Gifted testing?

[ReadingMama1214]

Dd is in public preschool this year and we after school reading and math. She's possibly a grade ahead in these areas?

 

Next year (2017/18) she will go to a classical charter school. We love the school and it is an inclusion model. They differentiate learning within the class and every class has two teachers (one is certified special Ed). They do have in house psychologist, OT, and speech and a GT Coordinator. However, they do their gifted testing through the local school district.

 

Yesterday they called me about next years enrollment and asked if I had any questions. I asked about differentiated reading and they asked if I had Dd tested for gifted. I said I hadn't and asked if that was something I did before she got enrolled or that they did. They said I could do it before in order to have it done before she starts in case she requires services.

 

My question is, has anyone seen benefits to pursuing testing this young? Our district does test before K to see who qualifies for advanced Kindy (kids who have mastered K concepts). But the parent has to request it.

 

Dd doesn't test extremely well. She's shy and tends towards perfectionism and usually misses things that she does know. Which isn't an issue, I'm just not sure I want to put her through testing for no reason.

[Arcadia]

Have you read these threads?

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/561712-accomodations-for-gifted-children-in-ps/

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/571756-grade-skipping-5-yo/

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/580464-another-question-about-testing/

 

 

 

 

[Dmmetler]

My pediatrician told me to contact the schools and have DD tested before she started K-because if we didn't, they wouldn't test until 3rd, and that would give her too long to learn how to blend and fit in.

 

It ended up being good advice. In April of my DD's K year, her teacher commented that "If I didn't realize just how different she was, I'd never know it-she fits in SO well now!!" I think she saw it as a complement. I saw it as a problem-that child who had loved adding up the numbers and keeping a running total of what we were spending in the grocery store and reading adult level science books now was joining her classmates in groaning that "addition is SO hard!!!" and refusing to read anything harder than Junie B. Jones. One reason why we pulled her was the awareness that the next year's teacher would be seeing that DD from day 1, and that eventually that mask would become her reality.

[ReadingMama1214]

Have you read these threads?

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/561712-accomodations-for-gifted-children-in-ps/

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/571756-grade-skipping-5-yo/

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/580464-another-question-about-testing/

 

Thanks, I just looked over them. 

 

I honestly don't think DD needs to skip a grade. I personally would rather her not. I had looked into it briefly and the school told me that they rarely grade skip and that even if she tested into K, they most likely would deny her early entrance.

 

I am going to look into more what the benefit of the testing is. They differentiate for reading and math regardless of giftedness, so I am unsure of what the benefit is. 

 

DD is definitely not highly gifted. I am not even sure if she would test as gifted. She is bright, but doesn't seem abnormally so. 

[Arcadia]

 

I am going to look into more what the benefit of the testing is. They differentiate for reading and math regardless of giftedness, so I am unsure of what the benefit is. 

 

 

Does the school specify if they would take outside test results or they would only accept their own testing results?  I know it is common for schools to use NNAT, CoGAT, or Olsat for screeners.  We went for private testing since our district does not offer gifted testing.

 

I attached the links upthread because I was lazy to repeat myself.  Besides lots of other people's BTDT experiences to help you in planning how to advocate.

 

I do see one benefit of testing for a potential 2E or just a quiet child.  My oldest does not advocate for himself. He would be content doing his own thing in his own universe during academics and be very happy for Music, Art and PE. It is hard for his teachers and for me to advocate without some form of outside testing results.

[ReadingMama1214]

Does the school specify if they would take outside test results or they would only accept their own testing results? I know it is common for schools to use NNAT, CoGAT, or Olsat for screeners. We went for private testing since our district does not offer gifted testing.

 

I attached the links upthread because I was lazy to repeat myself. Besides lots of other people's BTDT experiences to help you in planning how to advocate.

 

I do see one benefit of testing for a potential 2E or just a quiet child. My oldest does not advocate for himself. He would be content doing his own thing in his own universe during academics and be very happy for Music, Art and PE. It is hard for his teachers and for me to advocate without some form of outside testing results.

