My DS6 has been homeschooled this year for kindergarten because we just could not find a school in the area that seemed to be able to meet all of our little guys needs. A few weeks ago DS6 asked about possibly trying school again. I tried really hard not to suck my breath in when he asked. We live in an area where we don't have a lot of options, the one day a week/3 hour gifted program the county offered this past year is up in the air due to massive budget cuts in Florida.
We finally got private testing done this past month and little guy was found to be Highly Gifted and several grade levels ahead - the psych recommendation was a full time gifted school or program along with acceleration to his proper level.
Since he brought up the interest in school again we have tried looking at every possible situation available to us...we just don't have that many options...one place is a private "academy" starting up this year with individualized curriculum - he would be allowed to move at his pace in both reading and math and there would be only 10-12 kids in the entire school and the kids are done with the school day at 1:00 but it is almost $8,000.00 a year - OUCH - we would be in serious trouble if we had to try to come up with that money...not impossible but would cause quite a budget crisis. The other option is the public school he has been going to for Speech and OT "drive in" services for the past two years, so he is familiar with the speech/OT teachers there. I spoke with the new psychologist there today voicing my concerns about how they could meet his needs. She informed me that even though I have all of this private testing showing that he more than meets their requirments for the gifted program or acceleration up to another grade level for math/reading(that may or may not exsist next year), they would need for him to complete 9 weeks of school to allow his teacher to get a chance to see his "giftedness". She informed me that even though we have test results- the teacher needs to be able to see his level of giftedness in order to be recommended for the gifted program or any kind of accomodations for acceleration to his correct level...she said that testing is wonderful and everything but it can sometimes be incorrect when it comes to placing children for the gifted program or acceleration....WHAT??? How can you "fake" an IQ and achievement test??? What if he doesn't feel comfortable with this teacher, what if he is completely overwhelmed sensory wise due to his SPD and he sits like a bump on a log for 9 weeks or has melt downs because his sensory needs and intellectual needs aren't being met - then the teacher sees this kid who is miserable, not performing and he is not recommended for any kind of accomodations or acceleration! Despite the fact that I am a certified teacher and had taught for over 15 years in our state they are not going to take my assessments from this year of homeschooling(that happen to be the same assessments ANY other k child would have had in the county since I was a K teacher in our county all that time and have all the same materials and resources)...I was just frustrated and mad to hear that they would make him sit in a first grade classroom for 9 weeks and make him do work he has mastered a long time ago despite the fact that we have professional testing showing IQ and Achievement scores along with all the assessments I did all this year and all the work he did. Makes no sense to me at all....so I have NO clue where to proceed from here...take the change on a school that costs a fortune and doesn't even have a formal building yet because the owner is still looking for the perfect real estate site but they assured me they will be all set and ready in August for the start of school or throw my little guy to the wolves in public school and hope that the teacher he gets understands him and sees him for the amazing kid he is! Thanks for letting me just vent!
