviations off the mean - have you met 100 kids? Statistically, five of them were gifted. One in 20.

It skews socioeconomically and is at least partially genetic, so it makes sense that on a board of people who can afford Disney, that the numbers run a little higher than normal.

Three standard deviations off the mean is .3% of the population - those are the kids that you say "whoa!" - I've met plenty of those people in my life - I'm not one of them - but I've had the chance to work and be friends with a lot of hyper intelligent people (I suspect my husband is there). But these kids are far rarer. Three in 1000. Not many at all. It wouldn't surprise me if someone hadn't ever met a kid like this - although if your own kids are gifted or you are gifted yourself, you probably have met a few, because you are spending time with that top 5%, and those kids aren't 3 in 1000 when you've already culled out 950 people.

Gifted education often does not use a strict IQ method to be tagged. Some gifted programs will include kids who are gifted musicians, artists, even athletes within the definition, targeting programs to their gifts. Some will include kids who are not quite there in terms of raw IQ score (or whatever other testing methodology they use) but are close and hard workers. Our school pulls different kids into English enrichment - the gifted kids get enrichment across all subjects, but a broader set of kids is tagged as gifted for English.

 

[crisi]

Oh, being gifted doesn't mean getting good grades, and getting good grades does not mean you are gifted. My husband had lousy grades until his Sophomore year in high school - yet aced his SATs - you have to do things like turn in homework to get good grades - something many gifted kids are not good at (think absent minded professor). You also have to decide school isn't "stupid" - and a lot of gifted kids fall into that trap as well.

Someone of pretty average intelligence can get good grades - at least through middle school, merely by applying themselves and turning in all their homework.

Early reading does not translate into being gifted, though most parents of early readers would like to believe it does. That's one reason why gifted kids aren't tagged until third grade - although teachers often have a clue in kindergarten.

 

[zoemurr]

Is there standardized testing for being diagnosed as 'gifted' or is it a state by state issue?
We have a bright 3 year old who is in a private school who's "blowing through the work" the children two years older are learning. We found a school that works with her at her level rather than sticks to an inflexible curriculum. She needs the mental stimulation and we couldn't imagine holding her back to start kindergarten which starts at age 4 here in Canada.

School seems more streamlined here where nearly all the children start at 4 for kindergarten, 6 for grade one, graduating at 17 and off to post secondary for 18. Sometimes it's a slight bit later or earlier but that just depends on where your birthday falls in the calendar year.

This 'red shirting' I read about here isn't something that happens here as far as I know. School is for education. Sure, for the kids, social life comes into play hugely as they age but using that as a gauge as to when to put them in school as opposed to what's best for their schooling I find surprising.

Every family must do what's right for their own situation but I do think school's main focus should be on education.

One unfortunate thing about private school is the cost great reduces the amount of Disney trips in our future LOL (but she's worth it).

My DD was tested w/the Woodcock-Johnson III test when she was 5 and tested in the >99.9% for all areas except visual assesment and that was 98%. The school psychologist did this before she started K at our request.

Then in 3rd grade everyone takes the Otis Lennon (OLSAT). She (and one other child in our fairly large district) scored 100%. And she had already skipped so she was a year younger than everyone else.

This means she is at least 3 standard deviations from the norm w/an IQ over 150. (We don't have an accurate score since she hit the ceiling on both tests.) Schools would automatically make accommodations for kids that strayed this far in the opposite direction, but very few do for the kids at this end of the spectrum.

But I will add.. if you met her she would blend right in with your average teenager. Her common sense is almost non-existent and she is very disorganized. My other child is very smart, but nothing like she is. He pays so much more attention to what is going on around him, is organized and has a stronger work ethic. His grades are often higher (because she tends to lose things) and I don't worry about him nearly as much.

These are both commonly used tests but I assume different psychologists and schools use other ones. You can call your local public school and ask. I believe they need to test your child if you ask when she is closer to K age.

