Hmm. I don't recall advocating for banning books. Please don't twist my words. One of the nicest things about this forum is that we try to avoid flame wars.
Again, I'm just saying that I'm concerned that all of the test prepping is placing non-gifted kids into a gifted classrooms in New York. Gifted kids and non-gifted kids both lose when this happens. Plus, the environment is very stressful for parents.
I think there needs to be a broad effort to explain that placing a child in a gifted program does not MAKE him/her gifted.
I disagree. I think there needs to be a broad effort to ensure that children who are placed in gifted programs are actually gifted, just as programs for children with learning disabilities should only have children with learning disabilities. If kids who aren't gifted or who don't have LDs are admitted incorrectly, the programs and the kids they're supposed to serve will suffer.
The Davidson Academy is a case in point. The people who run it work very hard to ensure that everyone who's admitted is profoundly gifted. Admitting kids who don't qualify could make their learning experiences very negative, and it could also take slots away from kids who need the environment that the academy offers.
Val
