|
1 members (1 invisible),
384
guests, and
21
robots. |
|
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
S |
M |
T |
W |
T |
F |
S |
|
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
10
|
11
|
12
|
13
|
|
14
|
15
|
16
|
17
|
18
|
19
|
20
|
|
21
|
22
|
23
|
24
|
25
|
26
|
27
|
|
28
|
29
|
30
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 10
Junior Member
|
OP
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 10 |
My husband and I are so confused and frustrated with our son's difficulties in school. We just don't know where else to turn. I'm hoping other parents here will be able to offer some insight.
Here's the situation. Our 7 year old has always been very insightful...seems to notice very subtle things that other people miss, patient...will work on his Legos for hours and imaginative...loves art and has an ongoing make believe storyline with his younger brother. We never in a million years thought he would have any difficulty in school. Then in Kindergarten we start hearing from his teacher that he can't sit still during rug time, is humming and distracting the other kids, seems to be in his own world, very spaced out etc. This was ongoing throughout the school year. We thought he might be held back but his teacher said he obviously knew all the material and was smart, he was just sort of "in his own head". So he moved on to 1st grade.
In first grade, his teacher noticed all the same things but said a lot of this was common with "gifted" children, and she suspected this was the case with him. He was tested with the Naglieri Non-verbal and he scored in the 99th percentile which qualified him for the GATE program. Well, then we wound up moving to a different school district whose GATE program doesn't start until the 4th grade and has a whole different set of qualifications. In the meantime, he's been having all the same issues in class and his teacher is beyond frustrated. What should we do? Part of me strongly feels that these problems are tied to his giftedness. But after hearing that the Naglieri isn't all that accurate, I start to wonder if it's just ADD or some behavioral problem. We do have an appt. for him to be tested at the local University in March. They said they're going to use the Woodcock Johnson. In the meantime, has anyone else here experienced similar difficulties? I just want to do what's best for him.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 283
Member
|
|
Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 283 |
He needs interesting challenging things for his brain to work on. If he knows all that material already, then he is trying to ... "cope" and amuse himself.
I think other parents will chime in. You're not alone. This is the place to be.
Can he read? (Not all gifted children read early.)
Numeracy?
Written output?
Puzzless? Mazes?
Chess?
Art work?
hang in there
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,134
Member
|
|
Member
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,134 |
We live in a district that uses the Nagleiri. Antecdotally, I know a good number of kids who took the NNAT and then went on for further achievenment or IQ testing. One thing to know about the NNAT is it tests visual spatial strengths.
Anyway, I don't know any child who tested THAT high on the NNAT who didn't test quite gifted, at least spatially. Your child certainly might have other things going on and it's good you're having him fully assessed. But I'd be really surprised if your child isn't quite gifted. I don't think his behaviors as you describe them are that unusual for a gifted child in a non-engaging environment. My own child definitely found ways to entertain himself that the teacher was not fond of as a kindergartner and first grader. Some teachers really feel the gifted kids are the highly engaged ones. That might be true in some cases, but my son was the gifted child that completely checked out on what was going on in the classroom (and so was I). My son (3rd grade) is now homeschooling.
Good luck with your assessment! I hope you get some answers.
Last edited by kimck; 01/15/10 06:23 AM.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 425
Member
|
|
Member
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 425 |
I think you'll find that many of us have had the exact same or similar experience you describe. Many of us have considered ADD/ADHD as well, but please know that the symptoms of a bored gifted child are much the same as a child with ADHD. Also, it's not unusual for gifted children to also have ADHD. We're still not sure if there are real attention issued going on or if we've just never found the right environment to challenge and interest our son. Do some searches on this site, and you'll see this is the most common issue our gifted children face. It sounds to me like your son is needing a challenge. I wish my son "checked out" instead of just disrupting everyone else. When he's bored, he talks incessantly and can't sit still. If he's interested and challenged, he can focus for hours. I think it's a good thing you are addressing this now because it's tough on kids who go years without ever being challenged. Like my son, they do not learn to work hard to achieve, and when they are finally faced with a challenge, they don't know what to do. The result can be underachievement, and that's quite a challenge to overcome. It sounds like your son is doing well academically, but it appears that he's finding a way to occupy his mind while everyone else catches up. This is why a lot of us resort to homeschooling, or our children bounce around a bit until we find the best school fit. However, some schools are great with appropriate accommodations. If GATE is not an option for your son at his age, maybe after the testing is complete, the school can offer him accellerated classwork (curriculum differentiation), subject accelleration, full grade skip, or extra projects of interest to him. Do you think they'd be open to making some of those changes?
