Hi,

This is my first post. I'm in a situation where I feel very alone, and I'm trying to figure out what to do.

I have one of those early readers who self-taught around 3, and really picked up steam by 4 along with an early and large vocabulary. So, I assumed. I have a bright kid.

In Kindergarten (he is the age youngest boy in the class), he was put in the highest reading group except it didn't feel like he was learning anything new. I complained. I was told he tested at the HIGHEST level they would assess in Kindy, but they were working with him on other things to keep him learning. It just wasn't stuff you could easily assess. I was frustrated, and I went to the reading specialist. I was told the same thing--he is learning. When I felt "unheard," I went the principal. Same thing...I got the "he is learning and challenged, don't worry about it."

Around spring of 09, I went and had him tested. He came back in the 99% in everything except one category where the test taker noted in his paperwork that he was complaining and didn't want to do the test because he said he felt "sick." In that one area on a subtest he was in the 50%. The tester felt this subtest was invalid. His overall iq ended up being (WISPI) 139 even with the uh-oh subtest.

Now, he is in 1st grade. He still hasn't been retested. I keep hearing next week, next week. I'm told he is fine, and I shouldn't worry about him being challenged. Then, I found out that the GT teacher pulls 10 kids out once a week for a special project, and my child wasn't chosen. (I did notice a few teachers kids when I saw them walking back from enrichment.)

I was so frustrated that I called a friend, and I started crying. Not to make this about me, but I suck as an advocate. I'm starting to doubt myself. Am I just one of "those" moms who thinks she has a bright kid, but doesn't. Do I really need to worry about it? I'm so confused.

In 1st grade, my kid is in a one-year above reading group and a one-year above math group. What gets me is that his reading group has lots of kids who learned to read in K. I guess this is is what teachers refer to as leveling out. Hold one kid back, teach the rest.

I'm thinking about hiring an advocate, but I can't seem to find one in my area who is for gifted.

I feel frustrated, defeated. I feel like I can't elicit change.

Then, I get the "guilt" of ...is this really that big of a problem? There are bigger problems in the world. Should this be such a source of frustration.

My son is starting to zone out in class, and his grades are starting to fall. The teacher said, "it is because the work is getting harder." But for him, I don't see that the work has gotten any harder. So now, advocacy is just going to get more difficult.

BTW, the school barely looked at his IQ and Achievement testing (showing 4 grades ahead in reading and 2 grades ahead in math). They basically discounted it all and said, "all our students are ahead because in our district we push."

Ugh, I feel so rotten. It is hard to feel frustrated with no power to change it.