I hesitate to use the word success yet, but it appears things are going quite well for us and definitely moving in the right direction. I had testing done on DS5 when he was 4 yrs old and discovered that he was a PG child (although I pretty much knew that, but the testing confirmed that). We live in NY, which is an awful state for gifted education. There are no mandates, no funding, and our district actually does not have any gifted programming at all...so the thought of school for him has always been a little overwhelming. But I decided to see what our local public school could do. I sent the report to our district superintendent and then called them to follow up to request a meeting. I then had a meeting with the principal and the curriculum superintendent and asked what they would be able to do for DS5. They were a little unsure and talked about having lots of good K classes and they were sure they could find a fit. I suggested that they meet him. The principal was excited about this and spent an hour with him one afternoon taking him to a couple different classes. She quickly determined that first grade would be a better fit (probably in part due to his discussion with her turning decimals into fractions at 4yo).
This past fall DS5 started first grade. They waited a month or so to really give him any different work than the other students. He was also acting out and not behaving during this time(acting quite immature) mostly due to the lack of mental stimulation and having never been in a school setting. About two months into the school year they purchased a computer program for him to use in the classroom for Math and reading that is supposed to be able to move at his level, which was a big step for them. So...there have been some bumps in the road, but at this point he gets his own spelling words (probably 4+ grades above), weekly individual math enrichment (about 5+ years), use of the computer program and reading in his classroom for math and reading that is several grade levels above. He meets with another student and teacher to do more critical thinking in LA and reading. There are parts of the day where the teacher will make certain activities optional for him if she knows that it is not appropriate for him. And they are finally going to do a Math assessment and reading assessment to determine what his actual level is (even though they have been giving him work that is several years above).
He is challenged at times with his math enrichment (they are doing some HS level stuff), but I would say that is the only area right now...but it is still amazing that they are willing to go above and beyond his grade level as I have heard so many horror stories.
I am hopeful that as they get to know him better they will do more and more. They are already talking and meeting about what to do next year and looking into computer programs. They also talked about developing an IEP for him. I was concerned that they might try to label him with something that he doesn't have, but the principal replied that the IEP would be through their school and not through special education and it would be "to address the exceptionality that he brings to the table, not a disability." the principal also stated "while IEPs are typically used to address individualized programming at the lowest end of the continuum, they are designed to meet the unique needs of students at the other end too". that was quite positive to hear and makes me feel like they do get it. I am always somewhat cautious, but quite hopeful that things will continue to get better and better : )