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 430
Member
|
|
Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 430 |
The same thing is going on with my son. I know that a lot of times ADD gets confused with giftedness. I tried to work with the school to move him up and see if having something more interesting to learn would help with the behavior but the school said until his behavior improved they weren't going to do anything.
We noticed at home that he was having trouble focusing long enough to complete a sentence and that he couldn't do almost anything we asked him no matter how hard he tried because he couldn't focus long enough.
I took him to get evaluated and the psych said that he had ADD. We started medicine and he's been a different child at school. I'm not saying that being bored didn't have anything to do with it though. In fact the psych said that if the school ever does give him work on his level we should try to take him off of the meds and see how it goes.
It's all very confusing to me because the symptoms of ADD are so close to the traits of a bored gifted kid but for now the medicine was our only option and it seems to be going well.
Good luck!
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 748
Member
|
|
Member
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 748 |
Our DS's teacher told us he had ADHD and said we were ruining his life by refusing to medicate him- I totally understand your frustration! (We later confirmed with our ped and our psych that he does not have ADHD, he's "just" HG+) We changed schools and found a better fit. But it still wasn't enough. He's now 2 weeks into a grade skip and a completely different child. Homework is fast, he's attentive and focused at school. We've found that level where it's just enough without being too much. At least for now!
The one major difference I've noticed as a teacher is that gifted kids who do not have ADHD appear to not be paying attention. However, they likely can tell you what you said, what it was about and answer the question, all while reading a book, fidgeting and humming. A true-ADHD child (gifted or not) will likely not be able to tell the teacher what she was talking about or answer the question. They often look the same to an observer and takes a little more effort to find out if the child is really distractable and overactive or if it really requires so little brain power that he/she can do other things too.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 171
Member
|
|
Member
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 171 |
You are not alone. My son was thought to be ADD before being identified. Tried meds, side effects. He has been thought to be every set of letters you can imagine. Currently he is going through the full battery of ability , achievement , ot, speech language test and counselor. i want a correct diagnosis. I have spent many nights crying trying to figure out how to help my son as well. The school can make you feel very guilty so be careful. My son is failing most subjects. I am in wait mode to see Dr. Amend in Feb. Hopefully he can get me in the right direction. Just stay on it and keep documentation. Seeing an outside counselor who said that I was going above and beyond to help my son let me rest easier.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,743
Member
|
|
Member
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,743 |
In his head, needing to do something with his brain to manage and ADD behavior was my son in first grade. This encouraged testing. The school did WJ achievement and IQ.
This year in 3rd there still is not enough challenge but the kids are much busier. Sometimes small adjustments in work and talking so he knows you understand can help.
There's lots of help here. Keep sharing your thoughts and sking your questions. Read books on gifted too. They help alot.
Last edited by onthegomom; 01/15/10 08:46 AM.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 7,207
Member
|
|
Member
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 7,207 |
Hi Luvmyguys, Welcome! Here's some advice I posted on another thread about the 'big questions' - and you used to think the big question was the meaning of life. Welcome!
You son might be gifted, he might have ADHD, he might be gifted with ADHD, or he might be 'bright but underchallenged' with a 'little bit of ADHD.'
