gifted programs in your area

How do gifted/talented/ACE programs work in your area? I'm interested
in elementary school. When do they start? Is it a pull out program or
in-class program? How many hours/days of the week? How are the
students evaluated?

I understand these vary a lot. I'm curious to know how they work in
your area. Thanks.

wrote:
How do gifted/talented/ACE programs work in your area? I'm interested
in elementary school. When do they start? Is it a pull out program or
in-class program? How many hours/days of the week? How are the
students evaluated?

In my area there are two different GT programs in the
public schools. There's a pullout enrichment program in every
school, and there's a center-based full-time program at some
schools (children eligible for center-based GT are bussed to
a GT center school). The pullout essentially starts right away,
in that there's a gifted specialist at least part time at every
school who'll work with kids. They do miss what's happening in
their regular class when they go to pullout GT, though.
In second grade, every child is tested during school
hours with the CogAT and Naglieri tests. Kids who score high
on those tests (roughly the top 10 percent) are in an automatic
screening pool (unless you opt out). You can also petition to
have your child screened even if they don't make it into the
automatic screening pool. A packet is put together for each
child to be screened, including test results, teacher comments,
examples of classroom work, anything provided by parents, etc.
Kids are screened first at the school level, and those who make
it out of that pool are screened at the county level. Those
who make it in are offered placement in the center-based GT
program starting in 3rd grade. Those who don't make it in can
challenge the decision. If you are offered a place, the offer is
good through 8th grade (you can enter or leave the program at any
time). Kids in the center are in GT full time. In middle school,
their core academics are in GT classes (but PE and electives are
mainstream). In high school there isn't a formal GT program. Kids
just select from among honors/AP/IB classes.

Even for kids who are not in a GT program, there is
differentiation available. This can vary a bit from school
to school in how it's implemented. At our elementary, there
are ability based groupings for at least math and reading
starting at least in first grade (sometimes in kindergarten,
depending on the needs of the child). Generally, if there are,
say, three teachers for a grade, then there will be three different
groups for math and reading, plus one or two more if they're
pulling in some of the reading or other specialists. Kids can
also be sent up or down a grade if the teachers can work out
the scheduling, or into/out of the GT center (if there's a GT
center in the school). Basically, they'll try to find a place
where your child fits academically, at least for math and reading.
They do various evaluations to figure out placement. Sometimes
they make mistakes. Groups are fluid (no carryover from year to
year, and kids do move up or down during the year if needed).
They'll usually work with you if you think a placement is inaccurate,
though they try to discourage it (or else they'd have hordes
of parents demanding changes all day long).

Best wishes,
Ericka

On Mon, 01 Oct 2007 11:22:07 -0700, wrote:

How do gifted/talented/ACE programs work in your area? I'm interested
in elementary school. When do they start? Is it a pull out program or
in-class program? How many hours/days of the week? How are the
students evaluated?

I understand these vary a lot. I'm curious to know how they work in
your area. Thanks.

Assessment for acceleration from kindergarten into first grade is a
process available to students in the *********** Independent School
District. A child who has demonstrated exceptional abilities may be
considered for enrollment in the first grade if the following criteria
are met:

Eligiblity Requirement. A child must be five years on or before
September 1 of the current year in order to be eligible to take the
advanced placement exams. In addition, the child must be enrolled in
****************** ISD schools.

****************************************
Criteria for Advanced Placement. Any student who meets the eligibility
requirements and who participates in the scheduled testing qualifies
for advanced placement out of kindergarten if he/she meets ALL the
following criteria:

1. Achievement Test: Scores at or above the (90th percentile) on
all subtests of the approved achievement test for kindergarten
(includes subtest totals in reading, language, mathematics); and
2. Kindergarten Mastery Test: Scores 90 percent or above.
3. Parent Questionnaire/Social Skills: These forms are completed by
the parents so that school personnel will be informed about the
student’s maturity and social development readiness for advancement.
No set score is required. Link Parent Questionnaire Fill-in (MS Word)
/ Parent Questionnaire Print Only (PDF).
4. Documentation: The parent indicates permission for the student
to accelerate to the grade tested, including official application
form, documentation of the scores obtained from the achievement tests
and district-made kindergarten mastery test, principal/counselor
interview, and committee authorization. Careful consideration of this
permission should be given, since successful completion of these
requirements will be interpreted the same as promotion to first grade
and will preclude the kindergarten year. All documentation shall be
recorded on the student’s permanent record for the grade skipped.

Review of the Application. A central committee (representative from
the Office of Curriculum and Instruction, kindergarten and/or first
grade teacher, campus principal/counselor) will review the application
form and determine personnel for administering the test. At the
completion of the testing, this committee will reconvene to review all
the results and make recommendations.

