What to do?

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I received a letter from my sons school district informing me that they tested the kids in April for giftedness. My sons scores were High! Naglieri nonverbal 99% MAP reading was 92% Do I send him to a school for gifted students or do I stay with his current school? It is a Great school and the teachers are wonderful. My son is one of the youngest in his class he turned 5 just prior to school starting. I am at a loss of what to do. I don't want him to fall behind but I want him to feel challenged! As a side note the gifted school is in a not so lovely neighborhood. Help! Any advice would be wonderful.

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So Cal Gal gave wise advice, imho. The danger of heeping a gifted child from a gifted program are mentioned in a new study. Google High Achievers in an era of NCLB. A program alone is no panacea. Be prepared to advocate for your child to contact a meaningful curriculum and not rehash already mastered content.

Does the state you live in mandate gifted education for public schools? Read the statutes on your state's Department of Education website. Or better yet, find someone at the state level to talk to. You may not have to move your son to a different school if there is a mandate already in place. Good luck.

Thank you for your replies. I have put him into the draw for the 55 positions that are open for the gifted school. 92 cards went out so it's not totally done yet. My son told me he would think about giving it a chance. I know him and he needs more stimulation than I think his current school can give. If he cant get into the gifted school then the family needs to sit down with the current school and talk !!!

Here are some more things to throw into the mix:

The fact that the gifted school is located in a "not so lovely neighborhood" is meaningless. You and your spouse -- and your son -- now need to spend some time considering which of his options will better meet his needs.

To do this, the 3 of you need to meet with the faculty and administrators of each school and have some frank discussion about his needs and their abilities and willingness to meet them.

Gifted children who become bored in the classroom are some of the most difficult children on an elementary school campus...

I would probably leave him alone unless you honestly believe his needs will not be met. While I believe that gifted children need to be pushed, I also believe parents are at least as important as the school. My son is gifted and I can often talk to his teacher and get him out early to attend various events and enriching activities. You have to realize that a gifted child shows promise, but the way to realize that promise, beyond the school environment is not as clear cut as you might think. While gifted schools are great, I think showing promise is a far cry from actualizing it. That is up to a creative and caring family and school community. Good luck

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