Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Trinity Hall of Fame

Hi Dear Ones,
Let's start a virtual Hall of Fame for Parents or Teachers who went up against "da system" and moved things forward for their child, and perhaps for the next similar child as well. Please feel free to self nominate or nominate each other. We need a place were we can go to see that although often we lose, sometimes we win on behalf of our children.

Love and More Love,
Trinity

I nominate Debbie, "dajohnson60" and her son's Principle. Debbie, would you tell it in your own words?

Oh, I feel so humbled right now...so many others have had successes before me! But, since you asked, here is how our situation played out (in as small a nutshell as I can make it!)

8 months before our son, MrWiggly, would be entering K we realized that he was already doing stuff at K level or beyond. I called the school to find out about K curriculum and advancement. Found out they don't advance.

We had son tested by an educational specialist, for our own confirmation of his skills. Found out that he fell in the range of "highly gifted", with achievement scores in the 98th - 99.9th percentiles across the board. Called the school, sent a copy of the report. The principal and superintendent politely thanked me, but then said I needed to register him for K and the teacher would do her own assessment as the year progressed.

Deciding that K would NOT work for him (behaviors, boredom, etc) we took MrWiggly for private testing. IQ, out-of-level achievement test, adaptive skills assessment and screening for ADHD. This testing finally convinced the school to let him start right in first grade - just 7 days before the school year started!

MrWiggly was bored with 1st grade math by October. By spring, we had to pull him out to homeschool in math. After several meetings the principal had told us that they just could not meet his needs (not enough resources, etc) and that if we wanted to homeschool that was fine. At that time we asked if they would test him BEFORE starting 2nd grade so that he could be considered for 3rd grade math in the fall. Somewhere during the springtime, the principal came on board with us and agreed to do the testing. So, this August he was tested and they placed him in 3rd for math! With plans to monitor his progress and make program changes as the year progresses. And with a commitment from the principal that "we intend to be able to meet MrWiggly's needs for the ENTIRE school year." Yea! Advocacy success!

Hope that helps give others hope and some suggestions for the process.

NOW, let's hear more success stories!

Thanks Debbie - that was nicely summarized! Boy oh Boy, I can remember that living through it is a whole nother thing entirely.

I didn't realized that you had him tested twice? By the same tester or different? What made the 2nd test more effective than the first?

Also, when you pulled him to homeschool, did you pull just for math, or for all the subjects?

I'm going to politely dissagree with Dottie (who has permission to nominate, or second, as do all of you!) that you should kick back as much as you can - assuming that even you lowest level of survailence is actually pretty high. I though of it more as a chance to have a more typical Mother-son relationship, and re-focus our activities.

Enjoy,
Trinity

Sorry for the slow response - sooooo busy at work and home!

MrWiggly was first tested just for achievement and the test used was the Woodcock-Johnson 3. The second testing was done at the Belin-Blank Center for Gifted Education, by a psychologist specializing in assessing gifted kids. It was much more comprehensive, more appropriate regarding tests used and way more impressive to the school!

Homeschooling was only in math. He had it first thing in the morning, so we just took him to school after math class was done. Worked out well, except for all the changes in OUR schedules as parents!

MrWiggly had his first day in 3rd grade math yesterday and was really happy and just fine with the situation. So far so good!

Yippee!!
Your DS and his Teacher - Horray!!

Bump -
Wow Incog! I'm so so so happy for your daughter! This is an excellent event ((tears of joy))
So, I'm copying/pasting you over here in the hall of fame -
Please add any commentary you feel help explain how you did it, and why it's important!

Re: grade skipping [Re: Dottie]
incogneato incogneato
Member


Registered: October 25, 2007
Posts: 85 Hi Teachkc, and Welcome.

We have a second grade girl. It's been clear for a while that she is misplaced in her same age grade. Our principal is seemingly opposed to grade acceleration, and I think it's because they have pull out enrichment twice a week. Also beginning in 4th, they have everyday pull outs and a seperate gifted magnet for the top 1%.
Lately my sweet docile girl has been acting out in class and writing mocking discourse on her turn in assignments.
At this point, even the principal was open to a skip. When I told DD7 she became very upset. Even though I haven't seen evidence that she has really bonded with any one child, she is very well liked and loves her teacher and her agemates. She has always been sensitive, but never very emotional and she cried more that I've ever seen her when presented with the idea she would skip. She said if she was skipped all her friends would disappear. The climate at our school is such, that I don't think it would be good for her socially either.
The teacher worked with the elementary gifted teacher and they created a program for DD7 and five others in her class to leave each day.
DD7 is actually excited about this. It not only helps her but five others in her class who are probably highly gifted. It also helps a few others in class who are probably moderately gifted, because, those six children have been hogging up resources the other gifted children in class didn't have access to and now they will.Grade skips are great and I wish we would have been able to see the future when DD7 entered kindergarten, because I would have made sure she skipped right then and there.
Some kids can skip in higher grades and it's the best thing for them, but some may not do as well.
It is fair to address your child's school and ask for an alternative solution for your child if grade skipping won't work for him.
With your experience, maybe you have noticed others in your son's class that have already mastered the material.
You might be able to suggest that perhaps a few children could work together and benefit with a differentiated program.
Even if that's not the case you can continue to work with the school to have them provide an appropriate education.
It has been a many step process for us and her educational needs will never be totally met at school; I've accepted that. At this point, I think they are doing the best they can. If she's happy with it, I'm happy with it and will continue to work with her at home on the subjects she is interested in.
During the break she will take the WIAT and I will have yet another piece of information. I will bring it in to the school if needed, but mostly it will give me an idea of what she already knows so I can help her learn at home.
BTW I know a lot of homeschoolers around here whose parents are/were teachers!!!!!
-snip

Incog

NOT a self-nomination but hopefully some encouragement to keep pushing for what you think is best for you children:

At the end of 1st grade, and without me knowing, the school tested dd (then 6) for the GT program at school. She came home crying because she said she had a test and got everything wrong on it. (the tester was marking things down on the paper, which is what dd said her teacher did when she got wrong answers). After speaking with the school they informed me that she did not qualify for GT and that her IQ came in at 106!

Well I KNEW this was not right, that she emotionally crumbled during the test and asked if they would retest her. I was told it was the districts policy to test only once a year and that she would have to wait until the end of 2nd grade to try again. I requested a meeting with the psychologist and we talked about her test. After speaking with him it was obvious that dd had had a horrible day (ended up getting really sick a day after the test) and insisted that the test did not reflect dd's abilities. Well, they agreed to retest her at the beginning of the 2nd grade year. I sensed that they werent convinced it would make a difference since her original IQ score was 24 points away from qualifiying. Well, I knew better. Her 2nd test showed an full IQ of 140 (with a verbal 150)!

Now she is in the GT class and after just one month she has caught up and passed the other children who have been in for 4 months.

I'm glad I didn't sit back. We know our kids..and we have to always fight for what we think is best for them.

So true! Yay for you!

<patting Tammy's back in sisterly celebration>

Dottie, from what I understand they just did an abbreviated weschler test orginally. The 2nd time they did another abbreviated test, then gave her the full scale test after seeing her scores had shot up.