Of course, more info is needed. Let's see....
age 9 (just), finishing gr 3
They group tested first, but she did not qualify in that round. She was put in the pool for GT assessment when her teacher recommended her. But her teacher really didn't want to discuss it with me even then when I just had basic questions about the process, so I don't think I'll find an advocate there. Everyone is very off-putting; I think they are all afraid of parents becoming advocates. Seriously. :-)
She has a 99+ Slossen score as well as a 97% achievement test score.
Her school achievement is very good but not remarkable, I think? No grades or comparative assessments so it's hard to say how she's actually doing. She's a very compliant, agreeable child, wants to be liked. But she also sometimes has a hard time focusing and following instruction. Especially if she's not interested in the task. For example, she was doing just awful in math until I started grading her homework (had to explain what grades were first), and then she was motivated enough to do things like read the directions--and stopped getting called in for remedial work and started complaining that they were STILL working on xyz.
I would be happy to privately test but can't imagine that will help here. She can't retake the WISC-IV for another year, and anyway, my argument is that her scores should warrant identification as is. But I would absolutely pursue anything worth pursuing, and I know others here will have ideas.
The school does have a cap on GT placement. This is a clear disincentive to identifying giftedness. But it is what it is and I would have to fight the state to get that changed. I need to get her identified first.
