Gaming the Gifted & Talented System (homeschool, high school, best, scores)
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Just thought I'd post this interesting article on how students, parents, (sometimes with the aid of private psychologists) are gaming the system to get into gifted programs...
When you look at the odds of a student of color getting into a gifted program compared to a white student, the disparities are pretty striking. The odds of a black student getting into a gifted and talented program are 66 percent lower than they are for a white student student, according to a study published earlier this year in AERA Open, a peer-reviewed publication of the American Educational Research Association. Latino students’ odds are 47 percent lower compared to white students. For Asian students, however, the odds of assignment into a gifted and talented program are 44 percent higher than for white students.
“It looks like the private psychologists are basically gaming the system.”
Low-income students, black and Latino students, and English language learners have a few barriers that make it harder for them to get into gifted classes. For example, the IQ tests required to gain entry focus a lot on vocabulary, which is harder for students whose families haven’t fully learned English, aren’t using complex sentences, or use a different vernacular. If you’re a black or Latino student, racial bias may prevent teachers from noticing your intelligence and recommending you for testing.
Even beyond that, affluent families have the resources to give their kids an extra edge. They can better prepare their children for IQ tests by paying for practice tests and sending them to private psychologists, who may identify more gifted students. Card said earlier research he conducted in 2014 found a huge spike in IQ scores at 130 points for non-disadvantaged students that would suggest influence from private psychologists.
“If you look at the scores of kids who are tested by private psychologists, you see a huge number of kids who just barely pass [to get into the programs]. So it looks like the private psychologists are basically gaming the system, and I think almost everybody knows that that’s true,” said David Card, a professor of economics at the University of California, Berkeley and a co-author of a new study examining how gifted classes can benefit non-gifted students.
And yet you proudly proclaim you are part of the problem. You taught your kids to cheat on the IQ test and they took a spot that might have gone to some one more deserving like the young woman in the article.
I don't see any news here, besides the OP's favorite phrase, "gaming the system."
The problems noted here are problems across the educational system: racial inequity, quiet kids who are overlooked, kids being pigeonholed by scores, affluent families can afford aids that other cannot, etc etc.
So let me get this straight.... You post in multiple places about how high your daughter's IQ score was, how you got special permission to partially homeschool her for some period of time, you moved into a district known for its gifted program, you "trained" all of your children to boost their scores on the IQ test and basically look for kudos for it all, as you proudly declare you used your socioeconomic status like a boss to get your children through the "game" of a system, and shame on anyone else who doesn't...
And now, in this breath, it's supposed to be some sort of shocking societal problem. And P.S. Gifted students and the necessity for gifted programs isn't real, they're just games to be played and excuses for inequality in the educational system everywhere.
I guess now that you've gotten your kids through the system and gotten what you want out of it, it's time to dismantle the whole thing and act like it's a bunch of baloney that doesn't do anyone any good.
Sigh. The trolling nature of all of this is getting really old, fast.
It's unfortunate that you think any talent your kids might or might not have is a false construct and/or is primarily based on your own exceptional ability to navigate them through everything as a parent. But that's your problem, not everyone else's. In nearly everything you say, you reveal your lack of awareness of what is happening in gifted programs. First, not all gifted programs are created equal. As i've stated before, there is a growing awareness and sincere effort to identify those in previously underserved populations. Gifted kids are a real thing, and they occur in all races, across all socioeconomic situations. They are often not the kids who are the best students. They usually are a teacher's greatest challenge, not the teacher's pet. Educational inequalities of the past and present are a reflection of a variety of factors, across a variety of states and districts in this country. To somehow imply that kids identified as gifted do not necessarily belong in such a program because their parents have "gamed the system" is a joke. Perhaps in some of the most competitive, cutthroat areas, or within the hearts of some of the most cutthroat parents, are motives that drive generally average-to-above-average kids to try to get identified through a litany of training, coercion, private consultations, and the like. I've met a couple of parents like that and... yeah, it's obvious what they're about. Then there are the parents who had no idea their child was gifted. They might have thought their child was more of a troublemaker than a high-aptitude student, until a teacher comes along who recognizes what might be going on underneath the surface. Or who are shocked to see their shy kid come out of his/her shell when their abilities are finally identified and tapped. Or who find out that once a disability their child is dealing with is managed properly, their child has exceptional but as-yet-unrecognized talent in a certain area or areas.
It has -- or at least should, for most parents -- more to do with getting a child educated at a level they need and deserve, rather than trying to constantly get the child a "leg up" in society. Many gifted kids struggle with depression, lack of motivation, and other factors as they get into high school. They may or may not be leaders and "movers and shakers" in society after their education is complete. Many are, but not all. That's why your whole approach to this is absurd, from start to finish. You don't seem to really understand the gifted population, you insist on taking quite a bit of credit for getting your children where they are (deriding anyone who *wouldn't* approach everything the way you do), and then you want to make a big statement about how it's all about the IQ test (when it's not), and all a "game" (which it is to you, maybe).
OK, then -- enjoy your game. Doesn't mean the rest of us have to take what you say seriously.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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It's the same as college entrance, those kids whose parents place importance on the education of their kids will do whatever they can to help them be successful. Having a high income helps, but others will make financial sacrifices to pay for outside help, or will take the time to help their kids with homework and do their own tutoring. For those parents that are themselves uneducated and don't have the money to pay for help, it's going to be really difficult.
It's the same as college entrance, those kids whose parents place importance on the education of their kids will do whatever they can to help them be successful. Having a high income helps, but others will make financial sacrifices to pay for outside help, or will take the time to help their kids with homework and do their own tutoring. For those parents that are themselves uneducated and don't have the money to pay for help, it's going to be really difficult.
Likewise for post-graduate prep courses from companies like Kaplan, Princeton Review and Examkrackers or private tutors for tests like the GRE, GMAT, MCAT, LSAT, etc. While you don't necessarily need to spend $1,000 or $2,000 or more to prep and do well on these types on tests, many of the poorer students would never be able to afford any of those types of courses.
We had to fight to get our kids out of the GATE system. It was horrible. Nasty competitive horrible people all around. They came home crying three days of five. We said we wanted them out of Gate and were told we could not take them out of GATE once they were identified. We just switched to charter schools.
Likewise for post-graduate prep courses from companies like Kaplan, Princeton Review and Examkrackers or private tutors for tests like the GRE, GMAT, MCAT, LSAT, etc. While you don't necessarily need to spend $1,000 or $2,000 or more to prep and do well on these types on tests, many of the poorer students would never be able to afford any of those types of courses.
A friend of our kids whose father is a high school principal, started teaching his son to take the standardized tests in small increments starting at age 8. He is not a great student, but he got a 1580 or something like that. It will get him into almost any school, but he knows he will not succeed someplace like Harvard. His Dad seems ot have different ideas though.
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