Hi Grinity
It seems like my previous post in reply to you evaporated into cyberspace. Anyway thank you very much for such a considered response to my concerns.
You are right this is not really a gifted issue. I wrote on this forum because 1. It was IQ and performance testing which I thought someone might be able to help me with. 2. because I contacted the psychologist about the descrepencies and she said there was no reason to calculate and GAI but you seem to think there might be? 3. I was told at my DD's pervious school, which has the most distinguished G/T programe in the State, that they had indentified her as possibly gifted or accelerated leraner. I moved her from this school 'cause I wasn't happy with many things there and sent her to our local State Primary school which is much smaller and nicer.
I never had her tested for G/T though the teacher and principal where quite insistant that I should. It was only this year (year 3) that it occured to me to have it done due to her fall in marks. Her marks had always been above average. Not brillant but I was happy enough with them and her progress as were the teachers. In fact she was moved into a special class in grade 2 that was a 2/3 composite with 5 other grade 2's because the principal phoned me and said that she was doing well academically and with behaviour. It seemed that she was doing a lot of grade 3 work.
Fast forward to grade 3 and her report card for maths and English wasn't so good. A D for maths and a C for English - though she does well in the Arts. She loves drawing and dance. I met with the teacher a number of times asking for special Ed. The teacher seemed to be insulted by my request. I went and saw the speical Ed. teacher on my own and after much begging and pleading managed to get DD 1/2 hr a week along with 3 other kids from her class. That's all they could do for her. During my meeting with Special Ed. the teacher came up unexpectedly and seemed very cross. Rather than discussing my daughters needs she went on about how DD was playing up in class. I was shocked as all her previous teachers had given her A's for behaviour. I asked what she had done and they seemed like very trivial transgressions to me. She had talked to her friend in class a couple of times and had failed to carry out an instruction! Even though I felt this was nit-picking I asked the teacher what could be done to improve her behaviour and she said nothing. She said she perfered a student who is overtly out of line to my DD who she saw as being quietly resistant...
After all of this I didn't know what to do. I didn't feel the teacher was right and also I was concerned that she wasn't addressing my daughters real issue which was a fall in marks. Thus I took her for testing. I don't think she has inattentive ADD but I could be wrong. She has always had an amazing capacity to focus. When she was 2 1/2 she went to a 2 hour adult ballet and sat there mezmorised the entire time without a peep out of her. The psychologist did mention that she did show very mild signs of Aspergers. I think she may have said this as I told her that DD had spent the previous night drawing for 7 hours straight. While 7 hours is out of the ordinary she does frequently get consumed by her projects and passions for hours on end as is extremly creative. She also loves writing stories but perfers writing her own to reading though she is about a year ahead her age in reading. She also does seem to take some things a bit to literally.
I have looked at your links and they are very informative. I have had a meeting with the teacher and principal and while they seemed to dismiss the report from the psychologist the teacher does seem to have made a real effort to treat my DD better. There hasn't been any more mention of behaviour problems which I don't think existed in the first place . I just wanted to teacher to see that DD was clearly on the bright side and, as the psycologist states, should really be doing well in all areas of the curriculum. I think I'm a bit worn out from fighting this battle now and perhaps I've done all I can do without alienating the teacher who is highly regarded in the school. I hope DD will find ways to compensate and that I can help her were possible.
Again I'd like to thank you for your support. I was also wondering if you were able to calculate her GAI or is that not relevant unless the child is gifted?