The school told me that they use the district to do the testing. So our school district will conduct the gifted testing. We have a pretty extensive gifted and talented department in our public schools. They'll do the assessment and testing for giftedness and I believe 2e issues. The school does specify that their gifted and talented coordinator is experienced with 2e students and seeks to work closely with them.

 

If we want to pursue testing we have to go through the district and then submit the results to the school.

 

My concern is that I don't know how it will differ things for Dd. She is not exceptionally gifted and probably only moderately so. However, she does have some sensory things (not spd) that Come and go. She also probably wouldn't advocate for herself. I could see her not learning anything new, but complying with the teacher and doing her work or drawing/reading if she's bored. She'd never act out if bored. And she does love school for the art and science components.

[....]

 I am going to look into more what the benefit of the testing is. 

 

It helped us to know...so we knew what to look out for (because gifted kids can have their own set of issues).  *shrug*  But, no, nothing ever came out of it through the school district and I ended up pulling my kids out of school after we found out.  My kids are probably only mildly gifted - they're not Nobel Prize winners or anything.  Heck, they're really lazy, too!  But, even with that, they are different than other kids.  I just posted in the other gifted thread about some of it.  :tongue_smilie:  One of mine would have signs of autism and they would suddenly go away...and then come back...and go away.  Another one has an obvious learning disability, but the school district could never pinpoint it.

 

Good luck with your decision!       

[ReadingMama1214]

It helped us to know...so we knew what to look out for (because gifted kids can have their own set of issues). *shrug* But, no, nothing ever came out of it through the school district and I ended up pulling my kids out of school after we found out. My kids are probably only mildly gifted - they're not Nobel Prize winners or anything. Heck, they're really lazy, too! But, even with that, they are different than other kids. I just posted in the other gifted thread about some of it. :tongue_smilie: One of mine would have signs of autism and they would suddenly go away...and then come back...and go away. Another one has an obvious learning disability, but the school district could never pinpoint it.

 

Good luck with your decision!

Thanks! Fortunately the school we plan to use seems to have a great gifted coordinated and program. It's an inclusion model, but they really work to help students thrive.

 

Honestly I think testing would just help us to know and react to Dd better. She sounds similar to your kiddos as far as level and issues. She is sensory sensitive and prone to meltdowns. But the second we seek services for the sensory meltdowns, she's acting fine again and regulating herself. Definitely some come and go sensory/autism things.

 

I do feel a bit pretentious requesting testing haha. Her teacher knows she is bright. And Dd is more academically minded. Loves to do math and write. But, as far as needing special services for gifted, I'm not sure she would.

[kiwik]

I thought my ds9 was around the 95th petecentile right up until I got the greater than 99.9 percentile score so I am not sure that you can assume she is MG without testing.

[ReadingMama1214]

I thought my ds9 was around the 95th petecentile right up until I got the greater than 99.9 percentile score so I am not sure that you can assume she is MG without testing.

 

I'd honestly be surprised if she is around the 95th percentile. Our district has a pretty extensive advanced kinder if we decide to go with that. Kids must score a 90% or above on just K level concepts. It isn't a gifted test that is accepted beyond K level. So the student retests in 1st for any magnet gifted programs.

 

For the school we plan to have her attend, she would need a qualitative gifted test, not just the K one. I'm trying to decide if it is worth it right now. DD doesn't like being quizzed and tends to not do as well on assessments as she does at home.  Testing also would happen this fall since our school system uses a choice process for selecting schools.

[SKL]

Tough decision when your kid is inconsistent with tests.  On one hand, it could be interesting to know.  On the other hand, if she has an off test day, it could be a document in the file that makes things harder in the future.

 

I'm in a similar boat.  I thought this would fade with age, but it hasn't to the extent I expected.

 

You have said several times that you don't actually think she is gifted (or, gifted enough to need services).  If I felt that way, I would probably not test at this point.  If you change your mind later, can she join the gifted program at that point?

[ReadingMama1214]

I'm interested to see if it will fade. She's only ever been tested in an assessment type way with a teacher. Never on paper, so it's hard to say if it's the being quizzed style that bothers her or the actual testing of what she knows.

 

Tough decision when your kid is inconsistent with tests. On one hand, it could be interesting to know. On the other hand, if she has an off test day, it could be a document in the file that makes things harder in the future.

