Have you check the state and local statutes as well as Rules & Regulations regarding acceleration and early entrance? Is your DD's early birthday within the exceptions provided? For instance, in our state, when the statutes gradually changed the birthday cut-off from December to September, it provided a small window of 15 to 30 days (don't remember exactly) for early entrance. Basically, the laws otherwise prohibited early entrance to a public school but did not specifically prohibit acceleration once the student completed first grade (I think) or so. Parents have been known to send their kids to private school for a couple of years and then try to transfer to public, assuming they could find a private that will allow early entrance.
Anyway, whether I would give up depends partly on whether the public board is following the law.
We are in Canada so the law is a bit different and doesn't provide for early entrance. While the Act is silent on acceleration, it really is up to the discretion of the school board and/or principal. It is just not "common practice" I have been told and they just refuse to consider the issue altogether.
As to whether they are following the law, I take issue with the fact that the board is refusing to identify giftedness until eight years of age. Under our laws, giftedness definition has no age stipulation and in fact there are other school boards that have recognized and identified gifted kids in the primary grades. So I could try to challenge that, if I have stamina...
