How to Champion Your Gifted Child: Everything You Need to Know!
By Teagan Taylor
You are your child’s #1 support system, and with that often comes a daunting amount of responsibility. However, as parents, we love our children dearly and want what’s best for them, even if that means knocking down barriers and asking hard questions. If you’re a parent of a gifted child, this especially holds true, as gifted education tends to be misunderstood, misrepresented, and underfunded.
Looking for ways to advocate for the unique needs of your gifted or potentially gifted child? Well this post is your one stop shop! This is a great time for advocacy as the school year ramps up with testing and classes are getting underway. We are here to provide some insight since change only happens when multiple stakeholders work together for the best of our future generations!
Over several weeks, we will share 5 important topics that parents are often curious about when seeking to advocate for their gifted child. For each topic are questions educators have received from parents over the years, and also questions generated by Chat GPT. We do our best to address these questions and provide you some valuable resources, so click away at the links! Happy reading!
Topic 2: Testing & Identification
Q: “How is my child assessed for giftedness?”
A: Because there are many definitions and types of giftedness, how we identify giftedness can vary. However, there are best practices for gifted identification (such as ensuring the assessments are equitable and research based) that should be followed and some districts are working on getting better at. Districts in North Carolina should be following the state’s AIG Program Standard 2 (pg 3), which discusses these best practices. For example, NC is currently working to ensure the equity and excellence of gifted education. Learn more HERE. For more specifics on how students may be assessed for giftedness, check out our blog from last fall on the Ins and Out of Gifted Identification!
Q: “What happens if my child doesn’t meet the criteria? Can they be retested?”
A: If your student doesn’t qualify, do not stress! Hear what the AIG teacher has to say, keep advocating for your student, and know that there is usually a chance in future school years for screening/testing. Most gifted assessments have a length of time where they can’t be administered to a student again for validity and reliability purposes. For example, the CogAT assessment scores can be used for up to two years, and after that, students would have to take it again. For the Iowa assessment, it needs to be a full year until a student can take it again. If there are disagreements on scores/results, usually districts have a process for dealing with such claims, so be sure to ask to see that policy if you feel strongly about the results. There are also outside of school testing/identification options you can look into. Most school districts have a policy where they accept outside testing (though, it may have to meet certain criteria). In the meantime, seek out ways your student can continue to be challenged in school and at home. For example, a school might have a nurturing program for students who don’t place in the gifted program, but that they recognize needs support. Gifted identification is not a perfect science and some schools may not have equitable or flexible measures, so do your research and know there are options!
Q: “Are there specific signs or behaviors I should look for to know if my child is gifted?”
A: Yes, there are gifted characteristics to keep an eye out for; characteristics that through years of research and studies, have shown to be typical indicators of giftedness. However, take these characteristics with a grain of salt, because there are many types of giftedness and how it expresses in one child, may not be the case for another. You know your child best. If they are passionate about something to the point of obsession, they might be gifted. If they are constantly asking questions and wanting to understand the purpose of things, they might be gifted. If they are acting out in school because they are bored, they might be gifted. If they prefer to interact with adults rather than age-like peers, they might be gifted. If they make connections at a higher and deeper level, and so on. These characteristics may be apparent early on, or they may not. Remember, research shows us that gifted people represent a very small part of the population (HERE is an article that presents an interesting perspective on this). If your child is making great grades and is doing well academically, they might be gifted, or they might not be. Either way is perfectly fine! The key here is that they are getting the challenge they need in their learning. If you suspect your child is displaying signs of giftedness, start advocating and seeking support.
For more information, check out NCAGT’s They’ll be Fine podcast episode(s): E04, E10, E16, E30
In the comment section below let us know what questions you have about “Testing & Identification” that weren’t addressed above, or perhaps what tips/resources you have gained when advocating for your child!
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