HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Good one, Cathy!

LMAO! No kidding! I took college level physics. There were plenty of college age kids (approaching half the class at my university) that never gained a superficial understanding at all and failed out. Conceptual understanding or just plain "getting it" is huge IMHO.

Yes, judging from my inability to answer DS's physics questions, I think I only developed a "superficial understanding" of my -high school- physics book.

Thanks everybody for your support. I think you've helped me get my confidence back! It was also really interesting to hear how many of you had similar experiences.

DH says I probably helped my cause by crying and talking back. He thinks now they are probably going to try to prevent any more outbursts. I figure they will just try more mind games.

I have a meeting with the principal (and the folks from the IEP team) next Thursday to discuss the math skip. Next year's teacher is also supposed to be there, but who knows if the principal will actually invite her or disclose who next year's teacher will be. Continually scheduling yet more meetings may be her way of letting the clock run out without doing anything I'm asking for.

When I first broached the math-skip idea with the principal, I mentioned the IAS and she said let's take a look at it, knowing it would take about a week to get delivered. When I brought it in, I explained the process and she asked to borrow the book and to have some time to look at it.

After a week or so, I called back to ask if we could start the testing called for in the IAS. She said she hadn't read the IAS yet. She said she wanted to use an on-line test developed for assessment in NYC that did not stop at grade level, and test him in both language arts and math. That was at least a week ago and DS hasn't been tested yet. School ends in a week and a half.

I feel compelled to keep trying at this school because we waited to long to easily move to something else.

We started panicking about school too late to apply to a private school for next year. The regular G&T program in our NYC district is no great shakes.

Because of rather fuzzy admissions standards in years past, 40 percent of students in elementary G&T classes across the city are at the 80th percentile or lower in IQ (or so the Ed Dept said when it decided to standardize the process this year and make the admissions criteria 90 percentile on a weighted combination of the BRSA and OLSAT for children going into K-2.)

For children currently in grades 3 and 4 applying to G&T programs, the new policy is apply to G&T in general (no specific school) and if spots open up, applicants will be placed in schools based on their scores on the 3rd grade, NCLB tests, with the top scorers getting priority in placement. Parents will be informed of G&T placement in August. Of course, the watered down NCLB test covers what are essentially second-grade skills, so there isn't enough challenge at the top to really separate out the MG, HG, etc. As a result, this policy won't actually mean that the HG children with the greatest need for G&T will actually get placed in G&T.

So, we will pursue a good IEP and math-skip for the local school for next year, also apply for G&T for next year, too, just in case, and if nothing works out, in the fall of this year we will also apply to a local private school for gifted kids for Fall of '09.

OK, I've rambled again. I thought the G&T criteria might be good for discussion, and I'm hoping the play-by-play of what's happened for us might be helpful to others. And I got to vent again!

bk

Bk, I hope the math skip meeting goes well. I recently read "Developing Math Talent." It has some good suggestions for accommodating kids with math talent.

I skimmed that at Barnes and Noble on a couple of lunch hours, and I should definitely get a copy and dig in.

bk1 (now I've got Burger King in my mind!!LOL!!!), I am so sorry for your frustrating day. I understand the crying at the meeting. I cried right after my DS's IEP meeting too. The frustration of it all can just be too much and you just need an outlet for all those feelings. They played the same sort of mind games on me and it was just awful.

I'm glad you've got your confidence back and that you have a plan for the future. Just having a plan can make you feel so much better!!! I hope things goes well in the math skip meeting.

Deep breaths BK, and remember....things don't have to stop for summer. I had NO idea what was going to happen with DS when we first requested a math skip, and I had my doubts about "summer testing". But they did bring him in late August, and the kid was up a year in math come September. Most administrators are year round employees, so be ready to keep them on their toes!

Last year when things got ugly for me, I had a little "rampant emotionalism" in one of my meetings, . Sometimes there is just no holding back. I think in hindsight it was good to see the "worst", so I can better prepare for what might come in any future meeting.

Be strong! And remember...kids are king! (Sorry, couldn't resist, .)

I just wanted to add my sympathy for your experience and yet another example that you aren't alone! When I got really angry last year, I went in to talk to the principal to finally make it clear we were going to be more demanding in the future and the current plan was *not* ok. I planned to be aggressive and I am *definitely* not someone who cries often, but the second I started to say that one of my kids was unhappy, I was crying in the principal's office! I'm not sure who was more shocked.

I do believe it can help too. I think the second I cried, I moved out of the "one-of-those parents" category into just being extremely worried about my kids. I became a "regular" parent, because anyone with kids can relate to worry, but not everyone can relate to the GT issues.

I think multiple meetings is a good thing. It's probably not lots of fun for them and they could just blow you off, so as long as you are talking and testing, I think that sounds hopeful.

I agree with gratified3 about the tears. Remember Hillary in the New Hampshire primary? A few tears got her a long way, at least in NH!

Raises Hand and admits to tears in the school meetings at times as well