Our program is for (2) and it has been amazing for DS9. Until this year he was in a regular classroom and things were not going well. He was getting good marks in a couple things and average in the rest. The school sort of accommodated his LD and pretty much ignored the fact that he was gifted and then wondered why his behaviour wasn't always the best.... It was very frustrating.
Now in the program he has top marks and actually would be able to qualify for (3) but there is no way his previous teachers would have ever considered him high achieving - they barely could believe he wasn't delayed never mind gifted.
Pros
- he's found his people
- his teacher gets gifted (finally!!)
- I don't have to fight for differentiation and be "that parent" anymore
Cons
- to get into the program the school board uses the Canadian version of the Cogat which misses a lot of kids. The school also do WISC testing but as far as I know you have to score high on the Cogat first and there are long wait lists.
- this results in many people end up testing privately with the WISC, then the school board complains that lower SES aren't represented equally and the school board trustees/staff don't like this and use it as a reason that the program should be cancelled.
- the application process to get into the program changed recently and you basically have to prove that your kid can't function in a regular classroom for them to be allowed in. This makes it that only parents that are willing and able to figure out the convoluted process enough to get through it will make it in. Next up I'm sure they will be wondering why girls are under-represented in the program and use that as another reason to cancel it. My DD is a quiet, high achieving gifted type and we're now applying for her to get in and all of the teachers just say "she looks happy so she's fine in a regular class" and implying that the gifted class is only for those with social/behaviour issues which actually goes against what is on the official board website.
I would have no problem with there being another program for (1) but the school board is super paranoid about streaming and any sort of ability grouping so it is a minor miracle that they have anything at all never mind expanding.
