Should Gifted Students Skip a Grade?

Should Gifted Students Skip a Grade? An Analysis of the Social, Financial, and Academic

Benefits of Acceleration

Sarah V. Wilkins

Truman State University

Should Gifted Students Skip a Grade? 2

Should Gifted Student Skip a Grade? An Analysis of the Social, Financial, and Academic

Benefits of Acceleration

For many years, Americans have debated what to do with gifted students in classrooms

all over the country. Some argue for pull out services while others think it is best for gifted

students to skip a grade. Parents, administrators, counselors, teachers, students, and tax payers all

have different view points on this complicated issue. As someone who fits into half of the

previously mentioned categories, I felt it was my duty to educate myself on what it really means

when a student is accelerated through school. Research overwhelming supports that gifted

students are more successful in all walks of life if they are accelerated through school.

Defining giftedness is incredibly challenging because the definition changes between

different school districts and states. Therefore, if a student qualifies for a gifted program at one

school that same child is not guaranteed a spot at another school. Because giftedness is tricky to

categorize, the services a child needs can be hard to describe. Usually parents, caregivers,

teachers, counselors, and administrators all want what is best for talented students. However,

they disagree on how to achieve the same end goal. Some argue that acceleration steals years

away from a childs youth. In addition, one of the biggest fears is that gifted students who skip a

grade will be socially challenged. Moreover, research proves both of these arguments are

irrational.

Since the beginning of the year, I have been incredibly fascinated with acceleration. For

my ED 608 course, I was placed at Schuyler Elementary School in Northeast Missouri. Through

my observations I discovered that the school was very eager to hold students back but incredibly

hesitant to let students skip a grade. I began to reflect back on my own school experience and

realized that I remember only a couple instances where students where allowed to move through
Should Gifted Students Skip a Grade? 3

school quicker than normal. From my own personal experience, I have moved through school

quicker than normal. In the traditional sense, I did not skip a grade. However, since I thrived in a

wide variety of college credit classes while in high school I was able to complete my bachelors

degree in three years and my Master of Arts in Education degree in my fourth year at Truman.

On top of this, my birth date is days before the cutoff so I am two years younger than most of my

cohort. I have begun to think about how this age gap affects me academically, socially, and

financially which contributes to the driving question of this paper.

I believe I greatly benefited from my decision to accelerate through college at an atypical

rate and I was curious to find if research supported my personal feelings. Graduating early from

college makes complete financial sense. With my current track, my family will spend one less

year on college tuition and I will enter the work force sooner. Academically, I feel appropriately

challenged and was eager to start graduate school as early as possible. Moving through college

quicker than normal has allowed me to be a member of a more mature cohort. Socially, I have

always been naturally drawn to older individuals so I think this in a better fit for me as well. My

personal and field experiences inspired me to investigate the issue of acceleration and the best,

research based solution.

Literature Review

One of the first steps in deciding whether or not a child should skip a grade is

determining the qualifications for acceleration. Experts in the gifted education field, Gary Davis

and Sylvia Rimm, recommend these guidelines: The child should have a measured IQ of 130 or

higher, he or she should skip only one grade at a time, the child should be evaluated for any skill

gaps that may occur as a result of missing coursework, the child's new teacher and parents should

be supportive of the move and acceleration should be done on a trial basis (Forschmiedt, 2004).
Should Gifted Students Skip a Grade? 4

Jodi Forschmiedt from the University of John Hopkins relies on expert opinions in the field to

recommend guidelines for acceleration. Other sources do not provide as much research on how

to identify students who need to skip a grade. Nation Deceived briefly mentions that testing,

especially above-level testing, is highly effective in identifying students who would benefit from

acceleration (Colangelo, Assouline, & Gross, 2004). Obviously, identification of students who

need acceleration is lacking in schools. Another study conducted by the University of John

Hopkins found that, 20-40% of elementary and middle school students perform at least one

grade level above their current grade in reading, with 11-30% scoring at least one grade level

above in math (Mathel, Matthews, Peters, Rambo-Hernandez, & Plucker, 2016). If talented

students are going to be appropriately challenged the best solution is to relocate them to a higher

grade.

