
Exceptionally Gifted Children: Long-term effects of grade-skipping - waterhouse
https://www.davidsongifted.org/search-database/entry/a10489
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RugnirViking
I was accelerated two years along with a peer of mine in high school. It did
not work out well for us at all. Neither of us got good grades, and we were
both moved back one year to retake our final exams again. The second time
around, we got what is considered an 'average' grade, or just barely above
what is usually considered a 'pass'.

Some of the many issues I encountered was that the school (perhaps reasonably)
felt that I couldn't possibly skip out on physical exersize classes, or sex
education, or any of the various things I would be missing. So they scheduled
me into these classes with my own age-group, and then tried to fit the rest of
my schedule in around that...

This resulted in me being placed in whatever classes I could fit in. Many
times, in those classes that are set and arranged in order of ability, I was
only able to be scheduled into some of the lowest sets. Some of my classes,
such as chemistry, I could only attend less than half of the lessons because
of catastrophic scheduling issues. In others, I was ignored by the teachers,
and struggled to fit in with any peer groups.

In terms of social skills, I wasn't exactly bullied physically, just had
almost nobody at all interested in talking to me aside from the person I was
accelerated with - people were well-meaning and nice enough, but it's not
exactly 'cool' to hang around with somebody two years younger than you around
that critical time of vying for status, so I never really got into any longer
conversations or made friends.

By the time I left, I pretty much considered myself somebody who was socially
isolated with extremely poor social skills, and 'weird' in some kind of
fundemental way. A lot like some of the other children that had learning
difficulties were. It wasn't until I got to university and had a fresh start
that I realised I was actually relatively socially capable in all kinds of
situations, and it was mostly the school setting that had contributed to that
view of myself.

I'm not entirely against this kind of thing, but done wrong, it can definately
have a massively harmful effect on a child's education. While I have recovered
somewhat in my professional career, by my academic results, this 'experiment'
was an appaling failure. My peer at the time hasn't been so lucky as far as I
can tell, and they did not manage to get into any universities at all. If this
kind of thing is to be done, it needs to be done with care and constant
attention on behalf of the school's staff.

~~~
justinclift
Perhaps the people in charge of things at your high school were purposely
setting things up for failure for some reason?

It does kind of sound like it. :(

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d-sc
In my experience with being ahead, I had to move school districts a couple
times to avoid administrative resistance. It goes ok, then you get the teacher
that doesn’t want you to be ahead of her son and then proceeds to teach you
stuff that she already taught you a couple years before.

My parents also had plenty of free time and money which helps with the
process.

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d-sc
I skipped a grade in elementary school and had done calculus before high
school. By the time I got to college, I decided I didn’t care for any of that
and spent my extra mental energy on forming positive relationships with the
people around me and couldn’t be happier. Graduated without honors with an ok
gpa but have an excellent professional network and friends and family around
me that care.

~~~
loquor
Wonderful. As I approach the end of my college years, I rue the fact that I
didn't put myself 'out there' early enough. What kind of people you have
around you might be the most important thing for young adults today.

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BXLE_1-1-BitIs1
I only wish this study was available to my school and, especially my mother
and stepfather who declined my acceleration opportunities in the 50s (without
telling me until I was working). I ended up dropping out of undergraduate
work, decades of psychotherapy and a failed marriage.

In secondary school I had read through the textbooks by October and had to
sustain classroom boredom the remainder of the year. Had no work habits (not
needed in high school), which left me totally at sea in university where just
about all my classmates had accelerated.

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mw478012300
Want to be anonymous for this, but I skipped 7 years and while it was a lot of
suffering while it was happening, alternate universe me is somewhat less
likely to have ended up with a bunch of friends and somewhat more likely to
have ended up a violent outlaw. So there's that.

~~~
RantyDave
Seven? Not ... year 7?

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RantyDave
My daughter skipped a year and it was really good for her. Also: extra year in
your youth - what's not to like?

