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Posted By: knute974 Mixed feelings about Explore results - 02/04/12 01:31 PM
We've never done testing on DD11 other than the school administered group tests required for admission to gt and state standardized tests. DD has been fine in the gt class with the exception of the pace in math being a little slow for her. DD's gifted program administers the Explore test to all 6th graders. We got her results back and they are all DYS level. DD has no idea how high her scores really are just that that she scored in the 99th percentile for 8th graders -- that's really good, right mom?

This is the only place I can say this without people thinking I totally wacko. First of all, I know that this is only one test but it is not the first indication we've had that she's a little out there. Still, I'm finding that I have mixed feelings about her results. I guess I was holding out for just a MG really high achiever. Yes, I'm happy that she performed well and this indicates that she probably has the smarts to do what she wants to do if she applies herself. I think I knew that already anyway. I'm just struggling with my own baggage and knowing how many extra challenges lie before her. Has anyone else felt this way?
Posted By: rachsr Re: Mixed feelings about Explore results - 02/04/12 02:08 PM
I have been a silent reader on this forum for the past couple of weeks. Your post made me finally register here.
Your post mirrors my predicament. My DS9 score 99% on his ITBS testing. Got the results couple of weeks ago. His AG teacher said the problems he has been having in class was probably because he is bored. I have been getting reports since last year that he takes too long to finish his tasks and doe not pay attention in class. I just attributed it to laziness.
Now I am wondering if I need to get him tested privately since the school will not do any more testing. Based on his CoGAT and ITBS they have already classified him as very strong in Reading and Math.
I hope to do enough to nurture his ability so he is not bored out of his mind at school.But I am not sure what exactly that is.
Posted By: deacongirl Re: Mixed feelings about Explore results - 02/04/12 03:04 PM
Originally Posted by knute974
First of all, I know that this is only one test but it is not the first indication we've had that she's a little out there. Still, I'm finding that I have mixed feelings about her results. I guess I was holding out for just a MG really high achiever. Yes, I'm happy that she performed well and this indicates that she probably has the smarts to do what she wants to do if she applies herself. I think I knew that already anyway. I'm just struggling with my own baggage and knowing how many extra challenges lie before her. Has anyone else felt this way?

Yes. Very similar feelings here based on last year's Explore results. Dd11 took the WISC last Saturday and I am driving myself crazy waiting for the results. She doesn't appear to have any LDs, and from what the psych said she will certainly qualify for gifted services at her new school. So why do I care so much about the LOG? Either I have been guilty of totally underestimating her, and am going to have to be "that parent" (which if my kid needs it I really don't care about being "that parent" and I figure it would be good practice for dd4 who is more complicated) or she is a MG high achiever and it won't be that difficult to meet her needs in the regular gifted program...yes I guess the baggage thing is an issue fo me too. She is the same fabulous kid no matter what--but I will be glad to at least have more of an indication of just what we are dealing with. So, ummm...yes, mixed feelings all around.

Posted By: DeHe Re: Mixed feelings about Explore results - 02/04/12 04:02 PM
Why are you worried about her having extra challenges? Sounds like she has already adapted to the challenges that drive DYS kids batty. Are you worried that she has needed more, or worried that she should do more?

DeHe
Posted By: Kathie_K Re: Mixed feelings about Explore results - 02/04/12 04:07 PM
I completely understand, although we are still in the early stages of figuring out DS (age 3 years 11 months). We are planning on doing some brief tests (KBIT & KTEA-II-Brief form) when he turns 4, but I can't quite get myself to make the phone call to set up the test. Right now I'm happy thinking "he just picks up on things quickly" instead of having a label.

Cognitively, I know that it'll be good to have some information. It will allow him to participate in enrichment weekend programs/summer camps that will introduce him to kids who are cognitively similar, and will provide some "data" for advocating for accommodations when he starts kindergarten. Emotionally, I'm hesitant to see numbers on paper. Like Deacongirl said, he's going to be the same fun, curious, active kid, but I'll have information that will let us know if minor accommodations within the classroom will be enough, or if we need to steel ourselves for battle with the school district.

And, of course, this isn't an issue I feel like I can discuss with anyone other than DH or this board! Many people will interpret it as complaining about being "too rich" or "too thin."
Posted By: Iucounu Re: Mixed feelings about Explore results - 02/04/12 04:31 PM
More intelligence is better, and high achievement means you're doing something right. Be happy.
Posted By: polarbear Re: Mixed feelings about Explore results - 02/04/12 05:05 PM
Originally Posted by Iucounu
More intelligence is better, and high achievement means you're doing something right. Be happy.

Ditto! It sounds like your dd is doing really well in her GT class - scoring high on the Explore, or scoring off the charts on an IQ test, or whatever, doesn't mean you are absolutely going to face extra challenges. When you mentioned your own baggage, is there something from your own childhood you worry may happen to your dd, or are you just worried in general that EG/PG kids will have a tough time?

polarbear
Posted By: aculady Re: Mixed feelings about Explore results - 02/04/12 05:30 PM
Originally Posted by Kathie_K
Emotionally, I'm hesitant to see numbers on paper. Like Deacongirl said, he's going to be the same fun, curious, active kid, but I'll have information that will let us know if minor accommodations within the classroom will be enough, or if we need to steel ourselves for battle with the school district.

I wouldn't be so sure that the numbers are going to tell you this. I think the personality of the child has at least as much to do with what kind of placement they will need as the objective IQ data does. There are plenty of MG kids who wilt or rebel in an ordinary classroom, and some HG and PG kids who are content just to do what is asked of them in class and then pursue their passions and find their friends elsewhere.
Posted By: DeeDee Re: Mixed feelings about Explore results - 02/04/12 06:55 PM
Originally Posted by Kathie_K
Like Deacongirl said, he's going to be the same fun, curious, active kid, but I'll have information that will let us know if minor accommodations within the classroom will be enough, or if we need to steel ourselves for battle with the school district.

