I am new on this forum and hope that I can get a sanity check on my child. I have read every post on gifted children I could read on the internet and still I am confused on my child and the question of Is he or isn't he gifted????? (I am so confused)
My son will be entering 2nd grade this year. When he entered kindergarten, he did not know how to read. We had practiced his site words and math facts (add/subtraction) the summer before so he knew words entering into K. At the end of K, he had been tested to be at a GE level of 2.6. At the end of 1st, his reading tested at GE 4.6.
Short story on his math abilities, his Star test score at the end of 1st grade is at SS 643, GE >4. I feel comfortable that he understand and can do math problems thru 3rd grade. We have worked on 4th grade math and he is stronger on some 4th grade skill then others but I think by the time school starts in a month, he should be pretty strong in the 4th grade math skill sets.
My problem is that my son did not just start reading on his own or doing 3 digit multiplication on his own. He has worked really hard to get where he is today. We read 30 minutes a day and do math 30 minutes a day outside of school (including the summer months) and in 2 years, the above results are where he is in math and reading. The star results show that currently for both reading he is at 99% PR. Once again, he did not just magically get there on his own but he and I have worked together on his reading and math.
Is he smart or gifted? Does every child have the potential if they applied themselves to test higher then their current grade level? Can I expect other children to catch up with him in 3rd grade with their math and reading abilities?
I would love to hear if anyone has an opinion on my son. My sister who has a girl the same age says that I expect too much out of my son but I think 1 hour of school work, outside of school/summer in place of his eyes glued to a computer/TV is not too much to ask for in a child. Am I wrong?
