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    parentologyco, Smartlady60, petercgeelan, eterpstra, Valib90
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    Joined: Oct 2006
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    So, I'm waiting for a meeting to be scheduled with the principal, DS5's two teachers and the social worker, to discuss son's boredom and frustration with school. I asked the principal last week if I could please have access to the curriculum learning objectives for math. He offered to get me both reading and math - great.

    Today he calls and says he is printing off the state learning standards, as they choose a curriculum which "of course meets the state standards." I point out that what I'm looking for is the actual objectives, what he is expected to know by the end of first grade. He says, that's what this is. I say, no, those are general guidelines not exact description of knowledge to be mastered. I point out that I want to see how we can assess DS regarding his mastery of the learning material to be presented this school year. I say that I'm not concerned with whether he can meet the minimum state standards for learning, since he tests in the 98th-99th % on achievement. I don't think meeting state standards is an issue. To which this principal ACTUALLY SAID: "Well, I'm not sure that is the case. I'm not the one who would be assessing that." What?! Did our state recently raise the learning standards so that EVERY child needs to be at the 99th%?!!! Ugh! The battle continues.

    And still no meeting is set. At least the social worker seems to be a potential ally. Pray for us!

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    sometimes I am overwhelmed with the ignorance of educators. this principal clearly shows that he skipped most of his stats and eval classes. chuckle.

    praying


    Willa Gayle
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    Debbie,

    I�m so sorry for your situation. Sad, but interesting that you started out the school year as a cooperative advocate and now you state that �the battle continues�. BTDT!

    As a fellow Illinois resident, I am not optimistic that you will get any meaningful accommodations in the current grade. However, I may be overly pessimistic based on our particular experiences. There may be someone in your school district�s food chain that actually cares about your son�s education. Have you contacted the superintendent or any school board members?

    Maybe someone will break ranks and do the right thing! I will pray for your family!

    Diana

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    Thanks for the support. Obviously I need it!
    I just got off the phone with the regional board of education office. I had been referred to the gifted coordinator for our county. Diana, you are so right. In IL they have cut funding, so that person doesn't even exist any more. The person I spoke to at that office referred me to IAGC. I'll email her again! And my husband and I joined IAGC and will be attending the parent workshops in Chicago on 2/4 - hoping to network and get some names to drop later! At least maybe some good resources and allies!

    My plan right now is to go in to our meeting with a list of options. I have them roughed out already. I'm including resources and methods for differentiating the math curriculum for him. I'm going to stay hopeful. I have been advocating for children in the educational system for about 15 years now, so I know the politics and the protocol and way to "guide the team" so to speak. I have just learned now, first hand, how hard it is to do this for your own child! Much easier to keep that mother bear in check when I'm being the professional advocating for someone else's child, though even then I become outraged at some of the things that happen.

    Thanks again - I'll keep you posted on what goes on for us.

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    Good luck Debbie!
    I'm sure you will do everything right. Unfortunatly that doesn't mean you'll get a workable result. Please bear in mind that the "stuff" that blows your way isn't personal to you or your son.

    Please keep us posted. Remember that you do have alternatives, that what keeps it an negotiation, rather than begging.

    ((big proud smile))
    Trin


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    Hi Debbie.

    Did you have your team meeting yet?

    BTW, I'm impressed that your husband is attending the IL gifted conference with you! Mine has just agreed to attend the YS gathering in MN.

    I wonder if things will change more rapidly when the dads show up as informed advocates too.

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    Hey, thanks for checking! But I'm actually somewhat frustrated right now as we don't even have a date set up yet! Last week the principal gave me the line that he is waiting to get some "times that work" from the social worker. But he thought she wanted to get through her assessment of DS before setting the date. I waited until today to call him, but he's out of the school. Tomorrow I will call and call and call until I get a date set up!

    The principal sent home the state learning standards and their "descriptors" - which was NOT what I wanted. But I went through them anyway. Of course DS has already mastered all the standards for math at "Level A" and at least 50% at "Level B". I think that refers to 1st and 2nd grade based on what the principal's note said.

