Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Regions Help! May HAVE to move to West Virginia

Hi, I was searching the board for any info on West Virginia and I'm not coming up with much. My husband has finally got a job offer and may accept in Charleston WV. I am less than thrilled with the idea.

Our children are perfectly set in a full time gifted magnet currently. It's working really well for them. They do want to get back East but I am afraid of the disruption in schooling.

WV's policies seem like there will be so many hoops to jump through. For instance, we've had them privately tested but WV will not accept this testing. They will do their own. I'm stressed, what if they do not qualify for some strange reason....you know testing can vary with so many factors.

Anyone have any experience to share on this state. We do not have the finances to send all 4 to private.

We have found the "best" elem in the county and they do pull the kids each day for some GT. Otherwise, they do not accelerate, etc. The testing scores for the school are much higher than most in the area.

I fought for a few years before finding their current school, I don't know if I'm up for another fight. Especially in a state that seems so rigid.

Thanks
spirited mama
4th grader (ADHD/Anxiety/HG)
3rd grader (skipped EG)
Kindergartener (MG)
4 yr old (probably EG)

Will the new job allow homeschooling if 'need be?'

It would allow for homeschooling if need be. I would like them to be in school to meet some new kids, although I realize there are other ways of doing this.

The thing that bugs me the most is that West Virginia will not accept the thousands of dollars worth of outside testing we've had on our children. They will need to do their "own" assessments to "prove" they are gifted. So rather than accept testing from nationally recognized Drs. (Karen Rogers, Dr. Ruf, etc.), they will decide. Rather than accept the fact that my kids are thriving in a highly gifted school in our current area. THe WV district will decide if they are gifted enough for their one day a week enrichment class..... I am so frustrated already and not even there yet.

I know my kids are gifted but a couple of them suffer from ADHD and anxiety. I can't guarantee how they will do on the testing because moving, etc. is going to be huge. Who knows what they will do.

There IQs are well above the needed limit for WV. However, I have one child that underachieves. Unless she is at 95% on achievement, WV will not consider her gifted. They are so "old school." I don't know if I'll survive, let alone my kids.....

I'm from the Eastern Panhandle of WV, so I'm not so familiar with that side, but if I'm correct Charleston butts up to Virginia and or North Carolina. I wonder how their programs stack up and if its worth the commute (not sure how far you would have to travel if you go out of state?).

I'm not thrilled with WV so far, but I've only been dealing with the local level. Other people I know from counties close to mine are also lacking support from their school.

While I understand your frustration about the testing piece, it sounds like the bigger problem is the program sounds really limited so even if the testing part was fine, they still may not get a lot.

Sorry I have no great solutions. I think all you can do is hope for the best and have a back up plan (homeschooling) in case of the worst.

My thoughts exactly - why stress about the testing over a one day a week enrichment class? Are the 2E issues such that a full gradeskip is a bad idea?

Best Wishes,
Grinity