Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Elementary School What should I do?

I think you need to keep the lines of communication more open than you have been. When your daughter finished the month's homework in one night did you talk to the teacher about it?

But, I think you're fighting an uphill battle without testing to figure out exactly where she is, what she knows and what she needs to learn. I would go to the meeting and ask for above grade level or achievement testing. Without it they're probably trying to give her 1st grade work, which is just as inappropriate as the stuff they're doing in class.

In advance of the meeting I'd practice some effective communication techniques, too. Things like active listening and ways to make sure they know you hear and value their concerns, and practice presenting your own thoughts in short, clear paragraphs. Don't get dragged down by anecdotes or extra background information that's not needed to understand what you're trying to say.

In the meantime, I'd purchase a homeschool math curriculum and start working with her formally.

Haha...I am sure I do come across as a rambler by my posts. I actually am very good at getting to the point when I talk to people one on one, but I tend to write everything that comes to mind. It is actually one way I prepare myself for meetings at work. I have not communicated much with her teacher since the second semester started. At the end of last semester I stepped in a couple times to let her teacher know what was going on with her and once to let her know that I would be out of town for a week to prepare her for any craziness that came from her daddy dropping her off. He can be a bit consumed in his own thoughts and tends to forget time or how to match clothing. Both of those last times I talked with her I caught her making faces at the teacher across the hall. I could tell she was annoyed. I have never wanted to be that person and I always keep our conversations down to 2-3 minutes because I know morning time is busy. If something requires more than a couple sentence explanation I will write her a note. I definitely don't feel like I will get far with this whole ordeal by annoying her teacher. So, I have tried to back off long enough to give them a chance to start the assessment/testing process. I have only talked with her about the subject...or any subject maybe 4-5 times and somehow I have still annoyed her.
Yes, I agree that the test she took isn't enough. But our school system will not test a Kindergarten child for giftedness without them first passing a Kindergarten achievement test. Which I find ridiculous. A gifted Kindergarten student is just as likely, if not more likely, to blow off an achievement test than any other gifted student.
I listened to her concerns when we initially started talking about the subject. Her only concerns were my daughter's age and she was afraid that if my daughter did not do well with the assessment then she would never be put into a gifted program. Which I told her I understood where she was coming from on both points. But I also know that if I wait until 2nd grade, when they normally test every child for giftedness in our system, then she may not get help until 3rd grade...which seems a little late in the ball game.
I am not too concerned with the teacher's concerns...not in a rude way. But for one she admitted that she knows very little about gifted students. Secondly, my daughter's learning pace has not slowed but instead it seems to be increasing very rapidly. So, even if she does not do well on this early assessment I feel that by this time next year her abilities will be very hard to miss. Even if she has to wait another year to be tested again it will be obvious that she is well above her grade level and it will be easier to help her skip a grade or at least get more appropriate assignments. So far she is not getting any work in class above Kindergarten level even though this was something her teacher and I agreed we would try when we talked at the parent-teacher conference.
I rambled again. Sorry:)
What I meant to say was...
Yes, I agree that she needs to be given a higher level achievement test...if one at all. It will be easy to figure out what she does and does not know once we allow her to work on a more independent level. But I am not getting help with that because she has not been "identified" as gifted.
I have been looking at some math curriculum to use at home. Do you recommend any in particular? Something on a 2nd-3rd grade level?

I got blocked by the principal. You can have the teacher on your side, the guidance counselor, and the math coach in the school but the principal is deadlocked against any acceleration, even though she has both gifted classes and gen ed. She wants them taught the same. Luckily the teacher is excellent and her approach is gifted and she clustered. At grade 1, their curricululm is pretty good with chess and Spanish but Dd has to do her CTY math at home. Another school nearby encourages the parents to join CTY and the kids can log on during class time. Just a difference in principals. Though I like DD's curriculum at her current school.

