Awww.... thank you guys SO much for the warm welcome. It really is so comforting to be able to freely post my thoughts without second-guessing myself on whether I am "bragging." I've kicked myself a couple of times since Tuesday, wondering if in my over eagerness to share the news, I may have sounded way too boastful to some friends. It's just been so hard because I'm so happy for the doors this can open for my girl.
Unfortunately, there is no organization among parents of gifted children in my parish (county). Though, the parent group of our bordering parish seems very active, so I have been able to get info from their site and hope to attend one of their meetings. I also registered and paid the fee for the state parent group on Tuesday, but have yet to even get a receipt for my payment.
The area that I live in is one of the fastest growing and highest scoring in the state. Unfortunately, my preliminary research shows that it has been criticized during state evaluations because it invests very little into the gifted program.
My daughter�s school is undergoing a major transition now, as the primary and middle schools split. This week at the first PTA meeting for the new primary school, a mom questioned the new principal about the status of the TAG program. The principal pretty much said that it is in limbo, and there is no plan yet in place for how it will operate because the current TAG teacher will have to split her time between both schools and may even just visit students in their individual classrooms. Wouldn't it be much more enriching for the gifted children to be together?
I spoke to that mom who questioned the principal after the meeting was over, and she said that she had to BATTLE the school system for three years to get services for her artistically talented daughter. To me, this is ridiculous, especially since state law states that talented and gifted children MUST receive services because they fall under special education.
Inky--- Can you direct me to any resources for researching whether we have the right to get a copy of my daughter's full IQ and academic scores? The "team" all concurred that it was ridiculous that parents aren't given the scores. I left a message with the Family Compliance Office, hoping that someone will return my call and just let me know if the school system is legally obligated to release them.
I just started researching FERPA, and I believe it states that you can't get a copy of the records for the purpose of contesting a special education evaluation. Hopefully, this doesn't apply to us because I am not contesting anything. Gosh, it just seems absurd that they don't automatically release the scores, just absurd. And, as a stay-at-home mom and former paralegal who�s married to an attorney, I will pursue any avenue to get a copy of my girl�s scores!
Oh Geez, sorry I blabbed so! Thanks again, so much for the warm welcome.
