Seeking The Next Great Challenge

Students Seeking Greater Challenge

Bright students and their parents are frequently faced with educational questions as they progress through school.

For example, some parents have asked:

• Is my sixth grade son’s school providing enough challenge for him? He seems really bored in school. How can we better meet his needs?
• My daughter is entering ninth grade, and we’d like to make an educational plan for her high school years. What should she be doing to plan for college? Should we be thinking about early college entrance?
• My second grade son scored very highly on the SCAT and is very bored in school. Should we be thinking about having him skip a grade?
• I’d really like to learn more about my fourth grader’s academic strengths and weaknesses, as well as her learning style. She’s talented in so many areas! How can I best support and encourage her development as a student?

Three of the DCC’s services may appeal to parents who have concerns about ensuring that their gifted children are sufficiently challenged:

• Educational consultations
• Above-level Ability and Achievement testing
• Psycho-educational Evaluations

EDUCATIONAL CONSULTATIONS

Sometimes, a parent just wants to talk to an expert in gifted education about devising strategies to meet their child’s needs. Consultations are most effective when accompanied by the results of previous assessments of the student’s intellectual capability and academic development. Such assessments may have been conducted at school or through another agency.
A consultation can:

• Answer questions about test results: the results of previous testing are interpreted, and assistance in evaluating the educational implications of test findings is provided.
• Help develop educational plans: students’ performance on standardized tests, achievement in school, and interests and motivation, as well as available resources in the community, are evaluated to develop educational plans that meet their needs.
• Assist with school advocacy: guidance is provided to families seeking to work with their child’s school in developing and implementing an appropriate educational program.

All educational consultations include a review of records and a one-hour counseling session, and cost between $175 and $350, depending on the complexity of the case. A written report is available for an additional fee.