 

I'm in a similar boat. I thought this would fade with age, but it hasn't to the extent I expected.

 

You have said several times that you don't actually think she is gifted (or, gifted enough to need services). If I felt that way, I would probably not test at this point. If you change your mind later, can she join the gifted program at that point?

The school we are looking at does not have a specific pull out program. But they work closely with gifted kids to ensure they're thriving.

 

I don't know that we'd put her in gifted magnet school at any point. I don't really like the exclusiveness of them especially if she's not having issues due to not being challenged.

 

And she may be gifted, she may not (test wise). The K test is done in small groups and seems to be done as centers that kids work at. I may still do this. It is just for entrance into advanced K. Only 8 schools offer an advanced K. It normally works a grade or so ahead of level and it seems kids mah or may not go from advanced K into magnet programs.

 

I think I tend to think of gifted as the incredibly bright child who seems to intuit reading and math. Or is working well above level. I know that's not always the case and that PG is not the only level of giftedness.

Edited September 15, 2016 by ReadingMama1214

[SKL]

The school we are looking at does not have a specific pull out program. But they work closely with gifted kids to ensure they're thriving.

 

I don't know that we'd put her in gifted magnet school at any point. I don't really like the exclusiveness of them especially if she's not having issues due to not being challenged.

 

And she may be gifted, she may not (test wise). The K test is done in small groups and seems to be done as centers that kids work at. I may still do this. It is just for entrance into advanced K. Only 8 schools offer an advanced K. It normally works a grade or so ahead of level and it seems kids mah or may not go from advanced K into magnet programs.

 

I think I tend to think of gifted as the incredibly bright child who seems to intuit reading and math. Or is working well above level. I know that's not always the case and that PG is not the only level of giftedness.

 

If it's not too late to have her tested for advanced K, I would do that.  Then I assume she would be with age mates who work at a higher academic level, which sounds like a win-win, gifted or not.

 

[ReadingMama1214]

If it's not too late to have her tested for advanced K, I would do that. Then I assume she would be with age mates who work at a higher academic level, which sounds like a win-win, gifted or not.

 

I plan to test her for advanced K, but don't know that we'd actually send her. Only 8 schools offer advanced K classes and it's normally 1 per school. Also, none of the schools are ones I'd keep her at for 1st grade. The thing with Colorado is that it's a choice system. So you can choice into any school in your district or even the state. It is like a massive school choice lottery. Your best time to get into a school is Kinder since most spots are open to all students then. In 1st, you're only filling the seats made void by K students who didn't stay at that school. the classical school offers gifted and 2e services, but doesn't have specific classes for gifted. There are a lot of enrichment activities though.

[SKL]

I plan to test her for advanced K, but don't know that we'd actually send her. Only 8 schools offer advanced K classes and it's normally 1 per school. Also, none of the schools are ones I'd keep her at for 1st grade. The thing with Colorado is that it's a choice system. So you can choice into any school in your district or even the state. It is like a massive school choice lottery. Your best time to get into a school is Kinder since most spots are open to all students then. In 1st, you're only filling the seats made void by K students who didn't stay at that school. the classical school offers gifted and 2e services, but doesn't have specific classes for gifted. There are a lot of enrichment activities though.

 

Sorry, I forgot that she is not in K yet.  Now that I think about it more, I don't know if I'd do the K testing unless I was NOT going to do the gifted testing this year, because you said she doesn't love testing.  Seems she would get into advanced K if you had an independent test that showed high ability.

 

Just curious, how do you know what kind of tester she is?  What is her experience with it?

Edited September 15, 2016 by SKL

[ReadingMama1214]

Sorry, I forgot that she is not in K yet. Now that I think about it more, I don't know if I'd do the K testing unless I was NOT going to do the gifted testing this year, because you said she doesn't love testing. Seems she would get into advanced K if you had an independent test that showed high ability.

 

Just curious, how do you know what kind of tester she is? What is her experience with it?

Sorry, I forgot to clarify. She's currently in a half day preschool program. It's public, but she's had the same excellent teacher both years. The teacher is also a family friend who we see occasionally outside of school.

