Start....at the beginning. I remember very well that completely overwhelmed feeling.
First you need to know where your son is academically. That means an IQ test and an achievement test. Some schools will willingly test a child before he enters the system, find out about yours. If not, you may have to pay for private testing.
Make an appointment with the principal to discuss your son.
"My son is scheduled to begin K in the fall and I believe that he is going to need some extra help" Principal's are generally very happy to discuss the needs of your apparently handicapped child. It sounds terrible, but that is the assumption.
When you go for your meeting, don't take your son. Principal's get bombarded constantly by parents that think their child is the smartest one ever. You need to prove that you aren't one of "those parents." Take his work. Samples of what he's doing, a list of the last 3 books he's read along with lexile scores. Math worksheets, etc. If you go on-line you can look up the standards for Kindy in your state. Print it out then go through and highlight everything your son already knows. Present that as well. Talk about his thirst for learning and your fear that if he is forced to sit through K, he will become a behavior problem. Ask him/her if they would be willing to test him prior to the start of school.
Presentation is EVERYTHING! You need to come across as a parent that is geniunely concerned not only for the well being of your child but the hell he is liable to inflict on the school if he's bored silly. Super important and something you will ALWAYS do going forward. When you leave the school, go straight home, reiterate the entire conversation on paper. Mail a copy of it to the principal along with a note thanking them for their time. You must always keep a written record! You might get everything worked out to perfection, then come August you walk in to find the school has a new principal and they know nothing.
While you are doing all of that, you need to take the time to educate yourself about how your school district and your state board of education works. Start with the chain of command. If your principal doesn't respond, who do you call next? Find out and use it! Find out the district policy on grade skips, subject acceleration etc. In most cases it is left up to the individual principal. Make the principal aware that you know the rules. Testing is generally done at the discretion of the staff regardless of whether or not they don't have a "GT" program until third grade. Most principals don't spend a lot of time learning the specifics about GT kids when it comes to state/district policy. If they are put in a position were you know more than they do, they tend to be more cooperative.
Last but not least, regardless of how you feel about making waves, you MUST be the squeaky wheel. It has been proven over and over by the parents on this forum that you don't get anywhere in the first meeting. They tend to hope that if they ignore you, you will go away. My rule is 7-10 days. If I don't get a response, I pay a visit. In person is much more effective than phone calls. A secretary can always screen calls, but she can't bar the door. Keep at it until you get some consideration. It might be baby steps at first but any movement on the part of the school is a step in the right direction.
I live in a state that has no gifted mandates at all. Most of the schools have no gifted programs at all. My son, was refused early enrollment to K simply because they'd never done it before. Since my son started, they have changed the policy. When he was allowed to enter K, it was a nightmare. They ended up creating a day for him that looked like middle school. A different class at a different grade level for every subject. Halfway through the year, he'd given up K all together and been moved to the 4th grade. He did his math on-line everyday.
It wasn't ideal but they tried, really tried to accomodate him. But it didn't happen until they realized that I wasn't going to go away. Now at 8, he goes to a prep style charter 6th-12th grade and he's thriving. Because our state has nothing for GT, acceleration is really our only option.
Last but not least, be flexible! What works today may very well suck tomorrow. One year at a time, don't look too far ahead. You'll give yourself ulcers.
There is a plethora of experience on this board, use it. Questions are not dumb, we all remember how it is so if you need anything else, just ask! Keep us posted......
