G/T in Texas: Is it Worth the Label?

In the state of Texas at some time during a child’s year in Kindergarten they are nominated by the teacher or the parent to get tested. This test will determine if your child is Gifted or not and if so will be placed into the G/T program at your child’s school. But is it worth getting tested?

Most schools have a G/T pullout program. This program is for children who have tested into the gifted range. These children are the top 2% of the children in the school. They are pulled out for 45 min. once a week. The time in which the child is pulled out is during an elective course like P.E., Spanish or Computers. This is the only service that G/T children receive currently.

When the child is pulled out they are normally pulled out during a class in which they would be learning new material or a class in which they enjoy. Children are not pulled from a class during a subject in which they have mastered for that grade.

The G/T pullout program focuses on critical thinking skills. This is a skill that all children G/T or not would benefit from. The G/T pullout program should focus on the subject or area that the child is gifted and help the child to continue learning and advancing in that subject/area.

So, if a G/T child is not being helped in the subject or area that this child is gifted and is being pulled out of classes in which they enjoy and are learning new material then why would any parent allow their child to be label as gifted? There is no benefit to the child’s giftedness when labeled G/T and placed in the pullout program.

If G/T children in the state of Texas really received help in the subject or area that they are advanced in the gifted child would flourish. The state of Texas needs to overhaul how they treat our brightest and smartest children. These children need subject acceleration, grade acceleration, early entrance into Kindergarten, counseling and peers that are on their same academic level be it the same age or not.

Currently the state of Texas is teaching our gifted children that it isn’t what you know it is how old you are that gets you through school. Until the state stops discriminating by age within the schools our gifted children will not receive an acceptable education through the public school system.