Here's the thing with the desks, though. DD is in the gifted/talented "cluster group" with 3 other kids in her grade. There are 3 classes and all the cluster group kids were put together in the same class. It's district-wide policy starting in Grade 3 at all the elem. schools. But the seating arrangement doesn't have anything to do with that. Each desk group has a mix of kids of all different levels. It is now week 6 of school and DD doesn't have any idea who else is in the cluster (although I know who they are) and she hasn't been given any differentiated work whatsoever. For reading, for instance, the teacher had all the kids read The Boxcar Children to themselves. DD whipped through the book in about 2 days at school and now has read about 8 boxcar children books and some kids are still on #1. So DD will probably read all 40 Boxcar children books (or however many there are) while she waits for other kids to get done with number 1. There aren't even any differentiated reading groups. What the heck is going on? I'm getting very frustrated. I could understand the desk situation if they were indeed leveled groups, but that is not the case.
