Need Ideas to Enrich my daughter's school day...

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Help! I have a first grader who has a GAI of 147 and has achievement scores in middle school/highschool for everything but math. Her public elementary school can't challenge her for reading, science, etc... because she is already way beyond them. But for math, we were pleased that she was only two years ahead of herself...doing 3rd grade math at the beginning of the 2008/9 school year in 1st. As a result of her test scores, the principal allowed her to be pulled out of 1st and into a GATE 3rd Grade class in the mornings for Math. She LOVED it, and got top scores, and finally for the first time ever had to apply herself. Anyway, we just had a placement meeting on Friday to figure out what to do with her in 2009/10, and the concensus was to skip 2nd grade, and go directly to 3rd because they do have some social studdies materials that she isn't familiar with.... Anyway, the administrators seemed to assume that she'd just repeat 3rd grade math. Her math teacher says socially she isn't ready for a 4th grade class (for even a portion of the day) because she does have behavioral/emotional issues and the 4th grade classes here have 32 students vs. just 20 for K-3. She recommends having her 3rd grade teacher next year "enrich" her, which I know won't be sufficient. She'll still have to hear the lecture on what she already knows. They truly may be right that she isn't ready to go to the bigger classroom with more kids and the different issues the older ones are dealing with. We have no gifted schools in the area. The school doesn't have the resourses to have someone give her individual 4th grade math instruction while she's in 3rd. I am tempted to tell the school that I'll volunteer to come in every day to teach her 4th grade math when the other kids are learning what she had last year. Other than that though, does anyone have any ideas what I can do within her school? Also, her day is very busy after school with piano lessons, swimming, Brownies, etc.... so I don't think after-school enrichment programs will fix the problem. I feel that since we paying tax dollars, she has the right to be learing in school.

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Parent Replies to "Need Ideas to Enrich my daughter's school day..."

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My son takes his math on-line while at his school. Our state, Florida, has free online schooling available to all public school qualified students. So, our enlightened principal came up with the idea of letting my son take his math online in the media center and move at his own pace. We have a tutor for him once a week now for an hour and a half, down from two hours the first year of this, just to give him one on one time. He is three and a half years ahead in middle school (He's half way through honors geometry.). It takes some parent time, but to watch him sore, as I suspect your daughter would, is quite cool. We only pay for the tutor and he is given credit through the school with the actual grade coming from the online school. The tutor is optional as the online school has a teacher within phone and e-mail contact. The tutor is my security blanket.

Thanks! She's been accepted to the program at John Hopkins (as a back up) but we'll definitely try the Time4 learning course first since its price is right.

You could try www.time4learning.com. It is an online homeschool curriculum for K-12. You would need to pay a monthly or yearly subscription fee but I think it is worth it as it could be used independently by kids to learn new curricular materials (lessons) and practice tests. You can view/save reports as well. I understand the school district can also obtain a license.
Another thought...you could bring this issue up at the PTO meetings; you could network with other parents who may be interested in such enrichment programs that would benefit more kids in the school. Good luck!

You stated that your daughter has behavior and emotional issues maybe try concentrating on those issues. Get her envolved in other things dance, art, some kind of sport activity. She is very smart and putting her up with the older kids is alot of pressure. About the math, Is she able to use the computer there are alot of computer based programs that she could use for the hour of math the other students learning math.

Does anyone know of any good interactive dvd's that teach math? I found a program through Stanford and one through John Hopkins where I can get 4th grade math brought into my daughter's classroom in the fall, but they are expensive. I was hoping someone else might know where to direct me to find something cheaper? I suppose even some home school curriculum would work-- but I have no idea what is good and not so good out there. If anyone has any ideas, I'd appreciate the help. Thanks!

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