Is it possible for you to afford testing with a private tester who understand gifted kids? If so, I would stongly reccomend it. It might even be covered by your insurance. Your pediatrician might be a place to go and explain your concerns.
If you decide to get testing the next step is to figure out how much traveling you had better do to find a tester. If you son is like most gifted (MG, moderately gifted)kids then any tester with experience with gifted children is likely to be helpful. If you son is rather more like the kids we talk about here, then we say he has a higer LOG (level of giftedness) and may be HG or PG. If this is the case, you won't get much help from your typcial local tester, unless you live in a major metropolitan area - these kids are just too rare, and you get lucky.
How are you supposed to know what you son's LOG is? This is a chicken and egg question.
I would start by reading the book, 5 levels of Giftedness by Dr. Deb Ruf.
Then I would spend some time 'Afterschooling' to find your child's readiness level. You can check his bookshelf and see what 'lexile' level the books he prefers are. You can go to singapore math website and take a placement test as if you were homeschooling, or if he prefers to work from the computer, try a free trial of Aleks.com The trick is to get to know your child as a learner. This is have the added benifit of giving him something intellectually challenging while you wait for the school and the testing, etc. Plus it's fun.
Or, it will be fun, once you dust off whatever 'underachievement' he has already collected. I'm talking 10 minutes a day, more if you both want, but 5 days a week so he gets into the habit of doing some challenging work every school day.
Once you've gotten to know your son as a learner, even just a week or two, see if you can get into his classroom to observe. Once you get used to how your son learns, you may be quite shocked to see how much 'waiting around' he has to do, and although some of our little female gifites have the Emotional Quotient developed at age 6 to self-sooth through hours of bordome, it's pretty rare for a male 6 year old to have this strenth that well developed.
It may be litterally frightening for your son to be surrounded by kids who learn so differently than himself for that many hours a day. At 6, my son thought he was in a special class for slow learners, and felt humiliated by his placement. Now he is 13 and has learned to value every person for the wide variety of strengths that are out there, but it took some years for him to get there.
What do you think?
Grinity
Coaching available, at SchoolSuccessSolutions.com
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 465
Member
|
|
Member
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 465 |
The one major difference I've noticed as a teacher is that gifted kids who do not have ADHD appear to not be paying attention. However, they likely can tell you what you said, what it was about and answer the question, all while reading a book, fidgeting and humming. Nice to hear this comment and from a teacher also! DS will be singing and doing gymnastics at the same time and yet he not only will know what I was saying to him but will be able to interject himself (appropriately) into the conversation his sister is having with her step-dad in the next room. As he likes to say - "He is the ultimate multi-tasker." What I would like to see is an activity that is so engaging it stops the humming, foot tapping, cartwheeling. Sigh...........
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 465
Member
|
|
Member
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 465 |
Luvmyguys,
You are in the right place. Many of us on here have experienced the situation you explained. Time, tests and patience are all required to find out what is really going on. My best advice would be to concentrate on your child's areas of strength. It never helps anyone to walk around thinking something is "wrong". You will find a lot of sympathetic ears/eyes here and also good advice.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 151
Member
|
|
Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 151 |
Welcome, Luvmyguys! I have that kid, too. It's a struggle - every day.
But you can relax here. Breathe. Look around at the wealth of information and soak up the experience. It'll do you a world of good.
Read everything you can get your hands on, but remember to take breaks, too. It's easy to get overwhelmed by all the angles and you need time to process it all and see what fits your child best.
Keep us posted!
