Part II
Several states have specialized public high schools for advanced math and science and/or arts and the humanities. Although the admissions requirements differ, these high schools are typically residential schools for juniors and seniors from within the state, and most of the schools are located on university campuses.
Gifted students who attend day schools should be given the opportunity to study with trained teachers in the same manner that those with learning differences do. It is simply not true that gifted students will do fine on their own or that gifted programs are elitist. Just as top athletes all have a coach, gifted students need guidance from well-trained teachers who challenge and support them in order to fully develop their abilities.
Many gifted students may be so far ahead of their same-age classmates that they know more than half of the grade-level curriculum before the school year begins. Their resulting boredom and frustration can lead to low achievement, depression or unhealthy work habits. The role of the teacher is crucial for spotting and nurturing talents in school.
Although teachers try to challenge all students, they are often unfamiliar with the needs of gifted children and do not know how to best serve them in the classroom. Most teachers have received little or no professional development focused on teaching academically advanced students. Therefore, too often, the brightest students are bored and under-challenged in school.
This applies to limudei kodesh as well as general studies. Not all teachers are able to recognize and support gifted learners.
Average or below-average students do not look to the gifted students in the class as role models. Watching or relying on someone who is expected to succeed does little to increase a struggling student’s sense of self-confidence. Similarly, gifted students benefit from classroom interactions with peers at similar performance levels and become bored, frustrated and apathetic when placed in classrooms with low or average-ability students.
All children have strengths and positive attributes, but not all children are gifted in the educational sense of the word. The “gifted” label in a school setting means that when compared to others in their age or grade, a child has an advanced capacity to learn and apply what is learned in one or more subject areas. This advanced ability requires changes to the regular curriculum to ensure these children are challenged and can learn new material. Gifted does not mean good or better; it is a term that allows students to be identified for services that meet their unique learning needs.
Interestingly, some gifted students also have learning disabilities. These “twice-exceptional” students often go undetected in regular classrooms because their disability and gifts mask each other, making them appear “average.” Other twice-exceptional students are identified as having a learning disability and, as a result, are not considered for gifted services. In both cases, it is important to focus on the students’ strengths and allow them to have challenging curricula in addition to receiving help for their learning disability.
In high school, AP classes offer advanced coursework, but they are not a gifted education program. The AP program is designed as college-level classes taught by high school teachers for students willing to work hard. The program is inadequate for gifted and talented students in two major areas: First, AP is limited by the subjects offered. Second, it is limited because it is offered only in high school, and is generally available only for 11th and 12th grade students.
We have made great strides in serving the needs of those with cognitive and other learning issues. It’s time to look into providing for the gifted and talented in our day schools.
Dr. Wallace Greene, an eminent educator and consultant, is the founder of the Sinai Schools.
