Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy How can i show that DD is more capable?

Hi,
So DD is in grade 2 and in top groups for all ability groups within the g/t class . She generally does as she's told, well behaved and completes work but will not do anything more than expected. We have a meeting with the teacher, counsellor and gt coordinator and will be pushing for a grade skip or at least subject acceleration, as she is definately underachieving and is now refusing school. Our school is a little anti-acceleration as there are so many bright kids, it feels as if they let one person move others will want there kids to move too... But it should be based on need rather than iq right? I wouldn't be asking if DD was fine and happy.
We've let it go on for the last few years thinking it'll get better or she has to learn to cope with things that are a bit slower and we all have things we don't like to do...

My problem is, that the teacher doesn't see her as beyond the curriculum and often throws 'there are other kids brighter than DD' in my face. (And i don't doubt that, I am sure there are other children with a higher number...) The teacher doesn't see her struggle with anything pointing to the possibilty of something else at play. So how do I 'prove' DD is capable of more? Do i straight out ask for achievement testing? They already have her iq results(m-hg). And how do I approach acceleration without seeming like a pushy parent? How can i back up our case that this is a good option? Are there any other strategies we could look into? I feel we NEED some change now, as school is obviously not working for DD. If nothing comes of this meeting, our next step would be to homeschool. We are pretty desperate for something to change now.

I'm sure someone else with more experience will chime in soon, but I have seen the Iowa Accelaration Scale mentioned frequently and wondered if you or your school has access to it? It just seems like it might be a good way to present/evaluate a grade skip in a more objective way.

Just wondering, what is it that you see in your DD that lets you know school isn't working? Does she do stuff at home that you could use to make a portfolio?

I think the reality is likely that there are many bright kids at your school and that if one child is moved, other parents will use that as a point in advocating to move their children up - so from that perspective, I understand the school's point of view. OTOH - I think that you can use that to bolster your advocacy for more challenge - because if there are other bright kids who are also having the same issue your dd is, then the school can't argue that "we can't make an exception for just one child". It could all turn into a circular conversation - who knows if you'd end up with the grade skip or with differentiated ability grouping at a new level where your dd is at - but in either case, it's the kind of discussion where if the school says they can't because of numbers... you can argue that having the numbers allows them too... then in return if they counter that your dd is still outside "the numbers" that supports your advocacy for a grade skip or other individualized solution for your dd specifically.

Re what else can you do to show your dd is more capable - we were stuck during much of elementary school without meaningful differentiation or acceleration - but while we were in that "stuck" zone we had our ds work on things he was passionate about and strong in at home, and we kept records showing what he did at home that could be used to advocate later on - and we successfully advocated for an appropriate grade skip in math when he entered middle school. I'm not suggesting you wait until middle school - you definitely should be advocating now and if anything I wish I could go back in time and be a stronger advocate for my ds - but - keeping a record of the work she does at home, and perhaps purposefully having her do some work that you can have to put into a portfolio showcasing her abilities can be very helpful. Also having a good set of data from ability and achievement tests in your back pocket to bring up when advocating. Granted, the school should know what her results are, but it has been helpful to us to have actual copies on hand when we are at school meetings. Just in case the school forgets

Best wishes,

polarbear

Perhaps rather than up front demanding the grade skip, you could argue that the current curriculum is not working for her and request some out of grade level testing? Or you could do the testing on your own, Northwestern's Talent Search will take 3rd graders for the Explore, but maybe you don't want to wait that long. Or do they use MAP testing? If so, then they should already have that information.

Anyways, focus on the fact that the current situation is not working and demand changes based on these out of grade level assessments. At minimum, subject accelerations should be provided.

And if there are others that are "brighter" than her, than they must be having similar problems too. In which case, they should advance the curriculum for all, right? I see where they are coming from, but if they have many kids in their program who could legitimately request grade skips, then they probably need to step up the instructional level, right?

Another thought is this: perhaps the difference between her and these "brighter" kids is that maybe she thinks differently and they think more traditionally? If that is the case, then she has different needs and these needs should be met regardless of how well it is working for the others.