Ian gets evaluated for kindergarten -- AGAIN

I have become THAT MOM. You know, the one who is always hounding the teachers and administration because she thinks she knows what's best for her child, she won't take no for an answer and needs to know WHY her child isn't as deserving as the other children.

I already talked about the registration process for our school district and how each child has to be evaluated. That was done back in early April. The district also has a bilingual program in Spanish and English called CILA. Each elementary school that has this program (not all do) has 2 classrooms -- one of English speakers and one of Spanish speakers. Some of the lessons are separate and some are together and the lessons are taught in English and Spanish. We have been interested in this since we heard about it. So at the evaluation, I told them we were interested and that Ian speaks 3 languages ("Oh, then we have to test him to see if he requires ESL." WHAT? "Oh, it's just the rule that if there is more than one language spoken at home, we have to make sure that they are fluent in English.") Psychologist said she would make a note on his evaluation summary and the district would let me know if he was eligible. At no time did they tell me that Ian's "scores" were insufficient or what "eligible" meant. Well, time goes by and I call the last week of April (a few different offices on a few different days) and ask when the letters will go out with the applications for CILA and I'm told sometime in the beginning of May. So we didn't get anything by Monday and I called to ask. The secretary who answered was kind enough to look up Ian's file and told me that we didn't get an application because he wasn't eligible. WHAT? "He only scored a 16 on language and they require a minimum of 18." So I asked her if it mattered that he already speaks 3 languages, tends to be shy with strangers and is a December baby. "Oh." She was helpful and suggested that I speak with the director for CILA. She told me she would leave her a message. "Don't worry, you have some time because applications aren't due until May 29." Nobody called the next day, so I looked up the number and called the CILA director's office. Told the same story to the secretary who answered. "You know that the final decisions have been made, right?" YES. THAT IS WHY I AM CALLING. "I'll give her the message, but she's out of the office until 1:30 today."

By Wednesday afternoon, still no call back and the open house is that evening for CILA. At the last minute, Jeff discovers that the 6:30 time we were told is actually for the presentation in Spanish. English presentation is at 7:30. So we decide that Jeff will go at 6:30. I call the CILA director again Wednesday afternoon and she's on the phone (of course). Leave another message. She actually called me back 10 minutes later. Once again, I explain everything (and by the way, all of this is on the forms I filled out at home to bring to registration AND the evaluation form they had me fill out at the school). I tell her that he's shy with strangers. I ask if what they're saying is that he shouldn't be in kindergarten, because nobody mentioned it at the evaluation. "Oh no, it's just that this program is more rigorous because it's in two languages." I tell her he speaks 3 languages at home ("Oh really? That's fantastic! Which 3 languages?"). I tell her his grandmother is Colombian and it's really important for us for him to keep up his Spanish. I also point out to her that they didn't bother to ask him one of the language questions because he's "only 4", but I know he would have known the answers (pointing out words that start with certain letter sounds). THAT got her attention. "That's strange. I'll look into that." I told her we were planning on going to the open house. "Oh, please do! I assume you'll be at the 7:30?" I told her Jeff would be at the 6:30. "I'll be at the 6:30, so please have your husband come up to me at the end." She reminded me that it was still a lottery and there was no guarantee. I said that I understood but didn't think it was fair that he didn't get a chance to apply because the evaluation wasn't accurate. I did the whole "I know it's tough to run a large school district and take care of each student individually, so it's up to the parents to help you do that." And I did the "I'm not saying my child is a genius, but I really don't think the evaluation correctly assessed his abilities." Ian is actually reading now. He's able to sound out parts of words and he recognizes a quite a few. He loves telling us what rhymes ("Beaver and fever rhyme!") or play a game where we take turns saying words that begin with a particular letter.

So Jeff goes to the open house that night. He said there were like 2 parents at the Spanish session and 20 at the English session. (Could be because the information was completely wrong on the school district website up until about a few weeks ago when I emailed the site administrator to let her know.) He spoke with the director and the two teachers who were there. The director said that Ian should get an application and was about to give him one when the teacher suggested that maybe Ian should apply as a Spanish speaker. I think they need to have an even mix of English/Spanish speakers in the program because it's state-funded. They recently opened the program in two other schools in the district, so there are now more slots available and the children are supposed to go to the school they are geographically assigned to. Our part of the city has less Hispanics/Latinos, so I think they had more spaces in the Spanish classroom. In any event, the director thought it was a good idea, which meant that Jeff had to take Ian to school the next morning to do the evaluation in Spanish. Jeff was a little nervous because Ian has been speaking mainly in English lately, but it turns out he did great. The teacher was like, "He definitely should have scored higher on the English language section because he knew all the answers in Spanish!" He wasn't as good as a native speaker, but he understood everything and they thought it was enough to get him an application and that we should check off the box for the Spanish classroom.

It's still a lottery, so if there is an overwhelming number of applicants, he may not get in. But if he does, it's better that he's in the Spanish class because they assume no knowledge of Spanish in the English class and I know he would be bored.

ARGH. I don't know what this evaluation process really does. They didn't even want a report from his current preschool teacher. But anyway, he's supposed to get an application and we'll see what happens from there.

UPDATE, May 27: Application has been handed in to the Assistant Superintendent's office. Let's see if he gets in...