UPDATE: DD didn't get into Gate (Gifted talented) program

[countthestars]

Probably not.

How many kids get in? Class as in graduating class or immediate classroom class?

Is she super bored/not challenged in class?

[countthestars]

How do you know she is top 5 in her class anyway? Is that something schools tell parents?

[Deleted]

No. Top of the class does not necessarily equate to 'gifted'

[spk926]

I need to know more information. Who gets into the Gate Program? Is it top % of students in district? Top % of student in the school?

Just because she's the top five of her class doesn't necessarily mean she's gifted. It's all relative to the curve.

All that to say that no, I wouldn't talk to someone. I would trust that the school district did the appropriate testing and based on that testing she doesn't qualify.

[SJ]

What does being in the "top five" mean? Who told you that she has always been in the "top five"?

I think 100% of parents think their kid is in the top 5

[specialk]

I wouldn't press, but if you are wondering what the qualifications are or how they came to that decision, I don't think it hurts to ask. Just because she isn't in the program doesn't mean they don't think she's a smart cookie!

[Deleted]

Probably not. G&T did almost nothing for me other than pulling me out of the "normal" classroom so I was hypothetically less bored. As a former teacher I don't have a great opinion of Gifted programs.

[rugbywife]

How does one rank students within a class?

I can't speak for the US but gifted testing here by no means consistently relates to high grades. I know kids with straight As who don't test out as top 2% (that is our threshold for gifted) and I know some who come up as gifted and it leaves you scratching your head as to how it happened...

[Deleted]

Yes, I would absolutely ask how the students were chosen just so I knew and understood the process. And if the process was really subjective I'd try to get him in if I thought the program would be good for him. Flame away but my school district was full of the kids whose parents were involved getting picked for shit.

[maryanne]

I think it would be hard for me to know where my DD1 ranks in her class, but it doesn't hurt to ask what the qualifications for the program are if you are curious.

[longtimenopost]

I would probably request more information, yes. If there were real benefits to the program, I might ask for re-testing in the fall if she's already been tested. I see it as my job to push for what's best for my kid, not the school's job.

[rootbeerfloat]

Apr 28, 2015 14:49:27 GMT -5 SJ said:

I think 100% of parents think their kid is in the top 5

I know DS is not. Or if he is, then his class is full of dummies, lol.

OP, I might ask what the testing/qualifications are just to know, but I wouldn't try to get her in.

[oliviapope]

Apr 28, 2015 15:02:18 GMT -5 sxia said:

Okay, teachers have told me she's in the top of the grade level. She's been picked to have her work be an example for the rest of the class and she used to go to the grade above hers for reading time in the younger grades.

The Gate program gets them out of school to do special field trips to local universities and other educational programs.

I would not press it. You might can ask about the process as others have suggested, but there is a difference between smart and gifted. The test doesn't measure as much of what you know as how you think. So she could be doing very well in school, but not meet the qualifications for gifted.

[spk926]

Apr 28, 2015 15:02:18 GMT -5 sxia said:

Okay, teachers have told me she's in the top of the grade level. She's been picked to have her work be an example for the rest of the class and she used to go to the grade above hers for reading time in the younger grades.

The Gate program gets them out of school to do special field trips to local universities and other educational programs.

I think that's great that she's doing well in school but doing well does not mean she's gifted. Being a grade level ahead for reading also doesn't mean she's gifted. I'm not trying to be rude but it sounds like you may not understand what gifted is. A child that is truly gifted has academic abilities that indicate the need for in-depth, complex and rigorous curriculum and instruction beyond what can be provided in the differentiated groupings of her classroom.

[cajunmom]

Apr 28, 2015 15:00:11 GMT -5 sxia said:

She's tested reading at a 5-6th grade reading level. But I know she was having to practice a little more at math. (She's more at grade level for that.) She's in 3rd grade.

My DD2 is in third grade also. On her most recent benchmark testing, she tested at grade level 6.9 for reading and 6.6 for math. She isn't in gifted. Sometimes I wish she had qualified, but for whatever reason she didn't. She was tested for gifted in 1st grade. Smart doesn't always equal gifted. Even very smart. 

[niq]

Apr 28, 2015 14:57:22 GMT -5 @notquiteblushing said:

Yes, I would absolutely ask how the students were chosen just so I knew and understood the process. And if the process was really subjective I'd try to get him in if I thought the program would be good for him. Flame away but my school district was full of the kids whose parents were involved getting picked for shit.

You are not alone here.



But on the other hand, 3rd/4th grade test results aren't life altering. Is there a chance for her to test in again before high school? Is she bored with her schoolwork/thinks it's pointless? ETA are there other things the school can do if she is feeling bored with school?

