As a follow up to my initial thread we moved forward with assessment testing and have received preliminary results with a full write up due in the next couple weeks. I can�t thank those on this board enough who were encouraging and supportive in our decision to test.
The meeting with the tester was truly eye-opening and helped confirm our �gut feelings� and address some fine motor issues we were unaware of � see PSI. DD has an odd pencil grip and she works very hard and methodically to form her letters. Her hand tires easily and during the test, she spent a lot of time double checking her written work and shaking out her hand.
This brings us to the next chapter in the journey of what might represent the best educational fit for DD. Our tester feels the best fit for her would be a private school for the gifted however, the cost might be prohibitive. We�re open to taking a look but we also want to get a better understanding of what our current private school might be able to provide.
With that said, there isn�t a gifted program at our school but the administration is willing to meet and discuss potential options for classroom differentiation. From what I understand, this instruction would be led within the classroom by the teacher and hopefully will include a small group of students who have similar needs. There will be a coordinator who works with the teachers, but I�m unaware that she has formal training in gifted ed. The other programs that are currently provided are creative thinking/problem solving in math, writing and reading.
I could really use help in two areas:
1. With DD8 having an ability at a much higher grade level (WIAT results), during our meeting with our school administration what should we focus on in terms of potential acceleration, differentiation, grade skip etc. (We are clueless!!)
2. Dependent upon the educational component being met, will staying within our school setting provide the intellectual peer relationships necessary for DD to develop better social skills or would a gifted school possibly provide a more suitable environment ? What do we need to consider in this area?
My initial post lists out our concerns about her underachievement and potential social issues � it�s what led us to testing in the first place and might be a good read for those who would like to comment or provide any input!
Thanks again!!! This forum has been a HUGE support - we are new to this and appreciate any suggestions!
