I'd like to know how old your kids or students are, so I can focus my articles appropriately. Please give me approximate age and if you want, gender and educational setting as well.

My own kids are two, seven, ten, and 18.

Lorel

15.00

Interesting - I didn't put ".00" after the age, but somehow it is there. So now I will write again and note that his birthday isn't today - indeed, he is closer to 16 than 14.

Rose Marie, I just thought you were being REALLY precise.... ;-)

My ds is 15.5ish. Doesn't look it, often doesn't act it.

My two sons are 13 and 10. Or should I say, 13-going-on-30 and 10. Educational setting is public schools.

Amy, thanks for posting. How are the schools working out for your kids?

Hmmm, judging by the traffic reports, we seem to have a large number of lurkers! Hey folks, c'mon out and say hello. If I don't hear from anyone else, I will have to assume that most forum readers have tweens and teenagers. Are there parents here with younger kids?

take care all-

Lorel

Schools are working out fine for our kids. The administrators and teachers have been wonderful across the board. They have accomodated every request we've made over the past 4 years we've been in this school system, addressed each and every concern, and made themselves available at all hours to answer questions. And they've initiated and implemented suggestions and programs to provide curriculum differentiation for both boys as well as going to bat for us when it became clear that our youngest son needed a full-grade skip --and then again when he required further subject acceleration. The board of ed is very supportive of gifted education and has promised to provide additional opportunities as needed as we progress through the system. I can't complain at all.

Amy-

That's terrific! I love to hear a positive story. Do you have any tips to share about how to interact with school administrators?

I don't think we really do anything different or unusual, actually. It's hard for them to refuse our requests when the results of various test scores (regular classroom, GATE, CMTs, IOWA, Otis-Lennon, etc. and so on) are staring them in the face. They can't deny that our sons need the enrichment. I don't know how they would react if the test results didn't support our requests.

I do have one rather cynical observation, though. When my youngest son was in first grade and was being evaluated for a grade skip to second grade, we met with the district curriculum coordinator to discuss the plan for his progression through the math classes. (He was skipped up the one grade, but he was also accelerated another full grade in math, which has made the scheduling a bit tricky.)

Anyway, we happened to mention that we had recently moved to town from out of state. She said, "We always love it when families with kids like yours decide to move here--it benefits the town and the school system to have students that score so highly on tests." Which I took to mean, "Your sons' scores on the standardized tests help raise the average for the town and makes us look good."

So since then, we've been very aware of the power that brings. When my oldest son was in fifth grade and was bored out of his mind because the teacher was in her last year before retirement and was almost literally sleep-walking through the curriculum, I approached the principal and asked for something to be done in addition to the regular GATE program that our son was in. He balked, because it was his first year as an administrator and he didn't want to rock the boat with the teacher. I casually mentioned that it would be a shame if we had to pull our boys out of the school and put them in private school--especially when the CMTs were coming up in a few months.

Within a week my son was being pulled out of the class for enhanced work in reading and math groups. And we had no problems for the rest of the year.

Is that bad, to use our kids' test scores as a bargaining chip?

Hi Lorel.
My boys are 9 and 6. DS 9 is entering 5th grade in gifted class, DS 6 is entering 1st grade reg ed class with acceleration in math and (hopefully) reading as new school year begins. He is already reading at 2-3 grade level.


Take care,
BMe