Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment HELP! WPPSI-IV & KTEA-3

Thanks indigo -- unfortunately I have already gotten the impression from the school that they would like this meeting to be one and done -- I am sure they will explain all of those things, but they will also expect me to sign off before I leave the room. In PA it is required that all testing is completed before the meeting. I also know that we are in uncharted territory because the schools "official" program doesn't starte until the second grade and they have already confirmed that there are no other children her age her age currently in the program. I agree that there are benefits to the pull-out program, just that it can't be all they offer.

Going back to some of your comments about skipping - I really wouldn't worry about ensuring that there aren't any gaps or that she's covered *everything* in grade 1 before skipping the grade. Assuming your curriculum is somewhat similar to what we have there is so much spiraling and review that I would expect a gifted kid to easily catch up and fill anything in if you're talking about an early elementary skip. If your kindergarten program is extremely play based then it might be preferable to skip grade 2 instead of grade 1 so she has a year of desk work style education under her belt first but honestly, for most stereotypical girls that could probably be handled easily as well.

You have lots of great advice above. I would emphasize going through the district website thoroughly and understanding what they do and don't offer. When we started this process it became obvious pretty quickly that a well-informed parent often knew more about their policy and programs than the average administrator.

I'd also emphasize documenting EVERYTHING that they say/promise. We had administrators outright lie to us but I don't have the paper trail to call them on it.

In the end, for children in the regular classroom it really comes down to the teacher. Some teachers will do nothing, others will do amazing things. The best piece of advocacy work that I ever managed was to request a teacher in the spring that was at least willing to deal with a gifted kid the next year.

If there is any chance of having peers that can also make a huge difference. Many schools want to spread the gifted kids out. Advocating for my DS to be in the same class as the other known gifted kid at least meant that there were two kids to differentiate for and we were able to advocate along with the other parents instead of being on our own. Of course, the downside is that they sometimes advocated for things that I couldn't have cared less about, but at least we were harder to ignore as a group. Having another gifted kid in the class at least made DS stand out a little less. With DD this wasn't as much of an issue - she's much better at blending in when she wants to so YMMV.

Is she happy in K, or is she bored and frustrated? If she's happy enough, one way to ensure that you don't have any gaps would be to have her continue with K this year, and then start 2nd grade next year. You could then request materials from the school and use the summer as a chance to cover the missed material. She would also then benefit from the beginning-of-the year review period in second grade.

If you choose that route, could they confirm at the meeting that she would be eligible for the "official program" next year for second grade?

chay - thanks for the input. I have tried my hardest to dig through the district site, but this district is very reluctant to put ANYTHING in writing - so I have seen some mention of policies, but they are always pretty vague and accompanied by the contact info to speak to someone else. I think if I am looking at a grade skip I am going to have a heck of a battle on my hands -- she is in half day Kindergarten at the moment so in a dream world I'd like to see them let her try 1st grade in the AM and send her back to K in the afternoons like usual. Hopefully that would let everyone get used to the idea before a big skip. (Plus this is the only year something like that would work!) It would let her keep the comfort of her K class while branching out into some harder 1st grade stuff and give her a chance to meet the kids and get comfortable with the age difference before moving up to 2nd with them. 2nd grade is where the gifted pull out traditionally starts anyway -- so she would have some second grade peers next year whereas in 1st grade she would be the only student.

Sometimes no policy can also be in your favor when it comes to skipping. When they say that it can't be done ask them to show you the policy that states that it can't

Please deal only in facts. An "impression" is an interpretation and/or an opinion.

Facts would be: WHO said WHAT, WHEN/WHERE?
Example: Written invitation dated Jan xx, 2017 said "... to finalize child's plan for academic year 2017-2018 during meeting scheduled Feb xx 2017, 9:00 a.m. - 9:20 a.m.)
Reference - School policy XXX.yyy, State statute xyz.12"

Research:
- Is there a State law which states the plan needs to be accomplished in one meeting?
- Is there a School policy which states the plan needs to be accomplished in one meeting?

It is more likely that your child's needs will be identified well (mutual agreement between parents and school as to what the needs are) and will be well-served if you take this slowly, seek facts, create dated documentation. For example: laws change, policies change, websites change... your created/collected/organized documentation at home will not change.

Thank you indigo -- looks like I am going to have to start making a research binder

Amen! chay lol

The school psychologist wants to call to discuss things today (I guess I sent one too many emails lol) I'll let you all know how it goes (fingers crossed!!!)

Correct. What is documented in school policy would tend to apply to ALL students. You may be looking at creating a never-before or rarely-implemented educational plan for your child.

As shared upthread, YOU create the documentation for your child's educational journey by taking notes from each meeting, letter, phonecall, website visit, etc. As suggested in the advocacy tipsheet, link under "Meetings":
- After the meeting, write a summary (points of agreement, etc) and share it, possibly by e-mail

Only if you do not follow the effective advocacy approach, but rather make demands.

In general, a one-time visit to a classroom to "shadow" for a day (or half-day) may be the norm.

In general, schools receive monies based upon the count of pupils... the amount may vary by grade level... and in kindergarten may vary by FT attendance or half-day attendance.

In general, classes tend to run at full capacity, and there may be mandated student-to-teacher ratios which cannot be exceeded... these may vary by age of student.

Therefore placing a part-time kindergarten student into a full-time schedule may tend to run into several obstacles... including the aforementioned budgeting constraints and the student-teacher ratio.

Not to say that a move from K to 1st grade has never been done midyear, but one may be wise to listen well to how things work at their local school, learn the obstacles which may be encountered, and help trouble-shoot or problem solve alongside the school, to help create opportunity for your child. For example: All of the 1st grade classrooms may be filled to capacity but one... which may be mutually agreed to be a poor fit for your child. A school may have a student in mind who may be interested in transferring into this classroom, leaving a possible spot for your child, in another classroom which may be mutually agreed to be a better potential "fit". This would take some time as the school may contact the parents of that child, explain the opportunity for their child, allow two weeks for them to consider transferring back or finalize the placement. After two weeks, if all goes well for that family's transition, your child may be offered the opportunity to visit/shadow for a day, in the newly opened classroom spot. The school may need to work with several classrooms/grade levels to schedule an aide to be present in the 1st grade classroom when your child is present (the student-teacher ratio of younger students is generally different than that for older students). Choosing the day on which to introduce the child can take a bit of effort, when considering elements such as:
- having a test that day?
- completing a project begun on another day?
- beginning a project that day, which she will not have an opportunity to finish on a subsequent day?

Please be very flexible in your thinking... ask questions... listen... take notes... develop documentation...

This is the most comprehensive doc from the school district I have found:
http://cbsd.org/Page/666

click on gifted services

My take on this... You may want to print the 17-page document (last updated 2013), in case any future updates are made which may eliminate options you may be seeking. The 17-page document has graphics which cover the options being discussed (such as acceleration, differentiation) and the document lacks specifics. Therefore one may wish to use the document as a conversation starter, and ask questions as to how these things typically work in the school. After hearing the school team's answer(s), you may want to float some ideas... possibilities... questions. For example, if interested in full-grade acceleration (grade-skip) you might ask about:
- having your child visit/shadow in the 1st grade classroom...
- having your child placed in the 1st grade classroom 1/2 days...
- having your child take end-of-term tests...
- whether the school is familiar with the Iowa Acceleration Scale (IAS)

Take notes.

The two books listed on page 17 of the document you referenced could most likely be checked out from a local public library, or through inter-library loan, if you'd like to research what they offer for "Teacher Training".

Also look for your school's policies, which often reflect State laws. Schools may look to their policies to ensure they are in compliance with State education laws.