mjb, in our district (and I would guess in most of PA) if you get tested by a certified school psychologist, then the test results have to be accepted. That doesn't necessarily mean that we'd get our G/T identification, but we did use it to justify early admissions to first grade. And it did show that DS is gifted.
One thing that I've learned is that "trust by verify" really holds true here. Who is telling you that you have to get IQ testing through the district? (Or do they just mean "evaluation for their gifted program?") You should be able to get the district policies. Now, IQ testing is different than being id'ed as G/T for the district and a lot of that depends on where you live. In the end we got testing privately because we just weren't sure what to do and we wanted a professional, non-biased opinion.
JB
