My HG+ DD had her needs met in a public elementary school. Her birthday was just past the cutoff, but following ability and achievement testing and an interview and classroom visit, she was allowed early entrance to K. During her K year she and another boy were pulled during class reading time by the school's reading specialist for individual instruction. In 1st grade, the academic misfit became more obvious, but the teacher couldn't think of anything to do about it until, at the end of the year, we came up with the idea of subject acceleration after finding this board. So, the next year was split between all the academic subjects (and a special) in the morning in a 3rd grade classroom and the non-math and non-reading/writing stuff in the afternoon in a 2nd grade classroom. The next year she just skipped to 4th. In 5th grade she was outpacing the class in math again, so she and another student were allowed to pretest and then extend math lessons. By the end of the year, though, she was ready for still higher math and we ended up switching her (at her request) to a private school that had a more homogeneous population of high achievers.
What worked so great in the public elementary school besides her grade and subject adjustments was that each grade level differentiates spelling, reading, and math on a daily basis. Each grade has four different leveled groups in each subject (so, 4 math, 4 spelling, 4 reading) with classes from below grade level to above grade level. Students are assigned to each group based on a combination of assessments and students are moved in and out of groups as needed throughout the year so that their needs are met as best as possible. Kids move throughout the grade level pod during the day to these leveled groups, in addition to the instruction happening throughout the rest of the day a student's main classroom.
So, long story not so short, a HG+ student can have their needs met in a public school given the right circumstances. What you really need to look for in any school is flexibility and the willingness to make adjustments to arrive at something that is appropriate for each individual student. If you can find school administrators and teachers that are both willing to work with you, then you've hit the jackpot!
BTW: The pullout gifted program was fun for her, but definitely didn't meet her academic needs, so I would a gifted program of this type with a grain of salt when evaluating a school's appropriateness.
Last edited by mnmom23; 02/15/13 07:06 PM. Reason: Add Stuff
