DD is frustrated. She knows who's in the program already. Some of them are also in her reading class (the kids are grouped by ability for reading). DD feels that she has equal (and in some cases higher) abilities compared to many in the program. She feels that they are her intellectual peers. She outperforms many of them in the classroom, and it comes very easily for her. Socially, she's fine. She has friends, and she's a leader in the class/school. She's one of those kids with high ability, personality, and drive--a good combo for success. She's also one of those kids that teachers love, and the fact that two teachers have referred her for GT testing has put her on their radar. The GT teacher said that they keep and eye on those "close" kids and are continually gathering data on them to try to get them in.
She is currently being given math enrichment exercises through the math resource teacher, and she's in an advanced reading class. That's the best we can do right now, I guess.
What above level tests would you suggest? I don't know how willing she would be at this point. She's rather discouraged. The school will only take private testing as a referral. I really want the data, but I don't know if I want to put her through it right now. It would be easier if she were younger, but at nearly 9 she's so aware of the process and its implications. She was very nervous about taking the NNAT again, which is probably why her score went down.
Our other DD is 6, and we're starting the process earlier with her. We're requesting screening this year for her.
We live in an area with great public schools, but I still feel guilty for taking my DD's out of private school. The girls really thrived there, and they were challenged intellectually. We just couldn't afford it anymore. For instance, we haven't taken a family vacation in 4 years. We made the tough decision in an effort to strike a balance.
