Descriptions of several educational options available to gifted children.
If your child has been identified as gifted by yourself and a teacher, psychologist or other professional, you may be ready to look at what options are available regarding education. Much like an individual with a developmental delay, gifted children simply learn differently and often benefit from a learning environment geared to their specific needs.
There are several different avenues to explore when deciding on the appropriate path for your child. Parents must be aware however that not all options are appropriate for their child, and not all options are available in every school system. Much will depend on where your child attends school and how prepared the school is in accommodating differently abled children.
Early enrollment/entrance
If you are lucky enough to have identified your child as gifted as a preschooler, you may have the option of early enrollment. Some areas offer kindergarten to children as young as four, provided they prove they are academically ready.
Grade skipping:
If a child has proven he already knows the majority of information being taught in a certain grade or simply doesn't fit with the other children in his grade, it may be possible to skip a grade. Sometimes this is not accomplished through an entire grade and may only be subject specific. A child who is in second grade but reading more advanced material may be sent into a fourth grade reading class, but spend the rest of their school day with their second grade classmates.
Clustering:
If your child attends a school where several children are of similar advanced ability, it is possible to group them into a cluster. In this way they will be with children of like ability learning the same materials for a portion of the day, but may still be able to remain in the correct chronological grade.
Curriculum Compacting:
Some schools are able to provide students with the option of compacting the regular curriculum into a shorter amount of time than it would normally be completed in. For instance, a student may complete all three years of middle or intermediate school in two years or less.
Enrichment:
Some schools simply offer enrichment activities to gifted children and keep them in the same classes with their regular peers. The enrichment activities often include assignments on topics similar to what their class is learning, but more advanced and geared towards their specific learning abilities.
Homeschool:
Some parents feel more comfortable homeschooling gifted children because it allows their children the opportunity to work at the pace they are developed to work at.
Homeschooling does not always mean your child is only schooled at home. There are several parents who consider their children homeschooled even though their child attends another public or private school. Homeschooling to some parents simply means that areas where they feel their children need to be challenged or enriched in are tackled at home after regular school is done.
Dual Enrollment:
This option allows students to attend college while still in high school and receive both college and high school credit. In some schools this is referred to as PSEO (Post Secondary Education Option).
Advanced Placement (AP)
Students remain in high school, but take advanced placement classes which count for college credit. Sometimes this option is offered in places where dual enrollment is not available.
It is important to consider the emotional aspects of all gifted education options. Gifted development is asymmetrical and so a child who is performing academically at a sixth grade level but is only in fourth grade might not always benefit emotionally or socially from advancement. It is important to assess your child's emotional and social development as well as their academic needs before making a choice concerning their education.
