Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Gifted in special ed --pros and cons

New Mexico has gifted under Special Education. The conventional wisdom here has been that removing it from Special Ed would be the death knell for any programs. The constraints, however, that are put on programs because of this identification are pretty extreme. Does anyone out there know good citations or have experience with these issues?

I have no idea, but I would contact the Webmaster at Hoagiesgifted.com.

Is your home program under attack?

It seems to me that having community support is the best path to security. Can you help your local gifted program to win local allies?
Best Wishes,
Grinity

We are always under attack here because the low-achieving population has such extraordinary needs. One major action point is that the identification of gifties in those same populations is not happening -- and needs to be.

The issue seems to be that the restrictions placed on gifted programs by the Least restrictive environment clause in special ed makes many things (like cluster grouping and magnet schools) extremely difficult. there are a few schools that wiggle around these issues but with no administrative support.

In Washington State Gifted Education comes under Special Education also, though maybe I'm confused by what that means. Gifted education is ensured funding because it is part of special ed, and can't be randomly cut because of that. Where we are we have a gifted magnet school that draws from the whole district and works quite well. In fact, with budget deficits, they have expanded it so that people from out of district can "opt" in. In WA, the state money follows the child, even if they go to school out of district.
What are the constraints that would rule out a magnet school?