Gifted program in elementary school - vent! (long, sorry!)

[Becky2005]

"gifted" vs. "bright"...yep, my dd is "gifted".

when she was in preschool they used to tell me it was like having another adult in the room.

now that she's almost 13... Lord help me...

OH MY!!!!!!! The preschool teachers said the same thing about DS! I never gave it much thought but when his little brother started they said they missed having the "adult" conversations with him! ROFL!!! I just laughed.

 

[mum4jenn]

I did a bit of searching around the house and found the test scores for the gifted program from my dd last year when she was in Kindergarten. Keep in mide I have no idea what some of these abbreviations mean!!!


Mental Ability:

Assessment Instrument Results ....Criteria ......Criterion Met
CogAT
Verb ..........................79% .......96th%tile........ No
Quant. .......................79% ------------------------
Non-verb ....................48% .......99th%tile

Achievement:
Norm-referenced Test
Reading ......................98% .......90th%tile..........yes
Math (ITBS) ................99% .......90th%tile..........yes

Creativity:
Creativity Scale
TTCT-Figural ...............99% ........90th%tile........ Yes

Motivation:
Motivation Scale
GES2 (k-3) ..................98% .........90%tile.......... Yes

She was accepted into the gifted program and the Cirriculum Focus is :Interdisciplinary Enrichment

She has really enjoyed her "challenge classes". They as 1st graders have learned all kinds of things realting to the weather patterns,earthquakes and volcanos,stars in the sky(she gets very techie with me!!!) and they were last studying the dictionary. She has not been able to go to her classes for a couple of weeks now because of testing for other kids and she really misses it.

I was a bit disappointed with the first scores but since it was the very first time she had ever had to take a test I think she did well. She cried the first day last year but once she understood what had to be done she did much better.

Our county has great schools anyway so even if she does not get in next year I won't worry because they get challenged in the regular classes as well.

 

[Cindy B]

Can't he do homework at lunch or in study hall?

A parent can initiate activities on the weekends, through the summer, and on vacations. Even with a couple of hours of homework, an activity that involves an interest in the evening rather than TV. There are plenty of options to learn. That are not just another bit of work. A parent doesn't have to be able to do the work when a child is that age. They whould be able to follow thru on their own.

!

Study hall is a non existant class. Study hall has fallen by the wayside,much like home ec, sewing and shop classes in our district.

 

[golfgal]

I agree that it is almost difficult to teach to the talented with the integrated classrooms. I also believe that a parent needs to take the steps to improve the situation. The schedule your guy is folowing is really tough. But it sounds as though it is tough through his choosing to be in track. Can't he do homework at lunch or in study hall?

A parent can initiate activities on the weekends, through the summer, and on vacations. Even with a couple of hours of homework, an activity that involves an interest in the evening rather than TV. There are plenty of options to learn. That are not just another bit of work. A parent doesn't have to be able to do the work when a child is that age. They whould be able to follow thru on their own.

It is a shame that your old school had a situation that you liked so much more. It would be nice if the schools looked toward what is working elsewhere!

I guess it is all in the perception of things. DS's schedule is practically empty compared to a lot of his friends and classmates. They have a sport after school, then another sport after that, then dance class and piano lessons. They are on the run constently!

Study hall is not an option. He has plenty of time when he gets home to get his homework done and his trombone practiced. DS is perfectly challenged in school, I am not at all worried about him. I guess I was speaking more from a teachers standpoint then a parents when I was talking about teaching to the accellerated student.

None of our kids were in that other school and quite frankly, while the IDEA of the program was good, the schools in general in that town were TERRIBLE. The consistantly rank among the lowest schools in the US (South Dakota public schools).

 

[meandtheguys2]

Study hall is a non existant class. Study hall has fallen by the wayside,much like home ec, sewing and shop classes in our district.

They did away with Study Hall? What the heck are they filling all of those periods with? Esp. in Middle School? We had 8 class periods a day. Did they decrease those to get more class time in?

 

[CheshireVal]

They did away with Study Hall? What the heck are they filling all of those periods with? Esp. in Middle School? We had 8 class periods a day. Did they decrease those to get more class time in?

Math
Foreign Language
History
English
PE
Electives (2)

 

[meandtheguys2]

Thanks! We didn't have many elective choices, and they often were only a semester long. In MS I think we actually had 9 periods inc. lunch. Also, foreign langages were electives.

OK, so I am old...

 

[missypie]

Thanks! We didn't have many elective choices, and they often were only a semester long. In MS I think we actually had 9 periods inc. lunch. Also, foreign langages were electives.

OK, so I am old...

Are you a baby boomer? I think the quality of education we received was adversely affected because there were just too many of us. In my junior high, everyone had one full period study hall, and the kids who didn't take band, choir, etc. had THREE!!!

My middle school kids still have study hall of sorts...it's called "Advisory" and it is the other half hour of the period during which they have lunch.

