<p>Each school district differs in its ability to meet the needs of gifted kids. Our district had very good pull-out program for K-6 (currently used as the model for the state), but no G/T past elementary school. Luckily, our district has a strong magnet school program for secondary - everything from STEM to Health Science to Performing Arts. My younger S was able to skip a grade and is now in the Performing Arts magnet. He is still bored in all of his academic classes, but is allowed to do independent study to pursue his composing. We can’t afford private school, or homeschool (both parents have to work) or even summer enrichment, but we have found a lot of people in the community and in the school willing to spend extra time mentoring both of our kids. I always tell them that they have the ability to “bloom where they are planted” and not to let lack of resources or “advantages” hold them back. Gifted kids can succeed anywhere - if they are truly motivated.</p>
<p>The usage of the term gifted will be much more restrictive when it costs money to do so-the casual use versus the state mandated funding cutoff. Some states have strict test percentage cutoffs, others recognize broader definitions and giftedness in different areas. It is not an “on/off” switch but a spectrum. The book “Guiding the Gifted Child” has a chart with percentages of the US population with various high IQ scores that fits the Bell curve. Our school district had an extensive parent and teacher education regarding gifted students back when son was of school age. They determined three ties of a pyramid for gifted services needed- most fell into the needs little extra, the next into needs extra and a very few need the most extreme curriculum changes (eg grade acceleration)- notice parallels with “special ed” (euphamisms- ■■■■■■■■, and they changed official language for state aid when someone pointed out that gifted also need special ed…). I also acquired some lists including some 23 criteria differentiating the bright from gifted child and ADD/ADHD-gifted (a child can be “doubly blessed”, ie have both).</p>
<p>The bright/gifted list includes such things as knows the answers/asks the questions, is interested/is highly curious, top group/beyond the group, learns with ease/already knows,is receptive/is intense, enjoys peers/prefers adults, enjoys school/enjoys learning, technician/inventor, and so many more differences. And, given the relatively few numbers of gifted students, a teacher may not encounter even mildly gifted students that frequently. Add in introverted /extroverted behavior… and it is quite complex to figure out innate characteristics of a child, plus all of the external factors (early/at home learning, home stressors…).</p>
<p>It doesn’t matter if you believe in or like/dislike the term gifted, the people with it exist- they won’t go away, either. Howcum it is okay to acknowledge a gifted athlete but not an academically gifted person? Good to win the race and run your fastest, but not use your brain to its fullest? Is it because the vast group of average to bright people feels threatened? It is scary to feel someone can out think you. I doubt anyone will come up with a better term. People try to avoid elitism inherent in being standard deviations smarter than the norm since they usually aren’t included.</p>
<p>My daughter was GATE identified (we live in CA) in the 2nd grade (she is now a freshman in college). GATE identification was just that, one did not need to have supierior performance in the classroom in elemenatary school, just the “potential”.</p>
<p>Each school district is different (or so it seems) and ours offered a “pull out” program in elementary school where the GATE kids went to a separate classroom (and at a different school) one afternoon a week. It was more of an enrichment program than any advanced instruction.</p>
<p>My daughter was also in a magnet school within the public school system that stressed the fundamentals as her regular class. Although it was not an advanced school it did have a large percentage of GATE kids in it. During that once a week pullout time about a third of her class was pulled out for the GATE class. The regular teacher used that time to do remedial stuff with the non-GATE kids, which the GATE kids typically didn’t need. So it was actually a win/win for everyone.</p>
<p>Unforntunately the GATE program was cut due to CA’s budget issues just after my daughter left elementary school. Now there is no GATE program at the elementary level other than to test to identify the GATE students. Kind of crazy.</p>
<p>Middle school offered “GATE” classes in math and english. Taking these classes put one on the track to honors and AP classes at the high school level. By this time it was no longer just “identified” but performance that keep you in the “GATE” track. Non-GATE kids could also be in the GATE track if their performance warrented it. Of course, high school no longer had any “GATE” classes, just the usual array of AP and honors classes.</p>
<p>I was told that her internal records would carry the “GATE” ID on them. Her official HS transcript had no such notation.</p>
<p>I have a serious problem with the designation of “gifted” children. I am firmly convinced one can raise a “gifted” child. Not a genius. But a child who receives help and a safe place to do home work, who learns how to make choices, and take opportunities and who learns how to ‘test well’. Do not get me wrong. Some children are truly amazing and genius. They achieve great results no matter which odds they have to fight. Those are the truly gifted ones, whether they tested so or not. There is a serious societal problem with the separation in the education between the gifted and the giftnots - and it has everything to do with where you are raised, the socioeconomic and cultural status of the parents, the educational background of the parents and how much they are capable, able and willing to be involved in their child’s education.<br>
My children grew up in a small, mostly upper middle class neighborhood. Many parents who were not financially secure were in the arts, or seriously intellectual and poor by choice. Most children attended pre-school as opposed to childcare centers.