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 7,207
Member
|
|
Member
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 7,207 |
The one major difference I've noticed as a teacher is that gifted kids who do not have ADHD appear to not be paying attention. However, they likely can tell you what you said, what it was about and answer the question, all while reading a book, fidgeting and humming. A true-ADHD child (gifted or not) will likely not be able to tell the teacher what she was talking about or answer the question. While I believe you about the ADHD non-gifted kids not being able to tell you what was said, I know of one PG gifted kid who I sort of believe does have ADD, and 'very often' especially in the elementary grades, could playback the whole conversation. My son 'feels more himself' on ADHD medication, and every psychologist how has crossed our path believes he has ADD, and yet for many years he could do the full playback thing. I wish it were that simple, but somehow it never is. Smiles, Grinity
Coaching available, at SchoolSuccessSolutions.com
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 10
Junior Member
|
|
OP
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 10 |
Thank you so much for all the responses! I'm especially encouraged to hear that the NNAT can be a good predictor. I mean 99th percentile sounded good but it was only one test so I was hesitant to assume that he was gifted based solely on that. I'm hoping the Woodcock will be more in depth and help fill in some of the blanks.
It's just tough because we don't want to punish him for something he can't control but at the same time we want him to work hard and always try his best.
Again, thanks for all the info. This is so new to us we're a little overwhelmed! It's nice to know we're not alone though. I'm going to get my hands on a copy of that recommended book.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 748
Member
|
|
Member
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 748 |
While I believe you about the ADHD non-gifted kids not being able to tell you what was said, I know of one PG gifted kid who I sort of believe does have ADD, and 'very often' especially in the elementary grades, could playback the whole conversation. My son 'feels more himself' on ADHD medication, and every psychologist how has crossed our path believes he has ADD, and yet for many years he could do the full playback thing.
I wish it were that simple, but somehow it never is.
Smiles,
Grinity Grinity- There are certainly kids who are gifted and have ADHD and I think it's so hard to diagnose these kids because there are so many factors affecting their behavior! Is it OEs today, or ADHD or gifted? It all gets so complicated that I totally agree, only a really good psychologist who his familiar with all of these perspectives will be able to be useful! My comment was more of a general one that often teachers see a physical behavior (fidgeting, staring off in space, falling out of a chair, talking nonstop etc) and they don't ask why it's happening. There are many reasons why all of these happen, especially in early elementary school. I think it's a huge disservice to all kids, not just the gifted ones, to just point at ADHD and move on. A silly example? I recently worked with a teacher who had a major discipline problem in her class. She complained repeatedly that the kids didn't listen, wiggled too much and were totally unfocused. I discovered she had a no potty before 10am policy for 1st graders. Why were all those kids fidgeting and not listening? They had to pee! LOL.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 435
Member
|
|
Member
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 435 |
Oh, we have been in this situation...he was bored to tears in K and would wake up each morning in tears begging not to go to school...after testing and lots of thought we pulled him to homeschool...he asked to try school again for first grade this year and the teacher would give the class worksheets that consisted of color the dog brown to check to see if he knew his colors or circle the correct number of balls on a page...he was SO frustrated and bored that he had to come up with ways to keep himself busy and most of the ways were not acceptable to the teacher. The teacher's first response was to suggest we test him for ADD....our doctor, his psychologist and everyone who knows him well thought that was just absurd but for some reason it's the first thing that pops into a school's mind when they see a restless student....instead of trying to figure out if anything else is going on...it's like the quick easy fix for them. I would love to know how many kids are on medication who have no need whatsoever for them. Your know your child best :-)
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 11
Junior Member
|
|
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 11 |
It sounds pretty normal to me for a bored first grader to be "spaced out" and not sitting still.
I would be looking for a new teacher, a new school, or looking into homeschooling.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 10
Junior Member
|
|
OP
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 10 |
Thanks for the link Botchan. It was very informative. When he was in Kindergarten I was explaining the situation to my other son's preschool teacher and she said "Have they suggested he needs meds? Watch out, because I'm sure it'll come up soon". Sort of warning us. We just couldn't believe it. The idea of medicating our child (who we know can focus for hours on activities he enjoys) just seemed crazy to us. My husband doesn't even like to take cold medicine when he gets sick :)so he gets really fired up anytime this topic comes up.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 138
Member
|
|
Member
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 138 |
You're welcome. I'm afraid I don't have any good advice to offer, but I just want you to know that you are not alone. We've been dealing with the same situation with our DS9 for quite sometime now.
