Awesome School

So it's been 3 weeks since school started. It's been a relief. Dexter says he's challenged, he's very happy, and he's made some good friends. All of his friends are third graders, so I think he's mostly working in that group rather than the second graders. It's like he received the grade skip he needed without having to ask for it. He just fits in better with the older kids and can do what they do.

They have been doing testing to see where the kids are at. Each child is supposed to receive an education plan tailored to what they need to work on. Dexter loves tests and sees them as a way to learn things. He just figures things out sometimes without being taught. Apparently, some of the tests tell them their score at the end. He was super proud of his math score. I looked it up to see where that was on the scale of the test because I was too curious.

Let me back up a moment and say that he hasn't been a particularly mathy kid even though he says he likes it. He's not doing 5th grade math like some other PG kids like him. He's solidly a grade ahead. We aren't particularly mathy people either. I can figure out the percentage to tip and that's the extent of daily math that I do.

Because he isn't so far ahead, then sometimes I just doubt the IQ and achievement tests we did last year were accurate. There were 2 tests that both indicated the same ability, but in my head, I convince myself that the test must not have been given correctly; that there is no way he is where those tests say he is. There's no way to "really" prove it except through what he does with it. He surprises me sometimes with what he remembers and figures out, but he's not spouting off the elements or terms for molecular biology (yet).

So back to the test, the class promised to not tell each other what their scores were. Dexter is all about rules, so I'm sure he hasn't told anyone. I looked up his raw score and if the number he told me was indeed accurate, then he has proved himself again and maybe he is more like the average 5th grader at math. He figured out decimals are fractions by the answers offered on the test.

I can't wait for the parent teacher conferences to see how he did on the other tests. This is the first time he's ever done this kind of testing. I am excited to see what grade levels he is working at. I am also excited to see how his score does over the course of the year. This is a totally new concept for a school, so this year will be very telling if it's the right place for him. Socially it's great, he is very engaged in learning, but let's see how far he pushes himself academically. My hopes are up!