Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy new to forum

I don't know how I just stumbled upon this forum. I see there are several different message boards so I am trying to figure out which is the most active and best suited for me. I have a DS10, DD7, and DD5. Our school system has not officially identified DS10 as gifted but all of his test scores indicate that he is. Do children "need" to be classified by their school as gifted.

My children havent been tested yet. They are ahead in most areas, very ahead and these boards have helped me. Welcome.

Welcome to the board! If there is any information here that is useful to you, then this is the place for you. There are no requirements that your kiddos be identified as GT, or be any certain level of GT. There are a lot of people who have different experience in different areas (homeschooling, public schools, acceleration, social/emotional, 2e, etc.). Feel free to introduce yourself and any issues or questions you have. This is a pretty active board.

The real motivator for testing is when and if your child is not thriving in their current academic setting. And thriving can be a bit subjective - he may be getting all A's but is bored out of his mind or he may be getting D's because he isn't motivated enough by the difficulty level of the work ... or somewhere in between or something totally different.

My oldest was screened for an advanced math class in mid school and tested gifted, but she was thriving in regular ed with a work load that balanced her need to be challenged while giving her enough free time to pursue a sport that was her real passion. So we never pushed for gifted placement. My older son, however, did poorly in school starting in mid school and was beginning to act out. We pushed for testing and found a much better match for him in gifted classes.

What is it about your son that has you questioning whether he should be tested? How is he at school? What concerns are you struggling with?

It's a great forum with a lot of parents who have not only had to deal with the system to serve the needs of their children but also with a lot of parents who are gifted and provide wonderful perspective from their own experiences.

Welcome.

This question is best answered with other questions:

- Are your children currently experiencing issues related to being in an inappropriate learning environment?
- Does your school system require testing and classification in order to gain access to more appropriate learning environments?

If the answer to both of these is "Yes," then you've answered your own question.

Welcome to the board!

Your question seems to be being answered in several different ways. Did you mean do your kids need to be classified as gifted to hang out on the board (if you are finding the discussions interesting, then you're in the right place) or do you mean is it important to have a "gifted" label to get the best educational fit you can find?

If you want to enter a certain program that requires scores, you should have your child tested. If your school district will not provide gifted services without testing, see if they will test your child with their district's resources. Otherwise, you may find a book like Ruf's _Five Levels of Gifted_ useful.

You mentioned that your ds' test scores indicate he's gifted - what type of tests are you referring to? Ability/IQ, state testing, classroom testing, gifted program screening tests?

Does your school district have a gifted program? Are you wanting to have your ds considered for it, or has he been considered and was denied?

As the others have mentioned, it would help to have a little bit of clarification if you are looking for advice

Best wishes,

polarbear