Just hung in there!
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 40
Junior Member
|
|
Junior Member
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 40 |
He needs interesting challenging things for his brain to work on. If he knows all that material already, then he is trying to ... "cope" and amuse himself.
I think other parents will chime in. You're not alone. This is the place to be.
Can he read? (Not all gifted children read early.)
Numeracy?
Written output?
Puzzless? Mazes?
Chess?
Art work?
hang in there I agree. My ds was humming, squirming, spacing out and yet knew all of the material. I believe it is mostly normal for little boys to be like this and especially in the gifted setting. I will say that these things have been getting better over time. My son is now 8 and it is astounding how he improves every couple of months or so. Now granted, I am schooling my son at home via a cyber charter school since the schools could not meet his needs. Frankly, I am concerned that they never will meet his needs especially in this neck of the woods. OTOH, we do a lot of activities and classes with other teachers and I can definitely see improvements. IMHO, sure could there be other problems with your ds, but I would give him time especially if he knows the basics of reading, writing, and math  He may have the squirmies for quite a few more years especially if school is boring Hopefully the school can be creative and give him more challenging work to do. IMHO, I would give him lots of time.
Last edited by classicsmom; 01/17/10 04:41 PM.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 10
Junior Member
|
|
OP
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 10 |
We were actually under the impression that things were improving. His teacher hadn't mentioned anything since earlier in the year. Then this past week we've heard things like "at a loss" and "don't know what else to do" and my heart just sank. I'm definitely getting the impression that she can't "handle" him. What happens next? She asked for our suggestions and we actually said (among other things) that maybe a different classroom or school environment would help. For the first time the words "home schooling" came up in conversation with my husband and I. I have to admit this idea terrifies me. Meanwhile we're still not sure that he's actually gifted, just assuming that he is based on the NNAT. I can't wait till his testing in March. I just hope he and his teacher are able to hang in there until then and we can get some answers. Sorry for the long ramble
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 7
Junior Member
|
|
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 7 |
It is true ADHD is often a quick solution to when children are not challenged at school. I have experienced the same issue when teachers do not feel the child is paying attention, but in reality it is the child is not being challenged, Repetition is good but at a point it can become boring for a child.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 40
Junior Member
|
|
Junior Member
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 40 |
We were actually under the impression that things were improving. His teacher hadn't mentioned anything since earlier in the year. Then this past week we've heard things like "at a loss" and "don't know what else to do" and my heart just sank. I'm definitely getting the impression that she can't "handle" him. What happens next? She asked for our suggestions and we actually said (among other things) that maybe a different classroom or school environment would help. For the first time the words "home schooling" came up in conversation with my husband and I. I have to admit this idea terrifies me. Meanwhile we're still not sure that he's actually gifted, just assuming that he is based on the NNAT. I can't wait till his testing in March. I just hope he and his teacher are able to hang in there until then and we can get some answers. Sorry for the long ramble Ten years ago I never would have dreamed to be doing school at home  Technically we are doing public school at home via a public cyber charter school, but I would not hesitate to homeschool or do a good public cyber charter school such as one that uses K12 curriculum. We tried a regular public school and a private school and both did not work for ds  I did a lot of research and assuaged my fears about socialization which I now truly believe is a non-issue . Many areas have large networks of many different kinds of homeschoolers or cyber schoolers:) Plus there are many resources for homeschoolers. I am very grateful to be able to do school at home at the moment. I suggest the following site: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/index.php Sincerely, pris
Last edited by classicsmom; 01/18/10 06:55 PM.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 186
Member
|
|
Member
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 186 |
