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    jesse #63544 12/09/09 09:27 PM
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    Achievement testing. How old is your Dc?

    For example, if you take an early reader that is reading, let's say at a 1st grade level at 4, before starting school; he'd probably get that 99.9% reading score, since the vast majority of kids can't read before K. However, there might very well be (and in fact they are), many gifted kids, even PG kids who were not reading at 4. Once they start reading, they progress so quickly that they'd be further ahead than the first kid.

    For example, my dd "only" started reading at 4 years 2 months, but by the time she started K, she was reading at a 6th grade level (in terms of books she picked and read).

    The application deadline is the 14th, so it might be a bit tight for December. Probably the hardest part is to find the reference/recommendation letter.

    Mam #63562 12/10/09 01:42 AM
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    Our son's AT scores were waaaay up there, too. The GE's ranged from "only" +4 to +5 in math, and +10 to +14 in everything else.

    I found the results to be very helpful in the conversation with the school about subject acceleration and grade skipping.

    I said to them: "Now I realize that GE's of 9th - 12th don't mean that our son should be sent to high school next week... but do they not suggest that his current 4th grade class is probably not the best fit?"

    That definitely got the conversation going in the right direction.

    After receiving his IQ & AT results, I was stunned. "This is not my child!" I said to myself... and others. But I said this because I was comparing him to descriptions of the EG/PG kids described in various articles (esp. Miraca Gross) and was certain that unlike many of the profiled kids, mine wasn't up in his room working on particle physics in his spare time.

    It took a lot more reading and discussing with others before I came to terms with what it all meant. Or at least what it all suggested.

    While he doesn't "present" in such a way that he'll end up on the morning shows, he's clearly way out there and has been coasting to a much greater degree than I had suspected.

    What has your child experienced academically?
    Are there any struggles with school?



    Being offended is a natural consequence of leaving the house. - Fran Lebowitz
    Dandy #63568 12/10/09 06:29 AM
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    Dandy, I can relate to your particle physics comment. DH and I still struggle with denial, in part because our DS does not seem to match our idea of what an HG/PG child should be. Am I thinking they should have a lab in their basements like Dexter (with or without the accent)? Or is it because DS is our concept of normal, and we are used to those things he does that may cause others to look twice.


    kec #63582 12/10/09 08:34 AM
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    I think that I've met about 100 PG kids (defined as 'beyond what modern tests can accurately measure) through the YSP for every one that I think of as a 'child prodigy' (defined as a child who can demonstrate a talent similar to an adult who is considered good in their field.)

    There is apparently a huge range within even the subcatagory of 'kids who get into Davidson's YSP' - Wow! One of Davidson's consultants confided to me that there are parents who join davidson YSP hoping to finally feel at home, but have the experience that the kids being talked about on the email lists seem 'not at all like' their own children to the point where they don't feel welcome to share their family's experience for fear of people thinking that they are fibbing.

    Kind of like how I felt when reading 'Horton Hears a Who' that maybe there is are a series of 'Russian Doll' worlds inside each world.

    Or as DH says: It's all relative; depends on who your realatives are!

    Grinity


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    Dandy #63587 12/10/09 09:53 AM
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    Originally Posted by Grinity
    One of Davidson's consultants confided to me that there are parents who join davidson YSP hoping to finally feel at home, but have the experience that the kids being talked about on the email lists seem 'not at all like' their own children to the point where they don't feel welcome to share their family's experience for fear of people thinking that they are fibbing.


    That's a shame! The top end of the curve--the very VERY top end--should be able to talk freely there of all places! frown I certainly wouldn't doubt what another parent was telling me.

    Originally Posted by Dandy
    After receiving his IQ & AT results, I was stunned. "This is not my child!" I said to myself... and others. But I said this because I was comparing him to descriptions of the EG/PG kids described in various articles (esp. Miraca Gross) and was certain that unlike many of the profiled kids, mine wasn't up in his room working on particle physics in his spare time.


    I hear you.

    I experienced a bit of "imposter syndrome" for DS8 at our first DYS event. I realized later, however, that I was comparing DS to kids a year or two older than he was. In the "real world," that comparison is close enough to work. At events for HG+ kids, however, even a few months matters a lot! A year or two apart is MILES apart! I realize now that he is now where those kids who seemed so "out there" and were a bit older were. Just because they can play Pokemon together doesn't mean they're the same age!

