Good for you Ducky!
There is a terrific book on the identification of gifted children, that is research based and fun to read, part of the Sally Reis edited series. I've given a link, but please go to hoagiesgifted.com before you go to amazon to look, ok? Identification of Students for Gifted and Talented Programs (Essential Readings in Gifted Education Series) by Joseph S. Renzulli and Sally M. Reis (Paperback - Mar 6, 2004)
Buy new: $29.95
I also reccomend that you join the
Educators Guild.
Seems to me that my fanticy for ID would be to try to match ID to the services that can be scraped together. For example, if you can convinse the school to let all the strongest K readers go to mrs. x's room during reading time and have a reading group together, or even let some of them go to 1, 2, or 3 grade for reading group, then use the reading assesment you have, just keep going after the ususal stopping point with kids who reach the ceiling of the test. I don't want my child to be labled in K, only recognised for his skills and learning needs. I'd never want a label if I could get the services without them!
Bring the 1,2,and 3 grade end of year Math scope and sequences down to kindy, and see what some of the brightest kids can do with them. If you try to teach them, how quickly will they pick it up. Or you can pull a small group out and teach them something fun from the upper grade levels, what you use with the advanced 4th graders - and ask the children if it was fun. As an experienced teacher you will be good at 'adjusting down' if you are losing them, but look for the child who doesn't need that. The key thing in my mind to make sure you have a program for them when you make the ID.
You can start the ID just by sending a letter home asking the parents if they think that the worksheets that their child brings home look "too hard, too easy, or just about right." The other children know, you can ask them to nominate each other for "which child here needs harder school work?"
Good luck!
Grinity
