Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Does your local school have a gifted program?

Ours doesn't. But then again, my son is PG, and the usual pull-out programs are aimed to the bulk of gifted kids, and wouldn't be likely to meet his needs. We used a gradeskip and a move to private school to get him to his readiness level.

Maybe this is sour grapes, because with a grade skip or two, pull out programs aimed at gifted can be quite useful to PG kids.

Afterschool, it's music, music, music, and some sports.

Smiles,
Trinity

Yes, our school has a gifted program but it consists of grouping the gifted kids in "clusters" of 4 to 8 kids within regular classes. This only applies to grades 4-6. For K-3, the kids are not formally identified, but are supposed to receive differentiated instruction. I have seen no evidence of that with my daughter's reading instruction, by the way. Hopefully, she will be identified next year during 3rd grade. The school does not accept any outside testing even though they will not evaluate the kids until 3rd grade.

Last year, they also offered Odyssey of the Mind as an after school activity. This was paid for using GATE money and was open to all students. GATE is very underfunded here. Our school receives $10 per GATE student per year. All $200 of last year's money was used to fund OM. I know it's a paltry amount and maybe that's how they could get the most for the money they had. Still, it bothers me that the money was not used for instruction of GATE students during school hours. What if some of the GATE kids couldn't participate in an after school activity due to scheduling issues?

Cathy

Wow, Dottie,
I always feel so sorry for the gifted kids in you school when I think about the way kids are distributed in the classrooms. Of course, I also feel bad about the kids who are "under the mark" on the FSIQ when they are over it by their GAI (Gifted Index - What does the A stand for?)

Cathy, I do have experience with a form of Clustering, at our old school, and it did help a bit socially at it was practiced. Interestingly, they reinvented the wheel, by putting the brightest Readers in one room, and the brightest Math-ers in another, by teacher report, and giving the groups to teachers who "liked Math" "liked reading" or "liked bright kids." When they finally explained what their plan had been to me, I said "Oh Clustering!" And they looked at me in puzzlement. They had never heard the word, when I gave them the classic article, they were amazed.

The model the was found to be effective through research, has the most unusual students grouped together, AND the teacher does differentiate the curriculum for this group, who will work together at their readiness level. Some kids are fine with working on an above level book in the back of the class, but that won't work for many others, so Clustering, if done well, can address this. The take home message here is that clustering works socially and academically IF the teacher creates a curriulum that is deeper or faster (or both) than what the average kid can handle.

Cathy A, you say that you haven't seen any differentiation in your daughter's reading program. This brings two questions to my mind.
1) Have you actually been in the room and seen what the other kids are doing? Perhaps you daughter is in the "top" reading group, but it's just so much less than what she is doing at home? Some schools cluster with more than one grade level for a particular subject. This doesn't cost a penny, but can be very effective. I particularly like the idea of all the kids walking around to get to their readiness groups, so that it isn't as it was for my son - a lone 4th grader heading to 5th grade Math Club as the herd of 5th graders pour through the hallways for recess. Way back when, by DH and a little group of 4 others always went up a grade when it was time for reading and math. He had a hard time "getting" what was the "big problem" with DS in school learning grade level material, because he had no first hand experience of how frustrating it is to always be given material below your readiness level all day long.

2) Has your daughter learned to "manage her image?" Some gifted kids who are more aware of social norms, and more able to modulate their behavior, often girls, but not always, are able to select from a series of personas in various situations. She may be "hiding" her reading talent in order to be "more like her friends." This is a mixed blessing, and will lead to the teacher underestimating what she needs. This is one of those key leadership roles for parents. If your daughter is playing Chameleon then it is up to you to make sure that she spends some of her time in an environment that allows each of her various "colors" to be shown.

A grade skip into next year's cluster is tempting possibility, because then she gets the social benifits of being with other smart kids, and the academic benifits of getting harder materials. There is a book that will lead you through figuring out if she is a good candidate for a grade skip, called the "Iowa Acceleration Scale Manual" - you will need individually administered IQ test, and a talent search's above level test to fill out the number in full.

There are lots of free or cheap ways to imporve the situation for gifted kids. In a way, you may be able to use the schools pilfering of the gifted budget to your advantage.
"Since I know that saving money is a big concern here, I would ask you to institute these cost-free ways to serve our gifted population."


Here's an article on talking to your teacher:
http://www.davidsongifted.org/db/Articles_id_10296.aspx

Here's an article on "outing" your Chameleon Kid to her teachers:
http://www.davidsongifted.org/db/Articles_id_10110.aspx

Opps, wasn't ready to hit send yet -
Here's an article on differentiation in the classroom- great for starting a discussion with the teacher about how to know if it is being done or not.
http://www.davidsongifted.org/db/Articles_id_10331.aspx

Here's a scathing review of "pull-out programs" for gifted kids -
http://www.davidsongifted.org/db/Articles_id_10253.aspx

But I still can't find the article that I though was called "Low cost or No cost accomidations for gifted kids." ((pout))

Well - enjoy!
Trinity

Thank you for the resources, Trinity!

