Good luck with this, Ultra. I would just keep in mind what goals you have for your DS this year. Is one of them that he be taught reading at a 5th grade level? Having DD's reading evaluated by her teacher really made it clear that reading instruction is just not needed. We are not worried because we still read to her every day, and she reads on her own for an hour a night.
It sounds like you like this teacher and DS is happy. Don't let her throw her hands up. Keep working with her, i.e open-ended projects, differentiation, self-extention.
I might look into skipping into 2nd grade general ed next year, and then moving into either 2nd grade gifted or 3rd grade gifted after that. That will give you some time to figure everything out.
Until then, it sounds like your DS is having fun. He is allowed to read at his level, explore math concepts, and is challenged by the chess club. This is all really great.
And, it sounds like you have a great advocate in his teacher. But, she is young. She may have a lot of enthusiasm and eagerness, but not a lot of experience. DD's teachers have not even batted an eye. They have seen this before many times and have seen success with their techniques. We are all just committed to making this work and making it as normal as possible for DD.