Check this out: http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/why_test.htm This is a very respected website for parents with G/T kids.

HTH

 

[pigletto]

I am following this conversation with interest. I would put both of my children in the category of above their peers academically but they are very different children.
Our school board doesn't test or do much for "gifted" children until 5th grade. My daughter was academically very strong, but as she got older and had to develop study skills, and the organization necessary to succeed she fell behind. Things always came easily to her and when these skills became necessary she couldn't keep up. She was very intelligent but forgot her homework every day, left everything to the last minute, and couldn't organize herself out of a wet paper bag. She's my head in the clouds child and that's ok.. it's who she is

My son is very different. He brought home straight A's this past report card with the exception of two B's in Art and Music. He got A+ in every core subject. It's not that so much that makes me suspect he would test as gifted. It's a host of other things. He is rigid about mistakes and won't allow himself to make them. There's an anxiety about perfection that I have seen in him from a young age that we work hard to get him to relax about. He doesn't really understand other children and I have to work on that too. However his empathy is off the charts and always has been which I find unusual in a young boy. He is constantly trying to solve injustice and tackle issues that he lacks the maturity to fully comprehend. He's bored in school and fills notebook after notebook with doodling and drawings. He takes a chapter book of some sort every day. Both of these things are because he's done his work before everyone else and just sits or is asked to help the other kids.
With my daughter it wasn't a bad thing to be at the top of the class when she was. But with my son I see a great deal of frustration. I had wished for a gifted placement for him simply for more challenge and the feeling that he was accomplishing something meaningful but it won't happen at least for 2 more years, and even then for those kids that test in the 98th percentile they simply send them a few times a year to all day workshops so nothing changes much.
My main concern is losing a child who is compelled to do well to behaivoural issues. How long can he stay motivated to do well when he's bored and overlooked and counted on to teach the other kids?

What I ended up doing is applying for a language immersion program. He was accepted and excited. Learning in a new language solves the issue of not being challenged and hopefully will keep him engaged and excited about learning.

I don't find there is anyone I can talk to about this without sounding like saying "My special snowflake is more important than other kids!"

It isn't that at all. I just don't want to lose a kid to frustration and boredom and not fitting in. Hopefully we have found the solution with this new program.

 

[thebeesknees]

My oldest son (5th grade) has tested as gifted with the Woodcock-Johnson test, as well as other testing the school performed. We chose not to have him skip a grade although it was offered, partly because I was trying to think ahead to junior high/high school and what that would mean as far as him being with much older children and exposed to things I didn't think he was mature enough for. He is also quite a bit shorter/smaller than other kids his age, and with all the red-shirting going on these days, I was concerned about him being a HUGE target for bullying. He is in the age-appropriate grade for a child who started K at 5, but because his birthday is in late May, he is 1-2 years younger than other kids in his grade already. Skipping would have increased that age gap.

For us, it has worked out very well. He is in a charter school with VERY high academic standards, and because of this, a large percentage of the students are gifted, as well, because their parents were also looking for a good fit. We will not have a valedictorian by putting him in this pool of kids, but I feel that it is challenging him in a way that sending him to our local public school would never do. They pull him and several other students out for math and reading to go up a couple grades for those two classes. Everything else is in with the rest of the homeroom class, so he is with students his own age for nearly everything.

It sounds like for the OP, it isn't as much skipping a grade as putting her daughter where she would have been had she not waited to start K. In that case, I think she would probably do OK, but made sure you've talked it through with the teachers first and have their recommendation to do so. There is so much more to skipping than just being a good reader, proficient at math, etc. Social skills can be just as important. Good luck with your decision!

 

[jackie101]

Have not read any other responses. My dd is 12 and her b-day is in July so she is the youngest in her class. I wish I held her back. Academically she is fine, maturity not so much. Also, she did read at an advanced level while younger but as her teachers explained it didn't mean she was comprehending at the same level.

