Yes-- charter lottery as option one, and virtual charter as backup plan. Make sure that you understand the time-line associated with each one, and be on the phone on top of those deadlines-- friendly, but pushing for as much info as you can realistically get.
So if the lottery won't draw until June, ask on June 1... and if they tell you "next week" then ask-- "Yes, but just so that we know how seriously we should be pursuing our backup plan-- how many other applications are there? For how many openings?"
If your odds are below 10-20%, I'd put the backup plan into action at that point.
The last thing you want is to get stuck with not your second choice but your third or fourth one, just because you were HOPING for your most-preferred long-shot. KWIM?
The timeline for the virtual charter that we're with is such that you WILL want to be in touch with them before June 10-- and local phone calls will give you the best set of inputs there in terms of placement.
Ask specifically for 'gifted specialist' and if you have achievement testing of any kind (but especially out-of-level achievement testing), OFFER it as evidence for a "placement evaluation" with them.
You'll need to get that sorted prior to summer break if he enrolls with them in the fall, particularly if he needs subject acceleration (and it sounds as though he may).
The writing. Hmmm... well, there
are ways to accommodate that asynchrony within that virtual charter. If you wind up enrolling him, I'm happy to be your asynchrony buddy.
Personally, given what you've said, I'd be pushing for a 3rd grade enrollment in the fall for him (that's a grade skip, effectively), and don't worry about the higher reading level for now-- because he should be able to enroll in GT science, math, and literature (as an elective which would start in October).
Those literature electives are
awesome for gifted kiddos. Reading selections are about +2-3 of grade level, and the assignments are creative and open-ended.
