Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy done with 1st, can't move to 2nd?

Hi all,

DS6 was unable to get into a gifted magnate for next year 1st grade, because his independent study teacher (thru public school) refused to sign the gifted verification form--I will not even get into all that!!

So, because of too many issues with this teacher, I moved DS to a different school location, his new teacher has been like a breath of fresh air!!

Even though it was too late to affect Gifted Magnate placement, the new and current teacher did sign the Gifted Verification form so I could apply for SAS programs that offer clustering and differentiation, sadly same as last year, he did not win the lottery for placement.

His current teacher has also let me know that she is referring DS to be tested for Giftedness, as she believes he is and may need to be placed in a higher grade next year. I have been told though that it is too late to test this year, and he will have to wait until next fall for testing… ok, but that is well after school will have already started (in Aug).

In meantime- she has been giving DS all of the “end of the year 1st grade” tests, and he has scored 100% on all of them!!
It has been awesome.

Ironically,
Because of his AGE he must do 1st grade again!!! Even though he has completed the entire 1st grade curriculum that the district follows/uses etc, and has scored Perfect Test Scores showing he does indeed know the 1st grade curric, he cannot be advanced to 2nd grade!!! He misses the age cut-off by 12 days!

How does that even make any sense???
Make him repeat 1st grade with 100% subject test scores?

The teacher suggested she would just have him do the older 1st grade curriculum that they no longer use in the district! I was like “whaaaaa” with my mouth gaping open! Umm. No. Way! I told her he is not continuing to do 1st grade anything. I was dumbfounded that she would even suggest it after stating the whole giftedness thingy…

Just to spice it up, he did get accepted into a highly sought after Science Magnate, but he got accepted into 1st grade, and even if they could just bump up to 2nd, they have no room in the 2nd grade! So that is not happening.

*I believe I am resigned to “home school” again thru the districts independent study program, on the bright side, this way he can continue his ST thru the district, with the most amazing SLP ever. It also helps that DS would like to continue learning at home, it really does open the day up for all sorts of activities & opportunities-both learning & social, that he wouldn’t otherwise have…

One final thought, today @ my fave local restaurant, sitting across was a couple, one thing led to another- turns out he started off as a teacher, then worked 12 years in administration before moving downtown to district headquarters, GET THIS- he is in midst of trying to change the way the district teaches kids!! He wants every child to have access to an IPAD! He wants each child to be able to learn at their OWN PACE and in their own way! He said he is following the model of Sugata Mitra's Cloud in the Sky model!
I listened in awe to what he said, then wished him best of luck, thinking to myself he has a huge uphill battle! (((which he did acknowledge, stating he had another 5years before he was out- but would pass the torch on.... Here's Hoping!!