 

[Christen99]

I am following this conversation with interest. I would put both of my children in the category of above their peers academically but they are very different children.
Our school board doesn't test or do much for "gifted" children until 5th grade. My daughter was academically very strong, but as she got older and had to develop study skills, and the organization necessary to succeed she fell behind. Things always came easily to her and when these skills became necessary she couldn't keep up. She was very intelligent but forgot her homework every day, left everything to the last minute, and couldn't organize herself out of a wet paper bag. She's my head in the clouds child and that's ok.. it's who she is

My son is very different. He brought home straight A's this past report card with the exception of two B's in Art and Music. He got A+ in every core subject. It's not that so much that makes me suspect he would test as gifted. It's a host of other things. He is rigid about mistakes and won't allow himself to make them. There's an anxiety about perfection that I have seen in him from a young age that we work hard to get him to relax about. He doesn't really understand other children and I have to work on that too. However his empathy is off the charts and always has been which I find unusual in a young boy. He is constantly trying to solve injustice and tackle issues that he lacks the maturity to fully comprehend. He's bored in school and fills notebook after notebook with doodling and drawings. He takes a chapter book of some sort every day. Both of these things are because he's done his work before everyone else and just sits or is asked to help the other kids.
With my daughter it wasn't a bad thing to be at the top of the class when she was. But with my son I see a great deal of frustration. I had wished for a gifted placement for him simply for more challenge and the feeling that he was accomplishing something meaningful but it won't happen at least for 2 more years, and even then for those kids that test in the 98th percentile they simply send them a few times a year to all day workshops so nothing changes much.
My main concern is losing a child who is compelled to do well to behaivoural issues. How long can he stay motivated to do well when he's bored and overlooked and counted on to teach the other kids?

What I ended up doing is applying for a language immersion program. He was accepted and excited. Learning in a new language solves the issue of not being challenged and hopefully will keep him engaged and excited about learning.

I don't find there is anyone I can talk to about this without sounding like saying "My special snowflake is more important than other kids!"

It isn't that at all. I just don't want to lose a kid to frustration and boredom and not fitting in. Hopefully we have found the solution with this new program.

Executive Function is what allows one to remain organized, and many kids who are gifted greatly struggle with this. I have a very meticulous kid, who must always put things neatly in order to function, and one who needs everything written down in two locations with reminders to check those locations. My scattered child has severe Executive Dysfunction issues, which appears to be part of some sort of learning disability. We've never been able to pinpoint it specifically, even with LOTS of private testing. He's a child that would need a very expensive trip to the Eides in Washington to truly pick apart the intricacies of his intelligence and it's impact.

The brain of a gifted kid is more complex, and because of those complexities are prone to more "stuff" such as sensory issues, learning issues, etc. All of those qualities you describe in your son are traits shared among gifted individuals.

 

[Vickie46]

My daughter is gifted and I would have never had her skip a grade. I think you need to have your child tested.

 

[wallawallakids]

Executive Function is what allows one to remain organized, and many kids who are gifted greatly struggle with this. I have a very meticulous kid, who must always put things neatly in order to function, and one who needs everything written down in two locations with reminders to check those locations. My scattered child has severe Executive Dysfunction issues, which appears to be part of some sort of learning disability. We've never been able to pinpoint it specifically, even with LOTS of private testing. He's a child that would need a very expensive trip to the Eides in Washington to truly pick apart the intricacies of his intelligence and it's impact.

The brain of a gifted kid is more complex, and because of those complexities are prone to more "stuff" such as sensory issues, learning issues, etc. All of those qualities you describe in your son are traits shared among gifted individuals.

You just described my 11 year old to a T!!! Mrs. Forgetful. Head is always in the clouds thinking about other things. I now make her post-it lists to put on her binder to remind her to bring home homework/ask teacher's ?/hand in field trip papers/remember your after school activity. It works.....until she forgets her binder!

Her report cards always say the same thing "Bright, mostly on task, always adds to class discussions, but needs help to be more organized." Her room is further proof of that.

