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Its ideology over common sense. Ability grouping is such a dirty word in education, that schools are willing to cut their own throats before acknowledging that students learn at different paces. Ironically, the same people who insist on mixed ability classes, also love to talk about differential instruction.
According to the article:
Waukesha - The School Board voted Wednesday to raise class sizes, reduce music instruction and all but eliminate the district's elementary library, elementary guidance and gifted programs to balance its 2007-'08 budget.I am no expert, but I just don't see why gifted education needs to cost districts any more money.
If instead of paying for a separate pullout program, which requires a specialized teacher, schools set up classrooms (or groups within classrooms) by ability, high performers wouldn't need all the BS enrichment that passes for gifted education.
And yes, I talk from personal experience. I have sat through my sons gifted pull-out class several times, and the only thing that has been taught to them all year is 30 Latin route words.
Just to put this in perspective, he has been in the gifted program for the last 24 weeks at about 2 hours per class. Accounting to holidays, this equates to roughly 40 hours of instruction for the year.
40 hours to learn 30 Latin words to gifted kids! Somehow, I really don't think the tax payers are getting their moneys worth.
7 comments:
My neighbor's son tested one IQ point below genius level. His "gifted" program consisted of placing him with one of the third grade teachers who graded him harder on his spelling and grammar.
Meanwhile, these high school students get to take a course in algebraic topology with a Phd mathematician:
http://blog.mikael.johanssons.org/archive/2007/03/bright-students-and-topology/
Now, how's that for an "enrichment" program?
this is unbelievable
of course, our gifted math kids (probably GATE, not "highly gifted") are being given Math League problems
I think that's about all -- and they're being given Math League problems for which they haven't received instruction (i.e. long division problems when they don't know long division)
Is his gifted class "all-purpose"?
It's not about one particular subject?
Our gifted program was a little better, I think. Done right can be a lifesaver.
My son learned many things over the years that weren't touched on in the regular classes. The demands on him were higher on all fronts, and he was accelerated in math from the first grade on. He would have died if he had been left in the regular classroom to languish.
Pullouts are definitely not the ideal solution, but if the schools insist on all-inclusive classes, then it may be the only solution. The pacing of these classes are a nightmare for these kids.
I actually meant to post this on my blog... but what the hell.
I am definately in favor of dedicated gifted classes (actually ability grouping for each subject), but I also think all kids should be taught to mastery, and kids should be progress at a fast pace. If high scoring kids are able to complete algebra by 5th grade, so be it.
schools set up classrooms (or groups within classrooms) by ability, high performers wouldn't need all the BS enrichment that passes for gifted education.
This depends on how big the school is.
My primary school had 1 1/2 classes per year. When I was in standard 1 (age 7), they set up maths classes by ability - all the classrooms from standard 1 through to standard 4 had maths at the same time and students were placed according to ability. By the end of the year I'd moved along to the top standard 4 classroom. I then spent the next 3 years doing standard 4 maths again and again. This was incredibly frustrating for me, but where was the school to find teaching resources to keep me and a couple of other kids learning at the rate we could?
(I agree with you about enrichment programmes - they weren't any use).
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