I'm new to this forum, this is my first post. My 6yo son is in K, and is currently taking math with 1st grade, which he loves. I'm specifically looking for suggestions I can discuss with the school for him for math next year - school administration is telling me they can't guarantee classroom schedules will allow him to move on to 2nd grade math next year, and he may have to retake a full year of 1st grade math.
I have my 2nd meeting with the VP tomorrow morning, to discuss this further. They don't set classroom schedules till August of next school year, so no one will be able to guarantee us anything. However, I do want to discuss options for him if he's unable to move on to 2nd grade math due to scheduling conflicts.
What are some options that others have used? My goal is for him to learn at least the 2nd grade math curriculum next year so he can move on to 3rd grade math the following year. I believe he really needs curriculum compaction so he can move up two grade levels instead of one, but I don't plan to bring that up at this point.
I've thought of him being excused to the computer lab to learn 2nd grade math on his own while his classmates are in their math block, although that seems a very dry way to learn math. I've thought of hiring a tutor to teach him 2nd grade math one or two days a week (much cheaper than moving to a private school). I've talked with two other K families about having a math group for the three children where we, the parents, are responsible for teaching them 2nd grade math. I'd appreciate ideas and experience from others, workable suggestions I can discuss with the school administration. That's the meat of this post.
A few more background items for context, if it's helpful. A)Because he didn't pass the school district's GT test last fall, he is not eligible for an IEP. This means I have to start over each year advocating for him with his new teacher. The school district does not accept outside testing (which we do have, showing he is gifted). B) His current 1st grade math teacher is recommending that I ask his current K teacher to help us advocate for him at the beginning of next school year, and hopefully the schedules will work out, rather than escalate to the principal if the VP proves unhelpful. C) The VP, who I'm being directed to for the time being, is in her 1st year with the school; is not familiar with the 1st and 2nd grade math curricula; is completely overworked because of exploding student population (due to the stellar IB program) concurrent with terrible budget cuts; has a lot of advanced learners in the lower grades (changing school demographics), and she's not understanding yet that his math skills are beyond those of other advanced learners in his grade. Because he didn't pass the school district's GT test, I don't have much weight behind me. She's not really informed enough for our previous conversation to be productive. I'm hoping tomorrow's will be more productive. Thanks for any suggestions.
