UK parents claim that their child is gifted, that the public system cannot meet her needs and that their only option is to go to the private sector. This raises so many questions.
Firstly of course is defining "gifted" : what is it and who does it? The report quotes a test which shows the girl to be three "years" ahead of some "norm", bust as every teacher knows, one test taken one time does not really show anything. Secondly, what is a "year" in this measure? We have all seen classes which cover the same material as another in half the time or twice the time, and within those classes are students who are relatively faster or slower. While three levels ahead of the norm means above average, it does not mean gifted.
Defining "gifted" is far from settled, Most people would probably agree that giftededness is related to speed of information processing, of applying knowedge and skills acquired in one context to another in creative ways or of applying or demonstrating techniques and competencies significantly above those of other peeople, perhaps in the top 1 percentile for example. Yet, even the American Association for Gifted Children has a preferred rather than absolute definition, while the lay definition of a "high IQ" leads into the rabbit hole of IQ testing.
The concerning thing in this sage is the apparent refusal of the public school to accommodate the child. A typical class of level "x" would resonaby incude students of levels "x - 1" and "x + 1" so simply accelerating her by one level, would now put her in a group with "x + 2" students. Presumably, the private sector school is more flexible in this sense.
Outside sports, above average, talented and gifted students are not served in public education across the board and this is an issue for our future. The divide between public and non-public is continuing to grow, and this can only make it worse. Families without the knowledge, cultural capital or resources to navigate the system, or to flee to non-public alternatives, will continue to see their children harmed.
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Further reading
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/gifted-child-goes-to-court-1465545.html
https://educationaladvancement.org/what-is-gifted/
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