In general, many parents find that their gifted children are not well-served by the government school system, which is focused on closing achievement gaps and excellence gaps (therefore may cap the growth of students at the top to accomplish this gap closure: equal outcomes is their goal).
That said, you can browse the gifted laws by State,
here, courtesy of the Davidson database.
However if your gifted child also has a diagnosed disability, this would be termed "twice exceptional" (
2e), and the information at
wrightslaw may help inform you about special ed laws and advocacy, including IEP/504.
The
Davidson database has information on choosing a school, including:
-
Basic educational options for gifted students in schools-
Choosing the right school for your gifted child (contains "
must-ask questions and the answers that you should seek")
Have you had the opportunity to read
A Parent's Guide to Gifted Children? Chapter 14 discusses Finding a Good Educational Fit. Included is a
Table of Questions more important than "Is my child in a gifted program?", by Dr. Donald Treffinger. His list is also found online at the website of Center for Creative Learning (CCL), as “
Dear School People”.
For many gifted children, the best educational "fit" may change from year to year therefore the parents may need to continually reassess the current learning environment, options available, and student placement. Many gifted children are homeschooled for a least a portion of their education. Gifted Homeschoolers Forum (
GHF) is a good starting place for gathering information.
When speaking with schools about their support for gifted learners, parents benefit from developing a BS filter to assist them in understanding the many fine statements which may be made. To that end, here is a list of
buzzwords and their meanings.
What is the downside of a child not being challenged in school? Students may grow unmotivated by lack of an academic challenge worthy of their potential; They may stop learning and "level out" or underachieve... They may find ways to entertain themselves in class and be labeled as class clowns or disruptive...
- This
old post summarizes ten key points made in the linked article: What A Child Doesn't Learn.
- This
old post discusses excerpts from a linked article on the downside of having a poor educational/academic "fit".
I hope that something in this roundup of links on "educational fit" may be of help to you in choosing a school.