Her younger brother, who is dyslexic, has to be so organized to have success that it carries over into his every day life. He organizes his Legos by color and piece, he never has a mess in his room, and has never forgotten his homework. DD has lost more lunch boxes, jackets, hats, mittens, and homework assignments then one can count and she occasionally takes the bus home when she has after school activities because she "forgot". It is both adorable and completely maddening.

 

[angierae]

I started kindergarten at 4 (birthday 10/2, cut off then was 12/1 although Michigan is scaling it back now.) By 2nd grade they were sending me to a 4th grade classroom for reading, and I did all the tests. They wanted to move me to 4th grade in the fall instead of 3rd grade.

My dad said no, because I was already one of the youngest in my class, and he didn't want me to be almost two years younger than my classmates. (Also, I had just been diagnosed ADHD and I was having a lot of socializing issues.)

I spent most of elementary school doing my work in a third of the time of my classmates and then curling up in a corner with a book. By the time I got to middle/high school I'd figured out that I could slack off and still get B's, so that's what I did.

I got a 27 on my ACTs (back before they started dumbing them down; I graduated in 1993) and went off to Michigan State on nearly a full scholarship, but flunked out because socially I wasn't ready to be on my own with no supervision. I can't imagine how bad it would have been if I'd gone off to school at 16 - I wasn't ready at 17.

Do I feel like I would have done better if I'd been skipped? Maybe. I kinda leveled out - graduated with a 3.5. But I don't know if that's because I realized I didn't have to work hard, or if the other kids caught up. In the long run, I turned out okay.

 

[mm1971]

This is OT, but this is where I go to get advice, so here it goes!

My DD is 6 and in kindergarten. Her b-day is 9/30, so she could have gone to 1st grade, but I have always been one that didn't want her to be the youngest kid in the class. When she started kindergarten, she was already reading at a 4th grade level. She was also ready socially, etc - it was just her b-day and thinking about when she was a teen that made me hold her back. She also wasn't as advanced then as she is now. She goes to a small private Christian school and there are a total of 11 kids in her class (there are 2 kindergartens). She goes 3 full-days. I have been told by her teacher and the advanced children liasion at the school that she is gifted (I have no clue - she is my 1st so to me she is 'normal').

She doesn't like school now - hasn't for the past 2 months or so. I have asked several people and they all say at this age children should love school and not hate it. I have pretty much determined it is because she is bored (not problems w/ friends/etc). I have been talking to her teacher and she is also trying to work with her. So, now we are thinking (and praying) about the possibility of her skipping 1st grade and going to 2nd for next year.

Has anyone had experience with this? I am already starting to beef up her math skills so she isn't behind if we do this. (which she is catching onto really quickly too). She also currently plays during recess with the current 1st graders, so socially I don't think it would a big adjustment. And, not that it has anything to do with anything, but she will be starting violin next week (so we will see how she takes to that).

I am at a loss of what to do. I never thought I would have a Doogie Howsier!

My DD was born on 10/8 and does not struggle at all in school anymore. She did struggle in earlier grades. She is a happy girl and I find the social aspect of growing up, especially at younger ages, to be the critical factor. The schools and teachers can work with you to find ways to keep DD interested and learning. I would not be so quick to jump over first grade.

DS was always considered "gifted". He was tested at age 9 (at the schools suggestion) and was already reading and able to reason as well as an average 14 year old. He is in 7th grade now, turned 13 today, and can do high school algebra problems in seconds, reads a 300-400 page book in a few hours and I still see him as a child learning to succeed in life, not just in at a certain grade level or specific skill. I don't view him as gifted, just a smart kid that works hard to keep learning and growing. I have always taken the approach of letting him be a child, never forcing him to grow up too fast and keep having fun.

Only you can decide what is best for your daughter, but remember that growing up too fast can have it's own set of problems. Who would have thought raising kids would be this hard?

