Here's what the letter said concerning private testing.
"Should you seek private testing, that would be at your own expense but the information may be considered as a part of the screening process to determine if further evaluations are warranted. However, assessments and evaluations administered and used to determine eligibility are to be administered by personnel employed and under the supervision of [school system]. Therefore, while you may seek private testing at your own expense, the results of that testing would only be used as a part of the screening process and not for determining eligibility for gifted services."
I think it's ridiculous that a kid with a 130+ on a privately administered assessment must then be tested again by their people. At this point, I guess private testing isn't worth it. On the other hand, they're going to decide whether to give her more testing based on a 10 minute screener? Yes, I do think it's a control issue.
She will get in eventually, whether it's through the screener and more testing or the OLSAT. It's just not going to be easy. I guess that's the price we pay for being in such a large school system that serves so many kids.
