Part of what to do depends on where you are - you don't need to disclose it here, but I would become very familiar with whether schools in your state are required to do anything for a gifted child, and under what circumstances:
http://www.davidsongifted.org/db/StatePolicy.aspx Also, I would become very familiar with the policies of your school and district. It sounds like they do have gifted programming that he will be able to access in the somewhat near future. After you know all of this, you will know whether your child has a right or whether you are actually asking for a favor.
Does your school utilize differentiation for reading instruction?
I believe most schools and teachers WANT to do the right thing, but there is a disconnect between good intentions and actual time/resources to do something for your DC. Also, some schools/teachers just REALLY don't understand that it is not OK to let the child who is already a good reader just "hang out" during the year, while the rest of the students learn to read.
We do not have many "rights" where we live. I have 2 DYS who were excellent readers from a very young age. Our schools do use differentiated instruction, which can make a HUGE difference.
I don't actually think one week is very long to wait, honestly. But I've also come to see advocacy for my DC as an ongoing process. I realize that my DC are not any easy fit for P.S., even in the G&T program. So I am trying to look at the big picture.
Also, do you want your DS grade-skipped? Subject-accelerated? What is your goal?
I would go ahead and make appropriate level books available to your DS at home, while you figure out where you stand law and policy-wise at your school. In our experience, DD9 has almost never read sufficiently-challenging books at school - she did that at home. DS6 is having a very similar experience. What differentiated instruction DID do for them, though, was have them start to talk about the books themselves at a younger age, with other children, rather than be stuck while others worked on the mechanics of better reading.
Also, realize that a GT program may or may not be a "solution" to your DS's learning needs. Students that qualify for a GT program all differ from one another. Hopefully, your school approaches gifted children fully understanding this, and doesn't merely lump them all into the same "advanced" programming, assuming it meets the needs of all of them. It is better to instead view this population as a "special needs" population of its own, with every student having their own unique strengths and weaknesses.
Best wishes to you and your DS!