    DS8 is not the smartest kid in the DYS program by a longshot, but he fits in there, I think. Certainly he had the sorts of fitting-in problems at school that required special attention beyond what the "normal" gifted kid would need.

    I think that much of what we're talking about is personality and interest more than ability. DS8 is a laid-back kid, and he likes Star Wars and Legos, so he can look like a "normal" kid (whatever that means!). But he learns things seemingly through osmosis, he learns things deeply and responds creatively, and he needs to be challenged or he is miserable. When something strikes his fancy, he pursues it vigorously.

    So no physics lab in the basement for us, but I wouldn't bet against its presence a few years from now! MILES away! wink


    Kriston
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    Originally Posted by gratified3
    But for PG kids, I've written them off as worse than useless because they can be misleading and create all sorts of anxiety about what to do with a kid at 6 or 7 testing past high school! sick


    Meh. If those crazy results get the school moving to actually serve the kid's/kids' needs, I'd call the tests extremely useful!

    I think parents of GT kids just have to be educated about what the numbers mean.


    Kriston
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    Originally Posted by Kriston
    I experienced a bit of "imposter syndrome" for DS8 at our first DYS event. I realized later, however, that I was comparing DS to kids a year or two older than he was. In the "real world," that comparison is close enough to work. At events for HG+ kids, however, even a few months matters a lot! A year or two apart is MILES apart! I realize now that he is now where those kids who seemed so "out there" and were a bit older were. Just because they can play Pokemon together doesn't mean they're the same age!

    DS8 is not the smartest kid in the DYS program by a longshot, but he fits in there, I think. Certainly he had the sorts of fitting-in problems at school that required special attention beyond what the "normal" gifted kid would need.

    I think that much of what we're talking about is personality and interest more than ability.

    So no physics lab in the basement for us, but I wouldn't bet against its presence a few years from now! MILES away! wink

    Thanks for this post. I feel like that a bit, and if we decided to attend the summit, that would very much be the case. Partly because Dd is young (still 6) and also because while she did have qualifying scores, she is not one of those with all subtests scores 17 and above.

    I have to remind myself that not only their personalities and interests matter; but their interests also play a big role. When Dd started reading at 4, slowly and phonetically, I could not have anticipated that she'd be reading end of elementary level books before she started K.

    A year is certainly a huge difference!

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    Originally Posted by gratified3
    Maybe they are really good for ND kids.

    I sure do wonder about that. Maybe gifted kids really are different after all? Is a test that works for 95% of the population a bad test because it doesn't work for 5% of the population? Maybe they should have an 'alternate reporting' for kids who score more than 3 grades above their current grade?

    Love and More Love,
    Grinity


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    Originally Posted by Kriston
    Meh. If those crazy results get the school moving to actually serve the kid's/kids' needs, I'd call the tests extremely useful!

    I think parents of GT kids just have to be educated about what the numbers mean.


    This is how I found out about our scores with my very 1st testing experience. At the end of 2nd Grade, I was told my DS's WJIII testing had adult scores in comrehension and mostly around 9th Grade overall. This was casually mentioned and that was it. This was freightening! I didn't really understand it and was worried. How would I provide for this child? I did joke with my husband, "I guess he can go to HS. We just saved 6 yrs.tuition"

    Well this did get our school moving. We have a long way to get it right. At least we have a start...

    Last edited by onthegomom; 12/10/09 08:31 PM.
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    Originally Posted by gratified3
    One of our schools that refused to test with AT did curriculum based assessments and those were awesome because it found out where the kid needed to be in that school with that curriculum.

    Since each school is different, curriculum based assessments are the ideal way to go. These kinds of tests also help find out what the child needs to learn. I have often joked that the tests for math should be given with an adult looking over the child's shoulder. DS was 'way' over placed once in Math because he 'intuited' long division (it's actually called the forgiving method)- which was fine for a short test, but didn't serve him when he had to do many problems over and over in a limited time. Still I think that curriculum based assessments are wonderful. I wish that all schools had them for all grade levels at their fingertips for easy assessment of a child's readiness level.

    Smiles,
    Grinity


    Coaching available, at SchoolSuccessSolutions.com
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