Thanks to all of you for your advice and perspective; your comments are welcome and helpful. I'm on a learning curve for sure.
For what it's worth...some lessons learned so far:
1. One cannot assume that public schools, even "top ranked" schools, employ practices or protocols targeted to help a child in a specific academic or behavioral quandary. Schools may be primarily interested in protecting their institutional interests, and not the children. Or maybe administrators are just incompetent.
2. As a result, sometimes strategic and persistent parental advocacy is required (I know I'm singing to the choir, but this is new to me).
3. Parents of gifted kids should not rely on group test scores; esp. at the first sign of trouble, parents should have their child individually tested.
4. There is often a big difference between kids at different levels of giftedness. EG and PG gifted kids categorically (may) have different learning challenges.
5. Don't use yourself or your own experience, gifted or not, as a point of reference for guiding your child.
Do you agree?
Here is where I am:
I will advocate for my son at his existing school to better identify and address his needs. Hopefully he can return to his favored high school next year.
He'll finish next quarter at the alternative group scenario (unless it is dangerous), reinforcing to him that his actions and decisions will guide his future in a very tangible way.
I will continue to support him on his exciting individual journey, reinforce his interests and passions, expose him to everything possible, and trust that at the end of the day, his emotional development will catch up with his intellectual advancement. [P.S. His life goal at age 13 is to work in a record store, and he is unable to entertain a grander calling at this time.]
