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I have watched many students go through the GT program here in SBISD.  The reality is our district serves these students more than many other districts.  We have been more open to the idea of kids skipping grades whether it is in just math or everything.  I don't know of another program like our HG program.  My concern has always been the social issues (especially when they are younger).  It seems that age differences fade as they get older.  I do have a question about our HG program. As a lottery, how do we guarantee that we are not missing the kids with the highest IQs? What if their number isn't pulled? Recently we have had kids that have qualified or showed strong characteristics of GT that also have dyslexia, speech, etc. We need to remember that we it possible to have both!

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Katherine E.                 To say I feel guilty is an understatement when it comes to how our highly gifted students have been treated in the school system. We have recently encouraged students who can to test out of math and move up levels as needed. I wish we had something for our other subjects because math isn't the only area where students can excel. Teachers need to be willing to think differently in how to teach to these students while teaching them to accept their talents in a modest yet positive way.

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Katherine E.                 To say I feel guilty is an understatement when it comes to how our highly gifted students have been treated in the school system. We have recently encouraged students who can to test out of math and move up levels as needed. I wish we had something for our other subjects because math isn't the only area where students can excel. Teachers need to be willing to think differently in how to teach to these students while teaching them to accept their talents in a modest yet positive way.

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I thought the article was very interesting. I believe that what is best for the child is what needs to be considered. Sometimes that means thinking outside the box and trying something new. I think our school district is doing a better job at addressing the needs of our GT students. Since options of taking classes at different grade levels, highly gifted school and even going to other campuses for classes are all options that are used to help individualize learning for our GT students. I do agree with others that mentioned that moving to above grades can be difficult socially for the student. I believe this is based on each individual child. Social difficulties can can create new problems, but it really does depend on the individual student. I think we are on the right track to helping improve our GT students' education but we need to continue moving forward and not be afraid to something new if needed.

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First off, I love this Padlet thing! The article is interesting, and I can only imagine the frustration felt by those parents and that sweet little girl. This article made me remember it is our job to push our GT students (and all our students for that matter) to feel comfortable with failure. We have created children who are unable to accept criticism, unable to push forward when things are tough, and this is especially true for our GT students. As isolating as personal struggles might feel, everyone experiences failure. It is our job to create an environment where all kids are comfortable taking risks and learning as they go. Blended learning provides the perfect mix of this for our kids. Almost every time people who have made it to the top of their professions will share they only got there after failure and perseverance. I hope we are able to use our TEKS as we teach students to discover their passions and encourage them to creatively display their love of learning.

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This is a hot button right now in education-- and in our community. With the No Child Left Behind initiative I feel that we could also state -- Everyone is not on the same plane. With that statement said--this is where differentiation comes in. A seasoned teacher can pull together resources, ideas and concepts to keep all kids learning and growing-- not just catch the slow ones up. Social issues are huge-- as kids skip grades they are skipping huge social blocks as well that leaves them unable to cope with everyday issues and become major roadblocks as they enter adulthood!

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What an article. When i think of our GT population... I don't foresee kids dropping out. I feel like the teachers at our school are invested in growing these learners. The girl in the article seems like such a small percentage of the population. And the young boy at age 4 who was as verbal as a 13 year old. They are extreme... and honestly, it seems difficult to really know the correct placement for them. They don't fit in in many places. It's so sad. On the other end of the spectrum, we see students in special ed who are extreme and have a hard time fitting in as well. When you think of all the different abilities we have in our classroom, Blended Learning seems like a great way to reach everybody. Now as far as GT students advancing grade levels... I think this is a tough call. I don't believe it's what is best for everyone... it might need to be looked at case by case. There are so many other things to look at in considering this... social being the big one!! Having a 7 year old among 6th graders is not always going to be socially appropriate. How can they relate to one another. And if the child is there solely for academic reasons.. then they are missing out on plenty of (more age appropriate) social opportunities with their peers.

