Done with Pre-K

So, today was Anna Claire's last day of Pre-K. She had a good time playing with her friends, but as is typical for her she wasn't overly sad about moving on either (she's rather excited to head to the Elementary school, in fact she wants to start next week!). Very bittersweet.

So, she'll be a Kindergartener in the Fall . . . for a little while at least.

What I haven't blogged about up to this point (as I've been mulling it over, and not quite ready to commit the idea to any sort of concrete medium), is the recommendation of her Pre-K teacher that we strongly consider pursuing "academic acceleration." Acceleration can mean many things (from gifted programs to AP courses in high school), but in this case, she recommended consideration of skipping Kindergarten in favor of entering 1st grade.

We're very torn on the issue, and it is one we don't take lightly. I know firsthand how frustrating it can be to be bored by lack of challenge in the classroom. I also know there are all sorts of individual, anecdotal horror stories of socially stunting a child by doing this. I will say that there's a LOT of studies out there though that point to it as a valid, effective option (one of the most comprehensive being: A Nation Deceived). We certainly have not made any decisions yet, but we have been in contact with the school and with the District Office of Advanced Learning Programs. Unfortunately, they cannot begin any testing (they use the Iowa Acceleration Scale, which is a rather comprehensive 10-part test that considerations not just IQ and achievement, but also social and family factors; a "whole child" approach) until after she has begun Kindergarten. I had somewhat hoped that IF we made the decision to accelerate, that we could do so from day 1 (no moving teachers, rooms, friends, etc). That's not possible though, so I thank goodness that she's an incredibly adaptable child (remember, she is the one who chose to attend the Pre-K that was different from the one her 2 best friends were attending). I have learned that they are "receptive" to the idea, and have "accelerated several students in the past" (keeping in mind that the school is only 4 years old).

I'm not sure what it will all mean in the end . . . other than many, many nights spent pondering the best possible options for her/us.