Our Lil Girl Has Been Selected for a Gifted and Talented Program at School.

[M.D. Holloway]

She was invited to test for it. We asked her if she would like to try for it and she was excited so we encouraged her. After many weeks of tests she was accepted into the LEAP program. I don't know if she will really get anything out of it other than swagger. It is very possible that she will. It is a great accomplishment for her - they only accept a few each year for it.

The LEAP program serves students in grades 1-5 who have been identified as highly gifted in the area of general intellectual ability. The program is an enrichment model, and focuses on developing students' thinking skills rather than on accelerated learning. Throughout the program, students engage in activities and projects which strengthen critical, creative, and logical thinking; research skills; and affective growth.

I'm really proud of her.

[M.D. Holloway]

more on the program...

The four major goals for each student in the program are:

To be aware of the student's own unique potential and learning style in order to develop abilities for the betterment of self and society;
To utilize higher level thinking skills that develop intellectual curiosity and critical, creative, and productive thinking;
To understand and apply the problem solving process in a cooperative group setting through analysis and evaluation of real life situations;
To develop advanced reference skills for using multiple concepts and resources in synthesizing an elaborate product.

Students are identified for the program through the use of learning potential tests, achievement tests, creative products, and observed characteristics. Once identified, students are served both in the regular classroom and in a pullout program. LEAP students' regular classroom teachers are trained in differentiation methods and modify activities to challenge LEAP students daily. During pullout sessions, students meet with the LEAP facilitator to work on individual projects or other activities which involve application of the thinking skills emphasized.

In the LEAP curriculum, each grade level focuses lessons and activities around a central theme. Within this theme, elements of Mathematics, Science, Language, and Social Studies. Topics of study throughout the year may vary widely, but are all connected by this general theme. Themes for each grade level are:

First - Discovery
Second - Relationships
Third - Exploration
Fourth - Challenges
Fifth - Connections

Each year, students in grades 2-5 select, plan, research and present individual research projects on topics relating to the grade level theme. This undertaking required students to utilize the skills they have been honing. Each student becomes the 'expert' on his or her topic and is provided the opportunity to educate the class during the project presentation.

The LEAP program aims to provide the most appropriate education possible to students of extremely high intellectual ability. In developing thinking and independent learning skills, students prepare themselves to be successful lifelong learners while exploring topics of interest and relevance to them today.

[porsche4life]

Sounds like a cool program... I was always identified as gifted in school but never really challenged b/c it was such a pissant school... All the "gifted and talented" kids got to go on a fun trip a few times a year was it... Supposedly educational trip.... Ya right... I took that chance to cozy up to the older "gifted" girls.

[Jim Richards]

Congrats, lubrication meister! Our son went through a program like this in elementary school, and stayed on the fast track all the way through high school. After college and professional school, he now has an excellent job making excellent money.

Your daughter's future's so bright, you gotta wear shades.

[Dave L]

My parents didnt want me to be "one of those kids" so I spent most of my school years bored and day dreaming most of the time. As a result my marks were always pretty bad. If you have a gifted child encourage it and be sure she is always learning.

[stomachmonkey]

My 9 year old is in it.

Great program.

Nice thing down here is they do focus on the individual.

When we were in NY we managed to get her into the bi lingual program. 24 students, 12 male, 12 female, 12 native English speakers, 12 native Spanish speakers, class stays together from K-6, teach one day in English, one day in Spanish.

We brought her NY evaluations with us to TX and handed them in for LEAP consideration. She was still tested and did not do well enough to qualify, came in just under on a couple of things. We sent her results back to her evaluator in NY and he said they needed to test her one on one, it was obvious from the results and knowing her that something distracted her. He made a call and they did retest her by herself and blew it out of the park and got in.

[Shawn 357]

My Daughter started the Gifted And Talented Education program this year (third grade). I think the biggest benefit of the program is that the teachers I have met who teach these classes seem more excited about their jobs.

You are right to be proud of your Daughter!

