Students at schools that are identified as gifted or naturally talented are able to undergo a unique experience that can transform their grade school years. What’s great is that it’s possible for any student to be identified as gifted, whether academically, athletically, or in an extracurricular way.
Willoughby-Eastlake Schools Assistant Superintendent Zach Weagley is new to his district and is seeing firsthand what it’s like for the second and sixth graders to go through testing to be identified as gifted. He says there is also an application process for parents that are new to the district and would like their child to be tested.
“It can be a challenge parenting these students just because of their brain and how they decipher things and view interactions,” Weagley says.
Are you noticing your child is bored in school or at home? Weagley says this could be a sign that your child is gifted.
“Three of our children are gifted, and they’re all unique in their giftedness as well,” Weagley says about his own children. “Two of mine are gifted in language arts and in reading. They pick up the concepts very quickly. They show a lot of curiosity. And you can even see the cognitive ability–they don’t solve problems or situations the same way as other kids.”
Elizabeth Edmondson, chief academic officer at Gilmour Academy in Gates Mills, a school that serves students ages 18 months to 12th grade, agrees, students showing a natural curiosity or boredom with normal tasks could be gifted. If your child seems to be craving something a little bit more, that could be a sign. She says teachers may be able to identify gifted students by those in their class that repeatedly exceed expectations or are moving through the curriculum confidently and quickly.
“Even just how they face challenges as perfectionists or if they do face some adversity,” Weagley adds. “They may have a hard time with something if they don’t excel, so just being prepared, patient, and understanding that they may process it as more mature. But, remember their age.”
So, Your Child is Gifted. What Happens Next?
“If you suspect that your student might be needing more, I think one of the best things a parent can do is to reach out to a professional. Reach out to a teacher and ask for their feedback,” Edmondson says.
Though you may think having a child that excels in different academic or extracurricular areas can make parenting easier, Weagley says it’s quite the opposite. In regards to education for gifted students, it’s important that your child is engaged in school and is being provided with deeper learning experiences.
“You want them to be challenged, but not pushing so hard that it causes them anxiety or causes some of those other emotional concerns that come about,” he says.
Edmondson says the relationship between parents and teachers is extra important for gifted students.
“Treat your child’s teacher as a partner,” Edmondson says. “Parents are a child’s first and very most important teacher. Our philosophy is as a school we need then to partner with that child’s first teacher, their parent, in order to form a team around the student to support and inspire and challenge them.
For example, at Gilmour, the school tries to take its support for gifted students further than just inside the classroom. Some students don’t have to be tested as they are identified by magnifying their unique qualities and interests that could lead to future success.
“We have a program called VECTOR that starts with student interest,” Edmondson says. “We match a student that has a passion, and we match them with a faculty mentor who can help them to personalize their journey to learning of exploration.”
Though the school does offer additional services and resources to students identified as gifted, Edmondson says Gilmour is not big on labels.
“Gilmour’s entire academic program is designed to be personalized and is designed to differentiate for every student, regardless of whether they are gifted or regardless if they’re on the other end of the spectrum and they need support,” she says.
“Especially at the younger grades, it might look like different content. At the older grades, it does not necessarily look like different content as much as it might look like a difference in depth of content and the depth of critical thinking and problem solving.”
Weagley says some students at Willoughby-Eastlake receive the IOWA test as another form of gifted identification. Also, some students have accommodations that are twice exceptional, such as having an IEP and being gifted in an area as well. Willoughby-Eastlake Schools accommodates those students the same as any other student being tested for gifted identification.
Teachers are made aware, as well as guidance counselors, of students that receive the gifted identification, Weagley says. Each year, the student’s education plan is reviewed and renewed for each academic year.
“Gifted services are something that we would like to continue to evolve in and I think we definitely do a good job servicing our students,” Weagley adds. “It’s like anything else–we can always do better. And again, providing more opportunities for our students.”