Ren

I don't think I have been rude about it. I never said anything that implied that her teacher wasn't doing an excellent job. I let her know at the parent teacher conference how much I appreciate her and that I know how hard it is to give individual attention in a class of 20 kids. I have worked in ECE before so I honestly mean it when I say it is hard work. I told her that my daughter thinks her teacher is the nicest woman in the universe...which were her exact words. I have let her know how much my daughter enjoys all her art projects and playing in the different centers. I let her know that if she needs anything on my part to help with the process of testing and what not to just let me know. I have provided stuff for her class when she has asked and made goodie bags for all the kids. I chaperoned on a field trip and just made small talk with her about life. She always seems fine when I don't mention anything about the gifted thing. But the minute I ask very nicely if she has heard anything about the process I can tell she is putting me off and doesn't want to hear about it. But I really haven't pushed it too hard because I could tell early on that there was some resistance. I really do think she is a great teacher. My daughter's cousin also had her for Kindergarten and I've let her teacher know all the good things that we all talk about as family. I get the feeling that she may just be having a tough year. When all the teachers bring their kids out for Kindergarten pick up they are all usually smiling a lot except for her. I know she has some very challenging children in her class this year that require a lot of attention....maybe mine is just one too many.
I think my biggest focus right now is what I should bring up at the meeting and how to stand my ground if need be. I had thought about getting outside testing done to back up what the school may or may not find. Do you think that is a good idea? I have my hopes though that I will be worrying for nothing. I am hoping that she blew them away on this initial test and will be able to move to the next level in the process and do well with that. I have let them know that if my daughter is honestly not ready for a gifted program then I am okay with that. But that my main goal is to make sure she is staying challenged and is moved to the next level when necessary so that my daughter doesn't form the bad habits I did when I was her age....which have already started to show. When she writes, draws, or does work at home it is always at a much higher quality. The work she does at school comes home looking like she didn't even try...just scribbled or rushed through it. The difference between work and home is that I have learned her patterns and know when to move her own to something new...so she can do a very high level of work at home. But she will spend weeks at school on one concept and it is very clear that by the middle of that time she starts to not care anymore. As a parent I still encourage her to do her best on all assignments whether they are too easy or not, but it does make me feel like I am letting her down.
Do you think bringing a portfolio of her work from home would be a good thing for the meeting with the gifted teacher or would that be over doing it?

I do think you need to move up the chain now if the teacher's not helping. The gifted teacher may not be the right person, if they are pushing back about ID-ing. I first went to the class teacher, then the kindergarten gifted teacher. The gifted teacher told me she's not the right person because she just does a one hour pullout once a week, and it is very purposefully not a curriculum or accelerated. It's simply problem solving/comprehension type of exercises to enrich the classroom curriculum.

I was looking for differentiation within the class for worksheet type of work, and someone to teach or design a curriculum that I would teach and have it tied into what the class was doing.

In our school it was the principal I needed to talk to, and she organised everyone for testing and for differentiation. She had the authority to ask the math specialist (who technically is supposed to work with students who are behind) to do the testing, and she is now getting a lesson once a week with the math specialist and her teacher will be given classroom materials. There's also a way for us all to communicate, including work she does at home. I don't know yet how accelerative it will be, hopefully the teacher will be responsive to the pace my DD works at.

I would read up on the different options, like class acceleration, whole grade acceleration, enrichment, differentiation, etc.

Sorry if I get some details wrong or have missed things, I am trying to help, but it's really really hard for me to read the walls of text. Would you mind putting some paragraph breaks in, maybe?

Many people believe that gifted students are always "good students". If the Kindergarten teacher is one of those people, this could be part of her resistance. Your daughter has already disengaged, understandably. It sounds like the level of work she is being asked to do is insulting to her, and she is refusing to dignify it by doing it correctly. It seems to me like it is time to go over the teacher's head, honestly.

Do bring the portfolio - a picture is worth a thousand words
You may not get a chance to use it - but if the opportunity comes up - it can be helpful!