Gifted programs at our elementary school is being cut

Parent Cafe
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<p>Our experience was different from any of the experiences shared here. </p>

<p>First, our school and our state have NO gifted programs. </p>

<p>Second, I really loved our elementary school, and before my kids were born, I used to be a teacher there. The classes are multi-age (I used to teach a class that was grades 1/2/3). So, the multi-age grouping structure alone allowed kids on the bottom grade of the group to work with kids in the upper grade of the group. Also, there was a lot of individualized work as there were many levels in the class. Not everyone did the same “skill” work. The things that everyone did were more open ended…writing, thematic projects, etc. As a teacher, I had many lessons going on at once at many different levels. Students didn’t work necessarily at their grade level but at whatever level they were assessed at in the various skill areas. </p>

<p>When my own kids attended, they were able to work at their own levels. As well, many individualized accommodations were made. For example, D2 was able to do many independent studies as she liked to really go into depth in various areas. She wrote major papers as a young child and put on extensive presentations. For instance, at age 8, she did an extensive research paper on 100 years of Broadway and presented the paper, and a six foot long illustrated time line and broke into song (voice and instrumental) and dance routines of shows from the past 100 years. She also was infatuated with Disney Animation and did extensive papers and projects on that also around age 8 and was given a full day to teach an array of lesson plans and projects on this topic to the class. In sixth grade, she got to do an extensive study on Jonathan Larson (writer/composer of RENT) that was well beyond what normally is done in that grade. Another example was she didn’t need to take spelling (she spelled as well as an adult) and so when the whole school broke each day to go to various spelling level groups, she was supervised by the principal and wrote musicals (scripts). I need to thank them as today my D is having her original musical produced in NYC and so she was allowed to explore deeply in this area at a young age. I even recall at age seven, she wrote a little play and produced it for the school. These were all individualized things that were accommodations made in her educational plan. I recall both D’s getting to do seventh grade math while in their grade 5/6 classroom. Both were allowed to accelerate in skill areas beyond their grade level (though this is made easier with multi-age groupings but they were still given accelerated work in grade 6 which was the highest grade that the elem school goes to). </p>

<p>Then, when they hit our grade 7/8 middle school, we had a BIG problem with both girls. The middle school did not differentiate the curriculum and all of a sudden, everyone had to work at the same level. D1 was bored to tears. We had to advocate in a very significant way at the MS for both girls and even the elementary principal and teachers also tried to do so on our girls’ behalf at the MS. We broke ground there. Both girls did independent study Algebra in 7th and independent study Geometry in 8th (had never been done at this school before). Both girls skipped French levels (our elem school taught French from grades 1-6 and they didn’t want to start from scratch in 7th and hated that) and they went into the HS for French (the MS and HS are one facility here) and also did independent studies and both finished French V by junior year and also Calculus by junior year (both are the highest our HS goes). D2 went into the HS in grade 8 to take Shakespeare and Creative Writing with the 12th graders. She also took college level Essay Writing long distance through Johns Hopkins. Older D took Calculus BC through CTY/JHU long distance since she had finished the HS math curriculum early. Also, through LOTS of advocating in MS, D2 was taken out of social studies (bored to death as she likes to go in depth) and did an independent study on the music of the 60’s and had a HS teacher supervise her. </p>

<p>These are just SOME examples of accommodations…individualized work, independent studies, acceleration, long distance courses and so on. At our elementary school, they were very into this. At our MS, we had to make this happen. At the HS level, it was better in that we do have tracked classes like Honors plus the girls were accelerated in some subjects with older grades. </p>

<p>So, while we had no gifted programs, our kids’ “gifted” needs were accommodated in other ways.</p>

<p>(this is just the stuff IN school of course…our kids were heavily involved in what some might call “enrichment” every afternoon, evening and weekend in activities in their chosen interest areas…for example, we don’t have performing arts high schools in this region but we pieced together all that stuff outside the school day)</p>

