It's all too common, I'm afraid. We have the same problem. In fact, our district is like Dazey's in that they're pretty much hostile to all parents, not just parents of GT kids, at least in terms of volunteering and being on school grounds. They want our money for the eternal fundraisers, but that's about it.

Turning away volunteers is the thing that gets me. How can any school do that? Surely there's SOMETHING you can find for willing and able parents to do, especially in a distract claiming 40% GT with no GT program until 4th grade, like ours! (The same percentage as kimck's, strangely...) I find this anti-volunteer trend to be foolish and really, really disconcerting!

This is anymonous right? :S

Speaking from a classroom teacher's personal point of view.... I don't see the gifted students in many public schools getting the type of learning I recieved when I was a student in school. I've heard the 40% -50% argument before, and there is some truth to students recieving a higher leveled instruction because most teachers aim for the class norm when planning. However, there is a lot more available assistence for students on the lower end of the bell curve (more small group, more materials, more instructional time, etc...) It seems as though the "gifted" students are left to fend for themselves at some schools.

I went to a private school when I was a child and it was not unusual to find a 4th grader taking 10th grade geometry. I think when parents bring this type of possibility to the school, it falls onto the regular classroom teacher's responsibility and this teacher is more concerned about students failing state tests because it is on their teaching record. Schools are more concerned about failing students because they can loose funding.

[quote=JustAMom]This is anymonous right? :S

Speaking from a classroom teacher's personal point of view.... I don't see the gifted students in many public schools getting the type of learning I recieved when I was a student in school. I've heard the 40% -50% argument before,

Does that mean that 40-50% of kids have an SLP or IEP? Wow, if that's the case.

DS10 is the only, what they call, SNAP kid in his grade level of about 100 kids at school. SNAP = Student Needs Assessment Profile which then requires an SLP [Student Learning Plan]. His teacher last year outright refused to recognize his SLP. But we're beyond that now. I think everyone has their worst teacher. That was last year for us.

[quote=Kriston]It's all too common, I'm afraid. We have the same problem. In fact, our district is like Dazey's in that they're pretty much hostile to all parents, not just parents of GT kids, at least in terms of volunteering and being on school grounds. They want our money for the eternal fundraisers, but that's about it.

Very, very sad. I just don't see how that could be productive for the school. Gather a group and start voting their budget down and see how things will turn to your favor. <evil grin>

Our school's PTO is starting a Volunteer Committee. The goal is to get parents, and even relatives or friends of parents, who are talented or skilled in a certain area to do one or two shot clinics for the kids; sort of like an extended or enhanced career day [altho it would be in the evening]. We have chefs, geologists, photographers, historians... Most folks can't commit to run an 8 or 12 week program but many can offer up a couple of hours once or twice to share what they do and what they know.

Thank goodness my school lets us do this sort of stuff.

Not exactly, one of my sons' school (where I heard this argument) serviced only the top 3% of the grade level with a pull out program.



I agree.

I can't speak for all schools quoting the ultra-high GT percentages, but in our 40% GT district, there are no SLPs or IEPs for *any* GT kids. Only kids with LDs or other disabilities get those. GT kids get the standard one-hour-once-a-week pullout starting in 4th grade (in math only). There is nothing individualized, unless the teacher chooses to differentiate. (Some do this reasonably well, some do absolutely nothing.)

In 5th grade, they add a language arts and science pullout once a week (or they used to--I haven't checked since they changed the first math pullout from 3rd to 4th this year, so that may be different now), and in 6th grade, the math pullout becomes their daily math class. But even the pullout is not differentiated for HG+ kids. They get the same material the MG kids get at the same time. Period.

It's pretty sad, really. And our elementary school is supposedly one of the more GT friendly schools in the district. They let one child grade skip--the only one in the district, apparently--so they clearly support all GT kids, right?

Yeah, right...

To be honest, even thinking about it depresses me.

We are in the same boat as Kriston - no GT students recieve SLP's or IEP's. Our school probably does teach slightly above grade level on average, but that top 3% could sure use something on top of that. We don't have any kind of pullout or regular differentiation K through 6 unless a parent volunteer organizes something. We use to have a full time GT specialist who was laid off with budget cuts a few years ago.

Well, if it's any bright spot at all...

My best friend's nephew, whom she has been caring for since his parents split up, was recently interviewed by the US Dept of Education. He was a highly gifted student who fell thru the cracks in school & dropped out. He was interviewed to find out how the school system let him down.

Here's to hoping that Special Education fully covers BOTH ends of the spectrum one day.

Hear, hear!

I can see why many of you are or are considering homeschooling. Honestly, if I hit that hostility myself, I'd probably home school children who were a perfect fit for the curriculum! We are very fortunate to have caring teachers who absolutely love a pair of hands willing to run a few hundred copies a week.

Sure I've had my administrative run-ins, but ultimately we have a plan that while not perfect, is fair for everyone involved.