The Acceleration Question: Can My Child Skip a Grade?

Mary-Anne Jaskinski, Elementary Principal

Children come to TIS from many different countries and educational systems, and the content covered in a particular grade varies from country to country. The timing of the school year may also be different; in some countries the school year ends in December and the next grade begins in January. Even when children move to TIS from a local or nearby Chinese school system, there are differences in curriculum and past learning experiences.

At TIS we place children based on their chronological age. In some instances, this may mean repeating part of a grade or missing part of a grade, depending on the country the child is coming from. The decision to place a child in a higher grade is a difficult one with many implications. The TIS Student Placement and Promotion Policy states the following:

“In very rare circumstances, the Principal may accelerate a student into a higher grade. Consideration will be given to the age, academic achievement, social development, and language acquisition of the student. Acceleration may be considered for students who were initially retained for language development and whereby acceleration would place the student with his or her age-appropriate peers. Acceleration cases must meet DSEJ guidelines as well.”

Although we might consider an advanced grade placement for a child who has completed part of that grade or one who has been formally diagnosed by a psychologist and found to be in the intellectually gifted range, skipping a grade isn’t the right answer for every student.

Child development does not occur evenly, and it is common for children to display advanced skills in one subject area and age appropriate skills or even gaps in others. A child who is advanced academically is often at the same developmental level as his peers physically, socially and emotionally.  Since social issues are more likely to surface in the secondary school years, it is difficult to predict when skipping an elementary grade will create problems in the secondary school years.

English language learners who speak another language at home and outside of the school environment face additional challenges. The language profiles of English language learners and native English speakers are very different. In order to keep up with the rapid language development of a native language speaker, a language learner must acquire the new language at an even faster rate. This becomes increasingly difficult in the higher grades, as the level of academic English required for success is cumulative.

Young language learners have distinct strengths in early language and literacy acquisition, including their phonemic knowledge and skills, and their communicative skills. This often leads to misunderstanding on the part of their teachers and parents, because the ease with which they acquire early language and literacy begins to slow down in the upper elementary grades, and does not reflect the effort that will be required in the high school years. English language learners need time to acquire vocabulary and use their new language skills appropriately in an academic setting. This development is compromised by an advanced grade placement.

Enrichment activities and differentiated instruction are our preferred ways to address children’s learning needs while still keeping them with their same aged peers. Enrichment can take many forms including special projects, small group pullout activities, after school programs and tutoring, and mentor programs with older students. At TIS, we have an inclusive program in which instruction and activities are differentiated to meet the needs of our diverse learners, and each classroom includes children with a range of abilities in all subject areas.

The decision to offer enrichment activities or to accelerate a child is one that must be made on an individual basis, taking into account each child’s intellectual and emotional needs and the opportunities the school can provide. The first step is for parents and teachers to have a conversation at the beginning of the school year about each child’s strengths and learning needs, and to continue to communicate regularly over the course of the year. Through ongoing communication and a variety of available learning opportunities, we offer appropriate, personalized educational programs for students at each grade level.