Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums GT Research Freeman research vs A Nation Deceived etc.

I've met Tracy Cross. He is amazing in general, and 'gets' gifted kids. I wish I could say the same for all the people in the field.

Joan Freeman has a new book out too - Gifted Lives. There has been some chatter on this board about it recently (because I asked if anyone else had read it.) I am still going to try to finish the book before I have an opinion about it, but right now it doesn't seem friendly.

I have been reading the boards for a while, but this is my first post! I too have wondered why Professor Freeman would on the one hand indicate that labeling a child as gifted might harm them, and on the other, taking part in the Child Genius programme where she gushed to both parents and the children themselves about how their IQ's were off the top of the chart. She can't have it both ways.
I was dismayed at the headlines in the UK press on the findings of Freeman's new research and the publication of her book. Here's one example:
Daily Mail UK so I wrote a blogpost about it too:
Irish Gifted Education Blog

Our gifted children have enough to be dealing with everyday without having to live up to the expectations of total strangers who are secretly hoping to see them trip up!

Well said, and welcome, BeamMeUp!

Thanks ColinsMum! Looking forward to learning loads more here, this forum is a phenomenal resource.

Dismayed is a good word for it, BeamMeUp! Lovely Blog post.
Reading the articles makes me realize that there is a lot about UK education I just don't know.
What are 'A levels?'
After high school, is there a public system of education for college?
Are there tests after high school to help kids document their abilities for colleges?
At the high school level, what are the main choices?

Thanks in advance,
Grinity

I'm not BeamMeUp, but can help with a couple of questions. It's funny, because I was thinking of asking questions about the US education system (mainly MS and HS, as I am clueless about how it all works over here). Anyhow - I was born and lived in England until 13 years ago, so can give you a quick idea of a couple of things. Most kids at about age 14 choose what subjects they are going to focus on for the next few years - I know when I was in school, I had to choose 8 subjects, I'm not sure how it works now (I left school in 1979). I did Math, English Language, English Literature, Physics, Chemistry, French, Geography and Religious Edication (!). From age 14 - 16, I focused on those subjects, and at age 16, took exams in them, which are now called GCSE's. (back then they were 'O Levels). Also, these days, the coursework they do during the year counts towards the final grade, I believe (in my day, it was all in the final exam). After 16, you can then go on and take 'A' Levels (another 2 years work) - I think the norm is 3 or 4 subjects, but some do more. You basically choose some of the subjects that you have already done in the previous 2 years, and expand on them - obviously, most people choose whatever will help them best in whatever they want to do when they go to University. I have heard that 'A' Levels are the hardest exams you will ever take - but I didn't do them, so can't verify that
Hope this is helpful - I'm sure BeamMeUp will get back to you and let you know more about the current state of education in England !

Thanks NCPMom - wow, so you skipped 'history' for 2 years? Did you study each subject for both years? In High School many one year classes have a test called SAT II that is standard and can help a student show colleges what they have achieved. There are also AP tests, that correspond to 'college level' classes which are taught at half speed within the high school. Some colleges will give credit or at least advanced standing if the AP scores are high enough - but the most competitive colleges won't.

In the US there are public high schools that are open to everyone and supported by local taxes, as well as independent school (used to be called private) that charge tuition. Independent schools can be religious affiliated or not. Usually religious affiliated charge less tuition, sometimes about a tenth of the tuition of a non religious affiliated school, because they are supported by their organization. Independent high schools can be 'day' vs. 'boarding' and ones that focus on college bound kids can be called 'prep schools.'

Hope that helps,
Grinity

Good summary Grinity.

One thing I would add, in the US as in the UK, is that many independent schools have from 15-30% of their students getting partial or full tuition support from the school's endowment funded by the wealthier families, alumni, and local supporters.
This support enables families of limited means to enroll their children in schools previously reserved for the very well off.
This also raises the caliber of the student body overall and greatly enriches the learning for all the kids. A number of independent schools have seen their overall test scores rise as a result of the opening of the selection process to a larger applicant pool.

Most colleges in the US do have a test-out policy that allows for students to bypass prerequisite classes via testing. This is a different policy from granting credit for AP tests. Students will sit for the class final or a standardized test and must score over 90-95%.

There is also a test given in the next to last year of secondary education, or the 11th grade, called the Preliminary SAT. The top 4/10% of those test takers usually become National Merit winners and most state schools and many private colleges offer full or partial scholarships for these students.

Parts of Harry Potter suddenly make more sense to me.