My son is just getting ready to finish up the 2nd grade. We moved last month (new state) and he is finishing 2nd grade in a new state. He was excepted into the gifted program for 3rd grade at his last school and his scores would make him eligible for consideration for the full time Gifted program at the new school here in Virginia (they have a gifted center here). When we asked the school about it- they said that they use different test (the website said they would use the test he took already!) and they will test him next year and then if his scores are good- then would put him in for consideration for his 4th grade year!!!

What can be done- just because we moved- our son has to wait a whole year now. Anyone know of any loop wholes or what not to get him at least looked at this year!? It would be one thing if he just did not get in- but to not even let him attempt this time seems very wrong.

I'd try contacting the Virginia Association of the Gifted. Hopefully there's an avenue for outside testing so he doesn't have to wait a year. Good luck!
http://www.vagifted.org/

Print out a copy of what is on the district website, put together a folder of your son's scores and work, and try again at the school, then go to the district office. You will need to determine who to go to at the district level (special ed? GT?). Going to the school/district in person and sending letters may work better than phone calls.

Also, not sure if how GT is covered in Virginia, but in some states you would be able to request a placement team meeting. (Though, it would take some time before that occurred.)

Do they offer some kind of gifted services in the regular school? Some districts have a full-time gifted school but also gifted services in the home schools.

I would definitely press them on it. Print out the website info and say you relied upon it when you decided to move to that district and that you are holding them to it (say that in a nice way). Get all the district and state policies together and make sure you know them. If you don't like the answer you get the first time, ask again. If they still don't help you, move up the chain of command. Try to do things by email so you have a record, or keep good notes, but realize sometimes you can make things move more quickly or build a better rapport if you use phone or go in person. Basically, don't give up easily.

Good luck, Cat

Keep asking. And every-time you get a "No" answer ask them who above them makes those sorts of decisions. Then go ask that person yourself even if you have been told that the situation has already been presented to them.

Even if they insist that he has to retake the test there's likely no reason he can't, at least, take the test this summer. You just need to find the right person to give you a "Yes" answer.

Our experience with getting our son tested was that we talked to his teacher and were told that he was to young, we talked to the principle and were told that they didn't test until late 1st, early 2nd (he had just finished K). The principle claimed that he had asked the gifted coordinator and the elementary school curriculum coordinator. So I emailed the gifted school principle and asked for her guidance (even though he had just finished K and the gifted school doesn't begin until 2nd).

He was tested by the end of the week. A subsequent meeting with the curriculum coordinator and the gifted school principle ended with a grade skip and enrollment in the gifted school.

I often wonder what answer I would have gotten had I asked the curriculum coordinator myself instead of taking the principles word that the curriculum coordinator had vetoed testing so young. It's not that I don't believe that the principle talked to the coordinator but more that I feel the principles presentation of our request may have been very different than ours would have been.

I'd also advise putting your request for consideration for the gifted program in writing. Some states have laws that say they have to honor those sorts of requests in a certain time period.

JollyGG's experience is very similiar to ours. It isn't that we don't think the people we first meet/spoke with had bad intentions, they simply didn't get our son, and had other vested interests that created tension.

And IMO the fact you say you accept he may not have the scores to get into the program makes you sound very reasonable.

Thanks so much for the responses!! :-)

When we planned our move and signed a lease we did not even consider looking into these kind of programs for our DS when looking at school districts. I did not know they even had them until our last school sent home a letter about him being identified due to his olsat test scores and at that point we are already in the middle of the move. (I always thought DS had great potential- but doesn't every parent ;-) )

I am looking into all the rules and legislation for the rules and such. DS is on an IEP for speech and they have some really strict rules with responding and testing when parents request it- so hoping that I find something similar with this gifted stuff. What makes me the most angry is- they have 4 tiers for their gifted program (the center being tier 4) but are not wanting to consider him for any of them until after testing next year- then he would start in the 4th grade. If they would let us just apply for one of these programs I would have probably been happy to do that and then worry about the center next time. My husband thinks that they are just being lazy since the school year is closing up and they do not want to worry about extra work right now! We have found some phone #s of people we think can help at least honestly answer eligibility questions and more info on the gifted program as a whole.

Thanks

Also wanted to add that I would love for him to take the new test next year. I am very curious how they scores will compare. They do the CogNat here and DS has some language/speech issues (recommended from an evaluation that he be tested for Auditory Processing Disorder)and heard the Cognat is a better test in these situations. Anyone know if that is true or not? With the Olsat- the non-verbal subset was really great but his verbal portion wasn't as impressive (still very High). Just curious if it gave an accurate account of his over all ability.

Maybe you mean the NNAT? The CogAT is a fairly similar test to the OLSAT and the NNAT is similar to the nonverbal part of the CogAT, which might come out high if the nonverbal/perceptual reasoning area is his strongest.