Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy When Should I Asking the School to Do More

It sounds like they are flexible with the plan especially this is new to the school for next year (I think I may have something to do with this since I advocated for my son ). So I think we may have some room for adjustments.

I also think it's good to fill in the gaps but how much gap do you need to fill? I got the common core requirements from the district website. I am thinking maybe I can have my son go through the topics on Khan Academy or something like that to fill in the gaps for 2nd grade during the summer. If he tests out of the grade, I would still wish him getting into the 3rd grade challenged math. I now worry that if we don't give him enough challenge, he may get into the mentality that everything is easy and doesn't need hard work. He's already showing that with practicing piano. He thinks everything should be easy but piano needs hard work so he doesn't like to practice.

MAP testing is progress testing. Will they retest him in the spring? If he is making good, steady progress, he is likely learning something new. If he is NOT...he may need more challenge/new content to make further progress.

What I have learned is that the name of the class they place my DYS in is meaningless. It can be called "Gifted Honors AP Triple-Accelerated Basketweaving" (yes, this is a bit tongue-in-cheek), but if my child's progress isn't there when he/she takes the basketweaving spring MAP (pick your MAP subject), he/she is probably not learning anything new. This is particularly true if the child is also coming home telling me they "keep doing things over and over that I already know," or "everything is the same as what we did last year" and/or "I am sooooo bored in basketweaving class" etc. So really, it is how much they are learning, no matter the title of the class, that is key. Most schools do not pay enough attention to the students at the top, particularly if they are outliers (in fact, many don't even grasp the concept of outliers). That being said, you know the content of the course your older DS is taking and you seem to think that your younger DS is well-suited for it. Could you ask them to allow your son to try the class for 4-6 weeks to see if it is a good fit?

I will have a conversation with the principal. It sounded like the math specialist suggested that my DS to start with this "extended" class with the other kids. I want to get the principal's view and raise my concerns with challenge. I think retaking the spring MAP test may be a good idea to see where he's at (it's good that when we have not gone through much on the Beast Academy books at home so it won't help him with the test much) It won't hurt to ask if he can do a trial period in the challenged math class. So I will definitely suggest that as well when I talk to the principal. Thank you for your suggestions. These are great ideas.

CC math hasn't been around that long. At least where I live, when it was implemented, it was implemented K-12. This meant everyone except kindergarteners had some serious gaps to fill.

From what I've seen, even children of average intelligence manage to transition to CC math just fine. IMO, it is a poor excuse to hold back acceleration from a mathy gifted child.

I agree it's not a good excuse to hold him back. He can still fill in the gaps while learning the new material if necessary. He's learning 2nd grade math now so he's already ahead of the other kids who will be chosen to get into this new program. Also,once or twice a week being pulled out of regular class is not enough for him. It's not much different than what he's doing now. He needs a regular/daily math class that can challenge him and push him.

I will talk to the principal and push for the 3rd grade math.

You should be aware that CCSS Math Standards can be (mis)interpreted in such a way so as to discourage ANY acceleration (or anything remotely resembling acceleration) before 7th grade. We have, unfortunately, experienced this first hand. I do NOT believe that this is a correct interpretation of CCSS math. The impact of this unfortunate interpretation is that HG+ students could go YEARS without learning anything new.

I think that after a great deal of persistent advocacy, our schools have SLIGHTLY softened this interpretation. Some damage was already done, unfortunately.

My DS recently took an end of grade test. The plan is to fill any gaps and then move on to material from the next grade. I don't expect that will take any time at all - in fact, judging by how things have been going, I highly doubt that they will find any significant gaps. My goal is simply that he continue learning at a pace that is appropriate for him.

Best of luck!

Loy58,

Sorry to hear your past experience with the school. I wasn't sure if this CC gap thing is a huge deal for my DSs' learning so I was debating whether I should push it more for the original plan. The more I thought about it and after reading yours and Mana's posts, the more I think I should continue to advocate for the challenged math class.