We were actually under the impression that things were improving. His teacher hadn't mentioned anything since earlier in the year. Then this past week we've heard things like "at a loss" and "don't know what else to do" and my heart just sank. I'm definitely getting the impression that she can't "handle" him. What happens next? She asked for our suggestions and we actually said (among other things) that maybe a different classroom or school environment would help. For the first time the words "home schooling" came up in conversation with my husband and I. I have to admit this idea terrifies me. Meanwhile we're still not sure that he's actually gifted, just assuming that he is based on the NNAT. I can't wait till his testing in March. I just hope he and his teacher are able to hang in there until then and we can get some answers. Sorry for the long ramble Ten years ago I never would have dreamed to be doing school at home Technically we are doing public school at home via a public cyber charter school, but I would not hesitate to homeschool or do a good public cyber charter school such as one that uses K12 curriculum. We tried a regular public school and a private school and both did not work for ds I did a lot of research and assuaged my fears about socialization which I now truly believe is a non-issue . Many areas have large networks of many different kinds of homeschoolers or cyber schoolers:) Plus there are many resources for homeschoolers. I am very grateful to be able to do school at home at the moment. I suggest the following site: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/index.php Sincerely, pris It makes me SO happy to hear your positive experience with K12 as we are strongly (like 99%) sure we are doing that with DS next year. To be honest I'd pull him now and start now if it were fully up to me, but I can understand him wanting to finish K out. He enjoys his classmates and his teacher but is basically only getting handwriting out of school at this point.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 679
Member
|
|
Member
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 679 |
I second the suggestion. Just beware, it's addictive.
EPGY OE Volunteer Group Leader
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 40
Junior Member
|
|
Junior Member
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 40 |
It makes me SO happy to hear your positive experience with K12 as we are strongly (like 99%) sure we are doing that with DS next year. To be honest I'd pull him now and start now if it were fully up to me, but I can understand him wanting to finish K out. He enjoys his classmates and his teacher but is basically only getting handwriting out of school at this point. I would make sure to ask extensive questions about acceleration, work submissions, any mandatory online classes, flexibility, teacher support, etc. In our school we can accelerate in math and language arts, but not the other topics which has not been a problem since you can actually substitute activities or supplement as long as you meet objectives and do work submissions IMO . I find the curricula rigorous and classical like. There are many reviews on the Well Trained Mind Forums. Sincerely, pris
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,134
Member
|
|
Member
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,134 |
Ten years ago I never would have dreamed to be doing school at home Technically we are doing public school at home via a public cyber charter school, but I would not hesitate to homeschool or do a good public cyber charter school such as one that uses K12 curriculum. classicsmom (or anyone) - have you bought individual K12 courses or are you doing the whole package? I've thought about that for science in particular. We are using Plato, but for next year I would like to do something a bit more comprehensive and hands on. We never dreamed we'd be homeschooling either. But really, it's been mostly great for all of us.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 186
Member
|
|
Member
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 186 |
It makes me SO happy to hear your positive experience with K12 as we are strongly (like 99%) sure we are doing that with DS next year. To be honest I'd pull him now and start now if it were fully up to me, but I can understand him wanting to finish K out. He enjoys his classmates and his teacher but is basically only getting handwriting out of school at this point. I would make sure to ask extensive questions about acceleration, work submissions, any mandatory online classes, flexibility, teacher support, etc. In our school we can accelerate in math and language arts, but not the other topics which has not been a problem since you can actually substitute activities or supplement as long as you meet objectives and do work submissions IMO . I find the curricula rigorous and classical like. There are many reviews on the Well Trained Mind Forums. Sincerely, pris Thanks for the pointers. I think I covered all that when I spoke with them extensively this fall but will double check that when I plan for next year. He's progressed significantly just since Oct when I spoke with someone from k12 so I do need to make sure he can still be accomodated in math and language arts. I'm not worried about the rest, we'll supplement or add where needed/desired in science/social studies.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 102
Member
|
|
Member
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 102 |
We have k12 provided by our state. When I called to ask about it they said they don't accelerate students but they have an honors route. It was a bit confusing because their web site seem to indicate they do accelerate. Do you know if k12 accelerates if you are not going through the state?
