Parent's Platform

Attaining Grade Advancement

Volume 4 / Issue 3 / Spring 2004

Our 15-year-old son, Tyler, was identified as highly gifted shortly before his fifth birthday. Since then he has attended both private and public schools in three different states. As parents, our biggest challenges have been selecting the right schools, ensuring proper placement, and obtaining needed support services for him. Tyler is now a well-rounded 10th-grade honor student and athlete. But we have faced obstacles along the way.

During Tyler’s fifth-grade year it became clear to us that he was not getting what he needed from his school experience and that a change was necessary. After several teacher conferences and letters of recommendation, Tyler was allowed to skip the sixth grade and advance to the seventh. I can say without reservation that it was the best decision for him.

Both academic and social circumstances indicated that Tyler was not in the right grade. He was not as excited about school as he had once been, and he made straight A’s with minimal effort. His peers relied on him to be a leader, a mediator, and an adviser. Tyler had always been mature for his age, and other children loved him and willingly followed his lead. By the fifth grade, however, he had no one to fill the same role for him, and I felt strongly that this was not healthy.

To begin the process of grade advancement, I met with Tyler’s teachers to discuss my concerns. Although they agreed with me, they noted that students were rarely advanced from the fifth to the seventh grade; they were more likely to be advanced during a transition year (i.e., from the fourth to the sixth or from the seventh to the ninth grade). The teachers were also concerned about the effects of missing the first year of middle school. However, they agreed to write letters in support of the move. I then met with the elementary school principal and obtained her support. In turn, she sought approval from the middle school principal. With proof of Tyler’s grades and his course and standardized test scores, and with the support of his teachers and principals, I acquired approval from the school district.

I should mention that I had been unable to get Tyler advanced from the third to the fifth grade. We had just moved from another state a week before he entered the fourth grade. I might have succeeded had I been able to present more documentation (e.g., more specific curriculum descriptions) from his previous school. Here are the lessons I learned and my advice to other parents:

• Keep a file of completed coursework, test scores, honors and awards, certificates of achievement, and program completions to back up your request for grade advancement.
• Obtain letters of support from teachers, counselors, gifted and talented coordinators, and administrators.
• If you are moving to another school district, be prepared to furnish detailed documentation to support your request. Keep a list of the textbooks your child has used, the chapters he or she has completed in them, and the corresponding assignments and tests. If possible, obtain course syllabi and teachers’ letters detailing the coursework level and your child’s performance.
• Give teachers the respect and credit they deserve. Assume that they want what is best for your child, and be mindful that most educators are hardworking, competent professionals.
• Do not wait for teachers to contact you. Initiate and maintain regular contact. Advise them to contact you immediately with any issues concerning your child.
• Volunteer at your child’s school. Doing so shows teachers that you are an active participant in your child’s education. It also provides you with opportunities to build mutually supportive relationships with teachers and to gain valuable knowledge about your child’s school experience.

Tyler adjusted well to the seventh grade. His motivation and interest in learning improved. He was more challenged, experienced a greater sense of accomplishment, complained far less often of boredom, and developed more satisfying peer relationships. The downside was minimal. He did go through a period of distress immediately after the move because he had left his friends behind. However, he soon made new ones.

Tyler is a year younger than his classmates, many of whom are already driving. He is not happy that he has to wait another year to drive, but this is a minor issue. For my husband and me, the biggest challenge is that we have one less year to save for college!
—Jan Willis

Jan Willis, the mother of two children, has been a school volunteer for eight years. She has served as a PTA board member and a high school-to-career liaison, and she has been involved in many special programs, committees, and activities.