So the kiddo's IEP to finally transition him into Gifted next year for 8th grade is scheduled for Monday. I'm dreading the battle I know is coming of push back that gifted is for elite kids who can do all the work, so we can't have accommodations and still have it be gifted.
I don't think we'll have issues asking for gifted placement for most of his academic classes, because the science, language arts, and social studies teachers have all emailed me to tell me they have requested that they attend the IEP to make sure he is put into gifted for those areas next year. They are very aware that he needs challenged and is capable, and they all understand the challenges they've had dealing with him in a regular ed class this year.
Where the push is going to come is in math. They are very reasonably concerned that he cannot keep up with the advanced content since he hasn't been introduced to many of the algebraic and beginning trig concepts because he's been stuck in regular math until now. And they're right. But he wants to learn and wants to do harder concepts despite the calculation portions still being a challenge.
To that end, do any of you have recommendations for either online or iPad/iPhone apps that he could use this summer to get caught up on the concepts? He has asked if we can negotiate that he be tentatively placed in gifted with the understanding that he is responsible for catching up over the summer. We had a long talk about what he was committing to and whether he really wanted to spend part of his summer working on a class, and he said he wanted to and is committed to whatever it takes to get the opportunity to do more advanced work.
I'd like to look over some options this weekend so I can go in prepared with a few suggestions beyond asking for the material the gifted class is using for 6th and 7th - which I do plan to do as well.
Thanks in advance!