 

I only know based on her assessments done for preschool. Each year they do a beginning of school assessment to see where the kids are at. Last year, she didn't answer things that she knew pretty well at home. For example, she missed half of the letters and was reading CVC words a month or 2 later. At home she knew all of her letters. Also, with counting she tends to rush on 1:1 correspondence and stop counting when she can keep going most times. It's only from those assessments that I think she gets a little nervous being quizzed. Or if someone asks her quiz like questions such as "wow can you count to 100 for me?" She usually will refuse. She's also a perfectionist and somewhat shy. So doesn't do as well with people she doesn't know well.

[vonfirmath]

. Or if someone asks her quiz like questions such as "wow can you count to 100 for me?" She usually will refuse. She's also a perfectionist and somewhat shy. So doesn't do as well with people she doesn't know well.

 

It is VERY common for gifted to be perfectionist.  They get so used to always having the right answer, it becomes a even bigger deal to "Fail" and they start fearing that failure.

[ReadingMama1214]

It is VERY common for gifted to be perfectionist. They get so used to always having the right answer, it becomes a even bigger deal to "Fail" and they start fearing that failure.

She is definitely a perfectionist. Especially with writing and drawing. She expects those to look perfect. I often have to remind her that it's okay to make mistakes and that's how we learn and that she's only 4.5! Especially with drawing.

 

She has some of the gifted characteristics that you'd see on a list, but I feel that it's not uncommon for most kids to have a few of those characteristics.

[cabritadorada]

I'm one of those people who thinks that giftedness in children is kind of a scam. Malcolm Gladwell has written extensively on this--what we call childhood "giftedness"--the 99% percentile 4,5, and 6 year olds--it's not very meaningful in the long-term. 

 

That said, a high score on those tests mean extra resources and options for your kid and that's never a bad thing. If you think your child would benefit from the options or accelerated learning, I'd encourage you to prepare them for the test a bit...and take the results either way with a heaping tablespoon of salt.

 

Testing in 6th grade or above is more predictive, but even then it's just a tiny piece of the picture of a child's skills and potential. 

 

[ReadingMama1214]

I'm one of those people who thinks that giftedness in children is kind of a scam. Malcolm Gladwell has written extensively on this--what we call childhood "giftedness"--the 99% percentile 4,5, and 6 year olds--it's not very meaningful in the long-term.

 

That said, a high score on those tests mean extra resources and options for your kid and that's never a bad thing. If you think your child would benefit from the options or accelerated learning, I'd encourage you to prepare them for the test a bit...and take the results either way with a heaping tablespoon of salt.

 

Testing in 6th grade or above is more predictive, but even then it's just a tiny piece of the picture of a child's skills and potential.

This is kind of how I'm feeling. The school we want doesn't offer pull-out classes, just extra services.

 

I talked to them more today and have decided to wait and see. The district won't test her until she's enrolled in K since she won't technically be in the district until then. The school isn't in our district and our district doesn't test until the student is entering 1st.

 

We wouldn't pursue a gifted magnet program (what our districts offer). They tend to be segregated and homogenous. I'd rather not have that.

 

We may have testing done next year depending how Dd does. She tends to be sensory sensitive and is extremely prone to sensory meltdowns before a cognitive leap. For example, we went through 3 months of sensory meltdowns before they suddenly stopped. simultaneously, her reading fluency also drastically improved. Her teacher also noticed that. So I might pursue testing to make sure she has services needed during those seasons of sensory overload.

[vonfirmath]

Testing in 6th grade or above is more predictive, but even then it's just a tiny piece of the picture of a child's skills and potential. 

 

By 6th grade, some of these kids are getting close to be ready to take HS level courses -- a very few are entering college at 7th or 8th grade. They don't get there by refusing to acknowledge their giftedness until 6th grade.  They need to be given instruction at a higher level -- or at least the resources to teach themselves.  Which means they need a chance to be identified younger and access to those resources.

[SarahW]

Just my own btdt - 

 

My oldest started school by getting placed into the Advanced-K class. It wasn't something I chose to do - the school decided to test him (maybe because on the entrance form I noted that he was bilingual in preschool), and in any case the test wasn't hard. The K teacher just sat with him and asked him to read some words and identify colors and talk about 2 pencils and then 3 more pencils. It seemed like an excellent fit for him, but he hated every moment of that advanced kindergarten. Hence the homeschooling.

