Kriston,
Their response to the question of what to do with high ability kids before 3rd grade was two-fold:
1. Most kids "catch up" by 3rd grade. Since we live in an upper middle class district with lots of SAHMs and enriched preschool experiences, it is not uncommon for kids to come into kindergarten way ahead of the norm. This is why they say they don't test for gifted programs until 3rd grade. For kids who are already reading in K, they are pulled out for 20 minutes PER WEEK with the GT. *sigh*
2. Differentiation for high ability levels takes place in the classroom. However, when I observed a K classroom, I noticed that there were 4 stations during the reading period: one with the teacher, one with a parent volunteer, one at the computers, and one at a table where kids were coloring pictures. The parent was doing some canned "put the animal picture in the right Letter Sack" activity, and the teacher was doing sight words. Then the kids all rotated, so it looked to me like everyone got the same thing anyway.
The upside of this school is its reputation as being one of the best in the state - so I'm thinking maybe I'm just off-base or expecting too much??
I work in the nearby urban district, which actually does more for the gifted kids but has a generally lower-ability population in reg. ed. We could apply for a special transfer here, but it would be a lot tougher logistically.
I don't know, maybe I am making too much of this - I teach middle school science, so I have no real basis for which to compare my daughter - and I keep thinking she can't be THAT much higher than other kids her age. Maybe we'll just try the local school and see how it goes. I don't think they would accelerate her at this point because she is only just starting to read and she has a late spring birthday....so I'm not sure acceleration would be the right choice anyway. Arg - decisions!
