Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment What steps to take.....

Well, you could have your DH (assuming you are married) or a friend call to ask the school about the policy. However, unless you know of kids who have been grade accelerated, I think you can probably assume they're not wildly in favor of grade acceleration and may be actively opposed/hostile to it.

But the fact is, even if there's a policy in place, schools will use grade acceleration if it's the easiest solution (for them) to a child's advanced position in school. They'll fight against it tooth and nail, of course, but they'll do it if they have to. The issue then becomes how to make them have to...

In those cases, it usually takes a VERY squeaky wheel, though. Lots and LOTS of very patient but persistent advocacy. (Personally, I didn't have it in me! Many parents do, though, and wind up with good results.)

If you can't find out the grade acceleration policy easily, without raising red flags, then I'd counsel you to assume you have an uphill battle on your hands. If you're wrong, then the process would be easier than you expect. If you're right, you're prepared. No loss either way.

Reading with interest...

Here is another web site from a random school that states its acceleration policy based on MAP scores and additional information. This would be a useful outline on what to expect from your son's school, if they allow acceleration.

http://www.isd194.k12.mn.us/gifted/grade.pdf

Now you just have to wait for the school to give you the MAP test results. I would personally hope that if the school is going to hold on to the data until it can present the results to you in a formal meeting, then it would be fair to expect the school to have 'a plan' to go with those results.

I agree that you should wait and see what they give you at the conference, but just for future reference, parents have the right to view all the data in their child's school file(s). This would include any test scores.

For more info on these rights, read about FERPA.

http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html

Thanks for all of the support and info. As far as locating the school's policies online -no go. No policy could be located by the general counselor's office at the school district. There is nothing in writing. Nothing.

I do have a child in the gifted program but acceleration is not something I am too aware of at our school. That's not to say it doesn't happen, I just don't know.

kcab - I would appreciate any link you might come across that states that MAP can be used for the 2 out 3 tests required. What type of numbers am I looking for on the MAP? If I remember correctly the math score was in the 220s. I know there must be sub scores that will on the report that the teacher gets. I am almost positive that every other time he came home from taking a MAP he said his score was 210 or higher - don't mark my words.

So. First I have to come up with a minimum score that assists with advocacy to accelerate. Then, if he meets those minimum numbers when I get them at the conference, what do I do? I think my initial comment would be (with a nice big smile on my face) "what are the school's plans to challenge him"?

Is this the current edition?
http://www.giftedbooks.com/IASforWebsite.pdf

That's only part of it.

Thanks for the link Cathy. I'm bookmarking that one for future use!

I agree with the sentiment that no policy can work in your favor. I mentioned that our district's policies are online. Man, there are a lot of them. I think including and not limited to policies regarding how you should wipe your butt.

This has probably be the number one reason my children have yet to be accomodated as well as I'd like. In fact, the situations that have gotten them through the last two years had NO policy regarding them.

I also agree, do not contact your home school and start asking for this stuff yet. Just wait, yes I understand that this is difficult to do, but trust us that have BTDT.

If you must have more info, I would contact your state representative and have THAT person(probably an aide) track down that stuff for you. Tell them you are nervous about being "blackballed"(I wouldn't, however use that exact term) and they won't even use your name when the contact the board of ed. And those aides have "people" at the board of ed and everywhere else.

If you catch one who is sympathetic to your situation(and being super super nice helps) they can get you all the information you need. Perhaps even how to get the MAP results. But REMEMBER, you might get that info in a short week during conference, so don't start borrowing trouble my friend!
Give your teacher a chance! You can always burn her at the stake later.

File it under Continuing Education and send a check for $250. You can send it to me, I manage all these kinds of accounts for the board. You can ask EandC mom for my address, she has it.

Some IAS requirements (paraphrased by me):

Section II: Critical Items

If any of these items apply to the student in question, whole-grade acceleration is not recommended.

*The student's ability (measured by IQ) is less than one standard deviation above the mean.
*The student would be accelerated into the same grade (or a higher grade than) a sibling.
*The student presently has a sibling in the same grade.
*The student indicates that he/she does not want to be whole-grade accelerated.

Section IV: Assessment of Ability

The student's overall IQ score was:

Between one and two standard deviations above the mean (115-129) >>> 2 points
Between two and three standard deviations above the mean (130-144) >>> 4 points
Three or more standard deviations above the mean (145-above) >>> 6 points

Section V: Assessment of Aptitude

IBTS/EXPLORE/ACT/SAT

On an above-level test (compared to students in the above-level grade), the student's scores were:

At or below the 49th percentile >>> 0 points
Between the 50th and 74th percentile >>> 1 point
At or above the 75th percentile >>> 2 points

Consider each section (English, Math, Reading, Science Reasoning, One other) separately and total all points (for a maximum of 8).

Or:

PLUS/SAT/SCAT/CTP-IV

At or below 49th percentile >>> 0 points
Between the 50th and 74th percentiles >>> 2 points
At or above the 75th percentile >>> 4 points

Consider Verbal and Quantitative sections separately and total the points.

Section VI: Assessment of Achievement

On a grade-level test, the student's scores were:

At or below the 89th percentile >>> 0 points
Between the 90th and 94th percentiles >>> 1 point
At or above the 95th percentile >>> 2 points

Consider each category (Vocabulary, Total Reading, Total Math, Total Language, One other) separately and total the points (for a maximum of 8).

AAAA Subtotal = sum of totals from sections IV,V,VI.
If AAAA Subtotal < 10, whole-grade acceleration is not recommended.
If AAAA Subtotal >=10, continue with the rest of the IAS.

Question: What does no mean?

Answer: It means I haven't stated my case clearly enough.

BTW, if you put the info I supplied together with the sample pages in this link http://www.giftedbooks.com/IASforWebsite.pdf you can generate the IAS score.

Dang! Dottie's right. Some pages are missing from the last section.