Even if it might sometimes feel like a "battle," my advice is to try not to think of it that way. Go into those conversations in the spirit of 'hm, there's a need here, how shall we meet it?' and expect the same of school folks as long as possible.

Even those people who seem like roadblocks-- if you persist calmly, sometimes they can be turned into allies. Not always, but sometimes. When possible, this is the best route to long-term success in these negotiations...

BTDT,
DeeDee
Posted By: Grinity Re: Mixed feelings about Explore results - 02/04/12 07:45 PM
Is Dd happy?
Does she have friends that she can be herself with?
Is DD willing to try new thinks that she won't excell at right away?
Does Dd show self destructive perfectionnistic behaviors?


If none of the above are a problem then maybe the school will use the info wisely and fast up the Math. You can ask for a little tweak with solid test results without turning into a giant pain.

I guess you could ask the school to do a WISC ...they might say yes. You can search around for a test score without having to pay for a lot of interpretation. Apply to DYS if the score come back in range.

Very little has changed......
Love and more love
Grinity
Posted By: knute974 Re: Mixed feelings about Explore results - 02/04/12 09:40 PM
Originally Posted by Grinity
Is Dd happy?
Yes.
Originally Posted by Grinity
Does she have friends that she can be herself with?
Yes. However, she seems to be pulling away from them academically and may not be in as may classes with them next year in middle school.
Originally Posted by Grinity
Is DD willing to try new thinks that she won't excell at right away?
Yes.
Originally Posted by Grinity
Does Dd show self destructive perfectionnistic behaviors?
Perfectionism is a bit of an issue. Right now, school is too easy so I worry about her facing a real challenge. When she has come up against things in the past, we've seen major meltdowns but have been successful working through it with the help of teachers in the gt program.

As for my own baggage, I was one of those high achieving kids who never faced a challenge in high school. When I got my first "B" ever in my freshman year at an Ivy, I felt like a total failure. I struggled with my identity when suddenly I wasn't as smart as everyone had always told me. I don't want that for her. I've been working with the teacher to up the challenge but DD has said that she's not getting much out of 6th grade beyond the social stuff.
Posted By: Grinity Re: Mixed feelings about Explore results - 02/04/12 11:28 PM
Those peerfectionistic melt downs are no fun.....sounds like enough of the signs are in place that you need to become that parent. Sign up for ACT or SAT when she turns 12. Talk to the teacher about how it isn't really working and get a plan that you can monitor or move up the command chain.

Be gratefuk for how well things have gone so far and breath into the idea that now is a new chapter. It is time.

((Hugs))
Grinity
Posted By: Grinity Re: Mixed feelings about Explore results - 02/04/12 11:32 PM
What happens to the kids in the e school gifted progrsm when Middle school starts? Are any kids bussed from the el to the middle school for Math? Is Math leveled?
Posted By: knute974 Re: Mixed feelings about Explore results - 02/06/12 02:29 PM
There is a gifted middle school program that she will attend. There is no transportation offered by the school district. Parents tend to carpool. Unfortunately, they are losing a lot of kids from the program because parents who work have a hard time with the 2:30 pickup even with carpools.
Yes, math is leveled. DD will take a test later this school year for placement.

I talked to a friend who has a kid in the middle school program. Her DS skipped so he is a year ahead of DD though they are the same age. She said that the last bit of elementary was tough on DS but that things have been much better in the middle school gt program. She fit like it was a better fit overall because it was easier for him to be met at his level, at least for 7th grade.

I think that I will keep pushing on the math to make sure that DD tests into an appropriate class. On the Explore, she only missed a couple questions where she hadn't been exposed to the concepts/material in math. I'm not sure what else they could do for her in language arts since the teacher has already tweaked things on our behalf and has said that's all she can offer in elementary.
Posted By: Grinity Re: Mixed feelings about Explore results - 02/07/12 05:29 PM
Sounds like Math is the place to focus. Hopefully your DD will find the fit better in Middle School as well but it worries me that the friend likes it but already has a skip. That makes it harder to compare,yes?

Is the middle school program every day?

G
Posted By: knute974 Re: Mixed feelings about Explore results - 02/07/12 05:58 PM
It's a gt center middle school program. All of her classes except electives will be with kids who qualify for the gt program and with "gt certified teachers." I believe that the gt certification means that they have done extra course work on gifted kids and/or they have a masters in gifted ed.

Another comment came home yesterday that gave me pause. DD reported that the teacher acknowledged that 5-6 kids in the class had "mastered" a subject area (DD included herself in the 5-6 kids). The teacher explained that she needed to make sure that the rest of the class got it too so the kids who had mastered it needed to be patient. So much for differentiation. . .
Posted By: DrH Re: Mixed feelings about Explore results - 02/10/12 11:04 PM
You'll find at some schools they let far too many kids into gifted programs. I'm not sure if they do it to make some parents happy or because they get some extra money based on the number of kids in the program. But I know at a school our kids were at the gifted program was stated for be for kids at were in the top 5%... yet the program included nearly 15% of the students in it. Supposedly it was because they only had to score above the cut on on any part of the tests they were given.. which in turn means that come kids that scored high on multiple parts were put into classes with kids that were simply very good in one thing be it verbal or reasoning, they could be very poor in the other side but still got in to the program.

We too heard of the classes being dumbed down and likely for that reason of not actually enforcing the standards the correct way.
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