I think the issue is similar to the reason that oftentimes students with LDs aren't identified until 2nd-3rd grade: there is a huge spectrum of developmental timeframes in young children. Some children learn to read early, some children (even some pg children) don't begin reading until they are 6 years old. Third grade is a typical point at which the impact of differing developmental milestones no longer will hide LDs or giftedness, and similarly it's a point at which achievement differences will start to be less present in situations such as a child who perhaps learned to read or do math early or was given the advantage of early preschool exposure to concepts that perhaps another child didn't have. On the flip side, it's sometimes difficult to know if the reason a student is struggling with reading or whatever because of an LD or just because they aren't developmentally ready yet until 2nd or 3rd grade.
Re giftedness, from my limited sample of kids I've known - you could see intellectual giftedness at a young age - through conversation and the thoughts that the children shared. It didn't necessarily show up in the type of academic skill sets that schools are focused on (although it did sometimes).
The other thing that is perhaps perceived to be beneficial from a school's standpoint in evaluating students is that by 3rd grade, most students will have a bit of past history of teachers who know them and have worked with them. In early elementary, there are often parents clamoring to get their children id'd as gifted, whether the child is or isn't truly gifted.
Those are just my ponderings...
polarbear
Last edited by polarbear; 10/08/15 11:58 AM.