 

He also has sensory issues (recently got an initial official diagnosis of SPD) and there's other things going on as well. Teasing out what is sensory, what is anxiety, what is ADHD-inattentive, and what is giftedness is hard. But I've found it helpful to keep tabs on how these things are expressed over time. It also help in a school situation to have some of these things on paper from a professional. My kid is also pretty laid back, he's prone to just chilling with his thoughts when he's bored, which tends to give him a rather vacant look. He'll also suffer through boredom silently until something is the literal last straw and he breaks in some sort of emotional eruption. Some teachers understand what is going on with him without the "written proof." Others, though, definitely not. He's had teachers who sent him out to sit in the hallway frequently because they didn't know how to deal with him, and once your kid gets pegged as "bad" or "obstinate" or "lazy" by a teacher like that, it's nearly impossible to change their mind.

 

I also think my kid isn't very gifted, but even so it's difficult. I mean, he isn't gifted enough to skip ahead to high school/college, but a regular classroom moves too slowly for him. It's a weird middle place to be stuck at. The obvious answer (besides homeschooling and not having to answer to anyone) is to ask for the kid to be put into an advanced class or given more challenging material. But I have found that the problem here is that teachers are burned on every-parent-thinks-their-child-is-a-special-snowflake-genius and are hesitant to put more on their plate without proof that it's necessary. This is where paperwork with hard numbers can be helpful.

 

Find out from the school district how they test for giftedness. When I had my kid tested in K they used the KBIT (which was not helpful) and had a rule that they would only test once every 3 years. Meh. But if your district will do a thorough test, and include an investigation of 2e and working memory or processing speed issues, then it could be very informative, even if she turns out to be a "129" person.

[ReadingMama1214]

Just my own btdt -

 

My oldest started school by getting placed into the Advanced-K class. It wasn't something I chose to do - the school decided to test him (maybe because on the entrance form I noted that he was bilingual in preschool), and in any case the test wasn't hard. The K teacher just sat with him and asked him to read some words and identify colors and talk about 2 pencils and then 3 more pencils. It seemed like an excellent fit for him, but he hated every moment of that advanced kindergarten. Hence the homeschooling.

 

He also has sensory issues (recently got an initial official diagnosis of SPD) and there's other things going on as well. Teasing out what is sensory, what is anxiety, what is ADHD-inattentive, and what is giftedness is hard. But I've found it helpful to keep tabs on how these things are expressed over time. It also help in a school situation to have some of these things on paper from a professional. My kid is also pretty laid back, he's prone to just chilling with his thoughts when he's bored, which tends to give him a rather vacant look. He'll also suffer through boredom silently until something is the literal last straw and he breaks in some sort of emotional eruption. Some teachers understand what is going on with him without the "written proof." Others, though, definitely not. He's had teachers who sent him out to sit in the hallway frequently because they didn't know how to deal with him, and once your kid gets pegged as "bad" or "obstinate" or "lazy" by a teacher like that, it's nearly impossible to change their mind.

 

I also think my kid isn't very gifted, but even so it's difficult. I mean, he isn't gifted enough to skip ahead to high school/college, but a regular classroom moves too slowly for him. It's a weird middle place to be stuck at. The obvious answer (besides homeschooling and not having to answer to anyone) is to ask for the kid to be put into an advanced class or given more challenging material. But I have found that the problem here is that teachers are burned on every-parent-thinks-their-child-is-a-special-snowflake-genius and are hesitant to put more on their plate without proof that it's necessary. This is where paperwork with hard numbers can be helpful.

 

Find out from the school district how they test for giftedness. When I had my kid tested in K they used the KBIT (which was not helpful) and had a rule that they would only test once every 3 years. Meh. But if your district will do a thorough test, and include an investigation of 2e and working memory or processing speed issues, then it could be very informative, even if she turns out to be a "129" person.