    Now my hub and I want to get in there and actually see the curriculum. I'm determined to get pretesting with the curriculum materials and get DS moved on. Assouline's book discusses programming and emphasizes how easy it is to just pretest with the actual curriculum to determine level of instruction the child is ready for. Fill in the gaps and move on, they advise. That book is going to be my Bible at the meeting!

    Right now my goal is to get DS through second grade math by the end of summer (if not the end of the school year) with the intention of having him promoted to 2nd grade but enter 3rd grade math in the fall. I think it is the only way to keep him interested and get him to a point where he might be learning something at school. Poor thing is being so patient and doing what he is told to do. But the other day he said "I think second grade will be better, Mom. Don't you?" Oh sweetie, I hope so. Mom's going to do her best to make it that way.

    I'll keep you posted on how the advocacy goes!

    And yeah, I'm glad DH wanted to attend to. He is pretty dumbfounded by the sensitivities and emotional parts and the parent seminars focus on that stuff this year. DH identifies with our son's perfectionism and boredom with traditional teaching methods (imagine that!) and I think there is some self realization going on for him. So I'm glad he's attending too!

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    Hi Debbie,
    I'm sorry you are getting this kind of delay... It has been my experience that advocating is quite a roller coaster - they promise the moon in convinsing language one meeting, and then the "big boys" from the district come in and squash it the next....

    Well, it has worked for other people, and as long as you and DH understand him, that will go a long way.

    I highly reccomend that you, or perhaps you and DH take a day and spend some time in the proposed recieving classes. There's no point waiting for a meeting if you aren't going to be offered a prize worth wanting...so arrange to sit quietly and observe in the back of the class ASAP. ((Or have you already done that---I'm getting a little confused --- so many sweet little boys being unforced underachievers lately!))

    Best Wishes,
    Trinity


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    Keep in mind that most teachers don't really understand what the numbers mean...... Last year, Snoopy's teacher told me that it was important that I realize that he got 99 percentile - not 100 percentile - meaning that there is still some material he can learn at that grade level.

    Ooops..... I thought educators had to take some sort of course in statistics so that they could understand difficult concepts like percentile......


    Mary


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    Originally Posted by mayreeh
    Last year, Snoopy's teacher told me that it was important that I realize that he got 99 percentile - not 100 percentile - meaning that there is still some material he can learn at that grade level.

    Ooops..... I thought educators had to take some sort of course in statistics so that they could understand difficult concepts like percentile......

    Mary

    Oh my...that goes under "ridiculous things I heard today" on Hoagies page!

    We actually have a meeting set up now! A week from today. And I made it clear that my husband and I want to come in and see the teacher's manuals for the curriculum for 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade, prior to the meeting. So now he is supposed to be checking in to whether all that material is actually in the classrooms or the teachers took it home, yada yada yada.... Whatever. He'll be getting the stuff together and finding a quiet room where we can review it. That's what I wanted.

    I haven't gone to observe in the second or third grade classes - partly because there is only one of each level (no choice re: teacher) and partly because we haven't gotten that far. If they flat out refuse to use curriculum based testing to see where he is at and move him forward, then I will likely tell them that we will be homeschooling for math and he will join his class after math is done.

    I need to be sure that the principal is on the same page regarding the agenda for this meeting. No surprises or delays in making decision. Last night I typed up my list of proposed solutions - 3 options that we can discuss. I'll be giving that to him ahead of the meeting time, so he and the teachers can review it and we can hit the ground running at this meeting. I'm not in the mood for more "data collection and review" meetings. This one needs to generate solutions.

    I was pleased that the teacher did finally have him reading a more appropriate level book (2nd-3rd grade level) and for the first time had him do some writing/comprehension stuff (at least that came home with him). Yea! That's some good stuff. But he still said the book was easy to read and the questions weren't hard. Right now though I need to focus on the math - we can bump reading up later if needed.

    Thanks for the encouragement, and the laughs! I'll keep you posted.

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