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<p>Ditto on the GT programs that were a joke. In fact, the vast majority of middle to upper middle class kids qualified for them and the ‘free lunch’ kids were the only ones not in the program. I would have left my son in the public school system if they had grouped kids by ability for math and reading but they didn’t because their philosophy was the more talented kids needed to be in the class with those who are struggling in order to set an example and ‘help’ those kids. My response was 'are you kidding me?" When the GC told us “not to worry because everyone will have caught up to your son by 5th grade”, we ran for the hills.</p>

<p>When son was in middle school, the district did open a GT elementary school that had very stringent requirements to get in to - you had to test off the charts. A friend’s younger son was admitted but since it was the first year of operation, she said it was too chaotic and they pulled him out. Not sure if the district still operates it.</p>

<p>I think what a lot of parents who have experienced the GT programs in their school districts are saying is unless it’s a phenomenon program that actually teaches kids at an accelerated level (not just a few ‘projects’) and where very few kids actually qualify to get in, your kids aren’t missing much. While a little bit of enrichment never hurt anyone, it’s not going to make or break your kid’s educational experience in the long run.</p>

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<p>Our district cut the “gifted” program decades ago. It was gone before my S got into Kindergarten, and he’s a now senior in college. “Leveling” didn’t start until 7th grade math.</p>

<p>After 13 years in this public school district, S is at a top-40 LAC with a 3.8 GPA. My daughter was also accepted at her 1st choice college and got a 3.7 her first semester. So honors courses at the high school level only were enough to prepare them well for college, compared to other students they are in college with.</p>

<p>(We are in Massachusetts, BTW, which has relatively strong public schools compared to many states).</p>

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<p>Just an anecdote about S and BF. S was very articulate at a young age and very sharp. His teachers all thought he was gifted but he was borderline on all the testing. We didn’t really care because we made sure he got plenty of enrichment outside class. Finally, one year, a teacher insisted that he be placed in the program, and upon her recommendation they accepted him. He lasted one week. He said it was all busywork and the teacher was annoying. He was much happier not in such a program. </p>

<p>S’ BF was in the gifted program all through school. He barely graduated (because of unfinished work), did not last a month before he was home from college, and is now a 2-time college drop out, working in a fast food restaurant. S is halfway through jr year of college with a >3.5 GPA. </p>

<p>They hang out when S is home. The kid is a nice kid, and I hope every time that it serves as a lesson to S about how easily things can get messed up.</p>

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<p>Lafalum…I think you bring up a different issue when you bring up being prepared for competitive colleges. My kids also went to public school. In fact, only 2/3’s of graduates here even go to college. When my kids attended, the hardest classes were Honors and there were only two AP classes at the time. My kids were well prepared for college. D1 got into almost every school she applied to and attended an Ivy where she excelled and won the top prize in her department upon graduation at that college, and was admitted to many top grad programs in her field. D2 got into almost all of her colleges, which were highly competitive BFA programs, with substantial scholarships, and went on to be awarded more scholarships while in school and upon graduation. </p>

<p>But I see that as a different issue entirely and separate from whether there are gifted programs or not. The reason my kids needed accommodations to meet their learning needs (we never used the word “gifted”) was not to help them eventually with college admissions or being well prepared for competitive college level work. Rather, they were not happy unless challenged at their own levels. They did not like doing work that was too easy. It never had to do with college admissions or being prepared for college. They just wanted to work at their level and interests, etc. That is why we advocated for accommodations in their educational plans. We didn’t have to advocate much at all in elementary school because our elementary school wanted to meet individual needs. But we had to really advocate a lot in middle school and then a bit in high school. This was all done to have a more satisfactory and appropriate learning experience in and of itself.</p>

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<p>I agree, Susan. Appropriate programming has nothing to do with preparing students for college but more so for providing an education that meets the students’ needs, starting at an early age. All 5 of my Ds attended public schools. We were very happy with the public schools they attended and never had the need to send them to private schools. This is another big difference between Canada and many areas of the U.S.</p>

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<p>Do you recall what the criteria were for qualifying? If that many kids qualified, it doesn’t sound like a typical program for academically gifted kids. Generally speaking, kids testing in the 95-98th percentile are the ones who qualify for most programs. Clearly, that isn’t going to mean the vast majority. </p>

<p>Would really be interested to hear what sorts of accomodations are made in your school districts for other types of special needs kids?</p>