[NOTE: Consistent with state requirements for acceleration through
Credit by Examination in grades 1-12, the passing score for
kindergarten acceleration are scores at or above 90th percentile on
all subtests of the approved achievement test for kindergarten
(reading, language, mathematics) AND the district kindergarten mastery
test. No appeals or waivers will be accepted.]

*****************************************
Information Sheet for Credit by Exam without Prior Instruction
Provision of the Texas Education Code (28.023) and Texas
Administrative Code 74.24 are implemented by Pearland Independent
School District by providing the following:

A student in grades 1 – 5 may advance one grade level on the basis of
a Board-approved examination for acceleration if:

* the student scores 90 percent or above on each of the four
course tests (math, reading, science and social studies) administered
per grade level:
* a district representative recommends that the student be
advanced; and
* the student’s parent or guardian gives written approval of the
advancement.

A student in grades 6 – 12 may receive credit for a subject if the
student scores in the 90 percent or above on an examination for that
subject. A student attempting acceleration for grades 6 – 12 must
score at least 90 percent for a one-semester course or 90 percent on
each semester for a two-semester course.

*************************************

The school my dgd goes to is pursuing the International Baccalaureate
Program for the primary grades. The entire district will be pursuing
this eventually, but right now only one preK to 4, one 5 to 6, one 7
to 8 and one High School have started the accreditation process.

http://www.ibo.org/

At her school in K, she has Spanish once a week for 45 minutes,
computer lab once a week for 45 minutes, library once a week for 45
minutes, a rotation of art, music and PE for an hour. I'm not sure
how that works yet. They also have a g/t teacher who comes in and
does activities with the whole class. We were told that dgd *thinks
outside the box* so they already know she's creative.


--
Dorothy

There is no sound, no cry in all the world
that can be heard unless someone listens ..

The Outer Limits

wrote:
How do gifted/talented/ACE programs work in your area? I'm interested
in elementary school. When do they start? Is it a pull out program or
in-class program? How many hours/days of the week? How are the
students evaluated?

I understand these vary a lot. I'm curious to know how they work in
your area. Thanks.


In my area, all 2nd graders are screened with the Otis-Lennon SAT. If
you score high enough on the combined math/verbal part (I think it's
higher than 95th percentile), you're automatically in, unless you opt
out. There are other criteria that can qualify a child, though,
including a test of non-verbal ability - I'm not sure of those criteria.

Children also can be tested in later grades if they're nominated by a
teacher or parent, or if they move into the school district.

It's a pullout program for about 3 hours once a week in grades 3-8.
There are also G/T programs like an honors orchestra where admission is
by audition.

Clisby

Hi --

In Montgomery County, MD, they have various ways of dealing with gifted
chidren. In all grades teachers are supposed to "differentiate"
instruction, so that all kids (low, middle and high level) get
challenged at the appropriate level. There are GT resource teachers
available (not one per school, but one per several schools) to help
teachers with this. However, our experience has been that the results
are decidedly mixed. Some teachers differentiate instruction very well,
while others are, um, less successful. Having taught in a mixed
classroom myself, I have to admit that if the range and quantity of
students is sufficiently high, then differentiating instruction can be
very challenging, to the point of having to prepare several lessons
plans per class every day.

Kids in 3rd grade can test to get into one of the "highly gifted"
centers scattered about the county. The centers are supposed to be for
those kids who are such outliers that they don't have friends on their
wavelength at their local elementary school, and are therefore not
developing *socially* in an appropriate fashion. The centers are also
geared to teaching these kids the study skills that they've never yet
needed, because school has been a breeze so far. These skills include
paying attention in class, developing a moderate level of meticulousness
(as opposed to sloppiness) which they'll need in higher level classes,
and making sure there aren't any holes in their education caused by
skipping over some of the basics. The centers are for grades 4 and 5
only, and then the kids are sent back to their own schools.

In grades 6-8 we return to differentiated instruction, but there are
also some honors classes, and some kids taking higher level classes (in
math, for example) which the low-achievers tend not to take. There are,
however, some middle school magnets, some of which are test-to-get-in
schools.

In high school there are, again, a few magnet programs, highly
selective, but there is also a great deal more tracking in the different
subject areas. There are below-level, on-level, honors (occasionally),
AP and IB classes in many subjects. (Since my kids aren't yet in HS, I
can't tell you more than that.)

There are also special programs for GT/LD kids (a combo. that can be
challenging to teach and sometimes to parent). And there are also
magnets at most levels that are admission by lottery rather than by
test.

If you google "Montgomery County MD public schools" you'll get to the
main web site. And then you can poke around to see what else they have
to say about GT education.

--Beth Kevles
-THE-COM-HERE
http://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html -- a page for the milk-allergic
Disclaimer: Nothing in this message should be construed as medical
advice. Please consult with your own medical practicioner.

NOTE: No email is read at my MIT address. Use the GMAIL one if you would
like me to reply.

