Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments GIEP too vague?

So the gifted coordinator randomly called me today to ask if I had any questions......
I told her I would like a copy of the rubrics that are mentioned so that I can better gauge the specificity of the document.
She said she'd be more than happy to send over a few "examples".
She then went on to explain that they have a million rubrics that all teachers have access to and that these are used for big projects, small projects, over arching goals etc...
She essentially explained that the GIEP is vague because the kids are hard to quanify and the GIEP would be difficult to pin down, whereas use of these rubrics will allow them to just move on to the next level.
She said this is a great district, they exceed the demands of the state, and they run a really great program.
I am both relieved and worried. I do truly believe her -- I think the program is much better than any other district - it was a big reason we moved here. I'm just nervous I'm going to have to keep chipping away at the need for specificity in the document. Rather than overwhelm them with my concerns I'm trying to focus on one issue at a time.
I guess I'll wait for the Iowa scales in regards to acceleration and she should be mailing me the rubrics today, so maybe they will help....

Remember that the goal is to meet your child's needs. While rubrics can be a stepping stone in that direction... overly focusing on them (or any other detail) may lead you off track and cause you to lose focus on meeting your child's needs.

You have made an inquiry, and received information. The information may not be to our liking but it does help to manage our expectations. You may wish to thank them and leave this topic for now.

When you receive sample rubrics, you may wish to add them to your advocacy documentation... along with a copy of the GIEP and notes about your phone call, etc. These pieces may be organized into a ring binder for your future reference.

The school may be great for populations with which they are familiar. Some say the "optimal" IQ is 120-125. Higher IQ than that (gifted 132+) is more rare (2% of the population). The higher one's IQ, the more rare in the population... the less familiar a school may be with these kiddos... and the more difficult it may be to find academic/intellectual peers.

When a school randomly calls, my concern is that they may have read a post on this forum and thought they recognized the parent/student/family. When the school poses an open-ended question, the parent's answer reveals what is on their mind and may match the subject of the post, confirming the identification. Be careful what you post, and feel free to go back and edit your posts as needed.

Thanks for your concern indigo - I'm not too worried about the school identifying our family in these forums, but it is something to keep in mind. As there is still much planning being done, I feel like this is a great time in the process to collect information and wait for our next meeting. We are definitely making progress and our relationships are good, so I am starting to feel more confident that we will get there eventually. Baby steps I guess. It's always good for me to come here for some perspective before I meet with the team again.