Our advanced Kinder is a magnet program that they have to test into and score 90%+ on a skills based assessment. It's not a gifted test, but essentially tests how well the child knows kinder material. You apply to take the test in October and then are given a testing date in November. From what I've read on the website, it is a 2 hour test that is done in small groups and at centers. So the students go together to different centers that test various K skills for 2 hours.

 

I'll have to see what testing the district does. They do test for 2e and the school especially notes their desire to help these students. They do only give higher level material to students. However, each class has 2 teachers regardless of class ability. I feel this would help. They also in-depth offer music and art programs which excited us.

 

Dd may become homeschooled, but it won't be until 1st due to my graduate schooling.

[....]

I'm one of those people who thinks that giftedness in children is kind of a scam. 

 

A lot of parents with these kids have a very rough time and their kids can seem very different from other kids.  Also, from what I've seen over the years, a lot of these kids are 2E.  If you go on the accelerated board, there are a number of parents who had to pull their kid out of school, because they just weren't thriving there.

 

This isn't a topic I am able to talk about with people in real life.  This is literally the only place I've been able to have conversations about it.  And, honestly, I should probably delete it, because it's TMI.

 

Like I posted, my 11 year-old worried us to the point where we thought she was mentally ill.  At 5, she was terrified of Anthrax.  She knew a ton of stuff about Anthrax and would use paper towels to touch everyday objects.  She would also wash her hands until the tops were bleeding.   :crying:   Toe-walking, hand-flapping, hitting her forehead on walls, running into walls...there's an entire year I probably spent crying trying to figure out what was going on with my kid.  And there isn't a ton of help out there (I tried)!

[ReadingMama1214]

A lot of parents with these kids have a very rough time and their kids can seem very different from other kids. Also, from what I've seen over the years, a lot of these kids are 2E. If you go on the accelerated board, there are a number of parents who had to pull their kid out of school, because they just weren't thriving there.

 

This isn't a topic I am able to talk about with people in real life. This is literally the only place I've been able to have conversations about it. And, honestly, I should probably delete it, because it's TMI.

 

Like I posted, my 11 year-old worried us to the point where we thought she was mentally ill. At 5, she was terrified of Anthrax. She knew a ton of stuff about Anthrax and would use paper towels to touch everyday objects. She would also wash her hands until the tops were bleeding. :crying: Toe-walking, hand-flapping, hitting her forehead on walls, running into walls...there's an entire year I probably spent crying trying to figure out what was going on with my kid. And there isn't a ton of help out there (I tried)!

One of the main reasons I would even consider testing is due to the 2e issues. Dd is somewhat anxious, but it isn't as severe as you've described. She's been a little focused on hand washing due to germs and similar things, but not to a point where it's inhibiting her daily functioning. I think testing helps us better understand these 2e issues and how to handle them. We did almost pursue testing when Dd was having extreme tantrums on a near daily basis. But they seem to have improved drastically lately.

 

I do think a lot of schools miss the ball on these issues. What excites me about this school we want to pursue is that their inclusion model for special Ed and GT students has been nationally recognized and copied. Now I haven't seen it up close yet, but if what I read is true they seem to handle all students incredibly well.

[....]

One of the main reasons I would even consider testing is due to the 2e issues. Dd is somewhat anxious, but it isn't as severe as you've described. She's been a little focused on hand washing due to germs and similar things, but not to a point where it's inhibiting her daily functioning. I think testing helps us better understand these 2e issues and how to handle them. We did almost pursue testing when Dd was having extreme tantrums on a near daily basis. But they seem to have improved drastically lately.

 

 

I'm trying to remember when all of this peaked...7-ish?  She had sensory problems and the extreme tantrums, too (she actually knocked out her 2 top front teeth during one of them).  Most everything suddenly stopped around age 8-9.  She's a blast to be around now (she's almost 12).  For the subject that she is gifted in, we had to get her a private tutor to work with her.

 

You're so lucky you have that school!  It sounds wonderful!  We're in kind of an educational wasteland where we live.  I couldn't even find my oldest a math team or a science fair a few years back.  Sports is the entire world here.  If you homeschool here, the school district will have nothing to do with you.        

 

The accelerated forum here has a ton of information...  You can post on there for extra support, questions, etc.

