Pros and cons to high honors 4th grade student in a 3rd/4th grade combined class

I just learned that my 4th grade son was placed in a combined grade (3/4) classroom and I am very concerned that he won't thrive in this environment. My son is a straight "A" student, making the principals list or high honor roll every quarter since he started school. Presently, he is reading at the 9th grade level, and so far he has been the highest scoring student in every class, in Language Arts. He has often been bored with the slow pace in LA. According to the STAR Student Report, in the California Standards Test, he scored in the advanced levels in both Language Arts and Mathematics, and his national percentile ranks are as follows: Reading -95%; Language - 94%; Spelling - 93%; and Mathematics - 83%. All this said, I don't think the placement will benefit him as much as it would his teacher (same teacher as last year) and I need advice ASAP on what to do, if anything!

Parent Answers to "Pros and cons to high honors 4th grade student in a 3rd/4th grade combined class"

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Wanted to ask you how things are going with the 3/4 split class. We you able to get some first-hand info by visiting the classroom and/or talking to the teacher? How does your son feel about his class? Have you been able to relax a bit? Hope all is well. Would like to hear how things are going.

My daughter tested in the superior range in all subjects and skipped 3rd grade and was placed in the split 3/4 class as a fourth grader. Talk about concerned! I was so worried that my daughter would not get the education she was so capable of. So yesterday, I dropped in on my daughter's class to observe and I was suprised, impressed and relieved. As it turns out, the teacher has integrated 3rd, 4th and 5th grade lessons so all students are challenged.
( the lesson I observed was no piece of cake!) She is a wonderful teacher and I am relieved. Maybe you could visit your child's classroom and see for yourself exactly what is going on. Also, talk to the teacher and let her explain her plan and teaching method. It will probably be helpful and perhaps you will breathe a little easier about your child's education. Also, I have heard through other parents that having the same teacher two years running suits most students very well. I hope this was at least somewhat helpful and I wish you and your son the best of luck.

I was going to add to Magnetmom's reply by saying that some people feel having the same teacher two years in a row is good, because they already know where the child is "at" and can build from that point forward, without having to "reinvent the wheel" and get to know the child.

It sounds as if you don't particularly feel the same teacher can challenge your son. If that is the case, your only option is to speak to the principal about your concerns. Are other class placements (ie, straight 4th grade) or GATE even available?

Hi Anon,

Someone asked a similar question this morning and the answers to that might help a bit: community.greatschools.net/q-and-a/242540/Pros-and-cons-to-4th-grade-student-in-a-3rd4th-grade-combined-class?cpage=1#comment_242578

If you're in LAUSD, you might want to join the LAUSD Parents group where we can offer a lot of help with magnets and other local options. We're located at community.greatschools.net/groups/13589

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