Originally Posted by PurpleHeather
I do NOT want DS to skip K as I do not believe his language skills would support it. I just took the schools mention of skips as a sign that they would be flexible. I am concerned about DS only having about 8 skills in the K curriculum left to master. I do want the school to do something in the area of math & science.

I guess that begs the question, what do you hope the school does for math and science? In-class acceleration/differentiation? Going to a higher class for math and science? How do you envision the "best" your school could do for your ds?

I think being specific is important. And with my experience with the local public school, I wish I'd started *earlier* and started asking specifics earlier so that I knew what I wanted and what sort of attitude I'd be seeing. Well done, PH, for starting the process early!

If they're not willing to start at least suggesting concrete plans now, they aren't going to suddenly jump into action come September. The testing process can take a loong time. I'd start asking for dates and specifics now -- not just "Our teachers are great!" They may be, but that's not a guarantee that it'll work for your child. Go observe a class or two, if you can. Are there other gifted parents you can talk to?

If you think ahead of time that your child might end up with behavior issues from lack of engagement, I'd be looking very hard at the options. My ds6 really had a hard time dealing with kindergarten -- and in the end, we couldn't wait for the school administration to come around.

(I'm going to pm you our own personal "horror story" -- just to illustrate what *can* happen if you aren't specific and start too late!)

Think about exactly what you'd like to see, and see how close they will offer *now.* If it's not good enough in your opinion, I'd look at other options.

Last edited by Mia; 04/29/09 02:40 PM.

Mia