LAUSD Identified My 2Nd Grader as Gifted, What Does It Really Mean?

For my son (also second grader, gifted) it means he qualifies for the gifted program which is a pull out program incorporating learning about multiple disciplines (this year they are studying skeletons, learning some mechanics, reading some scientific writing, doing some experiments, dissecting owl pellets). He also does accelerated reading with 3 other kids - this means he is able to read, analyze and discuss the texts on is level. Hugely important to keeping him challenged (as well as not frustrating the kids who are still just barely reading). It means he can be excited about learning and be challenged every day instead of learning that he can coast.

Being in a gifted program does NOT mean you don't let him be a kid. It means you provide the support that helps him live up to his potential. So much better than just letting him coast and potentially get bored by school. Most gifted programs are also small. That means the kids get a lot more 1 on 1 attention from the gifted teacher than they get in the regular classroom. While that might not be 'fair', it is a big bonus.

My 14-year-old was identified as gifted at about the same age. It just means that she scored very high on some IQ and cognitive development tests. She will probably be pulled out of her regular class weekly, or put into another class altogether, depending on how your district handles their GT program. What I told my daughter is that she has a different way of learning than most kids and so she would spend time each week with another class with a different teacher and other kids like her, exploring learning in different way than what she was used to. I've had teachers thank me for NOT telling her it meant she was smarter than other kids, because she has always remained down to earth and eager to help her fellow students--she doesn't act superior to other kids. But other than that it doesn't mean very much. She will get a little bit of extra challenge and stimulation from the GT program but it really won't change her life much at all.

You should set up an appointment with the school to find how this will benefit your child. It seems like great news. It should give your child extra opportunities. Second grade it pretty young for testing. Our school got rid of GATE, but the testing starting at the end of 3rd grade, so the 4th grader could be in GATE if they qualified.

http://www.lausd.net/lausd/offices/GATE/intro.html

Some districts take the top scoring 10% of the student population and consider this GATE. That means out of 20 kids in the class 2 will be GATE. The good news is they get to learn more advanced material. Keep in mind not all schools are equal. If it is a school that ranks low, the top 10% might not be as challenged as a high ranking school without GATE. You can go to 'great schools . org' and get a basic idea of the school your child attends. It could be a 10/10 (scores in the top 10%) to 1 out of 10 (the students score in the bottom 10%).

Many districts in CA have gotten rid of GATE due to funding cuts.
http://www.pausd.org/parents/programs/gate/

There's an interesting commentary on this labeling in the informative book Nurture Shock. The authors have looked into the long-term effects of channeling kids into gifted programs in the early elementary years. They found that many of these kids don't live up to expectations, while other kids who are later bloomers can't be accepted because the gifted classes are already full.

In short, your child is probably very bright for his/her age, at least in the skills that were tested. Whether that translates into life-long advantages remains to be seen.

It means he scored well on whatever test LAUSD uses to identify kids for their "Gifted And Talented Education" or "GATE" program. Usually a district strives to identify the top 2% which means they set their cut-off of score (on the test) wherever the top 2% could reach. For the test we use in my school district (much smaller than LAUSD) kids have to score in the 98th percentile to be identified GATE. This is the highest I've seen, I would guess LAUSD is somewhere in the low 90's.

GATE programs are different everywhere. Some will cluster the students in a class so they may receive more challenging work, requiring more high-order thinking and analysis. Others will just supplement with optional pull out programs, or after school programs in areas that would be of interest to "gifted" kids - science, word play, invesitigative, analytical projects.

You should be proud because it is a nice distinction to have, and the label does follow them for future teachers to see through the years. But honestly, it also really just means your son was able to perform well on that one specific test, which is really only measuring one kind of intelligence (usually the logical, analytical, sequencing kind). But that is good, he can problem solve, make inferences and connections at a high level for his age. But whether he has good common sense, street smarts, executive functioning (organizational skills) emotional intelligence (ability to cope, regulate emotions, and react appropriately, relate to to others well) are all things that also go into play for success in school and life. So "Gifted" identification alone is not necessarily a huge guarantor of future success in school. It is a good indicator that he has strong cognitive ability though. Good for him!

