If you missed the January event with Dr. Rena Subotnik, you can check out her presentation posted on the last post. The entire Spring Calendar is here, so follow the link at right to sign-up soon!

January:

A Conversation with Rena Subotnik-Shifting from the Best of Gifted Education to Talent Development: Implications for Identification, Education, and Psychological Support Inside and Outside of School

February:

Supporting Early Giftedness Through Play: A Hands-On Session for Parents 

What does advanced ability look like in a young child? What clues or qualities might a parent, caregiver or teacher notice that would suggest early ability? Dr. Julia Osborn, a psychologist who specializes in gifted children, will explore the qualities often recognized early and offer concrete actions to support them.  This hands-on workshop will help parents understand and support their young children through play-based strategies and Reggio-inspired examples, from Tribeca Community School’s program director Kristen Pallonetti. The hands-on portion will focus on children ages 18 months to 5 years.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012 @ 6:30 pm- 8 pm

March:

The Power of Books & Film for Kids:  Using Children’s Literature & Movies to Help Kids Connect with Others, Explore Emotions and Understand Themselves

Whether your child is anxious about the first day of school, shy around strangers, experiencing the effects of divorce, struggling with siblings, friendships or issues of giftedness, this workshop will help. Storytelling, through books or film, and connecting with a character can have a profound effect on a child. Bibliotherapy, or reading and discussing books to learn about and help cope with social, emotional or developmental struggles is a strategy often used with advanced learners, but relevant for all children. Identifying with a character in a book or film and sharing feelings, can often provide a child with a sense of relief or catharsis and potentially result in a change of behavior from that new insight.

Join us as we discuss these helpful and simple strategies and the benefits of bibliotherapy for young children, biography for bigger kids & film for the whole family.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012 @ 6:30 pm- 8 pm

April:

Special Topics in Gifted Education- Guiding Gifted Girls: Savvy, Spirited & Strong(-Willed)

Raising Cain and Reviving Ophelia offer great examples of the distinctly different issues that boys and girls have during their formative school years. And just as distinct are the gender differences inherent in educating and guiding gifted girls and boys. Dr. Razel Solow, the Director of the Center for Gifted Studies and Education at Hunter College, will help parents  better understand, support and guide their gifted girls in this session focused on upper elementary and middle school kids.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @ 6:30 pm- 8 pm

May:

Supporting Your Child’s Gifts & Talents: A Talent Development Roundtable

Experts & Parents explore ways to discover, develop and support the strengths and talent areas of their children with the help of local resources. Come get an actionable list of things you can do every day to support your child’s strength areas. Multiple intelligences and talent development will be the focus of experts, while parents will lend concrete recommendations of resources and examples to help you navigate the best road for your mini Mozart, enthusiastic Einstein or your just your unique little kiddo.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012 @ 6:30 pm- 8 pm

June:

Preventing Summer Slide: Engaging Math, Reading and Enrichment Activities to Prevent Learning Loss or ‘Summer Slide.’

Experts will focus on mastering core competencies for early elementary children and more enrichment focused activities for older kids. Learn what simple things you can do to keep your child stimulated through the summer months. Discover local activities, events and summer enrichment programs for your advanced learner to stay connected with peers and have hands-on learning opportunities through the summer.  Plus meet other like-minded parents at this informal session for elementary school parents.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012 @ 6:30 pm- 8 pm

Be sure to register early to have your comments and questions addressed at the sessions, and feel free to email any comments or recommendations you have for topics. P.A.L. is for your benefit, so give us your thoughts.

If your child is an early reader, showing advanced abilities in music, art, math or other areas, is intensely curious or sensitive, bored or acting out in the general ed classroom, a bit too good at negotiating, or if you are simply looking for resources, programs and ways you can support your advanced learner, then you are in the right place!

Join us for the P.A.L. Workshop Series in New York City and discover how you can support your accelerated learner.

We want your feedback so we can continue to deliver topics that matter to you. We are always adding new workshops, but we know parents new to the NYC G&T process need the basics, so each year we’re be sure to have that too.

This Spring 2012, P.A.L. has a great line-up, including a Conversation with Gifted Education Expert Rena Subotnik on Shifting from the Best of Gifted Education to Talent Development. We have Supporting Early Giftedness Through Play for those parents who have noticed advanced abilities in their young children, Special Topics in Gifted Education on Gender and Talent Development that will appeal to parents of elementary and middle schoolers and a great Spring wrap-up with Preventing Summer Slide: Engaging Math, Reading, Science and Enrichment Activities to Prevent Summer Learning Loss.

