<p>I've been reading here at cc and I'm very impressed with you guys.</p>
<p>If anyone has any advice I'd love to hear it. I am a homeschool mom so I don't have a guidance counselor or administrator to ask. I was an average student myself and never looked into competitive colleges. My 12 year old son just got these scores on his first ACT:</p>
<p>26 Composite
28 English
20 Math
31 Reading
26 Math</p>
<p>We aren't doing accelerated work at home, he is still in pre-algebra and middle school english.</p>
<p>We live in a state that has very little regulation as far as what curriculum I do, and I'm wondering if these scores indicate I should make some changes. We can't afford any of the talent search classes or camps, which is the only suggestion I can find from doing a websearch.</p>
<p>Should he skip a grade based on these scores or could he possibly do early college entrance in the future? Would it be smarter to hold off and graduate at the normal age and shoot for more scholarships and better school options?</p>
<p>I see that many of you scored in this range as 7th graders so I'd love to hear what you wish you could have done in school if you'd been able to pick it yourself. Independent work is fine--he has a great social outlet in athletics so he is happy to do academics on his own. </p>
<p>Thanks for your ideas? I'm looking forward to hearing your input!</p>
<p>My son scored in this range as a 12 yr old also. He took the ACT one time in high school, fall of jr year, and scored a 34 with no prep whatsoever. Obviously what you are doing for him is working and there is no need to do anything specific for him based on these test results. The biggest concern for traditionally schooled students who score high is boredom with the curriculum, which can lead to apathy for some, particularly boys. But being home schooled gives you the freedom to adjust for hid. As far as early admission, it is way too early to make a decision on that. When the time comes, consider not only his test scores but his emotional and social maturity. I see no reason to shake things up at this point.</p>
<p>Having unnecessarily skipped a grade, I can personally tell you that jumping ahead in something when you don’t need to is a big mistake. I think it would much wiser to hold off and graduate at the normal age. Also, skipping a grade might cause some social problems (not sure how else I can put that in words), at least it did for me.</p>
<p>I agree with Wong, do not skip unnecessarily think of all the extra knowledge your student can acquire in the next 5 years! I was also home schooled up to the point of 9th grade, because then I switched over to a private school that goes hand in hand with homeschooling, and once your a junior you can either take dual credit classes at the high school, or at JCCC. Home school is really beneficial either way, because just as a junior I took college calculus (tested in) I suggest you keep on trucking with that, seeing as it brought your student a 26 in 7th grade!</p>
<p>Do not skip grades, especially if homeschooled. Got 32 ACT at 12 years old, and would never consider skipping a grade (already on the younger side with a Sept bday). School success and happiness is as much based on socialization compatibililty as on intelligence/mental compatibility. Don’t compromise one for the other. Graduate at normal age and do normal age things to allow your child to shine.</p>
<p>I know this is an old thread, but I just wanted to express a contrarian opinion. I know that some kids need to stay in age-appropriate <em>grades</em> despite being ready for more academic challenge, but I think most children who can handle more challenging <em>work</em> thrive on the experience and knowledge. I don’t mean that they should be overloaded with too much work, but it’s always better to learn what you don’t already know than to go over material you’ve already acquired. Again. And acceleration and early college are easy ways to do this. It’s possible (easy for homeschoolers!) to accelerate the content and assignments without accelerating the workload.</p>
<p>I took the ACT in 7th grade and got a 22, and as a Junior I got a 33. I’d say that for a 7th grader, a 26 is ridiculously good! Whatever you’re doing, I wouldn’t mess it up by skipping grades or anything like that.</p>