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I love how SBISD has the school for the Highly Gifted because those students deserve to be with peers as advanced as they are and with teachers who can adequately meet their individual needs.  I wonder if those kids each have their own IEP because that is certainly what would have been beneficial for the kids discussed in the article.  I have never been a real fan of Bendwood as research shows that pulling those kids to a different campus is one of the least effective ways to meet their needs.  It just creates an elitest attitude for being labeled GT, but I do know that most of those students would much prefer to work with kids who "get it" as fast as they do, or even prefer to complete the work alone.  After reading this article,  I asked my daughter her opinion about her GT education in HISD and then in SBISD, she thought, "it's an unnecessary label that hurts other kids who aren't seen as talented, because they think that without this label they are "regular" and it makes people want to resign to an academic life of mediocrity because that's the only thing they think they can achieve." Quite honestly, I think any kid, regardless of the GT label, should be allowed, and even encouraged to test for acceleration; especially in math, if they have the desire.  Blended learning seems to be the key to helping make this a reality in our regular education classrooms.  How many kids, labeled GT or not labeled, are slipping through the cracks because school is just no meeting their needs?  How many times have we thought, "How did this kid even qualify for GT?"  I just finished the book two days ago, Counting by 7s, where the main character is a 12-year old genius and she finds no value in school.  When she wants to learn something that is important in her "real world", she researches it and problem solves.  It really made me rethink what I can be doing differently in my own classroom

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That article was very eye opening. I think there is a stereotype when it comes to GT students. They are the students that we often use as the leaders to help teach other students and we forget that they need to continue being pushed forward as well. Having taught 2 classes of GT students this year, it was very eye opening to see the needs of GT students as well. I have always thought they didn't need much but they require just as much attention as other students. I like the way SBISD values GT students. Compared to other districts I've been in, Spring Branch offers significantly more options. Teachers need to be careful to not use SPRIAL day as an excuse to not challenge the GT students in the gen. ed. classroom. When it comes to acceleration, I think it has pros and cons. It is truly a case by case basis. Just because a student is advanced, does not mean they are ready to move on to the next grade level. It needs to be what is truly best for the student in the long run.

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Teaching the second grade PDP (gifted) class this past year was truly eye-opening.  Many times GT kids are over-looked because they will "get it" because they are gifted.  However, many times they are dealing with many other types of issues as well (including social).  My goal this past year was to not only teach my students  "deeper" in their TEKS, but challenge them, and we worked on social skills daily (how to handle situations).  I feel strongly that they will be ready for third grade and ready to advocate for themselves when they need help.....I had to teach them how to ask for help, because they thought they shouldn't need to ask because they were gifted.  I think it is positive that SBISD does allow students to go ahead grade levels (when appropriate), but I also think many times we can personalize that learning and let them dig deeper first before just pushing ahead. Just like anything in education, it depends on the student involved.....personalized learning. =-)

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I think this article was very insightful into many issues that highly gifted students face. I think SBISD is on the cutting edge of providing for all students. The district has a highly gifted school and regularly has testing for acceleration. Math acceleration is extremely common in SBISD. As a teacher, I have seen these students excel over 2 grade levels mathematically. I think we do have to be careful in the process of determining who needs this type of acceleration. It is not for most people. For example, we had about 20 kids take the test to accelerate math for 6th grade and only 4 scored high enough. Parents and teachers need to be educated on what is truly gifted and when acceleration is best for those students.

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This article made me feel sad when thinking how the girl in the article  must have felt not to mention how frustrated her parents must have been.  GT kiddos often  have a difficult  time socializing with other kids who don't see things the way they do. Skipping grades in my opinion is not always the best solution...maybe for the girl in this article it would have been fine but not for all kids.  We need to find ways to better accelerate learning for kids who are in need just as much as we push for ways to help kids who are struggling.  I think we should group GT kids under the same umbrella special ed kids and share the money. GT kids need specialized individualized learning plans just like the kids who struggle with  typical learning.