[ReadingMama1214]

I'm trying to remember when all of this peaked...7-ish? She had sensory problems and the extreme tantrums, too (she actually knocked out her 2 top front teeth during one of them). Most everything suddenly stopped around age 8-9. She's a blast to be around now (she's almost 12). For the subject that she is gifted in, we had to get her a private tutor to work with her.

 

You're so lucky you have that school! It sounds wonderful! We're in kind of an educational wasteland where we live. I couldn't even find my oldest a math team or a science fair a few years back. Sports is the entire world here. If you homeschool here, the school district will have nothing to do with you.

 

The accelerated forum here has a ton of information... You can post on there for extra support, questions, etc.

We're in Denver and while I'm not crazy impressed with our public schools (they're hit or miss depending on location) we have tons of great charters and magnet schools.

 

My friends think we are insane for planning to send her to a school 20 minutes away, but oh well.

 

Oddly enough whenever I bring up DDs sensitivities to her pedi he goes "oh she's just like my daughter and she is much better now at 9!" Seems like a common age to kind of improve at.

 

Fortunately DDs temper tantrums aren't violent. More of out of control upset and screaming. She'll flail, but not bang into Anything. They're just hard to watch. You can tell she's overwhelmed and upset. Thankfully we are out of that stage right now. It does go in cycles so we shall see how long this calm period lasts!

[Arcadia]

Oddly enough whenever I bring up DDs sensitivities to her pedi he goes "oh she's just like my daughter and she is much better now at 9!" Seems like a common age to kind of improve at.

My kids pediatrician refer quite a few children for SPD diagnosis and follow up. For my DS11, it is a case of having the traits but too mild to be referred. We could go out of network and pay more but it wasn't bad enough for us to go hunting for a good out of network SPD therapist.

 

I agree with SarahW that parents who insists their kids are gifted and need a gifted program or gIEP with no paperwork to back it up makes it difficult for the teachers to accommodate without paperwork. If my kid gets special treatment, their special snowflake deserve that too. However my kid writing less in school because he can't write fast doesn't get any complaints from other parents :rolleyes:

[ReadingMama1214]

My kids pediatrician refer quite a few children for SPD diagnosis and follow up. For my DS11, it is a case of having the traits but too mild to be referred. We could go out of network and pay more but it wasn't bad enough for us to go hunting for a good out of network SPD therapist.

 

I agree with SarahW that parents who insists their kids are gifted and need a gifted program or gIEP with no paperwork to back it up makes it difficult for the teachers to accommodate without paperwork. If my kid gets special treatment, their special snowflake deserve that too. However my kid writing less in school because he can't write fast doesn't get any complaints from other parents :rolleyes:

Yes DDS are too mild for a referral as well. He will suggest people we can seek out and pay out of pocket. Fortunately DDs have been capable of being managed in home. I haven't degree in counseling and have worked closely with kids with SPD and autism. I can't really see Dd needing accommodations. She's extremely compliment and would probably just entertain herself in class.

 

I did laugh to my DH when we went to a school meeting. There was one mom who I could tell had a special snowflake. She kept muttering to her friend and then asked "what can you tell me about accommodations for students who are gifted such as my daughter?"

The principals response "has she been tested and evaluated?"

Mom "well no..."

 

Yup.

[Dmmetler]

It's worth asking, though. DD doesn't quite qualify for an SPD label, but our insurance would pay for a limited number of visits with an OT for assessment purposes with a pediatrician referral. So, every time enough time had elapsed, she would refer us to an OT for "assessment"-which usually meant a couple of visits with the OT giving me suggestions to do at home.

 

Not as good as actually getting involved therapy, but it was definitely helpful. (The same pediatrician also led me through how to request testing through the school district that would incidentally turn up GT-because the language used was important in getting the kid actually assessed in a timely manner).

 

You have to love professionals who are willing to work the system to your child's benefit!

[kiwik]

By 6th grade, some of these kids are getting close to be ready to take HS level courses -- a very few are entering college at 7th or 8th grade. They don't get there by refusing to acknowledge their giftedness until 6th grade. They need to be given instruction at a higher level -- or at least the resources to teach themselves. Which means they need a chance to be identified younger and access to those resources.

