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Gifted Education: Frequently Asked Questions
My child says s/he is bored at school. What should I do?
The best thing a parent can do when a child complains about being bored in school is to ask for more information to get a better understanding of the situation. For example:
- Describe what you mean by bored? What are you doing and what are the other students doing?
- What subjects or when during the school day do you feel this way?
- Have you talked to your teacher about this?
It is important to give your student tools to be a self-advocate to get his or her needs met in school. Suggest how a conversation might be opened up.
Here are some things you might say to your teacher:
- "I seem to always finish assignments in _____ before everyone else. Can I do harder work?"
- "Is there another way I could show you that I know the lesson by doing something that's more challenging to me?"
If your child doesn't wish to initiate a conversation with his or her teacher about the situation, make an appointment and bring your child with you. S/he needs to be part of the conversation to identify a solution.
How do I know if my child is gifted?
Each district has resource materials and staff who can talk with you about the identification procedure for gifted students. All children bring their gifts to school and deserve to have their needs met. A gifted student is one who has "special educational needs" that are difficult to meet with core classroom curriculum. We often confuse high achieving students with those who are gifted based on our own experiences when in school. Today, we identify students who may be high achievers, but also those who may be underachieving or who have gifts in creativity, leadership and/or the arts. We try to identify all gifted students to be certain they do not go school "at-risk" for not achieving to their potential. When you approach your child's classroom teacher, besides stating, "My child may be gifted," be prepared to describe his or her unique learning needs that aren't being met with the core curriculum. In addition to academic needs, share those social/emotional needs that may not be evident in the general classroom.
How do I know if my gifted child's needs are being met?
Every identified student is required to have a current Advanced Learning Plan (ALP) that identifies programming and accountability measures designed to address identified strength area(s). These plans MUST be reviewed annually and may be reviewed at any time during the school year if deemed necessary. Plans require parent (and usually student) collaboration when being developed. Most often, the plans are reviewed during parent-teacher conferences. If you have questions, based on anecdotal evidence from your child, feel free to review the appropriateness of the current ALP.
Most often, student needs are addressed through "differentiated curriculum" delivered in the regular classroom. This does not mean that curriculum is differentiated all day - but every day all students deserve the right to learn something new. If this is not happening, request a conference with your child's teacher to increase the intensity of differentiation in your child's strength area.
Remember that parents are also critical in providing enrichment outside of school. Getting involved in a district or regional parent group may assist in helping you find other resources in the area.
I am new to the district and my child has been identified in his/her former school. What do I do?
Most districts include a section on the student registration form where you can check if your child has been receiving services for gifted education. If you moved from another district within Colorado, your child is eligible for services without any additional testing. If you are from out-of-state, the school will need to review eligibility criteria to determine if it aligns with our state/district's operational definition of giftedness.
In some districts, students are delineated as "guests" or are in a "talent pool" and receive some gifted services. This option may not be available at your new school.
I am moving to a new district and want to be sure my identified gifted student still receives services. What should I do?
All identified students have a separate folder, different from the cumulative folder, stored at their school. This folder includes information, or "the body of evidence" that was collected to determine if your child required gifted education services. Included may be a student profile, test data, assessment documents and ALPs. The cumulative file contains a document or has a "flag" to identify that a gifted education file exists for the student. Although when you enroll in a new school, all files are generally requested, you have the right to request a copy of all files to carry to the new district.
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