LEAP - gifted program (Center: homes, transfer, neighborhood)

[lynn40]

I’d like to ask You where I can find some more information about this program, some example of actual tests for 2nd-5th grades, some forums, some supporting pages etc.
I searched this subject a bit but without success so far.
-Lynn

[loves2read]

this thread has info about the LEAP program
http://www.city-data.com/forum/dalla...ms-dallas.html

this is when Momof2 is really missed--she always had good info for G/T programs

[momof2dfw]

Good luck getting your hands on the actual tests that are given to students to determine if they are gifted. They do not publicize the actual tests as then you would have parents drilling their precious little snowflakes on it so they could get into the G/T programs that actually are not gifted nor suited for it.

We had one poster that was in CFBISD and her son was in LEAP. She ended up pulling him out and homeschooling. I'm not a fan of LEAP or the pull-out method some districts and schools use. I'm a huge fan of the magnets for G/T students as then the whole campus is theirs and not just one classroom segregated from the rest of the population. They are in a mix of people all like them and they then have more of a normal school experience and not the "oh, you are one of the kids in THAT classroom" or the, "oh, you get given extra busy work because you are special" kind of situation.

There are several outlets to meet other parents of gifted students. Our school district has a PTA for the G/T families.

This is not a great link but it has links to some other sites for Texas G/T parents:
Texas Gifted And Talented (http://achievingsuccess.net/texas-gifted-and-talented.html - broken link)

[racehorse]

My son tested for LEAP and did not make the cut. He wound up going into the ACE gifted program at the neighborhood school and it was a disaster. We later transferred him to the ACE program at a different school and it has been awesome for him.

Some of the parents of LEAP kids that I've known love the program, some think it's just a bunch of busywork. I'm happy with where my son eventually wound up because I feel he was challenged for the first time in his school career when we transferred him. I think every parent just needs to be willing to try new things in order to find the best situation for their child.

[mami2emily]

Originally Posted by racehorse

I think every parent just needs to be willing to try new things in order to find the best situation for their child.

Yes!

[bookworm2768]

Originally Posted by momof2dfw

Good luck getting your hands on the actual tests that are given to students to determine if they are gifted. They do not publicize the actual tests as then you would have parents drilling their precious little snowflakes on it so they could get into the G/T programs that actually are not gifted nor suited for it.

We had one poster that was in CFBISD and her son was in LEAP. She ended up pulling him out and homeschooling.

Its really a simple testing procedure- parts of the IQ tests and interviews. Supposedly a portfolio of work will influence the grading and there is a nice amount of one on one time spent with the child to guage his/her ability/performance. Frankly, it is amazing how some very bright kids do not get into LEAP while some seriously mediocre ones do. So don't hang your hat on how your child does with the testing.

I wouldn't sweat buckets over it or drill your little snowflake to ace the test (love that momof2) since all your child will be getting is being acclerated two grade levels. There are copious amounts of grunt work involved - worksheets, projects, etc with little real intellectual stimulation.

If you are raising a GT child there is a lot more you can do to raise a lifelong learner than trying to squeeze him into a school program that claims to be for gifted kids.

[bookworm2768]

And, by the way, ACE is very deceptive in what it purports to do. Bascially CFBISD has moved to strongly emphasising the Language arts portion of the curriculum. Math and Science take a total back seat. Ace groups barely get a few hours per week of 'accelerated' work in the lower grades and almost all of that has to do with reading. If your child is already an accelerated reader this program does very little .

[TX75007]

Originally Posted by bookworm2768

And, by the way, ACE is very deceptive in what it purports to do. Bascially CFBISD has moved to strongly emphasising the Language arts portion of the curriculum. Math and Science take a total back seat. Ace groups barely get a few hours per week of 'accelerated' work in the lower grades and almost all of that has to do with reading. If your child is already an accelerated reader this program does very little .

Yep, that's been my impression of ALL the public and private schools in the area. I've been arguing this on two other threads. The math and science curriculum at the top schools is not advanced at all - and it is stagnant, too, as it has not changed much in 30+ years.

I was ready for Algebra when I was 10 years old and it was not offered until I was 14 - and I slept through AP calc as a 17 year old. So, from a math and science standpoint, the schools wasted at least 4 years of my life.

The current AP tracks are fine for bright kids, but the top 0.3% need something else. Calculus is still just advanced arithmetic. For a kid who can think abstractly, its a waste.

[caroldixit]

Completely agree !

Originally Posted by TX75007

Yep, that's been my impression of ALL the public and private schools in the area. I've been arguing this on two other threads. The math and science curriculum at the top schools is not advanced at all - and it is stagnant, too, as it has not changed much in 30+ years.

I was ready for Algebra when I was 10 years old and it was not offered until I was 14 - and I slept through AP calc as a 17 year old. So, from a math and science standpoint, the schools wasted at least 4 years of my life.

The current AP tracks are fine for bright kids, but the top 0.3% need something else. Calculus is still just advanced arithmetic. For a kid who can think abstractly, its a waste.

[Walter Benjamin]

A significant number of highly gifted kids end up going to a summer program such as TIP, CTY, TASP, etc... it can be a lifeline for those whose schools don't really offer good support.

Gifted Education - Gifted Programs & Searches
Telluride Association Summer Program - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Center for Talented Youth - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Talent Identification Program - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia