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>Most private schools aren't set up to cater to gifted kids. Just by filtering out the most disruptive kids, having small class sizes, and teachers aligned wit

>Most private schools aren't set up to cater to gifted kids. Just by filtering out the most disruptive kids, having small class sizes, and teachers aligned with the school, kids, and parents, you are catering to the gifted and the rest of the students as well.

rahimnathwani 5y ago
For a school to be "catering to the gifted", they'd need to be providing challenging material at the level and the pace of gifted (top ~3%) kids. The conditions you describe are not sufficient.
- WillPostForFood 5y ago
  It is sufficient because when classes are small enough and teachers care, gifted kids get the challenging material and attention they need. They don’t need to be in a gifted bubble, then need obstacles removed, and some encouragement.
  - rahimnathwani 5y ago
    I recently toured some private elementary schools in San Francisco (and researched others) and my impression is that differentiated instruction is pretty limited for core subjects like math.
- Mezzie 5y ago
  Yeah, at that level, you need more. I tested at the top ~0.1% back in the day and, digging out the old recommendations my parents were given, it was recommended I skip several grades, be given private tutoring, and have access to additional programs with my peers. Top 3%-1%, they recommended skipping grades + specialized instruction in areas of strength and additional programs. (They also had recommendations for the actual Einsteins/Michelangelos/Mozarts, which amounted to "there is no reason for this child to be in the K-12 education system"; I always wondered what their experiences were like.) I was a six year old whose main interests were astronomy (particularly the stellar lifecycle and black holes), PARENTING (as in I was a six year old with an interest in child psychology), and web development. At that level, you have to personalize it, or at the very least give the child unorthodox information resources.

rahimnathwani 5y ago

For a school to be "catering to the gifted", they'd need to be providing challenging material at the level and the pace of gifted (top ~3%) kids. The conditions you describe are not sufficient.

WillPostForFood 5y ago
It is sufficient because when classes are small enough and teachers care, gifted kids get the challenging material and attention they need. They don’t need to be in a gifted bubble, then need obstacles removed, and some encouragement.
- rahimnathwani 5y ago
  I recently toured some private elementary schools in San Francisco (and researched others) and my impression is that differentiated instruction is pretty limited for core subjects like math.
Mezzie 5y ago
Yeah, at that level, you need more. I tested at the top ~0.1% back in the day and, digging out the old recommendations my parents were given, it was recommended I skip several grades, be given private tutoring, and have access to additional programs with my peers. Top 3%-1%, they recommended skipping grades + specialized instruction in areas of strength and additional programs. (They also had recommendations for the actual Einsteins/Michelangelos/Mozarts, which amounted to "there is no reason for this child to be in the K-12 education system"; I always wondered what their experiences were like.) I was a six year old whose main interests were astronomy (particularly the stellar lifecycle and black holes), PARENTING (as in I was a six year old with an interest in child psychology), and web development. At that level, you have to personalize it, or at the very least give the child unorthodox information resources.