I kinda already know that they don't but do they never test? I mean, would a child that is gifted show gifted on one test yet not another? Wouldn't there at least be an inkling that the child was as smart as I thought?

I ask these questions after looking at my sons COgat score which, the gifted teacher says, do not indicate any possibility of giftedness. She says these scores are low and there would at least be some indication. They are testing him again on the request of his teacher and myself. Local composite is only 64 and National is 54. I know he is smart so that isn't the issue. I am worried because last year, school sucked for him. He hated it and by the end of the year it was a struggle to just get him to attend.

But now I am wondering if I am just not good at parenting lol. Damian drives me crazy with his incessant questions and embarrassing comments. He talks 24 hours a day, he sleeps maybe 4 hours day and he READS n his spare time! He knows so much about dinosaurs, including what age they lived in, the theories about how they died, what kind of food each one ate, and even how many bones have been found for many of them. He is so smart and has so much potential but after looking at his COgat scores from last year, I think he isn't gifted.

The thing is, I have had him tested 5 times for other issues. All come out saying he is just very intelligent but NOT ADD or ADHD and even the psychologist cannot find anything beyond his need for knowledge, wrong with him.

Is there any possibility that my feelings about my child are correct and the test is wrong? His teacher this year, as well as in Kindergarten believe that he is indeed gifted and his 1st grade teacher was pretty disconnected and didn't seem to care much either way. I don't care much either way as long as he is getting what he needs from the school, but what happens next year when his teacher just doesn't have the time or willingness to give him the extra challenge he needs?

Am I over-reacting or pushing too hard? This child is so amazing! Why is he being judged by a number anyway? Why can the school system not just allow him the freedom to work ahed when he finishes all they give him? It seems unfair to hold him back because he isn't supposed to be learning something yet. In Kindergarten, Damian was using Hooked on Phonics at home. He begged me for it because he wanted to lean to read. 2 months in, the teacher asked me to please stop doing it with him because he was too far ahead of the rest of the class. Damian was devastated. All he wanted was to be able to read his dinosaur books. Now he reads them all with no problem along with dictionaries and encyclopedias and somehow still has questions when he is done. What am I supposed to do with that??

What if I am right and this child really needs more from the school, but his test scores don't reflect it? Is that even possible?

Sorry for the rant/questions/whining. I am SO frustrated. Why is it so hard to do the right thing for my child. Doesn't America want smart children???