Yes, judging from my inability to answer DS's physics questions, I think I only developed a "superficial understanding" of my -high school- physics book.
Thanks everybody for your support. I think you've helped me get my confidence back! It was also really interesting to hear how many of you had similar experiences.
DH says I probably helped my cause by crying and talking back. He thinks now they are probably going to try to prevent any more outbursts. I figure they will just try more mind games.
I have a meeting with the principal (and the folks from the IEP team) next Thursday to discuss the math skip. Next year's teacher is also supposed to be there, but who knows if the principal will actually invite her or disclose who next year's teacher will be. Continually scheduling yet more meetings may be her way of letting the clock run out without doing anything I'm asking for.
When I first broached the math-skip idea with the principal, I mentioned the IAS and she said let's take a look at it, knowing it would take about a week to get delivered. When I brought it in, I explained the process and she asked to borrow the book and to have some time to look at it.
After a week or so, I called back to ask if we could start the testing called for in the IAS. She said she hadn't read the IAS yet. She said she wanted to use an on-line test developed for assessment in NYC that did not stop at grade level, and test him in both language arts and math. That was at least a week ago and DS hasn't been tested yet. School ends in a week and a half.
I feel compelled to keep trying at this school because we waited to long to easily move to something else.
We started panicking about school too late to apply to a private school for next year. The regular G&T program in our NYC district is no great shakes.
Because of rather fuzzy admissions standards in years past, 40 percent of students in elementary G&T classes across the city are at the 80th percentile or lower in IQ (or so the Ed Dept said when it decided to standardize the process this year and make the admissions criteria 90 percentile on a weighted combination of the BRSA and OLSAT for children going into K-2.)
For children currently in grades 3 and 4 applying to G&T programs, the new policy is apply to G&T in general (no specific school) and if spots open up, applicants will be placed in schools based on their scores on the 3rd grade, NCLB tests, with the top scorers getting priority in placement. Parents will be informed of G&T placement in August. Of course, the watered down NCLB test covers what are essentially second-grade skills, so there isn't enough challenge at the top to really separate out the MG, HG, etc. As a result, this policy won't actually mean that the HG children with the greatest need for G&T will actually get placed in G&T.
So, we will pursue a good IEP and math-skip for the local school for next year, also apply for G&T for next year, too, just in case, and if nothing works out, in the fall of this year we will also apply to a local private school for gifted kids for Fall of '09.
OK, I've rambled again. I thought the G&T criteria might be good for discussion, and I'm hoping the play-by-play of what's happened for us might be helpful to others. And I got to vent again!
bk
