Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Introduction

Hello,

My name is Dace, I am in So Cal. I have 4 children 3 girls and one boy. My oldest two girls were identified as gifted & talented (GATE). My son (who seems smarter) was not. My youngest 2nd grade was just identified as GATE but scored 99.9 percentile and qualifies for a seminar program.

Can anyone here fill me in? With my older two, being GATE really meant very little in their education (crappy school). This youngest one will be placed in a seminar class specifically for those who scored exceptionally high on the Raven Progressive Matrices.

Not really sure what to expect or what else I should be doing.....I just got the results this morning and already I am afraid to tell anyone for fear I look like a bragger.

Dace

You should share your scores because you can get some input here.
Have you had any testing that qualifies for Davidson Young Scholars.

My youngest scored at the 99.9 percentile on the Raven. I don't know anything about Davidson, I just came across this forum and liked the feel of the posts

This is all new for me. The gifted program that my older girls were in was just a cluster of gifted and traditional students....really NOTHING different. This seminar program will be a different ball game.

You can brag here!

In regard to your ds who didn't qualify for GATE based on the Raven test, it may just not have hit on his areas of strength and some kids don't do as well on group ability tests as they do on individual achievement tests.

I believe that CA uses the Raven test b/c it is supposed to be more culturally fair (being a more diverse state). The Raven doesn't have verbal sections like many other ability tests do. It hits more on visual spatial thinking, so it really is only testing one area of intelligence. This is in no way discounting your younger ds' scores! He did awesome!

I am just mentioning this b/c, if your other ds seems bright to you, he probably is and this just wasn't the test to show it. Individual ability tests (like IQ tests) have sections for visual spatial intelligence, but they also include other subtests such as verbal, quantitative, auditory and/or visual memory, and processing speed.

We have gotten DS set up to go to a more creative high school next year, so he should be in good shape, thank you for the Raven explanation though

I am looking for information on my little one, I do not have a whole lot of faith in our school system and I want to make sure that she is afforded every opportunity possible.

If anyone has any advice for a new-to-the-gifted-scene parent, I would appreciate it.
Is this forum only for those involved with Davidson? I am feeling a little lost!

Hi, Dace! And welcome!

You don't have to be involved with Davidson to be here (though we certainly appreciate their making this forum available). I like "the feel of the posts" here, too--this is the most courteous and supportive forum I've ever seen.

I'm sorry I don't have any assistance to offer about the schools (my kids have never been in one, and we're not in the US anyway), but I'm sure other, more knowledgeable folks will be along soon!

Welcome again--we're glad you're here!

peace
minnie

Welcome Dace - this is a public forum, everyone is welcome. I think that we all felt lost in the begining, as there is a lot to say here, and almost no 'hitchhiker's guide' to giftedness.

If you haven't checked out Hoagiesgifted.org, take a look. It makes us feel like the kiddie pool.

One very reasonable way to procede is to find a psychoeducational evaluator and get the kids all tested by someone who can give you some guidance.

Some people read a few books on giftedness. What have you read so far? We could point you towards a few of our favorites.

Another approach is to talk about your youngest, who she is, what her experince is like, try to identify your 'top 3' concerns, and we'll try to give some examples of how other people solved similar concerns.

Not that you asked, but I had a thought about your assessment of your local school.

I don't live in your neighborhood, so I can't say for sure if your school really are terrible (hey, 50% have to be below average, right?) but I can say that:

a) a lot of gifted children have parents who were once gifted children
b) a lot of gifted children have a strong, negative judgement of school
c) a lot of parents, who were once gifted children, still have a lot of emotions about their strong, negative judgements of school
d) a lot of schools that really are meeting the needs of their middle 80% of students pretty well, look like terrible schools to the gifted children and the parents of gifted children because ((drumroll)) Gifted children have special educational needs that are unlikely to be met in regular classrooms

That's my core definition of what 'gifted' really means. Smart enough that the regular educational channels, and sometimes even the gifted pull out, just aren't going to do much for them. I honestly believe that if there were some mythical town were 30% of the kids were taking calculus in 7th grade, that those children wouldn't be gifted (unless they moved - LOL!) and if you asked those kids, they would say that they are 'just a bit above average' and they would be right! Those kids would still be really smart ((wink))

I mean, isn't it possible that we are just one fabulous video game away from a situation where kids routienly are teaching themselves Math right through Calculus at really young ages?

Anyway - W-E-L-C-O-M-E! Sorry about the spelling - that's all I have!
Grinity

Ok excellent start here! I appreciate the help getting a focus on what my concerns are


First to your A-D...yes yes yes! Affirmative on all counts. Our school is not bad, IF you are average AND you are a conforming traditional type learner. I have three very bright older kids and two of them have gotten lost in a system that did not work for them. One has already graduated and is in college, the other one... we are fishing him out just in the nick of time and getting him into a more 'outside the box' school. The middle one just cruises along doing just fine but I have to wonder what it would be like if we had been better advocates for her.


On to my youngest, she is a fun bright happy girl, who is very much a people pleaser, a conformer, and perfectionist. So far school has been a cake walk for her, she often spends time in her day working with some of the lower achievers (which on one hand is healthy and builds her confidence and on the other hand...isn't there something more productive she can be doing?)Her older sibs are 6, 9 & 11 yrs older than her. She is extremely bonded to me although she adores her daddy, she cries if I leave her home sometimes. Socially she is very mature, plays well with others, is very conscientious and academically she is advanced in most of her subjects. She also has some anxiety.

My 'top 3' concerns would be that:

1) I have already (mostly) dropped the ball on her older siblings and let the school lead the way....which lead to two of them having real struggles as I did as a kid. I want to be sure that I am a stronger advocate for her and want to be sure that I really understand what is appropriate for her education so that I am better prepared to do battle as needed.

2) How to encourage her independent thinking. She easily takes the submissive role too often and I want to be sure that she is growing into a strong young lady who is ok with her own identity. I don't want her to get lost in the system.

3) How to meet her needs....letting her take the lead, and not pushing because she is prone to letting others make decisions for her.

I think that is it for now....any advice is greatly appreciated.

Amazing that we've just met, yes? There are some strong common threads here.

As for the concerns - seems like #1 is analogous to 'Step One' admitted that we have a problem that the schools are not equipped to handle, and will accept responsibility for our children's education. Well Done!

As for #2 and #3, is a private evaluation in the cards? Meanwhile I would read up on 'Unschooling' - a great way to see the world even if you aren't homeschooling.

Keep observing her and writing here and being part of our community. It will help. Have long talks with DW, see how she feels about the whole thing too.

Love and More Love,
Grinity