 

[rubyslipperlover]

we have a 9 period day in our middle school.

my 7th grader is currently taking english, math, social studies, science, reading, chorus, spanish, tech and gym. chorus alternates with gym. earlier this year she had "home and careers" instead of tech.

pur high school just switched from an 8 period day to a 9 period day - between core subjects, other requirements and electives, the kids weren't taking a luch break! my 9th grader takes english, social studies, earth science, math, spanish, chorus, gym and "media and communications".

 

[mum4jenn]

Boy!!!! Things sure have changed since I was in school!!! "Back in the Day......" when I was in school (the 1970's) we had 6 classes and one of those at least was electives. If your choice in electives was closed out you had to take study hall which did not get any credit. My senior year was fun though. I had only one course left of requirements so all the other classes I took were alectives!!! I had drafting...photography....a whole bunch of home ec.!!!! We were on the Quarter system back then too so our term was only 3 months long and we had 3 quarters of classes each year. I actually graduated after two quarters and could have graduated after the first quarter if I had gone all day. I chose to go a half day so I could be in school during all the fun senior stuff!!



SORRY>>>I know this was off topic!!!

 

[Cindy B]

They did away with Study Hall? What the heck are they filling all of those periods with? Esp. in Middle School? We had 8 class periods a day. Did they decrease those to get more class time in?

OK, here is my middle school schedule. Yes, they did decrease the times in our school these periods are almost an hour long, with some shorter ones, which rotate daily!

Homeroom/advisory 830-915
1st core 915-1020
Lunch 1020-1050
Math 1055-1145
2nd core 1150-1227
3rd core 1227-110
PE /Exploratory 110-205 (Exploratories include, electronics, computers, public speaking, art, music)

4th core 208-300

The core subjects are:
Language Arts, Foreign Language, Science and History

Adviosry is used NOT for homework, but for community service hours, class projects, and character education. Sometimes the teachers rotates and do LEAP, which is a "catch up" lesson for some students.

 

[meandtheguys2]

Thanks Cindy B! It looks like a lot less wasted class changing! But I think there SH was useful, and am sorry it has been removed. I appreciate you taking the time to post all of this.

 

[Cindy B]

Thanks Cindy B! It looks like a lot less wasted class changing! But I think there SH was useful, and am sorry it has been removed. I appreciate you taking the time to post all of this.

Study hall went by the wayside when I was in high school in the 80's. They were in the process of phasing it out. I remember singing up for it, and getting out of it because I didn't do "anything" for me.

Now, in my district the "vogue" thing is to skip lunch for a class. Teachers allow eating in the classroom so why not take a class instead of just sitting in the cafeteria?

 

[meandtheguys2]

It is no wonder these kids are so over-worked! Bless their hearts! I loved SH and having my evenings to do what I wanted! I can't help but wonder if the kids are actually smarter than we were, though. (Not that I was a genius!)

 

[Dancind]

Interesting thread. DS14 is identified gifted AND is in the special ed program. (Asperger's Syndrome.) When we have our annual ARD (special ed) meeting, there are alwys folks in attendance who we can tell just want us out of there...it's really hard to argue for special ed. assistance in G/T and pre-AP classes.

All three of our children have been "identified" as gifted, but I can tell you that only DS14 really is. My girls are bright and good at school...the "honor roll" students. DS is the one with the wacko/off the wall/orginal thoughts that exemplifiy the truly gifted child.

But DS - with all of his Asperger's quirks - has fit in so well with the other G/T kids because it's sure a quirky bunch!

Missypie, this nearly describes my daughter. She has always had problems socially, it's a heartbreaker. She has found a couple of friends in her gifted program, quirky girls all, but things are changing now that high school is looming.

DD's IQ test was exactly one point higher than mine, and even though I always considered myself to be a very creative person, she leaves me in the dust. It's her ideas, her way of thinking things through. Everything she does is just different from everyone else. But I was always a straight A student, and she can't pull that off. For one thing, she doesn't really seem to care.

I think it's very likely that my niece, who tested just below the requirement for gifted, but is organized and gets straight A's, will have more success in life than my daughter. I really believe that gifted kids absolutely need that extra nurturing, challenge, and guidance so that they might contribute something. So many do waste their potential, it's really sad.

So would I like my daughter to be more like my niece? Some days, yes.

 

[BUCKEYE MICKEY]

Our gifted program is all the exrta after school fun stuff, math club, science club, plus artsy stuff. They are given a special test is 3rd grade, dd just took hers.
Now she had a wonderful 2nd grade teacher who had chess club that dd was in. When I got the paperwork about it I saw all these other fun activities listed and didn't know why I never saw it for my oldest dd. Well its only for the gifted kids. So when dd took the test a few weeks ago I remindeed her, if she wanted to do all those fun things she better do well on the test. She said they were easy, can't wait for the scores.
My oldest dd is a smart cookie, but I quess did not do well on the test. Well most of her freinds did and are all together in the programs. She has lost so many friends, I don't know if it's from her not being with them or what.