If a teacher isn't assessing where a child is at both before and after instruction, than there is no way to measure the appropriateness or effectiveness of that instruction. It makes no sense to assume that children know nothing about a subject before it is presented. Children after all do not live in a vacuum.

Our daughter started ALEKS at LV-3 in second grade. I didn't realize that ALEKS doesn't offer courses for Kindergarten through 2nd grade. Sorry, I didn't realize I was making an inappropriate suggestion.

Before EPGY and ALEKS we did much the same thing that you're doing. I.e. workbooks and computer games.

You might want to check out the book:
http://www.amazon.com/Young-Children-Reinvent-Arithmetic-Implications/dp/0807739049

It describes the cognitive development of arithmetic in early primary grades. I've found the book to be instrumental in figuring out where our children are at developmentally and very helpful in determining what kind of activities and games will be most rewarding. It was interesting to read that the conceptual building blocks for arithmetic are arrived at by almost all children in all countries and educational environments (or lack thereof) at essentially the same chronological age.

Reading all these threads and posts, it is easy to get jaded and/or apathetic. But it probably bares mentioning that people who are having good experiences with gifted education aren't likely to be hanging out on forums like this one.

It is easy to fall into an adversarial mode where you see yourself as providing opportunties for your child to learn despite or in spite of school... But it isn't very productive.

That isn't to say that you should ignore real problems. There is a tendency of some teachers to think that "gifted" children are all gifted across the board. Another common theme seems to be written or unwritten policies that discourage identification of children before 3rd grade.

I think it is important to remember that most teachers got into teaching because they care. Many who wanted to teach children find themselves instead teaching inflexible curriculums and how to take tests. Many burn out. And many become entrenched and inflexible in their ways.

If you look at the numbers, your average teacher with class sizes between 20-25 students would only encounter a gifted child once every 4 or 5 years. Is it any surprise that they're ill prepared to meet gifted childrens' needs? Few teachers have any significant training in special or gifted education.

If you want to be a good advocate for your children, then you're going to have to educate yourself first, and then educate the educators. However, as an advocate for your child in a very large and established education system, if you don't have the good will of your child's teacher you might as well pack up and go home.