Opinion: Gifted and talented programs are unjust — and essential
Gifted programs in schools are essential, but testing into them should be done part way through students’ elementary education instead of at the very beginning. This will accommodate students with learning disabilities.
The Utah State Board of Education considers gifted and talents students as individuals in grades K-8 that have a general intellectual ability above those in the same age group. This is determined by a test administered by the Local Education Agency, or LEA.
There is no single perfect program for education. Every public school exists in a different socioeconomic climate, has a unique decision-making hierarchy, and caters to unique students. To address the problems in the gifted programs, the solution is to not eliminate them on a national level but to augment them on a local level.
For instance, on Oct. 8, the mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio, announced his plan to phase out gifted and talented education. By doing so, he fulfilled one of his main campaign points: “every child gets a quality education.”
This specific plan is built for New York City, a city drastically different from rural Logan. As such, methods of achieving quality education should be different at a local, state and national level.
The same can be said for the differences in testing. The results of the LEA testing show higher intellectual ability grants students the ability to join gifted programs, such as the STEM enrichment programs.
The test is used to identify students who are exceedingly gifted, but it secludes those who have educational disabilities.
According to the Individual with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, there are 13 distinct categories of intellectual disabilities. Three of the more common disabilities are ADHD, ADD and dyslexia. The average age for diagnosis for ADHD and ADD is seven. Dyslexia diagnosis is. around the same, albeit a little younger.
However, the National Association for Gifted Children suggests testing for gifted programs for kids under the age of 6. Without proper accommodations following diagnosis, these children are unequally tested against their peers.
Examinations like the ACT give students who are Learning Disabled up to three extra hours to complete their exam. The same level of consideration should be applied to early childhood examinations.
Gifted programs have also been debated as being racist and elitist. Nationwide, 8.1% of white children are considered gifted in public schools, while only 3.5% of Black children are considered gifted. Over twice the number of white children are put into the enrichment programs. How is that considered equal?
However, the problem is not with the program. The problem is with the testing. Historically, standardized testing has been discriminatory to minority races.
By altering the current testing and postponing the placement test until they’re older, gifted programs can exist without being discriminatory. Instead, they can be beneficial.
The National Association of Gifted Children said intellectually-talented adolescents showed the same aptitude growth from 13 years old to middle age based off their SAT results. The test reflected their future growth and development. Placement into gifted programs at that age grants students the ability to develop even more.
Gifted programs help children, and they also give those select students the ability to excel and thrive in a way appropriate for them. The Davidson Institute research shows that a quarter of gifted people are underachievers due to a lack of satisfaction in their work; it is too simple for them.
There are other methods for assisting gifted individuals. There are at least 20 distinct types of acceleration in education: early admission to kindergarten, grade skipping, extracurricular programs and early graduation to name a few.
Charter schools and private schools are also an option. For low-income students, there are scholarship and grants available. The problem here is not all parents have time or the desire to apply for these programs. The child then gets punished for the apathy of the parent.
In an education system that believes in equality, it is difficult to create equal opportunities when certain parents do not work in the best interest of their children. Programs like the gifted ones exist for students of all different backgrounds.
For instance, Utah Valley University Pre-Freshman Engineering Program, or UVU PREP, is a summer STEM program for minority middle school students in Utah County. Selection for the program is done by application base, but it can also be done by observation and recommendations from teachers. Programs like this help to close the education discriminatory gap between the minority groups involved.
It’s the same at the collegiate level. Honors programs are meant to offer high-achieving students the ability to grow both in and out of the classroom. Universities are also not a right like public schools; they are a privilege students pay for.
At Utah State University, we have the University Honors Program. It is application based, so students must seek it out instead of testing into it.
“USU Honors is not a gifted and talented program but an academic enrichment opportunity for students who demonstrate curiosity, creativity, courage and community engagement,” said Kristine Miller, the executive director and a professor of the University Honors Program.
The program has a diverse population of students: 10% of the students identify as first-generation, and 7% belong to marginalized groups, This reflects their mission statement, which says, “to empower a diverse community of tomorrow’s leaders.”
This is how “gifted” programs should be. Not based off which students had a running start at the very beginning of their education, but instead which ones are well rounded part way through their education.
Instead of bringing the gifted students down, the education system should postpone testing and focus on uplifting all students.
Sara Prettyman is a Maryland-born and raised sophomore. She’s majoring in applied mathematics and loves drawing, running and reading.