Reply to Gifted programs, lack of, in DC

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]It is frustrating that pull outs in DC seem to focus on kids who are behind rather than those that are ahead.[/quote]

Not the experience at our elementary school (Hearst).  While those who are behind are getting pullouts, many of the kids who are ahead are getting pullouts as well to give them more challenging work.  In fact, some have been concerned that the advanced kids are being pulled out too much.[/quote]

But is that 3 kids in a whole class of 20+ or how many advanced kids getting pulled out?

And may I ask why anyone would be worried the advanced kids were being pulled out too much? (honest question!) For how many hours a week are they being pulled out? Is it the parents of the advanced kids that are worried or other parents?

Thanks![/quote]

NP here, but in-class differentiation thrives at our upper NW ES, too. In ELA and math there's a combination of full-class instruction and ability-based small group work. Usually 4-5 groups per class (of 20 or so), rotating through stations (including work with the teacher or an aide). One of my kids is advanced in math and the other in ELA, and both have been appropriately challenged throughout their ES years.

I grew up in a traditional tracked gifted program, and I think the in-class differentiation approach is superior. It keeps kids in heterogeneous classes and allows for fluid regrouping, which I think is huge--it allows teachers to respond to what they're seeing over time and doesn't consign kids to rigid tracks. My math kid has moved from the highest small group to independent work (when he was working ahead of the group on a particular unit) and back to the small group again. The teacher has the flexibility to make these changes in real-time.

The huge caveat is that the success of the in-class approach is completely dependent on a strong principal and teaching staff--the principal has to believe in it and create consistency in how teachers are applying the model. I recognize that this is not happening at most DCPS schools and that many kids are not being challenged appropriately. But I'd much rather see DCPS focus on implementing effective in-class differentiation at all schools than spend resources creating a gifted track that simply sucks out the "smart"/well-prepped kids.  [/quote]

I think the key thing here is you are in an upper NW school where the difference in the classroom are less stark then in an EoTP school where gentrification is happening.   You truly have kids 1-2 grades levels in the same class with kids who are reading 2 grade levels behind. It takes a lot more than small group differentiaton to deal with that.   Its shocking how many 9th graders in DC read at an elementary school level. Because they have been passed from grade to grade without any real focused or tracked help for them when they needed it most-in early elementary school.   If my kid was at Janney I wouldnt worry about tracking.  We are EoTP though and the differences in ability are shocking and sad.  They become painfully evident by 2nd grade. This is also when more behvairoral problems creep into the classrrom. thus, the high SES flight from the school if that is an option.  In DC, its not even so much about being gifted.  The sad fact is that if your kid is proficient at GRADE LEVEL they are already ahead of 70% of their peers.  I don't know if the solution is pulling out the gifted kids or the struggling kids, but its just unrealistic to think these two groups with such a significant learning gap can learn effectively in one class together. [/quote]

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