Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Self Advocacy for 4th Grader

We're at a new school, and the administration is already stalling on meeting with us to discuss acceleration. They say that they need at least a month to "get to know" DD, but have absolutely no interest in her WISC or WIAT scores, Talent Search results, EPGY progress, etc.

DD has a tendency to be whiny, and since her teacher has already been "warned" about us, I know she's going to be on her radar (and probably not in a good way). So I'm trying to come up with a list of acceptable things my dd can say to her teacher when she's less-than-challenged by the curriculum.

I'm already planning on telling her to be sure to approach her teacher privately, and not to complain under her breath or roll her eyes whenever she gets a math worksheet. But how should she ask for harder work? "Excuse me, but would it be okay if I did this in Base 8 instead?"

I would offer teh school the Iowa Accel. scale and in case they aren't familiar, let them know that it provides research based recommendations and looks at the child as a whole to help make an informed decision. As for your DD, I have a strong self advocator. She too, takes the teacher's feelings into play and is very cautious on how she approaches it. She has been very polite and has told the teachers that she know what they have offered her by doing X, Y, and Z, but that she feels she could "really benefit for having more challenging work." Yes, teachers have been shocked (as i often find out after the fact, that she has already spoken to the teachers, 2 years in a row now, she has privately talked to them.) She usually waits til she is bursting at the seams and really can't take it anymore before she gets to this point to ask though. Asking to early in the year can backfire as teachers do like to get to know the child. Needless to say, while self advocacy worked, we ended up with a full grade skip in the end anyhow (with the help of the IAS).

What is the school policy on acceleration? What is the school district's policy? What is your state law? Is there a gifted association in your city?

If you have all your ducks in a row, and know where DD fits in the scheme of things and how the system SHOULD help you, then you can expend your energy in a targeted manner.

My DD advocated a grade skip in math all by herself last year. She went to her guidance counselor and that started the process. While her math teacher was not crazy about the idea, she noted that DD was a hard worker, came prepared and was a solid A student, which helped. I would make sure your DD does the same and makes a good impression on the teacher. If she is "rolling her eyes" then I don't think that the teacher will be as willing to work with her.

I would suggest that if she completes classroom work ahead of everyone else, she could take it to the teacher and ask if she could work ahead or work on harder problems from the book. Her teacher should be aware that she is not challenged, but if it's done in a polite way, it should not be a problem.

Another thing DDs teacher does this year is a pre-test and a post-test. Students who pass the pre-test will be able to work at a faster pace and go "deeper" than the students who are not familiar with the material. This could be a suggestion when you do meet with the teacher/school if they are concerned about gaps. DD also took the end of the year test before being skipped to the next math class to prove she knew all the material.

HTH!

Jen