Hi friends,

I'm new to this board and tried posting yesterday but it never appeared. Sorry if you're reading this twice.

I'm trying to figure out whether I need to be advocating for more for my DD8. I receive her SRI lexile scores three times a year (most recently 1108) but she did not make the cut off score on the CogAT (had to be 99th percentile) to be included in the GT program. She met all the other criteria aside from the test (teacher recommendation, parent observation, work samples) and I'm hesitant to place too much weight on the test because she is a nervous test taker and can be very inconsistent. Frankly, I was surprised that she didn't make it into GT because she is very bright and has always bee extremely interested in learning/self-motivated to learn. The school says the test is only one part of the GT identification process, but since she met all the other criteria, I can only conclude that the test is the only thing that matters to them.

DD8 repeatedly tells me that she is bored and has already read all the book they are using in language arts. Her teacher says she does not participate in class and when I ask DD8 why, she says "My ideas are so different from the other kids, I'm afraid to share them." Last year her math teacher was pushing to put her into advanced math. The advanced teacher refused to allow it because she said that DD would never be able to catch up. This year, we pushed the issue again. She caught up completely within 2 days as if she had been in advanced all along and we didn't have to do anything other than demonstrate the concepts one time. I don't even think math is her strong subject. She just picks things up quickly.

I know my DD8 is bright but is she gifted? Is there any correlation between lexile and giftedness? Is the CogAt an accurate representation of her cognitive abilities? I am hesitant to put her through pressure-filled tests, but I would like to know if my instincts are right or if I'm deluding myself because I'm biased. (Of course, every parent thinks their kid is the most amazing!!) Not only that, but I think the testing is expensive and since she doesn't have any behavior/emotional issues I don't think insurance would cover it.

Anyone have any advice?

Thanks!