Previous topics have included: Meeting the People Behind the NYC G&T Programs; Parenting the Gifted Child; G&T Admissions & Testing: The Straight Talk; Options in the Gifted Arena; and Becoming Your Child’s Advocate, Positive Discipline & Your Advanced Learner; The G&T Process: Admissions & Testing; What’s the Right Fit for My Child and more. Topics are selected by our P.A.L. Partnership with input from our advisory committee and P.A.L. attendees via email, our blog and polls during the registration process. So chime in, we’d love your input!

Glad we found you!

The P.A.L. Team

According to Dr. Rena Subotnik, who spoke to P.A.L. and parents and faculty at Speyer Legacy School on January 13, 2012,  having an advanced ability or training toward a particular talent area is only part of the equation. Advanced learners need opportunities to be provided and taken.  It extends beyond ability, says Dr. Subotnik, as they need mentors and learned skills, such as persistence, risk-taking and social skills to achieve their full potential.

She focused on the importance of out-of-school enrichment; the need for acceleration, specialization and the importance of competitions with regard to policy implications for educating this population. Apprenticeships, internships and mentoring opportunities should also be explored and encouraged.

To learn more about her research, click to see the Powerpoint by Dr. Subotnik.

About Dr. Rena F. Subotnik:

Dr. Subotnik began her position as Director of the Center for Psychology in the Schools and Education at the American Psychological Association in January 2002. Before she came to APA, Dr. Subotnik was Professor of Education at Hunter College, where she coordinated the secondary education program and served as research and curriculum liaison to the Hunter College laboratory schools (grades PK-12). In 1997-98, Dr. Subotnik was an APA Congressional Fellow in child policy with U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee. Her fellowship assignment involved drafting and promoting legislation related to teacher quality, which led to passage of Title II of the Higher Education Act in 1998. Since the fellowship, Dr. Subotnik has been actively involved in the community of scholars and practitioners concerned about federal policy related to teacher education.

Dr. Subotnik has been awarded grants from the McDonnell Foundation, the National Science Foundation, the Institute for Education Sciences, Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, the American Psychological Foundation, U.S. Department of Education Javits program, and the Spencer Foundation.

Friday, January 13, 2012 @ 8:45 am-10 am.
The Speyer Legacy School on the UWS, 15 West 86th Street between CPW and Columbus

Registration is open, but space is limited, so sign-up soon:

http://palworkshops2012.eventbrite.com

  Rena F. Subotnik began her position as Director of the Center for Psychology in the Schools and Education at the American Psychological Association in January 2002. Before she came to APA, Dr. Subotnik was Professor of Education at Hunter College, where she coordinated the secondary education program and served as research and curriculum liaison to the Hunter College laboratory schools (grades PK-12). In 1997-98, Dr. Subotnik was an APA Congressional Fellow in child policy with U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee. Her fellowship assignment involved drafting and promoting legislation related to teacher quality, which led to passage of Title II of the Higher Education Act in 1998. Since the fellowship, Dr. Subotnik has been actively involved in the community of scholars and practitioners concerned about federal policy related to teacher education.

Dr. Subotnik has been awarded grants from the McDonnell Foundation, the National Science Foundation, the Institute for Education Sciences, Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, the American Psychological Foundation, U.S. Department of Education Javits program, and the Spencer Foundation.

She is co-author (with Paula Olszewski-Kubilius and Frank Worrell) of Rethinking Giftedness and Gifted Education: A Proposed Direction Forward Based on Psychological Science (in Psychological Science in the Public Interest), and (with Ann Robinson, Carolyn Callahan, and Patricia Johnson) Malleable Minds: Translating Insights from Psychology and Neuroscience to Gifted Education (National Research Center for Giftedness and Talent). She is also author (with Lee Kassan, Alan Wasser, and Ellen Summers) of Genius Revisited: High IQ Children Grown Up (1993) and (with David Grissmer and Martin Orland) A Guide to Incorporating Multiple Methods in Randomized Controlled Trials to Assess Intervention Effects (2009).

