Indigo, your clarification on differentiation was really helpful to read. Thank you. I would like to know the who-what-when-where-how of differentiation. Although the team had suggestions about who and how, they did not seem to have a clear answer on the timing/duration/frequency of differentiation or what specific things would be done. The AIG coordinator did say that her plan was to facilitate instruction that was "all AIG all the time," saying that gifted students aren't just gifted for an hour or two per week for pull-out classes; they are gifted all the time and may need differentiation in everything. I took that as a positive sign.
I haven't read the Davidson guide (this is all so new!), but I certainly will. I feel lucky that we live in a state that has a clear application process in place for early K admission. We had to submit IQ scores, achievement test results, a portfolio, and some recommendation letters from his preschool teachers. Then the district takes it from there. They set up a team to meet with us and DS, including the district AIG coordinator, and we had the opportunity to ask many questions. It felt very collaborative and positive, and I'm thankful that was the case. I know sometimes advocating for a grade skip can be much more difficult.
We haven't heard a final decision yet, but the whole team seemed to think that DS was a good candidate for early K, with remarkable little persuasion required on our parts. My main concern now is that I don't think they quite know what they're in for with DS, and I suspect differentiation is going to be more complex than they anticipate (and as you describe above).
The principal has only been at this school for a few years, so she hasn't had any early K applicants yet, and DS's test scores (99.8-99.9) seemed to stand out to her as something unusual. He doesn't seem unusual to me, but I think I just have very little sense for what a typical 4 year old is like.