Or they have dumbed themselves down, become depressed, developed behavior problems or maladaptive coping strategies.

[Have kids -- will travel]

Dd is in public preschool this year and we after school reading and math. She's possibly a grade ahead in these areas?

 

Next year (2017/18) she will go to a classical charter school. We love the school and it is an inclusion model. They differentiate learning within the class and every class has two teachers (one is certified special Ed). They do have in house psychologist, OT, and speech and a GT Coordinator. However, they do their gifted testing through the local school district.

 

Yesterday they called me about next years enrollment and asked if I had any questions. I asked about differentiated reading and they asked if I had Dd tested for gifted. I said I hadn't and asked if that was something I did before she got enrolled or that they did. They said I could do it before in order to have it done before she starts in case she requires services.

 

My question is, has anyone seen benefits to pursuing testing this young? Our district does test before K to see who qualifies for advanced Kindy (kids who have mastered K concepts). But the parent has to request it.

 

Dd doesn't test extremely well. She's shy and tends towards perfectionism and usually misses things that she does know. Which isn't an issue, I'm just not sure I want to put her through testing for no reason.

 

I know this is a bit old, but I wanted to respond. I definitely think testing isn't a bad idea if it can get you extra services. My public school tested for gifted in K, and that pullout was my favorite part of the week for years (all of elementary in fact). My older boy tested >99.5% at his current school (achievement not IQ), and they've been amazing with accommodations and differentiation despite not having a pullout. And he's so happy. 

 

Get some numbers. I thought ODS was bright/gifted, and then with the test results, the school comes to me like he's some amazing special snowflake that they've never seen (at a high achieving school with highly educated parents). 

 

If it turns out your kid doesn't test well and doesn't get a big number, what does that matter? You can always get different testing at a later date if you need to.

[ReadingMama1214]

I know this is a bit old, but I wanted to respond. I definitely think testing isn't a bad idea if it can get you extra services. My public school tested for gifted in K, and that pullout was my favorite part of the week for years (all of elementary in fact). My older boy tested >99.5% at his current school (achievement not IQ), and they've been amazing with accommodations and differentiation despite not having a pullout. And he's so happy.

 

Get some numbers. I thought ODS was bright/gifted, and then with the test results, the school comes to me like he's some amazing special snowflake that they've never seen (at a high achieving school with highly educated parents).

 

If it turns out your kid doesn't test well and doesn't get a big number, what does that matter? You can always get different testing at a later date if you need to.

Thanks for the response!

 

Our public school has advanced K. It isn't gifted K and doesn't qualify them for gifted services. The test is more skills based I guess? And isn't an IQ test. It seems like they test them for kindergarten skills. Those who do better than 95% of the rest qualify for advanced K which will either do accelerated K curriculum or jump into first grade. It varies by which of the 8 schools the kid attends.

 

Her charter will do testing for her once she is enrolled. Since it's not technically in our district, they won't don't testing until she is enrolled and then officially a student in their district. Just the policies and legal reasons. Their test is a gifted test that does IQ and all. We Are praying she gets into the charter school. It's a better fit overall.

 

The public advanced K program is tricky. Our school system is a choice system. All lottery essentially. So K is your year to get into the school you want. After that, it is harder to choice in. So we are torn. None of the schools with advanced K are ones we'd want her to stay at.

 

We are looking at IB schools as well. International baccalaureate program's. they seem more rigorous overall. We shall see.

[kiwik]

From what you say I would put her in K at the school you want her to stay at. There is usually more differentiation in the first year at school because kids come to school with such a wide range of abilities. You can do other stuff at home if need be.

[ReadingMama1214]

From what you say I would put her in K at the school you want her to stay at. There is usually more differentiation in the first year at school because kids come to school with such a wide range of abilities. You can do other stuff at home if need be.

That's what I think we plan to do. The test is 2 hours and even though it's a lot of play, it seems stressful for a kid who doesn't enjoy that stuff. The advanced K classes are not at schools we'd want long term and it seems like she has a good shot at the classical charter. We're on track to finish our reading program by the summer and coulf continue math at home if we need

[LucilleBlanton]

Good discussion.