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 40
Junior Member
|
|
Junior Member
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 40 |
We have k12 provided by our state. When I called to ask about it they said they don't accelerate students but they have an honors route. It was a bit confusing because their web site seem to indicate they do accelerate. Do you know if k12 accelerates if you are not going through the state? Public school K12 schools may want your child to start in the age grade level and then allow them to accelerate in math and english. If they complete the lessons (meet objectives)in math and/or english before the end of March usually, then they will send the next year's math and/or english to start work on. Now I have heard of some students being placed in a higher grade altogether initially, but I have also heard that they are really trying to get students to start at age appropriate grade level However, sometimes the squeaky wheel gets the grease Also, sometimes K12 will give the student an assessment to determine the appropriate grade level. As far as the private K12, I would imagine that they are a lot more flexible. It does cost a fair amount of money, but that is relative to which part of the country you live in  I would ask for clarification from your local K12 school on acceleration or working at a faster pace. In our school he is also free to work at a faster pace in other subjects, but the school will only give him math and language arts materials early and not the rest. This is ok with me since we have so much flexibility that we can play with many other things in regards to education Pris
Last edited by classicsmom; 01/19/10 11:22 AM.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 40
Junior Member
|
|
Junior Member
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 40 |
classicsmom (or anyone) - have you bought individual K12 courses or are you doing the whole package? I've thought about that for science in particular. We are using Plato, but for next year I would like to do something a bit more comprehensive and hands on.
We never dreamed we'd be homeschooling either. But really, it's been mostly great for all of us. WE use the whole package via a public cyber charter school. Honestly, the science is good and there are many suggested experiments. What age is your child? Depending on their age I would look at My Pals Are Here Singapore Science if you were only interested in Science. I have only seen the K through 2nd grade K12 Sciecne. It is pretty good, but to be honest my son knows much more than the material presented so far. He likes it, but if I had to pay for a science course then I would look at Singapore Science IMHO or elsewhere such as a science spine and do outlining, summaries, and activities related to it. Now if you were using a higher level science, then you may want to look at K12 and ask them for a good sampling and the scope and sequence of the curricula. pris
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,134
Member
|
|
Member
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,134 |
classicsmom (or anyone) - have you bought individual K12 courses or are you doing the whole package? I've thought about that for science in particular. We are using Plato, but for next year I would like to do something a bit more comprehensive and hands on.
We never dreamed we'd be homeschooling either. But really, it's been mostly great for all of us. WE use the whole package via a public cyber charter school. Honestly, the science is good and there are many suggested experiments. What age is your child? Depending on their age I would look at My Pals Are Here Singapore Science if you were only interested in Science. I have only seen the K through 2nd grade K12 Sciecne. It is pretty good, but to be honest my son knows much more than the material presented so far. He likes it, but if I had to pay for a science course then I would look at Singapore Science IMHO or elsewhere such as a science spine and do outlining, summaries, and activities related to it. Now if you were using a higher level science, then you may want to look at K12 and ask them for a good sampling and the scope and sequence of the curricula. pris My DS is 3rd grade and is definitely ready for something more at the jr. high level. I'd love something that has a hands on/lab component with it and not a ton of work load. I was just thinking of buying something like 7th grade earth science directly from K12. I am really struggling with finding secular science curriculums, preferably affordable. I *love* everything else we're doing, but science is stumping me. We've been doing a lot of science outings/classes (and some Plato for DS). K12 is available in our state, but I think we're too lazy and open ended to do the real deal at least at this age. I may try the Singapore materials with my DD5 next year though. Maybe I should just order them and see if I could enhance them "up" for DS with library materials, etc.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 40
Junior Member
|
|
Junior Member
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 40 |
There are 3/4 and 5/6 levels of Singapore and I have heard that the Higher Order thinking is good to use with them as well. You could check out the threads on WTM.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,134
Member
|
|
Member
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,134 |
Thanks! I've just been digging around on WTM and the Singapore site. 
|
|
|
|
|