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So many factors need to be considered before a child skips a grade. It's kind of like putting kids on ADHD meds. You have to take many things into account and weigh the positives and negatives.  And even then, every child is different.  What would be appropriate for one GT child might be completely inappropriate for another.   It's a crime that GT funding has decreased in so many places.  I've always wondered why GT isn't under the umbrella of SpEd.  The advanced kids can have just as many  (and lots of the same) issues as kids who are below grade level.  And, as Brandy stated, many GT kids are not high achievers...in fact, they quickly learn how to do as little as possible and pass the class.  These are the types of kids who could really benefit from blended learning.  I'm excited to learn more so that I can better serve the gifted student.

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I have so many thoughts about this girl and this issue.  Many GT kids are not high achievers and if they are not interested or challenged, they often walk away without learning anything.  Advancing a child to the next grade is not always the answer.   Often times, they need to go deeper on the subject area.  Constantly advancing them can mean that their knowledge of the subject is very slim and they are not mature enough to deal with their new, older peers.  Regardless, these type of kids need to be monitored closely as we all know they are prone to remove themselves from society.  I have taught kids who have skipped a grade in a subject area and one that skipped an entire grade.  Although I felt it was right in most instances, we have to remember that developmentally they are not always equiped with the tools needed to handle life at that stage.  What is the hurry anyway? Teachers should be able to enrich a student at any level by differentiating the instruction.

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When students are particularly advanced in a subject area, it provides an opportunity for more in depth learning.  We are required to cover a breadth of curriculum which does not provide the time for students to dive deep into the subject matter.  Students that have  prior knowledge of content should be provided the opportunity to understand the learning at a deeper level so they are able to retain the knowledge, own their learning to a greater degree, and develop the ability to apply these skills.

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This article made me sad to read.  I agree that gifted students can often end up as lonely adults.  I know it is easy to think these kids are smart and will eventually "find their way," but I worry this isn't the case.  I know that GT kids often drop out of high school.  I am glad that we allow kids to skip grades, but agree that they should be monitored as a SPED student.  I wish that our own SBISD GT kids received help with social skills.  I think learning to work with others who maybe don't think/learn like you is an issue.  If  we addressed the social skills, it might help with the drop out rate of GT kids.

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WOW!  This article was a real eye opener.  Very interesting to find out how much money is spent for special education and how little funds are available for the gifted students.  I have mixed feelings about students skipping grade levels.  I'm sure there are times when it would work very well, but you also have to think about their social emotional needs.  It is so easy to not worry about the G/T kids because you know they are going to do well, but I agree with Deb.  That is not a fair way to think.

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Wow!  I am really shocked by the amount of money spent on special ed compared to gifted ed.  I agree with Candase about grade skipping.  I definitely think it depends on the child and whether they can handle it socially and emotionally.  I also worry that sometimes with grade skipping students miss out on some foundation and fundamentals.  Gifted kids do get overlooked b/c they are so smart and we know they won't fall behind, but that is not a fair way to think. They should be challenged and given the opportunities they deserve just like special ed and struggling learners.

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I think that in some cases skipping grades is a good idea. It is definitely the right thing to do in a case that was described.  Sometimes teachers push accelerating when the kid isn't ready for it. I think teachers need to look for the end game when it comes to moving large masses of kids. If we are talking about a majority of students skipping grades then shouldn't we be looking at our TEKS? I can see both sides of the issue. I think kids like the girl in the story should be monitored almost like you would a SPED student then decide the best place for her.

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I cannot believe that Annalisse was not given the chance to skip a grade.  I am happy to work in a district who honors this for those who are truly need it.
One of my best friends skipped her senior year in high school and went off to UT. She did well for 2 years and then something happened and she dropped out. Her intelligences is off the charts and she has a photogenic memory - being able to read things once / or hear it once and it sticks.  I'm thinking the system failed her - never ID as GT... In my heart - I know she would have qualified and given those chances, she would have done well!
I also think it's crazy that we spend more money on Special Ed rather than GT... In some states, GT falls under Special Ed...

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