Research shows that school teachers and administrators are often the people fighting

against the acceleration of gifted students. Why is it that the people dedicated to a life of teaching

are the ones fighting against gifted students learning appropriate content? One reason could be

that it requires more work from educators. The National Education Association based their

argument against acceleration off of pathos and personal stories quoting teachers. For example,

Patty Deigan, an Illinois teacher, recalled the academic struggle a second grader had after his

parents urged the school to move him into third grade claiming holes developed in his learning

and he ended up needing tutors (Walker, 2010). The third-grade teacher supposedly had a harder

time educating the gifted student because he skipped a grade. According to Forschmiedt (2004),

school staff often believes that acceleration causes delays in social development. Students who

skip a grade are the last to go through puberty and reach accomplishments or other milestones

based on age (Forschmiedt, 2004). The claims teachers and administrators are making lack
Should Gifted Students Skip a Grade? 5

research to support their intuition. In the modern days of research and data analysis teachers can

no longer make decisions based off of a gut feeling. The National Public Radio station reports of

a similar story in Missouri where one hardworking mother searched through ten different school

districts before finding one private school that would allow her daughter to skip a grade (Phillips,

2015). The school districts only claim for denying the request for acceleration was that the

Missouri birthday deadline is inflexible (Phillips, 2015). The same source implies that

administrators are being selfish when opposing acceleration because the research on acceleration

is so uniformly positive, the benefits of appropriate acceleration so unequivocal, that it is

difficult to see how an educator could oppose it (Phillips, 2015). School administration and

teachers need to be better informed on the research supporting the benefits of acceleration in

order to aid gifted students.

Gifted individuals benefit in and out of the classroom when they are given the

opportunity to skip a grade. Research at the University of John Hopkins proves that in spite of

the concerns expressed by educators, students who skip grades do as well as or better than their

new peers in all areas of achievement (Forschmiedt, 2004). The previously mentioned study

demonstrates how success can be found in all domains of life. Other studies conducted by the

National Association for Gifted Children concluded that accelerated students outperform

comparable nonaccelerated peers on both K-12 and postsecondary achievement outcomes

(McClarty, 2015). The benefits stretch past high school and continue later into life because

acceleration teaches children to accept challenges and have a strong work ethic.

According to Gifted Child Quarterly, accelerating gifted students in school is best for

society and the child. Society benefits from educating the next generation of doctors, lawyers,

scientists, and creators while the child is appropriately challenged. Nation Deceived supports the
Should Gifted Students Skip a Grade? 6

same idea claiming when great leaders reach society early, everyone benefits (Colangelo et al.,

2004). Results from the Gifted Child Quarterly state that in recent years, almost all cases of

acceleration are positive. In middle and high school years, accelerated students are taking

advantage of more educational opportunities than their peers. By college, accelerated students

earn their degrees quicker and with more honors than their peers.

Position

After synthesizing multiple sources on the acceleration of gifted students, I believe gifted

students should be placed into a higher grade when applicable. Research supports that gifted

students thrive when allowed to travel through school at an atypical rate.The emotional,

academic, and financial benefits of students skipping grades when necessary makes acceleration

nondebatable in my opinion.

When gifted students skip at least one grade in school, everyone saves money. The gifted

child enters the work force at least one year earlier; he or she will start making money earlier in

life. Entering the work force earlier allows the gifted individual to start saving money and paying

taxes. The school district benefits as well because it is one less year they have to financially

support the child in school. On average, school districts in the United States spend $11,814 per

student per year (Park, Hurt, Fisher, & Rost, 2016). Therefore, if a student skips one grade the

school district saves a fair amount of money and if the child skips multiple grades the amount of

money increases. The parents of gifted students save resources if their child is accelerated

through school. Nation Deceived stated that a new kind of acceleration, Advanced Placement

(AP) is sweeping the nation (Colangelo et al., 2004). Parents and students save money on college

tuition when students take college courses in high school at a discounted price. Students and

guardians save money while the student is appropriately challenged. Additionally, parents save
Should Gifted Students Skip a Grade? 7

funds on private tutors and special programs when their children are appropriately challenged in

the classroom.