On Oct 1, 4:43 pm, (Beth Kevles) wrote:
Hi --

In Montgomery County, MD, they have various ways of dealing with gifted
chidren. In all grades teachers are supposed to "differentiate"
instruction, so that all kids (low, middle and high level) get
challenged at the appropriate level.

If classes were grouped by ability at all grades, the range of
abilities within a classroom would be smaller and it would be easier
to challenge all the students at the appropriate level. I think
ability grouping is less common in elementary school for philosophical
reasons.

Beliavsky wrote:
On Oct 1, 4:43 pm, (Beth Kevles) wrote:
Hi --

In Montgomery County, MD, they have various ways of dealing with gifted
chidren. In all grades teachers are supposed to "differentiate"
instruction, so that all kids (low, middle and high level) get
challenged at the appropriate level.

If classes were grouped by ability at all grades, the range of
abilities within a classroom would be smaller and it would be easier
to challenge all the students at the appropriate level. I think
ability grouping is less common in elementary school for philosophical
reasons.

I think that's a naive view. If you had a reading class
based on ability alone, you could easily have kids from just about
every elementary grade in it. What material are you going to cover
that is appropriate for six year olds through twelve year olds?
What interests one is likely inappropriate for another. Anyone
who's had really advanced or really delayed readers can tell you
all about the difficulties of finding material that is both at
the appropriate reading level and appealing to the child.
Math doesn't have the content issue so much, but it's
still a world of difference between teaching a particular math
skill to twelve year olds and to eight year olds. They vary
significantly in their ability to read and understand word
problems, to deal with homework, to manage their time, etc.
It just isn't the same.

Best wishes,
Ericka

On Oct 1, 6:05 pm, Ericka Kammerer wrote:
Beliavsky wrote:
On Oct 1, 4:43 pm, (Beth Kevles) wrote:
Hi --

In Montgomery County, MD, they have various ways of dealing with gifted
chidren. In all grades teachers are supposed to "differentiate"
instruction, so that all kids (low, middle and high level) get
challenged at the appropriate level.

If classes were grouped by ability at all grades, the range of
abilities within a classroom would be smaller and it would be easier
to challenge all the students at the appropriate level. I think
ability grouping is less common in elementary school for philosophical
reasons.

I think that's a naive view. If you had a reading class
based on ability alone, you could easily have kids from just about
every elementary grade in it.

I meant that ability grouping is not so common *within* a grade in
elementary school. ISTR that when I went to elementary school, we had
one teacher for all subjects, and there were several teachers for each
grade. Each teacher had students with roughly the same average
ability.

Ericka Kammerer wrote:

wrote:
How do gifted/talented/ACE programs work in your area? I'm interested
in elementary school. When do they start? Is it a pull out program or
in-class program? How many hours/days of the week? How are the
students evaluated?

In our area (Southern Maryland), it used to be that the results of the
SAS in the third grade were used, and it was a pull out program one
day a week for 4th and 5th grade. The elementary program met in the
middle school, and when the kids got there, they also met with the
same teacher as they had in elementary. Each grade had one day. None
of my children were in the program although their best friends were,
and I did not encourage it because I observed the teacher that would
have been the one they went to, and did not approve of her attitude.
Of the three G&T teachers (I had the opportunity to teach in each of
the middle schools with them), there was only one I would have sent my
kids to, and she wasn't in our district.

For my grandchildren that live in SC, they were tested going in to 6th
grade, and those that made the grade when to a G&T middle school. My
grandson that lives in TX was tested in 3rd grade, and did not make it
although he is well above grade level in both reading and math. I'm
not sure about what the procedure is in Miami (another set of
grandchildren) because my grandchildren down there have been in
private school until this year.

Beliavsky wrote:
On Oct 1, 6:05 pm, Ericka Kammerer wrote:
Beliavsky wrote:
On Oct 1, 4:43 pm, (Beth Kevles) wrote:
Hi --
In Montgomery County, MD, they have various ways of dealing with gifted
chidren. In all grades teachers are supposed to "differentiate"
instruction, so that all kids (low, middle and high level) get
challenged at the appropriate level.
If classes were grouped by ability at all grades, the range of
abilities within a classroom would be smaller and it would be easier
to challenge all the students at the appropriate level. I think
ability grouping is less common in elementary school for philosophical
reasons.
I think that's a naive view. If you had a reading class
based on ability alone, you could easily have kids from just about
every elementary grade in it.

I meant that ability grouping is not so common *within* a grade in
elementary school. ISTR that when I went to elementary school, we had
one teacher for all subjects, and there were several teachers for each
grade. Each teacher had students with roughly the same average
ability.

And there are schools that are still like that. Ours,
however, start having kids swap classes (all kids, not just
gifted kids) by 1st grade in order to get even more differentiation
for math and reading. This seems to work quite admirably and
can provide a rather good alternative to grade acceleration.

Best wishes,
Ericka