Should More Students Be Allowed to Skip a Grade?
When Heather Rains was in elementary school, she skipped ahead two years, from kindergarten to 2nd grade. The decision placed her in the same class as her older sister, which was a little awkward, and she had a hard time making new friends. Rains still played with her same-age friends at recess but “I couldn’t really relate to my peers,” she recalls.
Academically, however, the move made sense.
“I was in the top spelling groups and I thrived with the more challenging work and wanted more.” Overall, Rains considers herself a grade skipping success story.
Today, Rains is an elementary teacher in Wasilla, AK, where she will on rare occasions work with children who also are wondering if skipping a grade or grade acceleration is the best option. Rains supports it in certain situations, as long as it is a decision that is made collaboratively and carefully with administrators, students and obviously their parents. “It should not be done lightly,” she says.
And, as it turns out, grade skipping is hardly done at all. Data is a little hard to come by, but, according to the Acceleration Institute, roughly one percent of students actually make this move. According to a team of researchers, it should be much higher.
In 2016, Johns Hopkins University placed the age-based grade level system under the microscope by determining the percentage of students who are already above grade level on the first day of school. After examining five assessment data sets, the researchers found that 10% of U.S. students are performing above grade level.
“Millions of American K-12 students are performing above grade level and are not being appropriately challenged,” the report concludes. Not only does this deficit drag down a child’s intellectual development, the researchers warn, it is putting “the country’s future prosperity” at risk.
As an option for high-schieving or gifted students, skipping a grade is one form of Should More Students Be Allowed to Skip a Grade?:
