Hi all,
I'm new here, and am hoping to get some guidance and suggestions.
My son is in 2nd grade, and attends a gifted magnet school. His Kinder teacher recommended him for the gifted magnet, but we had never done any testing. He has never been the highest-achieving student in the class. He does very well, but is not "the top". His teacher complains that he is "silly" in class, and can be the class clown. He claims to be bored.
We (his parents) always figured he was a smart kid, but nothing out of the ordinary. We recently received OLSAT results, and he scored in the 99.9%, missing only one question. We were surprised. He is supposed to have "intellectual" testing next week, but the district has no money...so what used to be an IQ test with a psychologist is now yet another paper & pencil test (I think the NNAT) in a group setting.
At this point, I'm not even sure why we should bother with the NNAT. All it could get us is a designation of "highly gifted" as opposed to just "gifted"...and I don't care about that. Seems silly to have him sit through another "ability" test.
So here's my question...is there any reason that we should consider private IQ testing? Are there any opportunities or programs that my son could be eligible for if he tests well? He thinks like a mechanical engineer, and I have no idea how to challenge or encourage this type of thinking. Does he need more than what he is getting in public school? I don't want to do him a disservice.
This is my first stop for help. If anyone is able to refer me to places to find information, I would really appreciate it. I'm at a loss. Thank you!
