Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment DYS question

So we got a letter after we applied in april saying we could submit more materials within the year. basically neither a yes or no. so, we've been busy with life... but i have new WJs which are more dramatic then before (we were 3 grades up a year ago now we are spread 3-6 grades up). but here is the question... in looking around the house what would be any good sample materials. since we we're at an all gt last year - i'm not sure what makes the biggest bang. i have some writting i like but i don't know what's normal. some sudoko puzzles. any thoughts on what you would or wouldn't include?

Thanks.

kickball, I'd suggest you call the name they gave you on your letter and discuss it with him or her. They know your child and you can say I was thinking of doing this or that and they'll say that's a good idea or it doesn't really show what we're looking for. Or, they might tell you that the new test scores are all they need. Also, do research on Bloom's Taxonomy and select materials that show the advanced thought process at the top of Bloom's. Original thought or analysis as opposed to just reciting facts. HTH.

Worksheets with advanced material, DVD video of your child engaged in advanced calculation, reading aloud, or discussion/debate or playing instrument. Building elaborate constructions. I would include Sudokus

I'm with Cym: if I had been asked for more info, I'd have submitted video. I think you know a DYS kid when you see one a lot of the time, and video gets around the handwriting problem that's so common and the "Is this good enough material" issue. If it's the kid in action, the kid you see every day doing whatever it is that makes you think s/he's HG+, then it's good enough. Video of a child thinking through math problems is a lot more persausive than just a piece of paper with problems on it, you know?

Plus it would be a lot harder to fake video than a piece of paper, so I think they'll be more likely to accept video. (Just my opinion, with no basis in actual knowledge.)

And I'll add my standard note that for DYS purposes you want to distinguish between material that shows your child to be "merely" GT and that which shows him/her to be HG+. (I put "merely" in quotes because, of course, it's such a ridiculous statement!) For DYS, performance should be 3+ years above age level, so it might pay to familiarize yourself a bit with what is being taught in school to kids 3 or 4 or 5 years older than your child. If your child is doing that and then some, then illustrate that as best you can.

Mind if I piggyback a related DYS question?

I'm in the middle of compiling video clips and scanned artwork from my ds6 ... how's the best way to send that in? I'm tempted to make a very simple slideshow, so that I could get the photos and movies organized and dated easily. Does that seem like it's trying too hard? Should I just plop them all on a CD with descriptive titles?

And how much video do you include? One of the movies I have is 7 minutes long, but it's all ds6 enthusiastically talking details about tornadoes. Do I need to cut it down? It really works best in its entirety ... but I don't know how much they'll actually watch. So is it worth putting it all in?

We haven't applied to dys (may never do so) but I wanted to add one thing that we sent in for ds's application to the gt program at school: drawings.
I wasn't sure about this at first but more and more I realize this is the way that ds best learns, and demonstrates what he's learned - processing what he's heard and read through the medium of drawing.
These can be as straight-forward as a wonderfully detailed drawing of the frog life cycle or more abstract. He will often draw a character from a show or book broken out into it's constituent 'parts' so that he can later assemble them into three-d models for playing with. Sometimes these don't get cut out and assembled and are just really interesting looking either way!
What are the ways a gt child plays? I think these can be some of the strongest testaments to potential.

Mia: I think more info about what you're sending is probably better than less. Dates and short descriptions (or even transcripts) are smart to include, I think. If it's easy to do that in a slideshow, then I don't see why not. I think there you do what's easier for you, whatever that is.

I also think you send the tornado video as is. But you knew that...

kickball and Mia,

Just wanted to say good luck with your applications!

I'm with questions above -- contact the person at Davidson listed in the letter for clarification.

BTW, my DD was just accepted to the YS program. We had the opposite situation: sent a portfolio and had to add test scores.

I don't think you need to produce an elaborate portfolio. We submitted a portfolio that was less than 10 pages. We sent a mix of things: an essay I let DD decide the topic and do the research; some drawings (a couple of early things and a couple of current things); etc.

You might want to ask your child what s/he feels is a good representation of her/his talents.

Best of luck with the application.

Hi, hi_corinna,

Congratulations to your DD!

Yes, calling the name on the letter waa the best thing I did. (Now that I think of it, I emailed, not called.)