Jool,
There are also PA Gifted advocates who the schools tend to listen to above what they would pay attention to a parent. Unfortunately, the schools tend to feel that parents advocating are just pushy parents. A lot of times they will not take you seriously for quite a while. To me, the Gifted advocate was a godsend because he will be in the meetings (on speakerphone) and will talk about how other schools and districts handled similar cases. He sounds very professional and the schools pay attention to him. He also spends some time coaching me prior to the meetings, so I go in less nervous.
