Mite, DS8, is very similar to your DearStudent7. And I have seen all the kid struggles Trin speaks of, too. Whether in an age appropriate class or an ability appropriate class, the un-accomodated child suffers severe blows to self-concept. We are still struggling to find the right combination for Mite and we are struggling with the school to get them more involved in the gifted side of his needs.
So your student is a leap ahead by having a teacher willing to explore his gifted needs. BRAVA/O!!
Does your student need to be identified for SPED? Debbie's comments are exactly what popped into my head. Is he age level for writing skills both mechanics and language? If his reading and comprehension abilities are at 10th grade and his writing (in either case) is at age level, then you might have a 2E who needs identification and services.
We're trying a few things right now in the gifted cluster of 3rd grade (still way below his interest and reading ability).
One solution that works well with Mite is scribing. The SPED teacher just started scribing for Mite this last week. His output went from a pitiable 5-7 illegible, incomplete, or run-on sentences, to 7 paragraphs, punctuated with 7-8th grade vocab and 5th grade grammar structure, in just one assignment! (imagine that!!! see me biting my told-ya-so tongue, which is very bruised and scarred these days as it is. we have had a tough time with this SPED teacher)
Another thing they are going to try is tape recording instead of writing.
Mite has trouble organizing his ideas because they are so many. He has so many ideas to share that by the time he gets them out of his slow hands, they are lost. He also spends a great deal of time dumbing down his vocabulary and ideas so he doesn't have to write so much. So, the SPED teacher is teaching him webbing and mind-mapping to help him there. It's tremendous to see what all he has in his mind and how he connects those ideas.
Anyhow, I guess the biggest point I want to make is to see if he can be evaluated for LD if you think his writing is so far behind from his comprehension.