Additional edited books include (with Bruce Thompson) of Methodologies for Conducting Research on Giftedness (2010), (with Frances Horowitz and Dona Matthews) Developing Giftedness and Talent Across the Life Span (2009), (with Robert Sternberg) Optimizing Student Success with the Other Three R’s (2006), (with Herbert Walberg) The Scientific Basis of Educational Productivity (2005), (with Kurt Heller, Franz Monks, and Robert Sternberg) The International Handbook of Research on Giftedness and Talent (2nd Edition, 2000), (with Karen Arnold and Kathleen Noble) Remarkable Women: Perspectives on Female Talent Development (1997), (with Karen Arnold) Beyond Terman: Contemporary Longitudinal Studies of Giftedness and Talent (1994).

Dr. Subotnik is a 2009 Fellow of the American Educational Research Association.

So check back in early January for the P.A.L. Events Calendar.

In the meantime, we’d like your input on how we may make P.A.L. even better for you and your child.
Let us know what you want:

1.     I heard rumors that the DOE will change the test or evaluation system for the 2012-2013 school year.  Is this true?  If we have a child who will be tested in 2013 for kindergarten, how should we prepare for the change?

 At this point, nobody knows what will happen next year or the year after that.  The DOE has not made any formal announcements.  If you look at all the different tests given to 4 and 5 years to assess them for G&T, there is much overlap.  They tend to have questions around analogies, patterning, math, language, thinking skills, and basic information like letters, colors, and numbers.  If you are doing any kind of early preparation, just keep doing what you have been doing.  Chances are, even if the test changes, the work you are doing now on skills, concepts and knowledge will be just as relevant if the test changes.

2. We speak Korean at home, but our son goes to an English speaking nursery school.  Can he be tested in Korean instead of English?  How should we decide what language to have him tested in? 

Your son can take the OLSAT and Bracken tests in Korean, but not the WPPSI-III or the Stanford-Binet for Hunter College Elementary.  In NYC, the DOE allows children to be tested in 13 languages for the gifted and talented tests.  They are English, Arabic, Bengali, French, Cantonese, Mandarin, Haitian-Creole, Korean, Russian, Spanish and Urdu.

If his language skills are significantly better in Korean, you’ll want to have him tested in that language.  If his English is good and his learning at school is taking place in English, you might want to have him tested in English.  If you do decide to have him tested in English, be sure to do your practice questions in English.  Also, use more English at home than you ordinarily would in the months before the test.  Read to him in English as well.  You want his English to be as strong as possible when he is evaluated.  After the test, you can go back to a comfortable mix between speaking Korean and speaking English at home.

Something to keep in mind is that your child will not have to speak any answers.  Younger children only have to listen to the question and point to the answer.  So it is more important that your child be able to understand English well than to speak it well during the test.

3. Is being bilingual an advantage or disadvantage for G&T testing? 

It is not an advantage.  If your child is taking the WPPSI-III, tell the tester he is bilingual.  That will go in his report.  Private schools will take into consideration that he might not do as well on the verbal portion of the test because he is bilingual.  Even though it may be a disadvantage on the Hunter or G&T tests, it will not be taken into consideration.

4. My son’s birthday is September 8.  He is eligible for public school but too young to apply for private school.  We aren’t sure if we want public school or private school.  Our current nursery school director thinks he is ready for kindergarten.  What should we do?

You are actually in a good situation.  If your nursery school director thinks your son is ready for kindergarten, go ahead and go through the public school gifted and talented admissions process.  Perhaps you’ll get him into a great G&T program that you really like.  If you live in a good zoned school district, you might enroll him in public kindergarten where he will learn more than he might otherwise learn if you leave him in preschool.  If you like the program he is in, you won’t have to apply to private school.  If you aren’t sure if you like it, go ahead and apply out next September.  You’ll have to reapply for kindergarten.  Ask your current nursery school director if she will help you with ex-missions if you do apply out next year.  Most will.  By the time you find out which private school your son got into, you’ll know if you want to stay with the public school where you are or move on.

5. What TV shows are very efficient for Pre-K and 2^nd graders to get them ready for testing?

You can certainly expose your little one to Sesame Street and Dora The Explorer and other educational shows on a limited basis, but don’t expect the shows to get a child ready for testing.