[cinco]

No, but I would speak up if I didn't think my child was being challenged. Not in an accusatory way, but as a way to get ideas on things we can do at home. They did put DD in GATE based on her performance in class and her standardized test scores vs. the actual test for GATE though. They test in 1st and 5th and we moved here when she was in 2nd . Her teachers made the recommendation. I would trust the school to make the assessment.

[ijack]

I think it really depends on the criteria for enrollment. Do they use a test score or is subjective?

[lilac05]

If it's a subjective selection, I would probably ask for clarification. Some schools still treat their "Gifted & Talented" programs for kids who are academically more advanced. If that's the case, I would be more likely to ask about it.

A more current "Gifted and Talented" program chooses children more on how they think rather than what they know. I read a really good article long ago, but I didn't save it, unfortunately. So, in these programs, it's possible to have kids with less stellar grades in the G&T program where the very top student in the class is not.

I don't see a problem with asking out of curiosity, as long as you are careful to not be accusatory or lobbying for your child.

[Marmee]

Not from your description

[Deleted]

Ask for clarification but not necessarily push. Unless there was an issue with testing. My sister was scared of the psychologist, so she was retested but it was obvious at the time she underperformed.

That seems pretty common for a kid to be a couple grade levels up in one area.

[SJ]

Apr 28, 2015 15:33:26 GMT -5 lilac05 said:

I don't see a problem with asking out of curiosity, as long as you are careful to not be accusatory or lobbying for your child.

I TOTALLY agree with this. I would not just roll over quietly if I didn't understand the process. I think it's totally reasonable to understand the system and for there to be transparency as to on what basis the decisions were made. If I did not understand, I would ask questions.

However, the way the OP was phrased was already sounding defensive and accusatory as she was providing "backup" as to why she thinks her DD should be in the program ("she has always been in the top 5" etc). I do not think she should go in with that attitude, as they probably have to hear it from most/all of the parents whose special preciouses were not chosen.

[4speedy]

My DD is the top student in her class, her picture is in the lobby of her school as the highest grade average to prove it.  She is really, REALLY good at school but I don't actually think she is gifted.  She appears more to be highly motivated and a hard worker to me.

My son, on the other hand (her younger brother), is a disaster on his report card but he very likely is gifted.  he just has a different way of looking at the world and understanding things.  He blows me away with the things he understands and yet he rarely finishes his homework without a LOT of prodding.  But let him pick his own topic and he will give you an adult caliber discussion.  

if DS ever gets invited into a gifted program, I'm pretty sure it would put my DD into therapy, too.

[savan]

GATE is not indicative of how a kid performs in class. That is stressed at the program at our school. Gifted kids aren't just academically smart, they think differently and have different academic needs. My DS does great in school as well. He's not gifted though and we were not surprised when he did not qualify for GATE.

[Deleted]

I wouldn't worry about it but since you keep finding reasons that you think she should be then it is obviously important to you. If it is important, ask.

[mmmomof2]

I would definitely ask. My concern with not being designated GATE is being put in the non-honors track once you hit junior high. I don't necessarily think a GATE class is supposed to be made up of truly gifted kids.

[glinda]

I wouldnt. There is a lot that goes into outside of being above grade level in some subjects. Our class valedictorian was never in the g&t programs going through school. I consistently was reading way above grade level in school but the first year they tested me I didn't make it in (I did the following year).

[spankswife]

You are either gifted or you're not. It has nothing to do with grades and tests scores (might be correlated, but doesn't have to be). Some people have high IQs and some people are good students. You also don't want her to be borderline and struggle.

Ditto @booby 's response.

[game blouses]

Apr 28, 2015 16:20:14 GMT -5 spankswife said:

You are either gifted or you're not. It has nothing to do with grades and tests scores (might be correlated, but doesn't have to be). Some people have high IQs and some people are good students. You also don't want her to be borderline and struggle.

Ditto @booby 's response.

I agree with this. Very bright kids often feel discouraged in classes designed for gifted kids because the lessons and questions are not crafted in a way that is as accessible to them as a standard curriculum.

[auntie]

I'd see how the next year goes. Early proficiency in reading is good, but doesn't mean she has an IQ that would label her as gifted.

In my district GATE is 130+ IQ. Class standing doesn't enter in to it; and it isn't tracked until high school.

In the next year, the curriculum will morph from learning to read to reading to learn and from math facts to applications and abstract reasoning. If she's truly gifted, she should really start to show more advanced skills around higher order thinking rather than just rote memory skills.

TBH, a good student with a not-quite-gifted IQ will likely do better long term than a kid with a higher IQ and poor attitude or study skills.