One of the most prevalent arguments against acceleration of the gifted population is the

impact it will have on social and emotional development. After reviewing the literature on

acceleration, I believe gifted students thrive when placed with older students. I do realize

asynchronous development is common with gifted students meaning that intellectual age far

surpasses their emotional maturity. However, research from Nation Deceived shows that Gifted

children tend to be socially and emotionally more mature than children of the same chronological

age (Colangelo et al., 2004). For many gifted students, acceleration provides a better personal

maturity match with classmates. From my personal experience as a gifted student, I naturally

gravitated towards older students in both high school and college. I usually found that I had more

in common with older individuals than students my own age. Not only will a gifted student

benefit academically from being in accelerated classes, but the child will benefit socially.

Additionally, just because a student is placed into a higher grade does not mean that child has to

abandon all friends of the same chronological age. Skipping a grade allows for the possibility for

more mature relationships to be formed.

When a student is not academically challenged in school, the individual can become

bored a develop a distaste for school. One students boredom can result in management issues

and a negative learning environment. All students can be more successful when gifted students

are challenged in the classroom. Previously, I mentioned a study from John Hopkins proving

anywhere between 11-40% of students are performing above grade level depending on the

subject (Mathel et al., 2016). Students should be allowed to take classes at their current academic

level. According to Gifted Child Quarterly, when a student skips a grade, he or she may also be
Should Gifted Students Skip a Grade? 8

more likely to take advantage of additional challenging educational opportunities (McClarty,

2014). Therefore, the academic benefits are not confined to the walls of a classroom. Students

will challenge themselves outside of school because they feel their education is valued.

My formal recommendation is that gifted children who are performing at a different

grade level meet with teachers and administrators to discuss the possibility of acceleration.

Students and parents should understand all options before making a final decision. Talented

students should be allowed to try out the higher-level class and they can decide with their parents

if it is the right decision. I believe acceleration is the smart decision but it is important to give

children a say in their education and not push them if they are completely against it. School

districts needs to be more proactive in identifying students who qualify for these services. When

teachers are trained how to select students for special education they need additional training in

order to identify the gifted population. Once the culture of public school changes, gifted students

can be provided with the proper information about acceleration and its vast benefits.
Should Gifted Students Skip a Grade? 9

References

Colangelo, N., Assouline, S. G., & Gross, M. U. (2004). Nation Deceived: How Schools Hold

Back America's Brightest Students (Vol. 1). Iowa City: The Connie Belin & Jacqueline

N. Blank International Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development.

Forschmiedt, J. (2013, May 15). The Acceleration Question: Should Gifted Children Skip

Grades? Retrieved June 05, 2017, from

http://education.jhu.edu/PD/newhorizons/Exceptional%20Learners/Gifted%20Learners/A

rticles%20-%20Gifted%20Learners/acceleration_question.htm

Mathel, M. C., Matthews, M. S., Peters, S. J., Rambo-Hernandez, K., & Plucker, J. A. (2016,

August 16). How Can So Many Students be Invisible? Retrieved June 17, 2017, from

http://edpolicy.education.jhu.edu/wordpress/?p=153

McClarty, K. L. (2014). Life in the Fast Lane: Effects of Early Grade Acceleration on High

School and College Outcomes. Gifted Child Quarterly, 59(1), 3-13.

doi:10.1177/0016986214559595

Park, K., Hurt, A., Fisher, T., & Rost, L. C. (2016). How Per-Pupil Spending Compares Across

U.S. School Districts. Education Week, 35(28), 5. doi:10.1787/748182630211

Phillips, O. (2015, April 30). Skip A Grade? Start Kindergarten Early? It's Not So Easy.

Retrieved June 05, 2017, from

http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/04/30/401980669/skip-a-grade-start-kindergarten-

early-its-not-so-easy

Walker, T. (2017, April 10). Should More Students Be Allowed to Skip a Grade? Retrieved

June 05, 2017, from http://neatoday.org/2017/03/27/should-more-students-skip-a-grade/