A lot of parents are interested in getting their child into the gifted program. To help parents understand more about gifted program and what it takes to get your kids there, here are some useful tips as follows.First, not all kids are the same, some kids are talented in math while others are very good at social interaction. I think as parents, we should encourage kids to pursue their passion and provide guidance and help, but we shouldn't demand them too hard on something they are not just passionate about by nature. It is a tricky balance to maintain but a parent-guided approach is the best.Every child is born with a unique gift. Since the gifted program is heavily oriented towards math and logic, not all kids can go into gifted program. But that doesn't mean the child is not gifted. Don't get discouraged.
This is just like, the life achievement for a person only depends on very small portions of his/her IQ, but largely depends on persistence and passion.With this understanding, let's take a look at the components of a gifted program test. There are 3 aspects of the test, i.e.:-Verbal: the ability to reason with words and sentences-Quantitative: concepts and relations regarding numbers and math-Nonverbal: figural concepts expressed in picturesPerhaps the most important aspect of the gifted test is critical thinking. This is pretty much the way to measure the IQ of your child. Critical thinking is kind of an abstract concept, to make it easier to understand, they are typically brain-training questions/puzzles.
For example:-Word puzzles-Numberical puzzles-Visual puzzles-Memory puzzles-Logic puzzlesFor CogAT test, you can get some practice books and let your child do it. Find Some good books here orAlso there are some very good IQ Testing Exercise books recommended in this article:for your reference.Gifted Test Duration TimeTo give you an idea how long it will take for the testing, in Bellevue Washington, the test duration is like this:For first grade students-Test time is 2 hours, there are 6 sections in the test, each takes about 20 minutes to complete.-For verbal and quantitative sections, the teacher will read the questions to the students. Students will choose an answer in the answer sheet.-For non-verbal section, students see 3 pictures and choose the next picture in the pattern from 4 choices.For 2nd grade to 9th grade students-Test time is 2.5 hours with breaks between sections.-Students read the questions themselves.-All questions are multiple choice. The sections are timed.-Students mark their answers on an answer sheet that can be read by a computer.Sample Testing QuestionsThese are questions that appear on gifted tests across the USA for kindergarten through third grade. They test visual-spatial reasoning, cognitive skills, memory and comprehension.(pdf download, about 4.5MB)Also, below are two good links that contain another set of sample gifted test questions. The author (pen name Susulin) is a parent of the gifted class. He also wrote an English/Chinese bilingual white paper documenting his thoughts on elementary gifted education and best practices for parents.
Here is some more information on Bellevue school district enrichment/gifted program placement:'Gifted/highly capable students are generally defined as 2+standard deviations above the norm depending on the test used. For the CogAT = 132 is considered gifted.As reference, Bellevue School District currently uses 132 as the threshold for receiving pull-out gifted services in grades 3-5, a similar level on multiple measures to qualify for in-class services in literacy for grade 2, and 144 to be eligible for the self-contained classroom or full day curriculum option in grades 2-12.' My son loves these books, they are very good to enlighten your kid's intellectual ability as well as having fun. The books could also be good for adults as well to enhance their mental ability.This book on gifted programs could be an interesting read:The book mentions various gifted education programs, and how those programs may or may not serve your gifted child.
Also the disadvantages to being gifted. It also talks about the common sensitivities of the gifted child, and the possible effects on the child's self-esteem.
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Message the moderators to submit your own! As a student in the program I hated it with a passion. They don't really stray from the curriculum, just load the kids with twice the amount of homework and some extra logic problems.I was in the gifted classes for about a month in grade 4 and transferred back to my previous French Immersion school right away, which was much more challenging since you know, learning a second language and all.My friends who were in gifted or AP classes in high school had pretty much the same opinion.That experience was like 15 years ago though so YMMV. My personal choice if I had a gifted child would be to get them to learn an instrument or develop some other skill rather than trust the TDSB to do anything right. I was in the gifted program for grade 9 (2009-2010, so fairly recent), and I can agree with Shifftz: it was utter bullshit. They had told me it would be 'more interesting and engaging', but honestly, they just went into further boring detail about boring material. It would probably be useful to note at this point however, that I have ADD (diagnosed at the same time I went to get tested for whatever the hell being 'gifted' even is).
The workload was about double for too, and if your son likes music and art, I would refined going to a school with strong programs in those areas. For his gifted-ness, something like French immersion, or the focus on something that interests him would probably be the most useful. Hope this helps a bit!. I took the nation wide test in grade 3. Grade 4 I was enrolled. This was 15 years ago so I assume things change. Once a week instead of going to my regular school I went to a different school and we studied there.
