[Oz-gifted] RE: Ability grouping

[Michelle Gabriel]

Hi Kristy,
Where are you based (when you say over hear - I assume Perth).

I find it interesting here in Qld.  

B is supposedly age appropriate she turned 13 on Saturday and is in year
8.  When she started school here in Qld you could start grade 1 if you
turned 6 by December 31.  As the years have progressed and she has moved
schools and more kids are coming from interstate and other schools,
although she has always been the youngest, I have been amazed at the
range of ages that now exist in high school.

She has kids in her class that will be 15 in January.  She has kids that
turned 14 in June.  The age range seems to be from 12 to 14 in year 8.
She seems to be coping rather well with it most of the time.  Girls are
not nice in year 8 no matter what their age imho:-)  

The thing is they still say it is aged based.  

I was talking to a lady last night who has a son who is gifted and left
a private primary school as school captain and top of the class in grade
7 to go to another private school for high school.  The new school
suggested that as he was would only turn 13 in January and most of the
boys would be 14 that he should stay in year 7.  Nothing to do with how
smart he is and that he was doing well.  So she is doing it.  He is
repeating grade 7 at the new school. The thing is I know that the same
school let another family (the same year) accelerate their son who was
supposed to go into year 8 into year 9 due to his intelligence and the
parents pushing it. This child is a similar age.  So it seems with some
schools it really depends on what you say and what you think is
important if it is aged based or ability based.  Sometimes I really do
not understand as there does seem to be different rules for different
people.


Cheers

Michelle G