Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Pre-school guess no early enrollment for us.

i could spit fire at the letter i received today that said my son's reading ability was average- 63% for other children his age- 4 years, 2 months. i would like to meet the 37% of children that can read at or above his level.

one concern is that when my son came out of the test he said, "the lady said she wanted me to read some words, but it was okay if i didn't. so i didn't." he does have sensory integration disorder and can have off moments. but he can freaking read! he is crossing over into the second grade level with amazing fluency and comprehension....and they say he is average and needs to start k in a year and a half...to what? learn a letter a week?

so stupid. today i hate public education and the way they punish smart kids.....well...i guess my kid is just "average." can't wait to see that a 1/3 of his kindy class is reading at a third grade level in 1 1/2. ugh. bug.

what would you do? i'm thinking homeschool is our only option. as it is when i give him a first grade book and he reads it perfectly he tosses it back on the table and says, "don't you have anything hard?"

Have you considered paying for a private assessment? Having WJ-III Achievement scores helped me make the case for DD5. Good luck!

Was reading the only thing they assessed? That seems foolish! I can't imagine that ability to read is the only thing a school should need to know when ascertaining who is ready to start K.

Like inky, I'd suggest seeing if they'd take private assessment results and get a more comprehensive assessment if so.

Are there any private schools that would take him early and do you want to homeschool or is it just seeming like the only alternative? Would they reassess when he is age ready to start K and consider skipping K and putting him directly into 1st at that point?

Could you video tape him and put it on a DVD for the school to do. I wonder if there is a reading comprehension test he could take for his ability. I found some books at the library with practice tests.

all great ideas. it was just a screening to decide if they should give him a full assessment. they checked other areas and he was "high average" but really it is his reading that is EXTRAORDINARY. when we got his letter in the mail, he started reading over my shoulder, "At this time we do no not recommend further testing." really? lol. that's an average 4 year old reader for you.

the video taping thing is a great idea. i just may start there.

i have already called multiple private schools, they all do not allow for early admission. homeschool won't be the worse thing to ever happen to me....as i was a teacher before i became a sahm. we'll live. but it is still disappointing. i feel unprepared to teach a child that is so amazing.

We'll help you out . There are a lot of great resources out there if you do wind up going that route.

HI momma2many,

Sorry to hear about your bump in the road. I think private testing is a good idea if budget allows. You will have more ammunition when meeting with the school.

1. Does your school district/state offer credit by examination?

2. Are there any language immersion preschool/kindergarten around your area? One of the families here sends their son to a Spanish immersion school three time per week, and do math/reading etc. the other two days at home. They figured that at least, the child learns a new language and enjoys some socialization.

3. Since our school is not too crazy about acceleration or early entrance, we are considering taking a year off (oh, I mean "home school" ). We plan to do a little math online, some reading, and whatever DCs want to try: arts, music, sports, cooking, gardening, martial arts, language, growing more sea monkeys, etc. It beats learning one letter per week (again). Not to mention, we can travel during low season without worrying about "your child has missed xxx days...."

Good luck!

PS: We spoke to the GT coordinator for our school district. Apparently, one of the reasons for discouraging early entrance is because the school does not get paid for children <5yo who are enrolled in kindergarten. I know this does not solve the problem, but maybe you can consider asking the school again the day your child turns the magical five years old.

mag...so interesting you bring up the spanish immersion school. we don't have any(first thing i checked before even trying this)...but dh just contacted someone and we are hoping that we can get someone to come to our home. we figured the same thing....if he is going to be stuck for at least the next year and a half...he might as well learn a language.

Hi momma2many, sorry about your situation. When my son was 5, we didn't battle with the school system. I just pulled him out and had a rollicking 2 years. Being able to read is the best thing because he can educate himself on anything he wants. So homeschooling is easy - for us, I just spent my time looking for resources to feed a hungry brain. If you need anything in this area, do let the forum know. I know I've amassed quite a few web resources that can help.

[Just so you know, he just turned 7 and I've put him back into school. He has growing social needs and I can see that he will need more discipline/structure than I know how to handle. But the option is always open in case one or the other is not working out.]

A reading test designed for 4yo may not be actually test reading level, but what they consider "reading readiness".

They may be asked to sound out nonsense words or match the blend to the sound, which can be harder for a kids who spontaneously learned to read.