Gifted at The GLOBE Academy

Can IQ scores or any other gifted testing obtained from a source outside of GLOBE/Dekalb be used for gifted identification?

They cannot. At this time we follow the identification process utilized by Dekalb county and they will not allow outside gifted scores to be included in identification. 

My student is NOT identified as gifted, but their teacher has included them in doing some of the enrichment work either in class or in Google classroom. How does that work? 

As mentioned, differentiation at GLOBE for high level learners always begins with the lead teachers. They have the freedom to use in class resources or Google Classroom resources provided by the gifted lead teachers in a flexible way for high achieving students who may not be identified as gifted but may need additional enrichment depending on the unit or subject they are excelling in. These resources and which students have access to them will be updated frequently and at the beginning of each school year based on specific needs being seen in the classroom. 

My son or daughter has great progress reports and their teacher consistently says how smart they are, but they did not get identified as gifted.  How is this possible?

Progress reports, grades, and/or teacher praise are not part of the gifted identification process in Dekalb County.  Your student may be a high achieving student, but the assessments used to determine gifted eligibility at this time are explained in the tab at the top of this website titled "Identification Process".

How can I get my child to be identified as gifted?

As parents, we all want what is best for our child and it can hurt when we see them not attain something they wanted, or we wanted.  It is important to understand what being gifted means in order to grapple with this.  You cannot necessarily study or work your way to becoming gifted, nor should you or your child agonize over not being labeled as such.  Academically gifted and talented students in this country make up approximately six to ten percent of the total student population, so by its very nature, only a small portion of students will be identified as gifted. 

Being labeled as gifted is the equivalent of saying that the normal curriculum your child experiences is not always meeting their needs.  Just as special education students receive accommodations and modifications to meet their needs, so too will gifted students at times.  For those not currently identified as gifted, they are encouraged to participate in school and out-of-school enrichment . There may be future opportunities for assessing the need as the child progresses through the grades. Differentiation in the classroom is appropriate and should be adequately challenging. 

How can I learn more about the identification process or where my child is at in the process specifically?

Please first read every single part of the tab at the top titled "The Identification Process". Also understand that this process is lengthy (sometimes it takes over an entire school year), it can often be confusing, and every student may be in a different place in the process. Talking to other parents about where their child is in the process will only cause frustration as your student may not be at the same step. 

I have a friend whose child... I know someone who...  How come...?

By law we cannot and will not discuss other students.  Moreover, it is counterproductive.  Please trust that our identification process has been thoroughly vetted, evaluated and revised as needed.  Our gifted faculty has the utmost professionalism and holds high standards of integrity and confidentiality.

Why is my child's friend working with the gifted lead teacher but my child is not?

Again, by law we cannot and will not discuss other students.  Moreover, it is counterproductive.  Please trust that the gifted lead teacher and your student's teachers have the utmost professionalism and holds high standards of integrity and confidentiality. We also work very hard to determine needs based on the identification process, MAP scores, pre-assessments completed in class, and observations made by teachers in class. 

Why is my student not participating in the gifted program like their friends are at other Dekalb schools where they leave their classroom and have a separate gifted class?

At The GLOBE Academy we do not have a traditional pull out gifted program similar to other Dekalb schools or even similar to what parents may have experienced themselves as a student. Being that we are a dual language immersion school we are not able to structure our gifted services in that way. Instead, please read the "Gifted in the Classroom" tab at the top of this website to begin to understand the various ways we service gifted students every day using the collaborative model.