Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Elementary School Kindy 2010-2011

Any one thinking about kindergarten in the fall. (Should I post it here or in pre-school, sorry if it is in the wrong spot) Please tell me I am not alone. I am new here and I am having a hard time deciding on what to do for DD. She'll be 5 in May, and will start Kindergarten in the fall. We just got her assessment results back and her FS on the WPPSI is 144 (we had testing done to rule out learning disabilities, because of family history). I don't know if this information makes our decision easier or harder. We are looking a few private schools and our local public school. None of the schools offer services for students who are gifted in kindergarten. One of the private schools has small class sizes and will differentiate, but in the long run I don't know if it is a good fit. Our public school houses the cluster-wide Center for Highly Gifted students, but it doesn't start until 4th grade - and we live a county where 40% of students are identified as "gifted" by second grade.

She is reading (not a natural reader, she didn't pick it up herself), she breezed through Hooked on Phonic K and we just started HOP 1st. She also has mastered most of the kindergarten math skills. But there are somethings that she might benefit from in kindergarten.

We have our entrance assessment day at one of the private schools next Saturday. I told my DH that my dream they will assess her and see that she fits better in first grade. I am almost thinking about seeing if they would accept her in kindergarten now, in the middle of the year and then go to first in the fall. I don't even know if that is an option or if it would be good for DD.

Anyone else in the same boat? What are you doing?

We're usually not very picky about placement. As long as people find your question and the original thread (if it's still active) isn't derailed, then no one ever really cares.

That sounds like a reasonable plan. I would also encourage you to try and see if the public school will do the same thing. A school where 40% of the kids are identified as Gifted certainly might have some understanding of LOG (levels of giftedness)

What did your tested suggest?

If the public school has a gifted coordinator, I would call her Monday and ask for a meeting. Try and convince her to met your child and/or talk to your tester. Coordinators say all kinds of things before they meet your kid, but often start singing a different tune after they see your child.

Best Wishes,
Grinity

Thanks. I know some boards have strict rules about what goes where and I don't want to break any rules.

Thanks. That sounds like a good idea. DD already goes to the public school for speech. I'll look into it when I am at the school on Tuesday.

Katie

I would definitely do this. I can't tell you how many times we heard "we just don't do that" until they met my kids and then they agreed with me!

Too, I'd be careful that, even if the conversation started casually talking about your child, they understood that you wanted them to seriously consider your proposal. Perhaps bring the WPPSI results with you so they know that you aren't "one of those parents" who thinks their kid is the smartest kid ever. In our situation with my youngest DS, we were in an acceleration meeting for our DD when the principal of the school casually commented that our youngest DS would probably need some accomodations as well. We laughed and agreed and the GT coordinator heard us. We kind of thought the school might initiate something. But that was all that happened until we came to them and specifically said what we wanted done. To them, it was just a casual, non-committal conversation until we brought it up pointedly. In the end, after our specific requests, he was tested and then skipped K.

You've already done half the work for them by giving them the WPPSI results!

Good luck and welcome!

Oh, I wanted to add: It can help to go to schools asking for their help. People like to help. Tell them that the situation is that your child has scored very well on the WPPSI and that you believe that she is already working past K level. Ask them if it is possible for a K teacher to pull kids out for differentiated instruction in all the different subjects in which she is ahead (it usually isn't). Ask them what solutions they would have in such a situation to make sure that your child was advancing in all areas throughout the year. If you have any anecdotal evidence of social maturity, make them aware of that as that is often of primary concern for school administrators.

BTW: I think asking about starting K mid-year is at least worth trying. It makes sense to me since that is close to where she is academically and she would have a few months to learn how to go to school and it would make the transition to 1st smoother, thus alleviating some of the school's concerns about social issues.

Great Advice MNmom23 - Right on target! I love what you have written, with a small exception.

I took out the part:
Ask them if it is possible for a K teacher to pull kids out for differentiated instruction in all the different subjects in which she is ahead (it usually isn't).

Because it's too adversarial. It's like asking a child with if they eat that forbidden cookie, when you just know that they did! And like some children, some schools will lie to your face - although more persuasively.

To be honest, perceiving gifts is more difficult than accommodating them. As if I wouldn't have a weight problem as long as I never stepped on the scale!

I can't tell you how many stories I've heard of 'reading level tests' that the teacher stops way before the child shows any sign of difficulty, because 'what would we do with that information if we collected it?' Then the child's reading is reported as being at the last step before the test was artificially stopped, and becomes 'proof' to support the argument that school ARE meeting the child's needs.

People are interesting creatures. Sort of like the movie 'Shallow Hal' - the best friend asks Tony Roberts: 'Doesn't he notice when they are hugging that she is large?' TR says: People see what their minds tell them to see.

Which is why I love the part:
Particularly if they can give specific examples!

I hope that this doesn't freak you out, but at least it's good to know what you are up against. Lots of school are terrific and 'get it.' Just not enough - it won't be enough until every school gets it.

Love and More Love,
Grinity

Thanks for all the support. It is a little overwhelming. I have been reading tons and trying to get an idea of what I can or should do. I am going to work on talking with the public school. We really do have some great programs, but they don't start until much later (4th grade for "self-contained" gifted programs). Don't they know there are gifted kids in kindergarten? Although, there is one program that starts in 1st grade, which I'll probably look into.

A lot of schools feel like they shouldn't start gifted services until 3rd or 4th grade. At that point, they reason, a child who wasn't getting the appropriate educational environment at home will have been in school long enough to have overcome this home-environment deficit and could now accurately be compared to all the kids who do have enriched home environments. This is their way of overcoming a cultural or socio-economic bias. Or, in some cases, it's all about the money.

Clearly, gifted kids are gifted before 3rd or 4th grade.

Of course, of major importance is the quality of a school's gifted program. If a school has a one-hour-per-week enrichment program, that is not going to meet the needs of any other than the most mildly gifted. Other accelerations would really be needed anyway. So, IMO, it doesn't matter if this type of program is offered in 1st grade or not until 4th -- either way it just isn't enough. If, instead, the school has a full-time gifted class or cluster, when that starts would be of more interest to me.

So, when you're looking at schools, ask not just when the gifted program starts, but how extensive it is, and if there are policies in place to graduate gifted services if their standard offerings are not enough for your child.

In our case, our school has a 1-hour-per-week pull-out that is fun but mostly useless. My kids needed something before then. My DD8 was first allowed to enter K early. By 1st grade we were very aware that more needed to be done. She then did subject accelerations. It quickly became clear that this was not enough either, so she moved on to a full grade acceleration. My DS6 skipped K and now in 1st we are working to figure out in-class differentiation and/or enrichment before we proceed on to possible subject acceleration. My point being, we have had to work within the system well before the gifted program kicks in, and because the gifted pull-out is so minimal, it just almost doesn't matter at all that there is a program, and it wouldn't have if it had started in 1st or 4th.