OT: Gifted Screening

[fimac]

ABC has a message board for gifted in Ontario, were you might get more information.

I have 3 boys who were all identified through the CCAT and took different routes with all of them.
Oldest was happy where he was so was not sent to the gifted program until High School. He thinks that the gifted classes in high school are great and in retrospect he should have been sent into the gifted program for middle school. The hormonal teen boys in middle school made his life difficult.
Middle child is home schooled for health reasons
Youngest entered gifted classes in Grade 5. He is bussed about 30 minutes away every day, but he likes the school and the classes. In the beginning he found the work harder but much more enjoyable. The school has a very good music program that his homeschool lacked. They also have shop class in middle school.
It really depends on what your board has to offer and what your home school can provide. In this board i have not heard of any home schools that really provide much in the way of enrichment for the gifted kids in the regular classrooms. (Pull out class one day a week maybe)
If you are offered a placement at another school visit it and talk to them see what the program is like.

 

[star72232]

Both my older 2 are currently being tested and we are trying to figure out what is the best plan for them.

DD is finishing Gr.2 and ODS is finishing Gr.1. They have just finished taking the KeyMath and hopefully they can do the CCAT either in the next couple of weeks or right after school starts in Sept.

We decided against the Psycho-Educational Testing, since it is expensive ($2200/kid, the school will not pay) and since it apparent will not change what the school does with them. They both currently get enrichment, but that is only an hour a week, 4 weeks of the year. In Gr. 4 it changes to 1 day a week (at a different school) and, if they qualify, it can become full time for Gr. 5 and 6. Fortunately our home school is the home of the Congregated (enrichment) class in our area (Cambridge, ON - Ryerson PS), so they don't have to leave our school for it.

The school is supposed to have the Enrichment Coordinator for the area speak with their teachers next year to work with them about how to provide enrichment opportunities within their regular classrooms. DD will almost certainly be in a split 3/4 class, but DS may end up in a straight 2 next year. It will be interesting to see if we can keep his teacher on top of proving the advanced material.

Has anyone had an IEP put into place? They are supposed to be available for all students, and I wonder if having one will make for teachers being more on top of the enrichment opportunities?

 

[Muskrat191]

I'm 35 now, but I was tested and identified as gifted in grade 3. Everyone was given a written test, which identified students for further testing. I then had an oral test with a psychologist. I was in York Region (ON), and they have a one-day-a-week gifted program for grades 4-8. The student stays in the home school for the other four days. This was the option my parents chose and it generally worked out well.

The high school with the gifted program did not have a good reputation at the time, so I went to my regular high school. I had an IEP that was a waste of time (it didn't actually change anything), but I kept myself busy in the music program.