[Ohiogift] Perspective on un-gifting students

[Art Snyder]

            Everyone:
  
  Thanks for all the posted feedback and clarification on the topic of un-gifting students. It's helpful to all.
  
  Some perspective on why this matter has legacy "roots" in some districts, although not necessarily the district of the person who posted the original question on un-gifting students:
  
  I know of a southwest Ohio district that many years ago had a "shifting" perspective on which students were identified as gifted. So, in any school year, the district had X dollars to spend on gifted students, with an amount that was fixed at X dollars per student. This overall budgetary amount one year might typically cover, say, 200 students. This number of students would be determined solely by IQ scores. The usual cutoff score was 127. However, if there were an abundance of students at or above that threshold, the threshold would be adjusted UP, to keep the number if identified-gifted students at that 200 target. Conversely, if there were a shortage of students with IQ scores at or above 127, the district lowered the threshold to 124 or something like that. One year the IQ target was set at 129, for example. Thus, students very well were under the microscope and could be designated gifted one year, but not gifted another year. It was about meeting the budget for gifted instruction. Parents were outraged, but knew of little recourse. They felt they had smart children one year, but "dopes" another year (as one parent stated it).
 
 The broad results of this district policy on gifted identification? The families of generally brighter children moved to an adjoining district, leaving the "shifty" district with ever-fewer academic standouts. This demographic transformation remains in effect today.
 
 Best wishes,
 Art Snyder
  
     
  
     
      
  

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