[vonsmog]

Lube,
Do they pull her out of class for this or do they group all the gifted kids together?
My daughter is gifted (tested IQ of over 150) When she was in grade school, they pulled her out of class for their so called gifted program for only 40 minutes a week. She was so bored the rest of the time, that she would get into trouble. When she was in the third grade she had a teacher, who had no idea how to teacher, and was not interested in teaching in general. My daughter spent most of the year by herself in the library. My wife and I complained to deaf ears, she would have gotten more attention if she was mentally retarded! Then they would have had three teachers for her! The only thing they were willing to do was have her skip two grades, which we did not allow. She ended up graduating with all A's and just finished up at Northeastern U. with a Degree in Neuroscience. Has been published twice already and is doing research at Tuff's University finishing up some work she started on Alzheimer's. Then going on for her PHD, and continuing doing research.

[gassy]

Great news Mike give her a hug from us. I am in the 2nd grade LEAP program but I'm 39.

[imcarthur]

Good news Mike but . . .

I know it is ancient history & it sounds like a different sort of program, but I was enrolled in a 'gifted' program through Grades 5, 6, 7 & 8. I was sent to a different school & our group stayed together for all 4 years. We studied Shakespeare while the general population studied Winne-the-Pooh. It was fabulous until it ended & we were dumped back into the mainstream in Grade 9. It was a straight downhill grade slide after that (for me & others) because regular school was a farce compared to what I had experienced.

I hope your results are better.

Ian

[Chocaholic]

Do a Google search on the program. My son was "selected" also. State of Georgia Future Leaders of America...or some such name. It came in a thick envelope with lots of impressive content...all in fancy script. Probably a $4 invitiation. Turns out it's not affilitated with the State at all. Cost is $1500 for four days of meetings and site seeing. Upon research, it seems the only "selection" criteria is your ability to pay the $1500. He's a bright kid, so we did the on-line search together and decided a week of Space Camp next summer is a better choice.

Although it's a real program, it's filled with mis-leading accreditation claims, etc. Many blogs clearly exposed it as a scam. I'm sure your little girl is bright, but do some digging before sending her off. . .

Now...if it's her school's TAG (Talented and Gifted) program, that's another animal and something you can be very proud of. My 13 year old daughter tested and got in just this year. If so, congrats! I'm always amazed at the length people will go to to rip others off.

[M.D. Holloway]

It is through the school - she does get pulled out as well as given additional work to do in class. Right now she is the techer's 'helper' in that she reads to and helps the other kids. She loves that aspect as well. She would like to teach someday - she says teach at a university but she also says she would like to be a vet - like all little 7 yr old gilrs right? I told her she could teach at a vet school and she thought that was a great idea.

We shall see. I don't really mind what she does as long as she is happy and it is good.

[nynor]

those programs are fun. congrats to your daughter!

[Laneco]

Lubey,
I once asked an elementary teacher about accellerated/gifted programs. She told me that most of the young children (she was refering to 1st/2nd graders)who are in them are actually average, but they are the product of parent(s) who themselves are "gifted" at being parents. She felt that it was the quality parenting that gave the child a strong advantage.

This is not intended to take anything away from your daughter, but just to point out that her success at this young age clearly demonstrates more than inherent ability - it shows good parenting.

Keep it up Lubey - you're clearly doing a great job at the hardest task any adult human can undertake. And tell your daughter that she is AWESOME!!!!

angela

[on2wheels52]

Hoping all the best for your daughter LB.
Jim

[Crowbob]

Amanda Desch. Whooboy. 10th grade. Now she was gifted AND talented. Did I say whooboy?

[stomachmonkey]

Mike, are your kids in Lewisville District? The wife just said our daughter is in EXPO and LEAP is Lewisville?

[Embraer]

I was in the G&T program starting in elementary school. It really did shape my scholastic "career" at an early age. By being ahead of the other kids in my grade, I was ahead of the others in math and science which transpired into college. (taking college-level Calc and Physics in HS really reduced my load once I went to college.) ....Totally worth it!

I went to a rural school which mostly focused on agriculture and vocational "arts." (I went K-12 in the same building with the exact same classmates each year!) Doing the G&T was my ticket out of there....

[911Rob]

Congrats Lube, you should be very proud.

5 kids and not 1 scholar in the bunch here.

I was in a 'selected' group and I think it's awesome, because if nothing else I grew up thinking I was smart..... so guess what? I R.

[M.D. Holloway]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

Mike, are your kids in Lewisville District? The wife just said our daughter is in EXPO and LEAP is Lewisville?

Yup - LISD. The LISD schools rank pretty much exemplary at the elementary level.
Is the EXPO DISD? I thought yours was at Razor Elementary which I thought was LISD? No?