(from your friendly school counselor very familiar with GATE testing process, identification, and varieties of "gifted" students)

It is good news that your child has been identified early as gifted and talented. That said, it comes with challenges, also. They can get bored and frustrated with repetious teaching. They can be overwhelmed with the higher expectations placed on them and can turn into perfectionists. They can have off days, like anyone else. They have regular people social needs and sometime have trouble connecting.

Please support your second grader with insight. Asking questions is a great start.

My son is in LAUSD and was identified gifted at end of 1st grade (I had him tested). This means that 1) you can apply to a gifted magnet school because this is one of the requirements to get in and 2) that your child will be identified as gifted throughout his/her time in LAUSD schools. So when they are in Middle school and High School they will most likely be in gifted or honors program. However, unless you are in a gifted magnet elementary school, many of the elementary schools do not have enough resources to create gifted (honors) vs non-gifted (non-honors) classes.

We kept our son in his local elementary school because we wanted to keep him with his friends. However, there were not enough classes to separate the gifted/non-gifted or honors/non-honors kids so my son was bored. When my son was in 4th grade, the 4th grade was too crowded and they put 10 of the gifted 4th graders in a 5th grade class - including my son. They learned advanced 4th grade English and they learned 5th grade math. My son finally felt challenged. However, the school only goes to 5th grade and in 5th grade the school was not able to give them any advanced instruction - so they were all bored but they all had 110 averages in math.

Now they are all in 6th grade Middle school and they are in the gifted/honors classes. The Middle school is much bigger and can now meet the needs of the gifted kids. They are not bored anymore.

So it all depends on your child. If you have a super smart kid who will be bored to death in elementary school, you might want to consider applying to a gifted elementary magnet school. This would be part of the Choices program and you get in based on your points, race, if there are siblings in the schools, etc. If you get into a gifted magnet school in elementary, it is easier to get into a gifted magnet for Middle and High School.

If you like your school (like I did), and your kid is smart, you just have to deal with the instruction in elementary school until Middle School when they really start to differentiate based on academic ability.

Hope this helps.

7 yrs old? or maybe 8? What does it mean??? Nothing IMO. How academically advanced can an 8 year old be? Let your child be a kid and enjoy where they are in life.

Speak with her teacher and find out. Look up the criteria on the LAUSD website.

It means she has more than the average to above average intelligience level in most cases. Or a very high IQ. She's very smart ,learns easily, but, could get board very fast, especially in school if not provided 'gifted' classes. She'll always be above/ faster than the average Joe when it comes to learning/education. I'd speak to the Guidance Counselor at the school and see what extra activities she might be interested in, provide lots of opportunity to go to the library, and so on,.... C. S.

You have a bright kid. He is 8 years old. Let him be a kid and forget about the numbers.

It means that he/she learns new material more quickly than others. Sometimes kids are gifted in one area or another - so in math or reading - and average in other areas.

It also means that your child is still a 2nd grader in terms of maturity and emotions. When you are working with the school to develop an educational plan, make sure you remember this.

I attended those GT programs as a child and can say they were my favorite years of school. The programs provide the regular curriculum, but take it few steps beyond and enable the students to apply and evaluate the subjects in ways that provide a broader perspective. If such programs are available, I encourage you to explore them.

LAUSD will place them in the GATE program. Which they do a couple of extra projects a year. You know the Choices book that they send out every year, well I don't think they send out a hard copy anymore, but you can get it and apply on line. I think the deadline may have just passes. Anyway, you can get your child into a better school and he or she will be in a classroom with other GATE (Gifted and Talented) kids in the magnet programs. Be careful though, not all schools are GATE, so make sure you choose wisely if you decide to switch schools. They have GATE Elementary, Middle and High Schools.

It sounds like others have given good answers...I might caution you, however that separating kids out into gifted programs has caused a big rift in our school. The kids that go tend to not socialize with the rest of the student body and things can get very sticky. My dd didn't qualify, but I know other kids that did and the parents opted not to put them in the GT program because of all the social pitfalls. I know two mothers that are taking their kids out of the GT program because of the problems that they have encountered.