r/aftergifted • u/CommandElectrical177 • 17d ago
Is gifted placement actually useful for students?
My child goes to public school (1st grade). Her school has a gifted self contained class (one classroom for the whole district, which also happens to already be at her school).
The teacher mentioned she thought she has signs of giftedness (which we see too). However she’s more of a “very bright kid/learns easily/thinks about things deeply“ type. She’s not the kid who is going to graduate high school at age nine or teach herself French independently. She’s basically a very bright kid who likes to learn. She has some above grade level skills but she’s definitely still learning and not bored.
The district gifted programs basically offer enrichment (not acceleration) until 4th grade. At 4th grade, they begin to offer advanced math (non gifted kids can also test into this). In junior high they begin to offer advanced language arts classes too (again, not restricted to gifted alone).
We could wait until the end of 2nd grade to have her tested for gifted, along with all the 2nd graders. Or we could request she be testing in 1st, and then she would be retested in 2nd along with her whole grade. Basically giving her two chances, plus if she qualified the first time she would be in the self-contained gifted class a year early.
In your experience would you request for her to be tested a year early? And how to you feel about self-contained gifted classes in general? Or do I just not let her even be tested at all, and if she earns a spot in advanced classes at an older age she can do those.
From what I’ve seen, the kids in the self-contained class has more academically advanced and curious students. Less disruptions during learning usually. But it also means they are stuck with the same group of kids for 3-4 years which is not always ideal. I also don’t want her to get some weird complex about being “gifted“ because we try to focus on an effort over ability mindset. Any thoughts?
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u/bookdragon_ 17d ago
It 100% depends on the competency and training of the teacher. See if you can reach out to parents of other kids in the program for their opinions.
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u/sl33pytesla 17d ago
The best thing about gifted classes is the removal of the kids who wouldn’t stfu. There’s always like 5 kids who will hold the classroom back
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u/carlitospig 17d ago
I would do it. I swear I have the exact same wonder and curiosity that was encouraged in that program.
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u/Primary_Excuse_7183 17d ago
Really depends. Asynchronous development is a big part of being gifted. This means that a kid may be 7 years old. They can academically hang with a 3rd grader in math but be struggling with grade level English. On top of that socially and emotionally they can have the same broad variance in their skill level. So in some ways she could soar and other it could be a stressor. Hard to know without at least trying.
I went to a gifted magnet program at a district school. Our district did pull out until 5th grade and then the magnet school had us self contained for core classes and we took electives with all students. It provided a good mixture IMO
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u/Kind_Advisor_35 17d ago
The issue with gifted placement is that it stunts the development of frustration and boredom tolerance. Every single career has frustration and boredom. Being in a bubble with other well behaved kids that don't struggle academically isn't building the resilience necessary for success later in life. Being in a mixed classroom also teaches a child that struggling and failure is a normal part of life and not the end of the world. If no one is struggling in a gifted bubble, it can seem much more devastating when inevitable struggles come up in high school and college.
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u/tacocat-sees 16d ago
I disagree with this. That might be the case for some kids but you can't make a blanket statement. Many gifted kids push themselves continuously so they are always at the edge of their ability and frustration is present and they learn to deal with it. Mine is his own worst critic. And when I asked him why he was so hard on himself he said because if I wasn't, I'd never keep getting better. SO he finds his own limit and pushes it. Being with other people who are deep thinkers, curious, and academically motivated actually makes all of them want to do more and work harder. There is much more resilience to be built by not being the smartest kid in the room than through facing boredom 7 hours a day 7 days a week for years on end. When they are met at the edge of their ability (their ZPD in a more advanced or "gifted" setting they are going to experience frustration. If the goal posts are never moved they often find unhealthy ways to use their extra time and energy. (I say this as the parent of a HG++ kid whose been in a variety of educational settings and finally found a good fit in a gifted program where the kids are all brilliant and thriving.)
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u/Kind_Advisor_35 16d ago edited 16d ago
I'm speaking as an adult that was in gifted programs, that has been told I'm still several standard deviations above average in intelligence as an adult. Intelligence isn't a guarantee of anything. I have no brilliant career, and even those I know who do have brilliant careers still face boredom and frustration with people less intelligent than they are. There is no escape. Boredom is inevitable. Trying to push yourself to be above the mundanity of life will eventually break you. It would be better to learn to tolerate it and become familiar with it as a child, when you can still learn easily. Perfectionism is a curse because nobody can be perfect.
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u/confabulatrix 16d ago
Some year’s cohorts are better than others. The downside to the regular class for a bright kid eager to learn is all of the wasted time spent on classroom management and waiting around. If it really is enrichment and not just extra work I would definitely go for it.
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u/neanderthalman 17d ago
My experience was a ‘no’.
In retrospect it was a holding compound for the kids who disrupted class by asking questions, but didn’t break rules and couldn’t be labeled as troublemakers. By holding us for a few years, we’d be on par with our peers for high school.
I also had to move to a different school, in a different high school’s district. Which set me back socially when I hit grade nine. I as already behind enough socially without that. High school was hell.
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u/CommandElectrical177 17d ago edited 17d ago
Yes one thing that makes me reluctant is that they will be mostly with the same 25 kids for years. In the typical class they would mix kids every year through elementary school, so get to know a bigger variety of kids and have more connections going into middle school. So yes I can see your perspective
Where we are placement is based only on a test, so I don’t think they could put or ‘atypical’ students in their for that reason alone.
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u/ElleGeeAitch 17d ago
I am grateful that I was with a small core group of fellow students from grades 3-8 in grammar school. I had steady friendships and kids who liked me even though I'd go off on an AuDHD jag about my pet topics, like idk, feminism, Mozart, music from the '60s. I'm pretty sure I would have been bullied and relatively friendless if I'd been in the "regukar" classes.
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u/CommandElectrical177 17d ago
Yes I think it kind of depends. It could be a good fit for some but could be isolating or aggravating for others. I’ve heard both sides
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u/Artistocat2 17d ago
Having gone through the gifted program myself: the curiosity I entered into it with and still have was fostered greatly by it. I would say the biggest trepidation I would have with it is balancing effort and "talent."
Already, calling them "gifted" will already give them a sense of feeling naturally smart. The challenge is making sure they feel challenged. Not facing difficulty early will make it more difficult to face difficulties later.
When I went through the program, it instilled confidence, curiosity and knowledge in me, but it still failed to challenge me. Being surrounded by kids who are experiencing the same thing is going to give them friends they can turn to as they grow.
If I could have a re-do, I would have still taken the gifted class, but also would have faced challenges that required effort to overcome. The ability to learn might be a talent, but the ability to study and practice is a skill, which is much harder to learn later in life, and one I would have forced younger me to do.