In our school the gifted and talented is based solely on test scores, so in the younger grades at least they base it off PMAP scores. Not sure what percentile you need to get to be excepted. A teacher or parent can also elect them if their test scores do not make it. Once in 4th and 5th grade the top 2 are put into a pullout program where they go to one elementary school for the whole district. We have 10 elementary schools. The kids not in that top 2 that are still in GT still have it in their own school. And GT does not fully start until 2nd grade here, before that it is in clad enrichment.
Jen - Mom to two December 12 babies
Nathaniel 12/12/06 and Addison 12/12/08
Aaaaand... that brings up a good point. What exactly do you want from G and T testing? Are you using it to make decisions about where to send your child to school? Or to get the school system to meet LO's needs better? Or something else? If it's number 2, some schools require you to use their testers. Which means you could waste hundreds of dollars if you do it yourself early.
Oh boy! I should've elaborated a bit on my question... I just didn't want anyone to think I was bragging, because I'm honestly not, I promise.
My mom thinks DD is incredibly smart. I'd normally chalk it up to grandma pride (and part of it definitely is, lol!), but my mom is also a preschool teacher and spends a lot of time around 3 and 4 year old children. So, there's something to be said about her opinion.
I have zero desire to have DD tested for a GT program... at least not until she's in the public school system and they feel that she should be tested. However, my mom is always asking me about whether or not there's a way to test her now. So, I figured I'd get her off my back a bit and ask y'all about the testing.
I actually teach elementary school music, so I'm not 100% out of the loop with this sort of thing, I just don't know much about what happens before the elementary level. It was mainly curiousity and finding a way to appease my mom.
Someone in UK was inducted into Mensa at 2. However testing is more reliable the older they are. They prefer you wait until 7, but 4 is possible.
Haha! My kid is totally not Mensa material, lol! I do think she's a smart cookie and very outgoing, but I don't think she's truly all that far ahead of her peers. She just has a very natural curiousity and an incredible vocabulary. Those two combined cause her to be a bit ahead of the game, I think...
Oh boy! I should've elaborated a bit on my question... I just didn't want anyone to think I was bragging, because I'm honestly not, I promise.
My mom thinks DD is incredibly smart. I'd normally chalk it up to grandma pride (and part of it definitely is, lol!), but my mom is also a preschool teacher and spends a lot of time around 3 and 4 year old children. So, there's something to be said about her opinion.
So if your mom is a preschool teacher, why doesn't she know the answer? I mean, I would expect a competent preschool educator to be familiar with the process of identifying any child who might have special needs. In my state, GATE falls under the umbrella of special education.
I don't think it's ever been something that my mom felt the need to explore for any of her students. If my mother taught at a public preschool, I could see her knowing a process that was already in place to identify gifted children, but she teaches at a private, Christian preschool and doesn't know of a system that's in place to possibly test toddlers.
I taught gifted in high school and now have an almost four year old that I think would definitely qualify. However, his birthday is in late-November, so he has another full year of pre-k AFTER this year before he starts kindergarten.
I honestly feel he could go to kindergarten next year. It's a shame our public schools allow parents to hold their kids back from kindergarten but do not allow you to start them early (unless you do private kindergarten and first grade you can come it at any age in second grade, but even the nearby private schools have the same birthday cutoff, and I'm really hoping to not spend thousands in tuition before he is in 2nd grade! .
I plan to see what his December progress report looks like and meet with his current preschool teachers in the spring. If all seem to back my feelings on the matter, I'm going to see what his preschool can do to accelerate his learning. He is already reading and doing basic math, so I'm hoping they will allow him to join the kindergarten class for part of the day to get a jump start. Then we'd need to get a game plan in place with the public school regarding the areas we accelerated, so he doesn't get bored.
Luckily I still know some of the people in the main office of the county's gifted program. I don't want to go that route, but gifted kids have special education needs. I will fight for my kid to get the services he requires, just like a parent of a special education student would (which again, it's a shame kids with certain learning disabilities can get services while they are 3 years old from the county, but not my kid...I have a friend who already has an IEP for her son's speech).
It only makes sense why a child with certain learning disabilities can get services at 3 or earlier and a gift child cannot. It is obvious many times that a child with a learning disability needs help and it is imperative they get all that they can early so they don't struggle later. A child who is considered gifted usually is not considered so until after 4. Many parents feel their child is gifted at 3 or earlier but it ends up later that it's just not so, that is why services do not start that early for them.
I still don't understand what additional support/services a gifted child needs - especially at an early age.
With the exception of children that are genius level, one in a million, your run of the mill kid who's parents read to them and have above average intelligence and skills shouldn't need outside services.
Abinormal
member
Re: Gifted and Talented in Pre-School
Oh boy! I should've elaborated a bit on my question... I just didn't want anyone to think I was bragging, because I'm honestly not, I promise.
My mom thinks DD is incredibly smart. I'd normally chalk it up to grandma pride (and part of it definitely is, lol!), but my mom is also a preschool teacher and spends a lot of time around 3 and 4 year old children. So, there's something to be said about her opinion.
I have zero desire to have DD tested for a GT program... at least not until she's in the public school system and they feel that she should be tested. However, my mom is always asking me about whether or not there's a way to test her now. So, I figured I'd get her off my back a bit and ask y'all about the testing.
I actually teach elementary school music, so I'm not 100% out of the loop with this sort of thing, I just don't know much about what happens before the elementary level. It was mainly curiousity and finding a way to appease my mom.
Haha! My kid is totally not Mensa material, lol! I do think she's a smart cookie and very outgoing, but I don't think she's truly all that far ahead of her peers. She just has a very natural curiousity and an incredible vocabulary. Those two combined cause her to be a bit ahead of the game, I think...
I don't think it's ever been something that my mom felt the need to explore for any of her students. If my mother taught at a public preschool, I could see her knowing a process that was already in place to identify gifted children, but she teaches at a private, Christian preschool and doesn't know of a system that's in place to possibly test toddlers.
I taught gifted in high school and now have an almost four year old that I think would definitely qualify. However, his birthday is in late-November, so he has another full year of pre-k AFTER this year before he starts kindergarten.
I honestly feel he could go to kindergarten next year. It's a shame our public schools allow parents to hold their kids back from kindergarten but do not allow you to start them early (unless you do private kindergarten and first grade you can come it at any age in second grade, but even the nearby private schools have the same birthday cutoff, and I'm really hoping to not spend thousands in tuition before he is in 2nd grade!
.
I plan to see what his December progress report looks like and meet with his current preschool teachers in the spring. If all seem to back my feelings on the matter, I'm going to see what his preschool can do to accelerate his learning. He is already reading and doing basic math, so I'm hoping they will allow him to join the kindergarten class for part of the day to get a jump start. Then we'd need to get a game plan in place with the public school regarding the areas we accelerated, so he doesn't get bored.
Luckily I still know some of the people in the main office of the county's gifted program. I don't want to go that route, but gifted kids have special education needs. I will fight for my kid to get the services he requires, just like a parent of a special education student would (which again, it's a shame kids with certain learning disabilities can get services while they are 3 years old from the county, but not my kid...I have a friend who already has an IEP for her son's speech).
Best of luck with your daughter!