More advanced than the advanced reading group
By lilybug
@lilybug (21107)
United States
October 20, 2012 9:21pm CST
My 5 year old daughter started kindergarten a few months ago. The first week of school the kids were all tested and placed into one of 3 different reading groups. My daughter was placed in the advanced reading group, but she is more advanced than the other kids in her class. Her teacher and I have talked about it several times. She has been giving her more homework than the rest of the class to try to encourage her and keep her from being bored in class. The problem there is the advanced homework is still very easy for her. The teacher thought about asking the principal to allow my daughter to be placed in the first grade reading class, but it would conflict with her other lessons because they do reading at a different time of day. Another option is to have her tested for gifted, but then she would have to transfer to a different school.
Do you have a gifted child? Were they ever tested and placed in a different group or school? I am not sure if I want her in a gifted program, but at the same time I don't want her to bored in class either.
1 person likes this
7 responses
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
21 Oct 12
Yep, all of them except the oldest.
The twins teachers used to just go get worksheets and things from other teachers of the next grade up. Now that they're in 5th the work is a bit more challenging, but they still pretty much get straight A's.
My 1st grader isn't even in a reading group.. there's nothing he can't read. What the teacher does with him instead is have him help to teach other kids how to read. He reads chapter books for fun. He's read most of the Goosebumps books, and a few of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. When he was in preschool he had his IQ tested and got a 125 (average is 90-110 ish). They said if it weren't for the fact that you couldn't understand what he was saying at the time, he probably would have scored much higher.
Not sure about the preschooler yet. He just started the preschool program through the school, though he went to nursery school last year. Parent/teacher conferences are coming up, so I'll be finding out soon.
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
22 Oct 12
Same with mine.. he actually admitted that he was only "trying" in classes so he could stay on the soccer team.
Sad thing is, he didn't try enough and ended up with failing grades in 2 classes and had to miss his last soccer game of the season.
What's worse is the 2 classes he's failing are the same 2 he failed last year and is repeating.. he's in 10th grade but failing 9th grade math and english. Yet he's got a near perfect grade in social studies because he actually likes that class.
@jenny1015 (13366)
• Philippines
21 Oct 12
If your daughter's teacher thinks that she ought to have an advanced level in Reading, it must be real big! Why not let your child be tested if she really is a gifted child. If you do not co anything about it, she just might loss interest in studying. Kids who wants to do more should be encouraged.
My youngest son isn't gifted but he was way ahead his classmates when he was in Pre-school. He understands the lesson easily. He is my only son that I did not need to write a lot of reviewers during exam week. In grade 1, the first lesson in math was addition. He told me that he is bored with that coz he can add big numbers in a snap. At that age, I tried asking him to memorize the multiplication table. And yes, he did that, too! Math has become his favorite subject since.
@jenny1015 (13366)
• Philippines
21 Oct 12
That's really a great achievement! Go have her tested! Who kbows,she might be the next Steve Jobs in the future.
@rogue13xmen13 (14403)
• United States
21 Oct 12
It can be a Catch 22, and here is why I say that. I have known children, my brother being one of them, who were gifted, and they were placed in the advanced classes, or they skipped a grade or two. The problem with this is that they felt isolated. There were several programs at the schools I attended, Avid and Gate, that helped students who were advanced or gifted, but again, it's that isolation. Students like to feel that they belong with their peers, and if they feel that they are different, then that can hurt them rather than help them.
@jillhill (37354)
• United States
21 Oct 12
My son was also gifted. His 6th grade teacher told me he would get lost in our school system because there wasn't enough challenges...and there wasn't. He quit school when he was 16.....then he got his GED....then moved on and finished college and has a wonderful high paying job now....I don't know what to tell you...she will need challenging all the way through school. I wonder if the teachers are up to it.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
23 Oct 12
My daughter was formally identified as a gifted child this year. They don't do formal identification here until the children are going into the fourth grade. For her, this means that she is pulled with the gifted and talented resources teacher for an hour a week.
Now from kindergarten through third grade she was in the primary talent pool and she did get to spend time with the gifted teacher during those years as well. She has been placed in the most advanced groups and even that is still not challenging her. However, I don't want to send her to a gifted cluster school because that would mean that she was leaving all of her friends.
Not being challenged isn't really a bad thing for children because they are able to help their peers to learn and having those opportunities are very important as well. Additionally, you can get workbooks and such that your daughter can work on at home that will enrich her learning.
@lilybug (21107)
• United States
27 Oct 12
She seems to be flying through the extra homework the teacher is giving her. For now she is going to be in the first grade reading group to help challenge her. The problem is that she seems to be ahead in other areas like math as well. I just hope she does not get frustrated with the ease of her math class too.
@vidhyaprakash_2 (7116)
• India
21 Oct 12
Hi friend, good to hear about your daughter. My kids started their KG classes in their 3 years. They are also smart kids and studying their lessons well. We must be proud about this kind of kids, if she is hyper active, then you should send her to various classes like dance, music and others and teach a lot of things to her to reduce her studying activity
