Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Working with school? What to ask for???

Hi all! So DS6 was finally tested this summer (WISC and WIAT) and as the day for the start of 1st grade draws near, I am getting nervous. I do not even know how/when to approach the school/teacher or what to ask for. The school has no formal gifted program until 3rd grade and enrichment has been cut back due to resources going to support students who need to meet the standards of "the Common Core." DS's tester told me that 1st grade would be "a waste of time" for him (not something a parent wishes to hear right before the start of school!).

DS clearly needs something different, but I am not sure how to approach the school or new teacher.

DS is the younger sibling of a DYS who was tested to see if he might be able to participate in DYS, too (especially because the lack of a gifted program for the next couple of years at school). We have not yet applied (final pieces of application might be ready by end of month), but it takes a while, even if accepted, to get everything in place. Also, I still need to work with the school.

Does anyone have any advice on the best way to approach the school or teacher? What was most effective for you and your DC?

TIA!

1) How to approach the school would be according to the methods described in advocacy resources. In a nutshell, you may wish to visit the Davidson Database and view the collected advocacy resources including the guidebook. Advocacy resources and meeting prep are frequently requested and shared in posts on the forums.

When to approach the school? When you have fully prepared to advocate. Note that some schools express a desire to observe children for the first 6 weeks or so of the school year, making their own observations prior to meeting with parents to discuss possible strategies, such as differentiation.

2) What to ask for may be determined by processing the information gleaned from your State laws (often found online), your school or district policy & practice statements (often found online), and your child's strengths compared with grade level end-of-year learning objectives and possibly above level end-of-year learning objectives as well. Print collected information and save it, as laws/policy/practice and also your DC's achievements will change over time. One way to save and organize information is to hole-punch and place in a ring binder, possibly tabbed by year... as you may have many years of advocacy ahead.

As your tester seems to have rendered a professional opinion, is this an indication that s/he may be familiar with advocacy and/or accompany client parents to advocacy meetings with schools?

I wish I had some good advice, but it was difficult with DS last year when he was in first grade. It really depends on the school/teacher and how receptive they are to your concerns. I tried to be very cordial/friendly, and make any requests I had in a non-aggressive way (for instance I'd state that I know it's difficult for teachers to spend a lot of time with a child one on one so let's think together about possible solutions...that type of thing), but the teacher just didn't want to do anything. I think her underlying attitude toward gifted kids is that they are already ahead, just let them have a good time and be kids. She couldn't grasp how bored these kids are and how damaging it is for them to do work that is way too easy. When we switched schools, I didn't ask much of the teacher, but I'm sure she put two and two together and figured out why we had left the old school, so she did her best to meet DS's needs. Unlike the other teacher, she understood that it would be a waste of time for him to do the first grade curriculum. I didn't need to go through a speech to convince her of that, she simply observed him and began to test him to see what level he was at, and within a day it was clear to her.
Do you know who his teacher will be? Maybe at "back to school night" or whatever you have there, mention that you would like to talk briefly about your DS's needs and if there is a time you could pop in for an informal chat. Mention that you have test results and you are concerned about the regular curriculum and how it will help your DS progress. Then see how she responds before figuring out next moves.

I have the same concerns for the fall (second grade) but luckily DS's first grade teacher (the good one) went and talked to his new teacher and outright said that he will need advanced work, and gave examples of things that she had been working on with him. That spared me having to go in myself and make a speech about how smart I think my kid is. The new teacher told me afterwards he probably needs to have an individualized plan and work at his own pace. She was going to talk to some people over the summer and try to figure out how to make it work. If that fails, then we can do an official grade acceleration for math. Going to third grade for math would still be too easy for him, but it's better than nothing. So far so good, but we'll see how it all plays out!

Given there is a program in 3rd, does the school have a gifted coordinator? I would start with them. Ours was a ton of help when DS was in first, and she proposed his skipping second which got him into the full gifted program early. If the school doesn't have one, then hopefully your district does. Basically, try to start with the person in the system who should understand gifted.

Sounds like you had a great experience getting your child's needs met. Wish it always worked that way! It will be a great day when parents do not need to advocate for their children and the education system readily supports the development of gifted children at their appropriate curriculum level and pace.

For others considering acceleration, the Iowa Acceleration Scale (IAS) is the gold standard for whole-grade acceleration. Other forms of acceleration are discussed in resources available on the Davidson Database, including here and here.

Thanks, blackcat - I know I've said before that we'd love your DS's teacher here ...but SERIOUSLY, she sounds amazing! I love that she's already talked to your DS's NEW teacher!!!

So part of my concern is this: typically, there is NO differentiation in math in 1st (it starts in 2nd). This was less of a problem for DD when she was in 1st, because she was more interested in reading. Also, they USED to have a reading specialist work with the advanced 1st grade readers, and I hear that this no longer happens. DS had reading and math scores at or near the ceiling on the WIAT, and I am thinking he probably needs SERIOUS differentiation in both to learn anything new. With the "changes" since DD was in 1st, I just have this sinking feeling that DS's experience could be a very, very poor fit. Much will depend on the teacher, I suppose (DD had an AMAZING 1st grade teacher - for her; DS is a completely different personality). We should learn who the teacher is soon. "In class differentiation" seems difficult to impossible for most teachers, though - even with the best intentions. In our experience, differentiation by creating different classes of learners with their own teachers (as happens in older grades) is MUCH more effective.

