Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment HELP! WPPSI-IV & KTEA-3

Side note: Thank you to everyone here! This board has been so helpful and everyone is so supportive. That's not always true of the internet hahaha.

To answer this in a sentence, a school would generally seek to determine whether the child had learned enough on his/her own (outside of school) so that there are not noticeable or sizable gaps. Some schools may ask students to take the end-of-year assessments.

You asked how a full grade acceleration (grade skip) works? In addition to reading information at the link provided for Iowa Acceleration Scale (IAS), you may want to check:
1) your school's policies... often found online. Does your school website mention anything a about this? Or about single-subject acceleration (SSA)?
2) Also check your state laws and state department of education for information online.

A lot of what I have read points to wanting an accelerated kid to still be high achieving in the receiving grade for maintaining confidence. They might have to work harder to get to the top, but having challenge is the point, so I believe you want to see those scores still around 90% or so a year ahead. You wouldn't want to accelerate and then have your child at 50% -- that means they could probably be met with 1 year above differentiation in their existing grade and be high achieving.

As for gaps, since curriculum typically spirals, a lot of what they learn is touched on again in future grades, only with increasing depth and more vocabulary. The idea is, if a gap is noticed, then the teacher should take that chance to fill it in. I think the primary grades may be easier to fill curriculum gaps, as I can say skipping part of 4th-5th meant DS missed out on some content in social studies that won't all spiral back, so we are going to do some on our own.

Perhaps it is parental bias, but after scouring the district websites I found the curriculum for each grade level. Looking at kindergarten she could easily have passed an exit exam months ago. Looking at first grade, she would not currently pass, however with instruction I feel like she could easily do well there. Learn more challenging concepts and hopefully at a faster rate. So what would be the appropriate accomation here? Subject acceleration doesn't seem like the answer since she scored high in both math and reading. Is it possible for her kindergarten teacher and myself to "catch her up" enough this year so that next year she would be prepared to enter the second grade instead? Should I ask for first grade exit exam at the end of summer and let that be my goal for her GIEP? The district is going to love me.....

I think grade acceleration is a very individual decision, and it really depends on what the school and you can do to ensure the child is learning, growing and happy. Some kids will do great with acceleration, and others may be happier with their age peers socially. When our DS was in K, he could have been accelerated based on academics, but on social and motor skills, he wasn't ready. If anything, I wish he'd skipped grade one, but we waited because we didn't really know better and met resistance. DD could accelerate, but she doesn't want to, and we have found a happy medium. In second grade, she had a really special teacher, who encouraged her strengths in math through a small-group cluster, and that made up for a lot. Now we're trying to figure out what to do for next year.

When we accelerated DS, he jumped right in and was right at top, because he tested very high on one-grade-above material and also compared to two-grades ahead. We did no outside fill-in, and if there was anything missing, he's picked it up along the way.

Thank you longcut That information is really helpful! Would her KTEA-3 scores tell me how she has tested on above grade level materials? I asked the school for this information and they said:
"Unfortunately, while standardized assessments provide helpful information on student’s performance relative to age/grade peers, standardized assessments do not provide solid information on real world specific academic instructional levels. The standardized instruments include items that statistically have been answered correctly by students at various grade levels, however, responses to those items does not translate easily into an instructional or “grade” level. Specifically, answering an item correctly does not equate to having developed academic skills at those specific grade levels. The standard scores from DD performance show us that she performed as well or better than 98% of kindergarten students with her responses to reading comprehension items and, as well as or better than 95% of kindergarten student her responses to math concepts. "
I don't know what 98% or 95% mean in relation to grade standards -- I just know her teacher reports mastery of all K materials.

You are right - public school will typically NOT meet the needs of many gifted children.
- Check your state education laws, for any requirements there may be for meeting the needs of gifted students. Typically there are none.
- Check your school policies, for any statements which you may be able to hold the school to.

- Don't push... Do ask questions, and take notes.
- There may be nothing to "sign off" on, as gifted ed is typically not a requirement.

My advice: Choose your advocacy words carefully. Or you may create an unyielding solid.
- Kids can and do learn outside of school.
- Schools may require students to state they've learned something, even when the student must make false statements to do so. For example, a student may be required to point out "new words" in something which they are reading... when all the words are familiar to the student. In this way, schools can falsify records and also drive a wedge between the parents (who say child is not learning) and the child (who pointed to new words which they have supposedly learned while reading).

Differentiation only means something is different... it can be more homework (differentiated task demands), more stringent grading, etc. Take a look at the buzzwords post, so you can develop a good BS filter. Then be sure to ask about the 5Ws of the gifted programming or service offered for your child.

thanks portia -- I don't think she has spatial challenges so much as she has lack of exposure. She colors for class and it has improved a lot over the course of the year. She has started writing more now, and while messy it is readable. She is very mature and well liked -- in fact her social skills may be where she is most gifted lol. Which is why grade or subject acceleration doesn't scare me with her, she would fit right in with a high school class if I let her lol.

We are located in PA so Chapter 16 does afford some protection to gifted children. We will have to sign a NORA at the end of our GIEP meeting otherwise we go to a due process hearing. Right now I am trying to interpret the scores and figure out what my goals for her are so that when the meeting happens I am not bullied into whatever the school is willing to recommend.

I am hearing that gifted kids can be under-served in public school, but i am not sure I have a better solution. We cannot afford to send her to a private school - so what other options are there?