I liked it, we were taught a lot of critical thinking. We didn't sit there and learn math or history, we were given problems and we discussed and solved them. Missing one day of regular school meant nothing since I never had a problem catching up on things I missed.
In fact when I returned I would sometimes be given advanced work from a year or two above me.You automatically continued it in high school but in my high school it was optional and it was just a club with a special guidance councilor that could guide you if you were interested in taking on an additional challenge. It helped here and there but nothing I couldn't have lived without.My gifted program was in Etobicoke so if you're in that area or have any other questions you're looking answers for then feel free to message me.
I was in the Gifted Program through high school. While they do cover the same curriculum there is often a broader spectrum of information covered. This may equate to more homework in some cases, however it does also mean that the student is challenged.I was the type of child who when bored would act out. Having that additional information to work with resulted in me being more engaged in my studies. However, that is me, there were plenty of kids in my class who were lazy students who just shrugged off the work and fell behind.Now, in the long run my fellow classmates and I are no further ahead than our counterparts.
Our Enhanced class did not graduate any great minds, nor did it open any doors at post secondary institutions. Please don't go into this thinking that the Enhanced programs are going to be this wonderful gift that will open up doors. An enhanced program is purely designed to challenge a student who is surpassing their peers.What I can say is upon qualification, speak to your principals and teachers. If everybody can agree that if the program isn't a good fit there will be no issue returning your son to the regular stream. My guy spent a lot of time in the principal's office in his early years for disruptive behaviour.
Things started to improve in grade 4 when he went into extended French. The heavier workload kept him more engaged. He is back in the regular stream now and things are going well because the teacher are generally content to let him doodle during much of the lesson time.Thanks for the sober second thoughts. Opportunity only gives us what we make of it. Its a giddy time for us now because we are excited and proud but its important to remain grounded. I have hears good things about TOPS.
One of the great things about high school these days is that every school has at least 1 specialty program. One of our feeder schools offers the MaST program (Math, Science, Technology). We toured this with my older son last year.
A great program - it made me wish I was back in high school. Our other feeder school has a robotics program, but I don't think it starts until Grade 10. The good thing here is that even if he doesn't want to go into gifted, there will still be interesting and challenging programs available. I was in the TDSB gifted program from fifth grade to eighth(roughly 2005-2010), and continued taking some gifted courses in grades nine and ten. My fourth grade teacher recommended me for the test. Curriculum-wise in elementary school, I'm not sure that it was as dynamic or challenging as was claimed. It's really in high school where I noticed a big jump in the difficulty of what was taught to us.I don't regret being in the program, not because of the enhanced content, but because of my classmates.
My closest friends during that time were extremely motivated students, which made me feel the need to keep up with them. Additionally, they were and are very good kids. They didn't even swear, let alone anything else. Very much a positive influence, and we still keep in contact three years after we all split into different high schools.Finally, I'll just mention that every single one of my classmates who applied for the IB program(Vic Park, Laurier) or TOPS(Garneau) got in.
I know a lot of people have already chimed in, but I hope my experience proves to be somewhat helpful or informative.I took a standardized test in grade. 4, I believe (1997?). After that test, myself and other potential 'gifted' students took a personal test/interview. Then we were given the option of enrolling in the 'gifted' program.For me, this meant one day every week I would go to a different school (a regular school that hosted a Gifted classroom) and engage in what was considered a 'Gifted' curriculum.
Yrdsb Gifted Program High School
It usually involved some sort of logic/math test in the AM, a structured discussion of some sort, and a sort of 'free time' in the afternoon.I personally made some of my closest and best friends through this program, many who ended up going to the same Highschool (IB program, although most of us didn't end up finishing the IB diploma). I always found the classes to be rather engaging, and the free form nature of the classroom allowed each student to pursue whatever interested them the most.
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I'm a particularly 'artsy' kid, so I was given free reign to study music, theatre, literature. I actually still have a ratty, misprinted edition of The Lord of the Rings trilogy I inherited from that classroom.I was always an outcast in my regular school. A bit odd, never really fitting in. I don't think I would have made it through elementary school, and then high school, without the program. I actually teared up when I stopped to think about it.I think you would be doing your son a disservice if you didn't at least entertain the option, especially if he has been recognized as a child who 'acts out' or 'isn't being challenged enough'. I feel that the regular school curriculum doesn't allow for enough exploration and self-discovery. It isn't very kind to students who don't fit a particular pattern.
Gifted Program Test Sample
At least, it wasn't in my experience.My mother was always very open about the experience, and simply said that I was welcome to try it, and I was welcome to leave it if I wanted to.Jeez. Sorry for the rambly trip down memory lane. I do hope you read it though, and I hope it provides some sort of insight.