 

[Leajess99]

I have a lot of experience with this issue; my two children were extremely gifted, and I would not have considered letting then skip a grade. I thought it was better to keep them with their age level peers (and I was right) and provide enrichment activities outside of school. We were lucky to live in a school district with a fairly good gifted and talented magnet program at the elementary school level.

I would take what the teachers say with a grain of salt about her being gifted, unless they have done testing. You would have known without being told by the teachers if your child was intellectually exceptional; it's usually obvious from a very young age. Maybe there is another issue? You could always have her tested. Skipping a grade probably isn't going to solve any problem and many schools don't do this anymore anyway.

But in the OP's case, her daughter is NOT in the right grade. The child should be finishing 1st grade this year not kindergarten but OP chose to hold her based on nothing more than not wanting her to be the youngest in her class.

As for the should be 1st grader reading on a 4th grade level, that is more normal or at least around here. Reading on and comprehending are also 2 different things. I have a friend whose 2nd grader is reading on a6th grade level while my older daughter was reading on 12.9 plus grade level by the time she was in 4th grade. My younger daughter is also above grade level for her reading but only by 3 years.

 

[Leajess99]

It's not skipping a grade. It is putting her in the grade that she belongs in.

Where I live the cut off is on or before 12/1. So plenty of kids start kindergarten at 4, including my son with an October b-day. He is 13 and in 8th grade and doing just fine.

Here the cutoff is October 1st but still what is the big deal with being one of the youngest?? My daughter has always been 1 of the youngest but also one of the brightest. She seriously has not suffered. We have a neighbor child is one of the oldest as they moved to a state where cutoff was 1 September and she hates it. She will be starting high school next year.

Sure my daughter will be almost 11th grade when she can drive but that is not the most important thing in the world. My daughter is extremely gifted so holding her back would have been the biggest injustice I could"ve made.

As for those saying maturity, it varies by kid and you can't be guaranteed that holding a kid back a year they will be anymore mature.

 

[hsmamato2]

I started kindergarten at 4 (birthday 10/2, cut off then was 12/1 although Michigan is scaling it back now.) By 2nd grade they were sending me to a 4th grade classroom for reading, and I did all the tests. They wanted to move me to 4th grade in the fall instead of 3rd grade.


I spent most of elementary school doing my work in a third of the time of my classmates and then curling up in a corner with a book. By the time I got to middle/high school I'd figured out that I could slack off and still get B's, so that's what I did.

. I can't imagine how bad it would have been if I'd gone off to school at 16 - I wasn't ready at 17.

Do I feel like I would have done better if I'd been skipped? Maybe. I kinda leveled out - graduated with a 3.5. But I don't know if that's because I realized I didn't have to work hard, or if the other kids caught up. In the long run, I turned out okay.

haha this sounds a lot like my history and I'm ok too! My parents stayed fairly uninvolved my whole school career, and all those tests I took early on,they still don't know why I had to take them. I'm assuming b/c when I started Kindergarten,( I was 4 1/2 yrs old) and was clocked at reading on a college level (self taught) they started to wonder..... anyway, started early,ended up getting held back a grade,so ended up at a 'normal' age in later grades (immature)
I think Op should put her kid in the next grade up,as holding her back at first sounds like it's not a good fit. I don't know or care if the kid is "gifted" or not, but it sounds like she belongs with the kids her own age,or slightly older. That's just IMHO of course....

 

[BCV2003]

I was one of those kids. I had a late September birthday and honestly I can't say that I ever felt out of place because I was a little younger and until this post never really thought anything about it.

I will say that they wanted to hold me back in kindergarten because I couldn't color between the lines. Now, I just say that I was probably being creative and didn't want to. My parents didn't choose to hold me back. Yes, I was always the youngest but I ended up always being in advanced classes, National Honor Society member, and went off to college at 17.

I was definitely one of those kids that hardly ever brought a book home. I never felt that I needed to study and was always able to get things done on school time.

Like others have said. I don't think its about moving her but placing her in the grade she belongs in.