In a typical classroom environment, an academically gifted child will grasp concepts faster than the average student. If a child grasps the concept faster than the rest of the class, then they may become bored and will often lose focus or become a distraction.
One of the major benefits of online schooling is the freedom and flexibility it provides. Students can study at their own pace and personalise their education to their unique circumstances and abilities. Students can set the tempo of their learning, meaning they can speed up or slow down depending on what they can manage at the time.
In this article, we will answer some frequently asked questions related to grade skipping, discuss how homeschoolers can progress through their grades faster and look at some of the pros and cons of skipping a grade.
Should students skip a grade?
Skipping a grade entirely can result in learning gaps and many teachers and educational professionals advise against skipping a grade. For academically gifted students, it is advised to rather work ahead of schedule and progress through the required grades at a pace that they feel comfortable with.
Students enrolled in the CambriLearn International British or Cambridge curriculum can set their own pace and personalise their schedules to suit their individual needs.
Which curriculum offers the most flexibility?
The CambriLearn International British curriculum doesn’t run according to a traditional school year with fixed term dates - students can start at any time of the year.
Their school year starts on the day they enrol and runs for 12 months from that point. The subjects on the British curriculum run between 7 and 8 months, but students have a full year to complete them. This means that learners can speed up or slow down depending on what they can manage at the time.
The CambriLearn International British curriculum also allows students to take subjects on different grade levels at the same time and offers Standard or Premium subject packages to cater for different learning support needs.
If there is a particular subject that you need extra support with, then you can take (for example) Maths on Premium and the other subjects on Standard. CambriLearn can create a bespoke package, based on individual learning needs.
Is it a good idea to skip a grade?
There is the potential loss of significant social and emotional developmental milestones and gaps in learning by skipping grades or graduating too early. For example, a child may be academically gifted and able to complete their K12 curriculum by the age of 15, but they may not be ready socially and emotionally to attend a tertiary institution and interact with their 19-year-old classmates.
Skipping a grade should be done so with caution and only in exceptional circumstances with academically gifted children. Please note that skipping a grade entirely is different from working ahead to complete a grade.
When is it ok to skip a grade?
Before deciding to skip a grade, it is advised to book a consultation with a professional educational psychologist to assess the child to determine whether or not skipping a grade is the best solution. It is recommended that the child completes a placement test to determine the right grade level for their learning abilities.
Should it be determined by an education professional that skipping a grade is the best solution for a particular child, then it is advised that this only be done in the primary stages to ensure that there are minimal gaps in learning.
It is also advised that students don’t skip more than one grade in their schooling career. This single-year skipping keeps the student from feeling too distanced from their peers. If a student is still not academically challenged after skipping a grade, a different alternative should be explored.
How to navigate an academically gifted child’s education?
If you have an academically gifted child, then it is important to stimulate and challenge their abilities in order to keep them engaged and not leave them bored in their schooling. There are other solutions to consider instead of grade skipping or working too far ahead of their age group.
Some potential solutions could be to enrol the child in additional language subjects like French or supplementary courses like Robotics, to encourage a more diversified learning experience.
How can online schooling benefit academically gifted children?
Rather than following the traditional structure of schooling, an online schooling curriculum can be tailored to the individual student’s needs - enabling them to progress at their own pace.
One of the great benefits of choosing the online international British curriculum is the freedom for each family to tailor their child's education to fit their schedule and learning needs. This means that you get an internationally accredited education, but you decide when and how to do it.
If you have an academically gifted child that you feel would benefit from a more personalised approach to education, one that enables them to progress through the course work at a pace that suits their unique potential, then book a free consult with a CambriLearn Education Specialist to learn more about how online schooling can harness your child’s potential!
