Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy An exciting discussion

Long and sweet beats short and sweet anyday!

'RATE' ((happy sigh))
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I LOVE the enthusiasm and open-mindedness!

An update:

We're still working on it, but it looks like we're being foiled by class size restriction laws. Here in Fl there is a size restriction of 22 in grade 6 and since the gt language arts class is considered as an honors level language arts class, rather than as an enrichment class the size limit applies.
We're still working on it though to see if there is a legal way around this though. We will have to be creative, but we'll see what we can do.
The teacher of the class is willing to allow DH to use all of her curriculum and her website and teach it to DD at home while she acts as a guide, so that may be the way to go.
More later, once it is finalized.

Kerry- check and see if it's an actual restriction or if it's a funding issue. In CA, it was a specialized funding category and if you had 20 or less, the school got extra funds. When this was the stumbling block to DS's skip, we researched and found out we were talking about less than $1,000 the school would lose by moving him up to 2nd. We offered to pay the difference and the school ran out of arguments quickly.

Not everyone has the option of paying it, but for us at the time, it was an option and far, far cheaper than private school.

Hope you get the class size thing figured out, and Yay for options!

since you are in FL can they approve the class through FVS to do at home that way?

Good job! not eveyone has the $ but not everyone would have to guts either! Anyway, $1000 vs private school? No brainer

Kerry, you might want to check closely the current interpretation of the class size restrictions. One of the things that I came across recently was that they can't double count students that might be scheduled for two classes at the same time - the specific example on the FLDOE FAQ is for students enrolled in both ESE and mainstream classes in the same session. Maybe you could get around the class size restriction by counting the sixth grade class as an ESE accomodation in her EP while she is counted for class size purpose in her regular grade LA class. Even though it's a core class for the 6th graders, it could be considered an enrichment class for your DD.

This would only work if the school has space in any other class to actually count her there, instead of in the 6th grade class.

One other option - could she 'audit' the class, for lack of a better term? She goes to the class, but is not officially registered and you treat it as a homeschool class, that she just happens to get in that classroom?

Good luck! Hope you get something figured out!

In Fl the class size restriction is actually a limit and if you go over it it costs the school about $1000 per student and gets the school red flagged at the state level. With all of the changes in laws going on right now and funding getting cut like crazy, the school is not willing to even go down that path, even if we could pay for the fine. The hassle of getting on the state's red flag list is not worth it.

Prissy,
Good idea about the double enrollment thing - I'll look into it. I get a headache sometimes trying to figure out all of the laws around here. The principal I'm working with is also having a tough time wading through it all, but we're going to keep working at it.

We are trying to find out if the audit idea is actually an option. I think it will just take a bit of time asking some questions about if it is allowed or not. The teacher is willing to do it, we're fine with that option too, so we'll see.

Well, so much for follow through.
After such a great start about how excited the school was about getting the chance to help educate DD, the person in charge of making the decision let it fall off the plate and didn't do what was needed to allow this to happen.
Somehow he went from completely understanding how this was a great idea and he was completely behind it to having issues with the "mature subjects" that DD would be exposed to in conversation with 6th graders! Ultimately he decided that she was too young to be put into 6th grade classes! We are so disappointed and frustrated.
I could go on and on, but I won't - suffice it to say that all of our prepping of DD to be going into 6th grade and going to a new school and her actually doing the summer work for the classes she was going to have was a waste.
DH will now be doing full-time home schooling. He's a bit nervous about it, and not sure how it will all work out with a 3 yr old hanging around too, but I'm sure it will all work out.
The language arts teacher has said she will work with DH on her curriculum, so at least that part will still be working.