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We had E's first parent teacher conference last week, and her teacher mentioned having her tested for a gifted IEP. She said she's not allowed to tell us that officially, and they don't frequently test kids until they're older, but she thought E would really benefit from it, but the request would have to come from us. As amazing as our school district is overall, I don't think gifted is one of the things they do well. There are only a handful of kids who actually test into gifted, at least in the younger grades. The theory is that most of the students are above average and so they teach to a higher level than "normal,' or something like that. Either way, while E's teacher is amazing and doing a great job challenging E and another top-performing student in the class, after talking to several other parents who have been through this, I think it would be worthwhile. Any advice??
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Allison - professor; wife to a urology attending; mom to baby girl E (11/13), baby boy C (2/16), and a spoiled cat; knitter and hoarder of yarn; photographer -
They've tested my oldest both years and both years we got a letter saying "it was determined she didn't need the services." Found out from other parents that as far as we can tell, every child that was tested in K & 1st at our school had the same outcome--apparently once you are in, that's it so they don't really do much with it til 3rd grade or so. This is a similar situation with lots of high achieving kids in one district. I've seen enough evidence of the school going out of their way to challenge kids stronger (or weaker) in certain areas outside of G&T, so honestly I don't feel strongly about it one way or another.
It's funny, they have to be so hush hush and firm about it lest the door be broken down with parents rushing to figure out why their child isn't included. Seriously.
All that is to say, if the teacher thinks she would benefit from it, then why not--but if she doesn't test in, it likely means squat at this point.
Also, as someone that tested into G&T in 1st grade and participated til 8th (I opted out in HS), I'm rather meh about it in general. It was a mostly good experience, but I don't really feel like it was a make or break thing, especially in a good school district.Married to a newly minted Pediatric Rad, momma to a sweet girl and a bunch of (mostly) cute boy monsters.
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I didn't want to push it at first, but since her teacher mentioned it, I figured it couldn't hurt. Mostly I worry about her socially - she doesn't get along that well with other kids her age, I think because she's smarter than they are. I don't know if this would help or not though. She did get in trouble the other day because for one of their centers, she had to work with another student who wasn't on her level, and she got super frustrated and acted out. She does need to learn to work with other kids, whether they're smart or not, but I also think being challenged even more will be good for her.
Our district tests every 3 years, so it's not a once you're in you're in type thing. But you do have to test into it, and there has to be a demonstrated need for additional services to actually get the IEP.Allison - professor; wife to a urology attending; mom to baby girl E (11/13), baby boy C (2/16), and a spoiled cat; knitter and hoarder of yarn; photographerComment
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We're kind of in the same place with C. His first parent teacher conference is this week so we haven't really delved into it yet. He absolutely loves school but complains that the work is too easy. We've had a couple of instances of him getting frustrated with group activities too.
To make things even more complicated, the age cut off for K is January here, so he is in the same class as some 4 year olds. He is the oldest, having just turned six. If we lived in CT last year he would have started Kindergarten then and would be in first grade now. Having said that, they seem to cater more to the advanced students and there are only 14 in his class so I'm not super worried.
Since he's in Catholic school I have no idea how these things are handled. But like you, I think he would benefit from more challenging work. I don't want him getting bored. Good luck! I hope it's an easy process.
Sent from my Pixel 2 using TapatalkStudent and Mom to an Oct 2013 boy
Wife to Anesthesia Critical Care attendingComment
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I just got an e-mail back from the guidance counselor - I have a meeting with her, the gifted coordinator, the school psychologist, and E's teacher next week to discuss plans to move forward with the testing.Allison - professor; wife to a urology attending; mom to baby girl E (11/13), baby boy C (2/16), and a spoiled cat; knitter and hoarder of yarn; photographerComment
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I forgot to update on this. They agreed to proceed with the testing at our meeting last month. She started the testing yesterday and said to was fun, but I think there's more to do next week. Hopefully we'll get the results back soon.
Sent from my SM-G960U using TapatalkAllison - professor; wife to a urology attending; mom to baby girl E (11/13), baby boy C (2/16), and a spoiled cat; knitter and hoarder of yarn; photographerComment
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I meet with the team tomorrow to find out the results of the testing.Allison - professor; wife to a urology attending; mom to baby girl E (11/13), baby boy C (2/16), and a spoiled cat; knitter and hoarder of yarn; photographerComment
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Do you know what kind of testing it was?AlisonComment
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They did all kinds of testing - I have a 9 page report. They used the TTCT, WISC-V, and WJ-IV ACH. She did qualify for gifted, so we have an IEP scheduled for January 9.
Allison - professor; wife to a urology attending; mom to baby girl E (11/13), baby boy C (2/16), and a spoiled cat; knitter and hoarder of yarn; photographerComment
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We use the WJ for homeschool testing, it's a really good test, I've been impressed with its insights and it matches my close observation of my girls' strengths and weaknesses.Married to a Urology Attending! (that is an understated exclamation point)
Mama to C (Jan 2012), D (Nov 2013), and R (April 2016). Consulting and homeschooling are my day jobs.Comment
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I’m so glad you got the results and that they will create an IEP. Now it’s time to think of what you want in it!
Kris
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk~Mom of 5, married to an ID doc
~A Rolling Stone Gathers No MossComment
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I have no idea what to ask for!Originally posted by PrincessFiona View PostAllison - professor; wife to a urology attending; mom to baby girl E (11/13), baby boy C (2/16), and a spoiled cat; knitter and hoarder of yarn; photographerComment
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Hoagies gifted is a good resource.Originally posted by alotofyarn View Post
https://www.hoagiesgifted.org/unofficial_guide.htm
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk~Mom of 5, married to an ID doc
~A Rolling Stone Gathers No MossComment
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I've been consulting this page a little bit as I work with my district. There are also a lot of other good pages on the site. https://www.nagc.org/resources-publi...-learners-wellAlisonComment
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The IEP meeting went well, I think. They did a good job drafting the IEP, and I didn't feel like I needed to add anything at this point, but we can meet and amend it any time if that changes. She's exceptional in reading and writing and will get pulled out twice a week for enrichment in those areas. She is not currently exceptional in math, social/emotional, or pre-vocational areas, but we are keeping those on the radar in case she does need individual attention in those areas. Her teacher is especially aware of these and is working with her on some of them anyway, like giving specific tasks that encourage her to interact more with her peers.
Sent from my SM-G960U using TapatalkAllison - professor; wife to a urology attending; mom to baby girl E (11/13), baby boy C (2/16), and a spoiled cat; knitter and hoarder of yarn; photographerComment
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