The public elementary school had little over 300 children. An amazing 70% of those tested gifted by the state in the second grade. A statistical impossible occurrence that did not seem to bother anyone. The school received satisfying additional funds for these talented kids. The ever so impressed and happy parents were very involved with the school. Parents donated money to the Parent Association and all classes paid Teacher’s Aids. And computers of course. And a well filled library with a paid librarian. Many parents also volunteered a couple of hours a week as teacher’s aids. There were also about 10% children with special needs. Maybe I’ll write about that situation another time. Almost all “gifted” children had lesser gifted parents at home, who did home work with them, travelled with them and read with them. Most children’s lives were filled with some forms of art. If a child was not ‘special’ enough by the end of 1st grade, some parents were advised to have the child repeat the grade, so they would test gifted in that all important 2nd grade. My children tested gifted and really I think they are. But they also had every possible advantage in life. And because of their gifted status they continued to receive special attention and advantages all throughout middle and high school. Class trips. Computers. Guest teachers. A bit more time with school counselors. More efforts to make their school schedules work so preferred classes were possible. </p>
<p>As I said, I am firmly convinced one can raise a “gifted” child. Not a genius. Many of so called gifted skills can be taught. Intelligence can not. Of course, down the road, many, many things can go wrong. Tots become teenagers and have to fight hormones and peer pressure. Sometimes that safe home environment feels like a prison to them and caring parents become hovering nuisances who try to live out their dreams through their children. </p>
<p>My children are truly wonderful and I could tell you about it for two days, but they would kill me if they found out, and rightly so.</p>
<p>I’m interested in hearing others experiences. State resources vary so much.</p>
<p>You made special mention of 10% students with special needs, and noted you would write more later. I would like to read this. Some schools systems do it better than others.</p>
<p>READ THE RESOURCES suggested for the definition of “gifted” it is not the same as common usage by some, but a technical term. Giftedness has to do with aptitude, not accomplishment. It is helped, but not created, by an enriched environment. And so forth.</p>
<p>Rebecca- When it was obvious that our public schools were not going to meet our children’s needs, we pulled them out and began homeschooling. We are in our third year, and the results have been amazing. </p>
<p>Prior to making the decision to homeschool, I knew nothing about how to even attempt to homeschool and knew no one that homeschooled. There is a whole other world out there that my kids are thriving in. My kids are 14, 12 and 9. I am no longer “teaching” my 14 year old. My role at this point is to find appropriate classes and mentors for him. </p>
<p>Our public schools allow homeschoolers to participate in extracurriculars if they take at least one class at the high school. My 14 year old is taking AP Physics B so he can play on the tennis team. He is the only 9th grader out of a class of seniors and is thriving both socially and academically. Ironically, had we kept him in the system, he would have not have had the pre-reqs. and would have been unable to take AP Physics as a freshman.</p>
<p>I also highly recommend CTY - both the on-line classes and the summer camps. All three of my kids have taken various on-line classes. My 14 year old will be attending his 3rd summer at CTY this year.</p>
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<p>This is strange. My district don’t determine by grade level. They use the actual age instead. Kids are allowed to take the test again after skipping one year.</p>
<p>When my kids were small, I know that some of the first grade teachers were “coaching” kids for the G/T evaluations. It was at that point that I realized that G/T designation has lost any true meaning. Also, since we are in a very diverse district, it was becoming very apparent that the G/T designation was being used to segregate the white children whose parents had college degrees. Since that time (12 years ago) the district has made a real effort to use evaluations that have less racial/socioeconomic bias and I am seeing many more kids of color accepted.</p>