Reply to Bright child in early elementary- what are my options?

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[quote=Anonymous]Please stop arguing about whether a child is gifted.  It seems like DCUM spends a lot of time trying to prove that any given child isn't really gifted, so they don't need more than the standard curriculum, or that if they are gifted they don't need anything beyond the standard curriculum.

I really don't care how any particular child compares to any other, or how we describe them, let's meet all their needs.  It isn't a competition.  If we decide that they all need more, then call them all gifted and give them a gifted curriculum or develop a more challenging curriculum and call it standard.  Knowledge is not a limited resource that requires rationing.

We know that MCPS's Curriculum 2.0 was lousy.  As they switch over to a new curriculum, hopefully it will get better.  In the meantime, we should recognize that many children's needs are not being met.  Some may need help because they have gaps in their knowledge and need support and remediation.  Others may have surpassed the curriculum and need more challenge.  Many will probably have both problems.  Let's help each other figure out how to help those children.

Why are we still talking about tracking?  I don't think anybody believes in locking children into rigid academic tracks anymore. However, flexible ability grouping can benefit all children.  Here's an article that discusses its effective use in MCPS:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/03/AR2007110301167.html?sid=ST2007110301386

Whether a decrease in the gap between those who are labeled as gifted at a young age and those who aren't decreases with age doesn't matter.  Nor does it matter if some are strong in reading, math, or both (or other academic subjects).  What matters is if a child's academic needs are being met at any given time.

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