Cathy

Hi Dottie,
I hope your daughter gets her "gifted girl" in her classroom this year. Do the middle schoolers stay together all day long in your middle school, or get switched around?

BTW - I am in no way "across the board gifted" - as I believe my spelling makes abundently clear. ((Of course some people assume that I'm just not a very good typist - wink - but you and I know better)) I'm also really terrible with certian details that my brian decides are "unimportant" and jettisons out the side hatch before "I" have much say in the matter. Oh well! Which is why I am so glad to have you back on these boards. Welcome Dear!

GAI -
gifted ability index
gifted attitude indicator
gifted AltImeter
gifted alliance innovator
Gai(a) - mother earth

Glad we're All In the together!

Trinity

We supposedly have clustering, but without formal identification. We supposedly have a gifted coordinator in our school, but she has no formal training in gifted education and does no programing. The teachers are supposed to approach her if they have questions regarding specific children's needs, but none have done so yet!!! Amazing.

This year, MN increased gifted funding. I'm anxious (yes as in nervous and worried) to see what the district is going to do with the increase and new mandates (ie the mandate to have acceleration policis in developed and in place)

Surprisingly, our schools in podunkville have a very good gifted program. In elementary school, there is a pull-out program (3 hrs/week) for gifted (>130 IQ). I do think this can be elitist, at least at some schools, where it's enrichment (field trips, special programs, etc. that all kids would enjoy) and parents seem to go crazy trying to get their kids into it. We also have a magnet mixed-age class for exceptionally gifted elementary students that is located at one school but has kids bused from all over town--it's self contained, full time and requires > 145 IQ. My kids have really benefitted from this program, but there are some quirky characters (see Trinity's posting about weird & gifted) over the years.

Middle school has honors classes and other classes that group gifted kids. We've selected a charter middle school that has no specific gifted program, but does a wonderful job differentiating curriculum and providing excellent enrichment for all.

My oldest starts high school this year and has honors and pre-AP classes, with gifted homeroom and mentorship opportunities, but I can't tell how that will be yet.

Our public district has a pull-out gifted enrichment program beginning in 3rd grade. Unless things have changed recently, the Otis �Lennon group test is used to determine participation. A neighbor told me that they only take the top 1% now. Our kids have participated in summer and winter programs managed, in part, by our district gifted instructor since they were five. They ENJOYED the courses, teachers and other participants, but would have needed more challenge during the rest of the school week.

Beginning in middle school, the public school does allow subject acceleration. However, they do not provide transportation to the high school, so families are forced to decide whether or not to give up income to chauffer their kids so that they can be adequately challenged and educated.

In my opinion, the Catholic school that we switched to has a more rigorous core curriculum than the public schools (comparing the 1st grade experiences of each of my children), so I have found it more beneficial for my kids to have early entranced or grade skipped into their present school than to wait around for a pull-out after four years of grade inflation and praise for zero effort. ~ This criticism reflects my opinion of the curriculum, not necessarily, the teachers who have to follow it.

The dilemma that we face regarding our 10 yo son�s education now is whether or not to grade advance him into 7th next month. Our preference is that he receives subject acceleration in math and possibly science. The school offered a full grade promotion in lieu of a promise for subject acceleration as the scheduling issues may be too difficult to align. So far, we are waiting and hoping (and praying) that they will arrange continued math acceleration to pre-algebra for him instead.

Dottie, I am not opposed to the idea of a double promotion like your son�s situation and probably would have jumped at the offer if it had been available three years ago or even last year. I do not regret that my son was early entranced in the least! There are several different variables to consider in his present situation that suggest that subject acceleration would be a better solution for him at this stage.

The sixth grade teachers and curriculum are out-standing at our school. I don�t want him to miss the study of ancient Greek, Roman, Egyptian and Asian civilizations. Literature class focuses on world mythology which he loves. My daughter developed excellent multi-tasking skills in sixth grade due to all the required projects. DS greatly admires the 6th grade teacher who taught him math last year and hopes to have her as his homeroom teacher, although he clearly wants to attend math class with the junior high math instructor. He really is in need of a positive student-teacher relationship.

I spoke to the admissions officer at the high school our son hopes to attend. He did not balk when I inquired about their consideration of younger students, provided they qualify academically. He did advise that if we were going to grade advance, we do it this year, rather than wait until next year. Athletics and knowledge that the bar would be raised considerably at this particular school curtails our eagerness to place our son two years earlier than the other intellectually gifted and academically talented boys who would be his peers. They offer vast course options with emphasis on math and science, including a multitude of AP classes so if he is accepted; I don�t think academic challenge would be a problem.