My school (as I am learning!) apparently needs a big gold star out front!
My principal had gifted children and confided in me recently that he wanted children to have opportunities never offered to his children (he is also the elementary principal for the state of IL for the year)
The school psychologist is a SENG leader
Everything they have done for us has been proactive. I have never had to pay for a test, nor ask for one. I have only guided the conversations. I will say that when my DD was in fist grade, and first identified as being gifted (we thought all 6 yr olds were like her!) the option of acceleration was never discussed (in hindsight we wish it was). They just assembled a rag tag team and pulled her out for classes. When the district changed officers, they proposed more formal, structured methods of both identification and progress monitoring. Kudos for them. It was hard being the coordinator for all of this.
I've recently started a gifted parents group in my district and am learning even within this district, other parents have had very different experiences (most of them not as positive) and I hope we can make some changes that bring more equality to the district, at a minimum by bringing these differences to light.
