Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Unimpressed at lack of acceleration

In our local market, public schools begin screening for giftedness in third grade. There are limited elementary options, with only one school expressly dedicated to gifted students. Even there, the definition of giftedness is fuzzy, as the admissions cut-off is 95%ile on WISC-V.

I was surprised at the lack of openness to indiviualization at a purportedly gifted school. The officer I spoke with insisted there was no possibility of grade skips for students whose needs exceeded the one-year across-the-board acceleration (2 in math) the school offers on grades 1 to 7. The idea of a child being 3+ years advanced was scoffed at. I don't think it's an unrealistic question to ask given our family history--I was accelerated 3 years (and probably needed more), and DH wrote all his high school science and math exams at the beginning of the year to be excused from class. DS is showing every sign of being on the same path. That's reality for our family--and many others on this forum.

I asked about subject acceleration where students show need from out-of-level testing and was told that, "all our students are 2-3 years advanced." (Which might be true if they follow the province's marshmallow curriculum.) But, juxtaposed with their 1-2 year advancement, does that not just say that the school, as policy, commits to under-serving its student body by 1-2 years? I was told students can be tested for the need for advanced material, but that they don't like to remove students from their age-peer cohort. That, to me, reads as enrichment, not acceration.

That last point is a trend I've encountered locally. Does anyone aware of Ontario guidelines know if ministry-regulated teachers are even allowed to teach out of grade-level material? I've heard anecdotally that teachers are required by the ministry to move in lockstep with age-linked curricula, even for students with gifted IEPs. The mantra seems to be "enrich, not accelerate." I'd like to determine the veracity of the claim.

Thanks folks. I have to shake my head. Call me naive, but when I see a school advertising itself as a gifted school, I hope to encounter at least open-mindedness around students' need for acceleration beyond their standard offering.

I hear echoes from all the way across the ocean

Here in south africa my boys were in the only gifted school in the country, which happened to be on our doorstep. I cried with relief when we were cheerfully told that they would cater to our boys specifically, that they would ensure our boys were challenged optimally while still allowed to enjoy childhood, they would be understood and allowed to progress at their own rate.

The reality was along the lines of what you have said. Maximum on 1 year acceleration (with a fight), occasional subject acceleration (not with grade skip though) and then it can be taken away on a staff whim. Teachers had no "right" to make offers of concessions that the school did not approve either and the byline may as well have been enrich not accelerate.

It was hugely disappointing to us and we now cheerfully homeschool.

So i have nothing to offer except hugs and a BTDT smile of solidarity from across the world

Frankly, IMO, any 'gifted' school that doesn't just have leveled classes for which the 'exit criteria' to go to the next level class is merely demonstrated (and quantifiable) mastery of the content for that level regardless of age is just so much hot air.

Unfortunately, our experience with a gifted school is relatively similar. It's most noticeable with math, where AFAIK, no one is working more than a year ahead. In other subjects, the special projects and outside-curriculum work bump up the level. In reading, I would say they are definitely reading books about 2-3 grade levels ahead, but no more. Worst of all, they all work on the same level, which was shocking to me. My child is MG or HG at most, and this is our best option, so we deal with it. It is MUCH better than other options. The projects and special work they are given, especially STEM projects and writing work, allow for some self-enrichment.

You would expect people running a gifted school to be more enlightened wouldn't you?

Thanks for the commiseration, everyone. (And, hugs back at you, Madoosa!)

It's just...shocking, really. This school I referenced has its origins in a mass exodus of gifted teachers, coordinators, and a principal from the shrinking local public gifted system. The administrators and parents were so frustrated at the lack of support offered to gifted students under the public umbrella that they created a private alternative. Now, here I am, working at creating an alternative to the alternative because it's only serviceable for a limited subset of the gifted.

At least I know I have a strong value proposition with a fully ability-linked class model by subject. HK, if you're reading this, it's your classic case of border collies v. cheetahs.

Our experience is different. (Actually we are home/virtual schooling, not using the B&M gifted schools, but that's because we decided we preferred home to B&M.)

Around here gifted identification starts as early as age 3, and there is free gifted education from pre-K to grade 12. About 3%-4% are identified through a combination of ability and achievement testing (should be >=2SD in one and at least close to that in the other), though you need to perform adequately in the classroom to keep the gifted designation. Students are in full time gifted-only classrooms, though the gifted schools are contained within regular schools, often in bad parts of town, for statistical manipulation purposes, which was a turnoff for us especially safetywise. Students can work several years ahead. I read an article about an 8th grader in our town who was taking AP chemistry because he had finished the high school math sequence already.

So, no, our "experience" is not the same as others in this thread. Early identification and multi-year acceleration are allowed.

We live in an area where there are zones of high poverty, high crime rates, and generally educational outcomes around here are abysmally low for the whole population in general. So they try to make up for it by having a good gifted schooling system.

I think the problem some of you are having is that you are in more affluent and educated areas, and in such areas, true gifted education gets stifled.

This was DW's experience of growing up and attending the public schools of Elizabeth, NJ. There was just so much federal money floating around that anyone with a work ethic, an educationally supportive family environment and above average intelligence actually had much better labs and classes than many SDs in the state that had a much higher SES population.

Succinct and true. I live in the land of equality of outcome...for now.

Bingo! The gifted programs in my city (which are never called that here), are almost exclusively in more disadvantage areas. There is one high school exception and I can think of one primary school exception...