Gifted students

At the end of last school term there was a lot of conversation about gifted students. These conversations were among parents of students who were gifted, but were in classes with students who did not learn or grasp information as quick as their children. These conversations began as community small talk to private meetings and eventually landed in the seat of the board chairman. Fortunately, our school board is all about student achievement and is very open to suggestions and/or ideas of citizens who have valid concerns about the well being of students. Well, after the superintendent and the Board members conversed, it was evident that this was an issue that needed to be looked upton.

Yes, it went so far as to create a committee to try and hash out some of the concerns. Parents, teachers, curriculum staff, board members, and community representatives came together to try and get a clear understanding of why these students were not being challenged the way that they should. Mind you, there was a strong parent/community committee that consitted of doctors and college professors who had great influence in our community. Primary school aged children who are tested for the gifted proram are in the regular classroom with the exception of a 45 minute resource time with a trained, certified Gifted teacher. These students are expected to be taught the standards with a little more depth. Mind you, not all of the students are gifted in the same areas. Now, in the upper grades, gifted is taken a little more seriously. THese students are actually graded on the work that they complete in these classes. They are able to be more specific in their areas of giftedness. Well, the term challenge in the eyes of a parent can be somewhat different from the eyes of a teacher. These conversations brought out the possibility of the concerned parent group trying to apply for charter school grants in hopes to open soon.

Well, as time passed and many meeings, the committees began working together. The curriculum department insisted that they were providing the same rigor that the parents were looking for without changing the entire curriculum. Here we go again!!! Back to the drawing board with more meetings and more challenges to passify these people. The district's gifted person and the curriculum director worked with the state department to adopt the GIFTED AND TALENTED EDUCATION PROGRAM (GATE). Originially, the gifted students were served by a resource person for 45 minutes each day and returned to their regular classroom. Now, they are served by their resource teacher and is taught by a gifted endorsed teacher. So what does that mean??? More money for the system to pay and more teachers hounding about taking the class and doing extra homework.

In each of these classrooms, there are at least 5 gifted students and 12 high achievers. So, where are your middle and low children. In class together...sound like tracking to you? Especially if you have only 5 teachers per grade level, 2 GATE classes, 1 EIP class (inclusion), and 2 others. Well, I am a firm believer that higher achievers should be given the opportunity to learn at their pace, but in primary schools it is somewhat difficult to determine their area of giftedness and really focus on them. Please tell me your thoughts.....