Showing that You’re Ready to Skip a Grade
Raise your grades and GPA. It will be difficult to convince school administrators that you’re ready to skip a grade if you are receiving poor grades. Work to raise your grades—you should be earning all “A”s. By showing that you’re skilled at your current level, you can prove that you’re ready for the next grade. Do not slack off in your current grade because you are bored, even if the work is easy. Letting your grades slip or not turning in homework may count against you in a grade promotion consideration.
Be active in class. Demonstrating that you are a good learner and an eager student will show your teachers that you are ready for a more challenging grade. Be sure to ask questions that demonstrate your higher understanding, but do not be rude, disruptive, or sarcastic. Make sure homework and all class work is turned in on time, even if you feel like the work is too easy or beneath your level.
Research higher level skills that you don’t understand. If you ask to skip a grade, parents and school administrators will look to see that you can motivate yourself to learn. If you can teach yourself things that you haven’t yet learned in the classroom, this will indicate that you may be ready for a higher grade level. For example, if you’d like to skip from 7th grade to 8th grade but haven’t learned trigonometry, borrow a textbook and master some of the core concepts.
Study during the summer. Depending on your school, you may be able to take classes during the summer. This can help you learn things that will be taught in the grade you’ll be skipping over. If you can’t take classes, spend the summer learning independently to improve your academic skills.
Checking out the Next Grade Level
Look at the curriculum for the next grade level. Ask one of your current teachers or administrators if you could flip through the educational materials for the grade two ahead of your own. Look through as much academic material as possible (for example, tests and reading assignments) to see if you’re close to understanding the concepts in the next grade. You might change your mind about skipping a grade based on this, or you might come away even more convinced that it’s the right choice. For instance, if you readily understand the Quadratic Formula, maybe you can skip pre-algebra. If you’re already reading books for English class at a fast pace, the text assigned at the next grade level might provide a better challenge. If you can look through tests for the next grade level (e.g. for science or social studies classes), look to see that the material looks challenging but not impossible.
Consider the social ramifications. Going up a grade is not just about academics; there is also the social interaction with other students to consider. Schools are where most individuals become socialized outside of the home, and social skills, life experiences, and the like are as valuable as academics. As a result, in many places in the world, schools try to keep students with peers and adjust the academics, rather than place a student out in an advanced setting. Skipping a grade means you will be placed with students likely older and more mature than your current level. If you are less developed and mature, that can be a problem. Immature students are likely to have trouble developing relationships with more mature peers. Changing grades doesn’t mean that you’ll lose old friends, but it will likely impact your relationships. It may not be worth moving up a grade if it means leaving all of your current friendships behind. Going up a grade in order to avoid peer interactions is unlikely to be a good move. Instead of working through problems, learning social skills, maturing, and the like, trying to opt out will likely not serve you in later life. Skipping grade can also play out in your later school career in ways you have not considered. For example, after high school graduation, would you still be under 18? If so, that can greatly affect what you do after high school, For example, the military, many universities, and some employers will often not accept minors. You could be academically ready for the challenge but because of your age not be able to take the next step anyway.
Think about the effect on extracurricular activities. Think about if skipping ahead a grade will cause you to miss out on extracurricular activities like intramural sports, drama club, yearbook club, or marching band. While moving ahead in school won’t necessarily cause you to lose out on extracurricular subjects, it might complicate your schedule enough to keep you from participating. If a team is based on grade and not age, you may be competing with older and likely better players. These elements of school are often just as important as the classes you’re in, and skipping a grade may effect your ability to participate in certain activities. Skipping a grade may mean you also give up time on a school team. If you graduate early, you also give up your eligibility for the field hockey team, orchestra, or debate as well.
Asking to Skip a Grade
Wait until the end of the first semester (or quarter). Rather than asking to skip a grade in the first week of school, wait until about half the year has passed. You may change your mind after you see some of the challenges in your current grade. If you still find your grade easy after the first semester, you’re ready to look into skipping. Often the first few weeks are essentially review, and then as new concepts are introduced, the class can become much more interesting. Make sure you’re earning good grades while evaluating the difficulty of the grade level you’re in.
Talk to your parents, teachers, and the school counselor. You will not be able to skip a grade without the approval of your parents (or legal guardian) and the school. Speak to your current teachers to find out if they think you’re ready to move up. Explain your reasoning for wanting to skip a grade, and use your excellent work in the classroom to show that you’re ready for more challenging material. For example, say something like, “I’ve found all of my work in 5th grade simple so far, and think that I would be more challenged in 6th grade. I’ve already looked through most of the 6th grade textbooks, and think I can learn that material quickly.”
Look into methods of independent study. If your administrators aren’t willing to allow you to skip a grade, they may have other means of helping you excel. Schools often work with gifted students by providing “Gifted and Talented” courses or after-school activities. Depending on your age, your school may offer: Online classes. An independent study: self-directed learning (with the oversight of a teacher) of a particular field of interest. Classes through a local community college, university, or trade school. Some high schools offer credit for internships at local businesses, or non-profit organizations. For example, perhaps you can intern at a local community center, real estate office, an animal shelter, historical site, or library.
Consider homeschooling as an option. Many homeschooled students are able to skip one or more years of school by advancing at a rapid pace. Although this will require a great deal of work on your—and your parents’—part, it may be an efficient way to skip a grade. If you’d like to skip a grade but the school administrators won’t allow you, you could take a year off, homeschool, and return the following year at a higher grade level. For example, if you’ve finished 2nd grade, you could homeschool 3rd and 4th grade in a single school year and return to your original school for 5th grade.
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