Actually, if they could just send him to 2nd for reading and math, that could solve many of our problems - but I've NEVER heard of that happening at the school. Also, I'm assuming that this could create a logistical nightmare for the teachers. DS is NOT one of the older children in his grade, and he can be very shy.

Zen, the school DS attends has no gifted coordinator. The gifted program and the 3rd grade are at a different school in the district. I had not thought of starting at the district level, but would the school be upset by that? I am trying to step on as few toes as possible.

Is there a gifted coordinator for the district? That is how it is supposed to work here, although I found her top priority seemed to be the kids in the school which she was working out of (the school with the magnet), but she was supposed to be working with all schools. In kindergarten it was a different person (than last year) and at the very beginning of the year I emailed her and described the situation with DS. She actually emailed back (gasp--i have had major problems with getting people in the district to respond to emails), and told me she would meet with his teacher. She gave the K teacher books and ideas of things to do. It was no official plan, and I don't really think it made a huge difference, but at least I felt like I had someone who was working for us/DS. Our district has now completely gotten rid of this position, which is really too bad.

It is the same here with NO differentiation for math. You do the district curriculum at the same pace as everyone else no matter what level you are. DD was in the "cluster" last year which meant she was given "enrichment packets" for math, but it did not involve any advanced calculations or moving ahead in the curriclum, it was basically logic word problems. She was still stuck doing the regular math curriculum. This will (supposedly) change next year in the magnet, but I feel for kids who are still not old enough (like DS) and those who are, but did not make their strict cut-offs and are stuck in the regular classrooms. DS's new second grade teacher told me that she ability groups for math and I was surprised, because I had never heard of anyone in this district doing that before. She said she is giving the advanced group enrichment stuff that is a couple grade levels ahead. Hopefully whatever she is doing it is better than what DD's teacher was doing last year with the cluster, which really didn't amount to much. There is acutally a "name" to what she is giving them, but I can't recall it at the moment. We pretty much decided it would probably still be inadequate for DS. I'm not sure how she is going to do an individualized plan for him...she may attempt to do what his teacher was doing last year, even though it was difficult. One thing I suggested was Khan Academy in addition to other work she comes up with based on above-level testing.

I have been reading a great deal - I have a copy of the IAS, and although I probably COULD argue for a whole grade skip (and make the case that he is an excellent candidate), this would be my LAST choice option (if there were absolutely no better alternatives). I have family members who have been skipped (they are now adults) and they do not reflect positively on the social experience (academically, they were fine). I am admittedly biased by my family here.

This will be DS's first "full day" year of school. I would like him to be expected to act like the newly turned 6-year-old that he is - not a 7 or 8 year old (lots of hold-backs in our area, and skipping a grade might place him with boys MUCH older on average), KWIM? He is extremely well-behaved, but sensitive.

I guess I'm realizing that I'd prefer subject acceleration over a full grade skip. I'd like him to do gym and even writing with his first grade class (his handwriting looks like it belongs to a 1st grade boy - although the content that accompanies the immature handwriting is hilarious, because it is pretty advanced). Still, this might be a very tough thing for the school to do.

blackcat - we have some personnel changes going on in the district, but there does NOT appear to be one coordinator! How do you feel that the "enrichment packets" are working? The fear that I'd have with that is a lack of actual instruction from the teacher during the school year. Although DS is pretty compliant, I'd like for him, as a first grader, to have a TEACHER TEACHING him what he needs to learn next, than being expected to learn on his own, KWIM?

If he was sent up for math to second - there IS differentiation. If he worked with the higher second graders, it actually might actually not be a poor fit at all. I think I face an uphill battle with asking for any of this, though.

Did anyone actually use their outside test scores with their schools and have some success with them? The school will probably think that I am a horrible Tiger Mom for having him tested in the first place, but I feel somewhat vindicated by the scores themselves (he tested well). They at least seem more objective than me simply telling them, "mommy thinks her DS is very bright."

I am no good at this! Ugh!

I don't remember: is homeschooling an option? I ask because, even though we've been fairly fortunate, knowing that we had that as a fallback made it psychologically much easier in any discussion. Negotiating a plan A without a plan B often forces up front compromises.

Zen, I was actually fantasizing about resuming my career (which is not teaching, BTW) a bit this year, with DS in school. I've thoroughly enjoyed being with my DC before they started full-time school(and have been fortunate to be able to), but I was thinking of taking on some actual paying work.

Still, I've been feeling pretty torn about doing that, because I feel as though my DC still need my attention (even if just with afterschooling), so they can make some progress this year. It is not a great feeling.