Grade skipping

Grade skipping is a form of academic acceleration, often used for academically talented students, that involves the student entirely skipping the curriculum of one or more years of school. This is done when a student is sufficiently advanced in all school subjects, so that he or she can move forward in all subjects, rather than in only one or two areas.

Grade acceleration is easiest to implement through an early start to school by either entering kindergarten a year early or skipping kindergarten into first grade directly. By starting the child ahead, many of the problems associated with grade skipping, such as leaving friends behind or knowledge gaps, are avoided.

Sometimes the grade skip occurs at the end of an academic year, such that the student advances two grades. Grade skips are also successful at mid-year.

Other key factors to a successful grade skip include the desire of the student, the receptivity of the receiving teacher, and whether a sibling is in the old or new grade. All these factors have been studied and organized into a survey called The Iowa Acceleration Scale, which when completed yields a recommendation on whether or not to accelerate.

Grade skipping is one of the most cost-effective ways of addressing the needs of a profoundly gifted student, as it requires very little more than assigning the child to a different classroom, without the expense of special materials, tutoring or separate programs. The cost of educating the gifted child in a regular classroom with typical same-age peers is the same as the cost of educating that child in a regular classroom with typical somewhat older students, so using grade skipping is essentially cost-free. Students may benefit financially from grade skipping, with recent research showing that children who skipped a grade earn higher incomes in adulthood than similar non-skipping students.

Many academic administrators and the general public carry misconceptions about grade skipping, believing that children are often harmed by being placed in an environment for which they are academically ready but emotionally or socially not.

The time that the student skips may create a knowledge gap if the child has not self-studied the material already taught to the students in the grade being entered. While the student is bridging this gap they will likely find the new material challenging. It may be demoralizing to leave a situation in which they are top performers into a situation where they are struggling with the material. Knowledge gaps are smaller in earlier school years. Students almost always successfully catch up to match their peers.

Students entering a new grade after being in school are taken out of their existing peer group and put into a new group, essentially leaving friends behind and being forced to make new friends. Although this is perceived as a problem, and certainly being displaced is a trial for the student, it is often the case with gifted children that they are more easily able to relate to older children than children their age. Regardless, there will likely be a period of stress while the student integrates into the new class.

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