Thanks for all the great respones! I'll try to answer everything in one big comment...
mon - I am fairly certain we can go through the process again next year. I've not found anything on their website that says its a one and done type thing. There is a parent-override process, but as you've mentioned I'm not 100% it's a good idea to push. He's made some amazing progress this last year, but he definitely still has some serious social deficits and some pragmatic language issues. The 504/IEP process seems to be going nowhere. I'm planning on trying to set up a meeting with the Principal, the special services coordinator lady (no idea what her title is) and his teachers.
polar - Yes, he's got some rather large score discrepancies going on! His ability to communicate feelings/thoughts is still very much behind the rest of his cognitive abilities, though it does seem to be getting better (from a day-to-day standpoint.)
DeeDee - I agree, their scoring system is a little bizarre... though I do appreciate the parents input can override that silly Renzulli-Hartman scale. The school in general seems very big on "leadership" so I can understand why they like that though. I feel like my son would respond like yours, in that an even better academic situation (this year is miles better than last year) would improve his behavior and mood even more. I can see, plain as day, how much the current change has impacted him. My primary concern is that the differentiation his teachers currently do is very off the record and seems to be a bit hap-hazard - even still it's working well! I just want it formalized and written down and tracked! Same with his behavior stuff!
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I've emailed the coordinator and asked for his full set of scores for my record (she previously had said she could provide that, so it shouldn't be an issue.) I also expressed my concern that his scores were so much lower than anticipated, given his previous tests. I then asked if it were possible to discuss formalizing his differentiation even without the g&t program (as we can always re-apply for that next year.)
I'm kind of leery of pushing the g&t entry thing at the moment, since things have been going fairly well this year... but at the same time I still think it's extremely important that he get challenging school work and the sooner the better! He needs to be getting much more challenging vocabulary work, have a faster pace in math and science and have some real work regarding reading comprehension that's actually at his level.
In the midst of all this angst of mine, we are working on putting our house on the market and moving! We will very likely change his school again, but we aren't decided on that yet... first we need to find a house, and see how the schools are there. I really like the grade 4 curriculum at this charter school (foreign language instruction beings! there's a robotics club he can join!) but if they keep dragging their feet on a 504 or IEP the extra work might end up being a disaster without the supports that he's going to need.
ETA: I do have a full report from his neuropsych, complete with accommodation recommendations for him. First I've gotta drag these damn people into an ARD meeting though!! RTI is great and all, but that's hardly going to help him if he freaks out during STARS testing this spring!
Last edited by epoh; 01/08/13 07:30 AM.
