How should you handle students far ahead of the class?

I've been thinking about this scenario lately and I'd love to get some perspectives on it:

You're the principal of a large elementary school, and one of the decisions your school faces is what to do with young students who aren't challenged by their class' mathematical work. For example, in your school there is currently a 1st Grader who does math above grade level, e.g. he performs long division in his head. His parents initiated contact with the teacher after hearing their child complain that math at school was boring. They're concerned that he isn't being challenged. The classroom teacher knows that he is above grade-level in math, and is trying to meet his needs in class. The parents, however, do not think the current situation is working. The teacher reports that the student is difficult to engage during math class, and that sometimes he misbehaves during math. As principal, what policy would you want your school to do for someone like this 1st Grader?

Do you encounter this situation, or something like this situation, in your current role in education? If so, how is it typically handled, in your experience?

Submitted June 14, 2018 at 10:38AM by TracingWoodgrains https://ift.tt/2LR5ido