Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy GIEP round #2

Ha. We're on separate paths tracking that down. I got that too (using google's cache) that A/B are different forms. Just trying to find confirmation on level. Off to read your link! Thanks!

JB

Excellent link Dottie!!!

JB

http://www.psycan.com/Product/Details.aspx?ProductID=12228

Specifically

http://www.psycan.com/ecms.ashx/22565d2e-72db-43ea-a1df-778741cb1d34/Documents/G-MADESampler.pdf

had some more good information. Looks like level 2 is (generally) grade 2. That's closer inline to what I'd expect (although they probably should have gone right to level 3 based on the charts).

JB

After looking at the test matrix, I really wished they would have tested at level 3 because it includes multiplication operations and geometry which he's actually pretty good at. When he is interested in something, he dives pretty deep on it. Nonetheless, it is good that they are testing at level 2 (which I am hoping DOES mean 2nd grade). Do have to find about the norms.

No, Dottie, we're still not in enrichment yet (unless you count home). We're still dancing with the district on our first GIEP. As DS would say "Ugh!"

JB

Right there with you battling with getting adequate PLEP levels, JBDad. Seems like your DS is instructional at the 2nd grade level for math (at least). Do you know your district's stance on subject acceleration? Would they be willing to bring the 2nd grade curriculum to him?

Since he's "instructional level" for reading at grade 2-3, could the district provide him with accelerated materials? IMHO, now is the time to ask outright (nicely) so you know if you're dealing with rigidity.

Based on where we are at this year (more than halfway over) we will very likely begrudgingly accept the GIEP so that he can start the pull out enrichment. I'd rather get something started now than wait another 6 weeks. We will see what they say when we meet them tomorrow. Maybe they'll surprise us. But I think right now we're just going to make the best of the remainder of this year, and then this summer re-evaluate.

Based on the scores, Dottie I agree with you. The scores just don't seem inline with our observations which is what is nagging me. They are not completely inline with the WIAT scores but they're not totally out of whack either (although that was 6 months ago). I would be interested in getting more details on the test they gave, but I'm not sure that they'll share that with us (I don't think they are required to). For example, one comment was that DS needs to work more on number sense. I guess is depends on what they asked him about (he doesn't have good number sense for money for example). But if you're just talking about word problems ("Mary had 12 pencils, she gave away 2 pencils, how many did she have left over?") he's pretty sharp.

But I think for now we're going to try to make the best of what we have. I know that during math class right now, he really doesn't learn anything. That's not a great situation.

JB

Ha. Then that REALLY doesn't make sense to me! :-)

JB

Greater than/less than/equal to was one of the concepts that he picked up very, very early on. I could see his estimation skills being off.

I am wondering if he just rushed through some things and made some calculation errors. He told us the day he took this test that he "got things mostly correct but then we he went back he missed a couple of problems but told the teacher I know what the answer is."

Thanks for the reference. For the second grade number sense it's possible he doesn't know some of those terms.

JB

JBDad - everything I have read about your ds says these tests are off the mark; you know him. You are not insane (that I can tell).

Sorry it will mean a setback on real challenge for him at school - but I guess advocacy can be in the form of advocating for good/better instruments to assess with, going forward?

Hang in there!!