I checked with the state, and if I request testing before 3rd grade, the school has to comply. However, even if she qualifies, there is no law about how much time they need to give her - could be 20 minutes one day per week and they would be in compliance.
I've been reading a lot about how gifted kids handle school in mixed ability classrooms, and I'm interested in the differences between GT boys and girls. It seems as though boys act out more often, complain of boredom, etc., while girls are often teacher-pleasers who do their work without complaint. A friend of mine (whose DD turns out to be PG) sat in K half the school year until her mother asked the teacher if he was aware that her daughter was reading Harry Potter. The teacher didn't even know she could read! Seems the kid was simply sitting quietly in the class, completing her worksheets, and getting along fine. Needless to say, the mom requested testing and eventually moved DD to a self-contained gifted program for HG and PG kids.
My kid is not that high, but knowing her, I think she will do much the same thing in a regular classroom - sit quietly and do what the teacher asks her to do without complaint (but never really being challenged). This is what's happening already with preschool - they are doing the "letter of the week" thing, which she's known for 2 years - but she's not complaining about it at all. In fact, despite the fact that she gets virtually no intellectual stimulation at preschool (at least none that I can see), she loves recess and looks forward to "popcorn and movie" day once a week. Then she comes home and makes up for it with incessant questions about Venus Flytraps and existential ideas about life being a dream instead of reality. Sure wish she could get some of that at preschool!
Anyone else notice this kind of acceptance/compliance in their DD? I'm worried this will be a trend throughout her school years, then when she hits a challenge in an AP high school course, she won't know how to handle it....
