Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Too Many Geniuses or Not Enough?

Ah, perhaps if I hadn't read the #s backward, that would have made sense!

If he hadn't slipped in "of actual test takers", it might've flown right by me. Then again, I was recently thinking of the test takers vs. population question in regards to how Explore tests are evaluated; and the numbers he presents look so outrageous. But the inset numbers only say "of kindergarteners."

It's a shame, because issues of test prep, the projections using combined test scores, etc are all pretty interesting and important. And I have to imagine a large number are self-selected out of the aspirant pool because they are homeschooling or private schooling.

I wish journalists would consistently choose integrity over sensationalism.

I agree. Outrageous. And the kids are the ones who will ultimately be harmed, though I'm sure the parents believe they're protecting them.

Oh, believe me, this is not happening just in NYC. It's just that in other places, parents are a little more circumspect about it-- but they'll still 'shop around' for an independent tester who's willing to do "whatever it takes" to uncover their child's hidden genius...

Which is fine when it's a genuine 2e issue... not-so-fine when it's "coaching" for a bright-but-not-gifted child.

I disagree. If the cutoff for a gifted program is 130, and if the regular public schools have students with average IQ of 90, with no ability grouping, I'd rather have my 110 IQ child in the gifted program than in regular classes.

Bright Kids NYC operates in the open, so I assume that it is not releasing proprietary information about IQ tests.

The thing is that a lot of these prep services have been called on using actual test questions in the past and there are licensed psychologists in NY who will tutor kids using the actual exam. Did any of you read this article from the New York mag a few yrs back? http://nymag.com/nymetro/urban/education/features/1508/

I see your point, but if the schools just grouped students by ability, they would save a lot of money and there wouldn't be any need for all this mania.

Yeah, I know, quixotic Val.

By the same token, if the average is 100, and the gifted program has a cutoff of 130; I'd rather NOT have my child (IQ 140) stuck in a class with a number of children of IQ 115, whose parents argue that a 130 cutoff "suits" their kids' needs better than instruction aimed at IQ 100 peers.

It does impact the quality and substance of gifted programming to admit children who don't really meet the underlying criteria.

Understandable, certainly. But still deplorable in a larger sense; self-serving.

How upset would other parents be if I insisted that my child ought to ride on the SpEd bus because it is "nicer" and a "more direct" pick-up and drop-off than the standard bus? What if I doctor-shopped until I found one that was willing to back me? Makes the route longer for the other kids on it, for sure... and maybe takes a seat from someone else. Not good. The difference is that parents are not, by and large, clamoring to get their kids on the small, air-conditioned bus.

LOL-- Cross-posted with Val. I think she and I are seeing the exact same thing here. It's better for everyone to fight what is wrong with the whole system rather than using brinksmanship to work your way around it using ever-more Byzantine methodology.

Nobody is saying that parents with bright kids ought to accept a lack of ability grouping. Just that they should stop trying to get their kids labeled in ways that aren't suitable because that has consequences for other people's kids, too.

Yes.