Good afternoon! My son is starting 6th grade in the fall. We live in a small town consisting of two schools k-3 and 4-8. Up to the 6th grade there wasn't any opportunities for G&T or placement options. Starting with the 6th grade there is a special math class that substitutes regular math for which admission is based on the Cognitive Abilities Test. My son excels in math - always scored in top 97-99% on all aptitude tests. Has been invited to be part of CTY and tested at 91% math for 6th grade while in 4th. However, he historically does not test well on cognitive abilities and with those scores they place him in the "average" pile. I tried contacting school to see if he can be tested for admission into this special math class from which I believe he will benefit tremendously. (last year he was bored out of his mind in regular math and we supplemented heavily with Khan Academy). I got the answer that based on their policy he does not qualify for this class. When I looked on our state's DOE page - the guildelines for identification g&t students demand multiple measurements including cognitive testing and especially subject testing for particular class. Is there a way for me to successfully advocate for my child? I am very frustrated with the current policy, however, I am scared to make the wrong move as I have no experience with school communication, advocacy.

Welcome!

Sometimes it helps if the previous year's teacher is able to add a recommendation for advanced math, based on his performance in 5th grade. Have you received any feedback from that teacher that would be helpful or relevant?

In terms of placement policy, most state guidelines allow local districts to make their own; they are not necessarily binding on local districts. This may or may not be the case in your state.

Whether this class would be appropriate for your son (aside from school policy) depends a bit on the nature of its "special"ness. Perhaps it would help in advocacy if you were able to demonstrate that his skills match the prerequisite math skills for the class, and that his educational needs match the offerings. It may be that some of the data you have from CTY, past aptitude testing, and lists of specific skills mastered in Khan Academy may be useful for this.

In general, school communication and advocacy is most effective if one is able to keep discussions at an objective, task-oriented level, focused on the needs of the child, possible solutions/available resources, and the best match between them, and leaving personalities and emotions out of it.