Hi all! I'm new here and would love to join in the discussions. You all seem so knowledgable and supportive.
I'll try my best to be brief, but it will be hard to not ramble

My DS6 is in K in a large public school system and is identified gifted. I feel overpowered by the district, despite knowledge of educational laws in my state (PA). Nothing from my son's very vague GIEP was followed through this year. He is capable of learning several grade levels above the curriculum. During his last GIEP the gifted coordinator suggested that the district would not accelerate in the classroom in 1st grade. More specifically, she said some vague thing about how they could "enrich" in the classroom BUT (exact words): "Can we give him material from the second grade math curriculum? No" This is a kid who learned in under an hour the concept of binary numbers and how to add them and convert to base 10. SO, I'm trying to get him accelerated to 2nd but hear all the usual about social/emotional issues, what happens when friends get driver's license, his writing is "only" strong when comparing him to other Kindergarteners, blah blah blah... I sent a letter to the principal requesting acceleration last week but have not heard back from her. His next GIEP is June 6, but that doesn't leave enough time to prepare him for next year, etc..

FWIW, I applied to Davidson YS for my DS6, was asked for "more information" which I submitted, and am now waiting to see if he is accepted.
Sorry for the ramble! I could really use the support from folks like yourself who have way more experience advocating for your children.

Thanks for any help you can give,
Jool

WElcome Jool!

I was told the same thing by the Gifted coordinator when my son was pulled out for math with her. He's in 2nd grade. She said the first thing I tell them is that I can't give them 3rd or even 4th grade work. Instead the spent the 1hr/week for 6weeks playing chess, Blokus, some other games. Now DS had a great time and I was so happy he had this bright spot in his week. But NOTHING changed in the classroom.

We have no such animal as a GIEP. But it's only worth the paper it's written on if the school doesn't follow it. I wish you luck in your advocacy. I don't have any advice, others here are more experienced than I.

I haven't applied to DYS for my DS7 but we're still welcome here anyhow.

Dazey

Hi Jool! I'm in PA myself, and your district might be one of those that has no intentions of complying. However, they might be convinced with a due process or mediation. Have you considered going that route? PM me if you want to talk PA specifics. Our school is "small", so I doubt we're neighbors, but I have a lot of PA contacts. Congratulations on getting the ID in K, that in itself is a huge milestone in many districts. Good luck with the DYS application.

Hi Jool! I'm sorry to hear about your battle.

Dottie's idea of going through due process seems like a good place to start. And if you are looking for your own information you could get a copy of the Iowa Acceleration Scale. I bought one recently from B&N.com, and I know Amazon sells them too. I wanted one just to see where my daughter falls on the scales, and if we wanted to start the acceleration process I wouldn't be in the dark about it. It requires test scores, but I assume you have them for your application to DYS.

I don't understand why teachers and schools are so hesitant to offer accelerated math. Isn't that exactly what they do in reading groups? I mean, my DD6 is in K but her little reading group of 3 is reading books at the 3rd grade level in their reading sessions. This seems perfectly normal for the subject of reading; I don't see why it can't be the same for math. At our school I do think that they try to somewhat individualize by teaching math in small groups within the classroom, but I don't think they do it as well as they do with reading. I can imagine your frustration.

I'm still new at this myself but have felt very welcome here. I think you will too. I wish you the best!

Amy

Most schools I've heard of don't group for reading anymore either. I know ours doesn't.

As I understand it, grouping (teaching kids in groups of similar ability and/or achievement) got unfairly associated with tracking (once you're on this track you can't get off it) in the minds of many people, and it has lately been considered an elitist teaching strategy. As that's frowned upon, there's a lot less grouping than there used to be. It's a shame because it's one proven teaching strategy that allows kids of all ability levels to advance.

Count your lucky stars that you have grouping in reading! Maybe you can get them to apply that idea to math, too. More power to you!

(While you're at it, can you get reading groups back in my local school, please?)

Hi Jool,

Good luck with DYS app. My DD8 was just shy of achievement testing scores, however, I am welcome here as well.
In fact any parent of GT kids that feels the need for discussion and support is welcome here, IMHO.
You're lucky you hooked up with Dottie, she knows ALOT! Especially about the PA system.

Good luck
Neato

If they haven't been following his GIEP, I would think you need to file a complaint rather than go to due process. Isn't due process for disagreements about the content of the GIEP? Come to think of it, maybe you need to do both...

Due process and/or mediation would cover non-compliance as well. It's an interesting process to say the least, but my own district has been much more willing to work with me after we were forced into that route. We got lucky and never had to go through with the due process, but we did use the mediation. Before that, I don't think my school realized I was serious about this. Keep in mind that the original GIEP is "vague"...she needs some muscle!

Some districts have the idea that they can push parents off for the full 13 years, and sadly many get away with just that. K is an excellent time to realign their approach.

Given that your GIEP is scheduled for June 6th, I would either request they move that up, or stick to that date but "insist" on better paperwork at that meeting. If that fails....that's when I'd file. I'm pretty sure the filing process goes through the summer, so you'd have something come to a head before 2008/2009.

It helps to have a good idea of what YOU want (ie one full skip with further "best subject" acceleration, etc). Sadly they probably won't take the lead. Go into the meeting with your own suggestions and ideas, and stand firm.

I agree that in such situations you do need to make the school understand that you are persistent, well-informed and that you are going to hold them to the letter of the law. At least, that worked for us when we were advocating for DD's 504. They actually assumed I had a lawyer because of all the legal information I had amassed

Just last night I was reading something which may be helpful to you: http://print.ditd.org/Guidebook1.pdf

It's important to keep a professional demeanor and to document everything. Verbal exchanges can be documented using "letters of understanding" but all official requests you make should be dated and in writing.

(PA specific post)

Oh, another thought....I fought the due process idea for years because it seems so overwhelming! And the thought of hiring a lawyer was not really a financial option. However...you can file "pro se" (which means I'm stupid enough to try this myself, but I am serious!) I honestly felt like I was playing chicken, driving straight for the cliff as I crammed legal issues into my brain at warp speed. Again, things worked out for us and we never had the actual due process hearing, but filing really did help. And no matter who you might hire, no one knows your situation and child's needs better than you.

If you plan to continue with public education, I suggest you read up on that process even if you don't file this year. Eventually your hand may be forced, and it's good to know what all it entails. I was initially told due process didn't apply for GT, and I definitely had the element of "surprise" when we actually did go that route.

One problem is that in larger districts, others have likely gone this route before and they'll often have a slick greasy lawyer all ready for the fight. We were lucky to go first. Are there any more experienced parents that you can contact locally for advice?