6. Will a tester ensure that my child is focused before each question is asked?

 If your child will be assessed by a psychologist for the Stanford-Binet or the WPPSI-III, the psychologist will do his best to keep the child on track during the test.  A psychologist can re-direct a child who isn’t being attentive and encourage her.  However, the psychologist cannot repeat questions that are assessing receptive language skills.  When your child takes the OLSAT, many of the questions can only be asked once.  The proctor will not redirect your child.  That is why it is important to teach your child to listen carefully to the question that is asked, to hold it in his memory, and then answer appropriately.  This comes with practice.  At TestingMom.com, we have some additional exercises under our OLSAT practice questions that are designed to strengthen a child’s listening, focusing, and memory skills.

7. Are there testing accommodations for kids with learning challenges like ADHD (e.g. can they be excused from sitting through the OLSAT for entry to public G&T programs)?

Every child who enters the G&T program must sit through the entire OLSAT and Bracken tests.  If they need to go to the bathroom or get a drink of water, the proctor will take them for that.  If your child does better with a break, tell him he can ask to go to the bathroom or to get a drink of water.

8. Do gifted programs give more homework?

Yes, there is plenty of homework for children in gifted classrooms.  When you are applying to gifted schools for your child, make sure you are prepared to help your child with the additional work it takes to be successful in an accelerated program.

9. It seems like every parent is preparing their child for testing these days.  This worries me.  If I prepare my child for testing, am I risking that he will be disqualified because he’s been exposed to the material ahead of time?

It depends HOW you prepare your child for testing.  You never want to expose your child to the actual test materials ahead of time.  Last year, we were contacted by a mother who sent her child to a tutoring center in Chinatown.  After her son was tested, the DOE sent her a letter saying his results were disqualified because they felt he had been exposed to the actual test.  I asked her to fax over the material he had been working with.  To my surprise, he had been doing “worksheets” that were from the actual test.  The mother had no idea!

10. How long before the test should we begin preparation? 

Much of what is on this test you have been teaching your child since she was a baby!  The sooner you start working on these skills, the better!  They are skills that are not only important for testing, but for school!  If you start early, you will see what your child is good at and what she needs to work on.  You’ll want to work on areas of need outside of doing practice questions.  For example, if she struggles with math, you’ll want to count and do addition and subtraction in your daily life besides doing the practice test questions.  If you find your child will be tested soon and you haven’t done any preparation, it’s still good to do practice questions ahead of time so that your child isn’t blindsided when she goes in for the test.  For example, you want her to at least understand what a matrix or analogy question is when she sees one so that she knows how to think it through during the test.

This Q&A was provided courtesy of TestingMom.com co-founder Karen Quinn.

Many of us are familiar with the extensive resources on the Davidson Gifted and Hoagies websites, but when our kids need extra at-level support  it’s sometimes a daunting task to sift through all the options.

Whether you’re looking for local or online resources for math, science, reading, mentoring options for your child, after school or summer programs, or even meet-up groups with like-minded neighborhood kids, let us help. We’ll blog categorically about different resource areas so you’ll have best options available whenever you need them. And if you haven’t spent time at Hoagies or Davidson, take time to do it. It’s the motherload of gifted information.

And share with us the resources you’ve found helpful for your children, from preschool through high school.

For those who attended last night, it was an excellent session by Karen Quinn and Michael McCurdy. We had more questions than we had time for so we will be sure to post a Q&A with Karen and Michael to answer even more of your questions right here on the P.A.L. Workshops Blog.

But as Michael said, the admissions and testing process is not the end; the school choice is next, followed by a lot of parent involvement. So be sure to join us for the November 15th  P.A.L. Workshop:

What’s The Right For My Child? Options in the Gifted Arena

A moderated panel of elementary school parents offer their perspectives on districtwide, citywide, public and private options and the approaches to G&T Education in NYC. Join us for an honest and rare look into the various gifted and talented programs available to children throughout New York City.

Topics will include:

• What’s all the hoopla about Hunter?

• How is a citywide school program different than a districtwide?

• Do all private schools accommodate advanced learners and what are the right questions to ask?

• Is a “really good” NYC public school the right fit for your G&T child?

• What options are there for twice exceptional, or gifted children with learning differences like ADHD or Aspergers, etc?

• What are the pros and cons of a self-contained program? And other than Hunter and citywide, what are the other options?

 Whether you’re set on Hunter, private, city-wide, district-wide or your local public school, don’t miss P.A.L. partners Karen Quinn, the best-selling author of the Ivy Chronicles and Testing for Kindergarten, along with NYC Gifted and Talented parent expert Michael McCurdy, as they share advice and insider secrets to get your child into the school of your choice.

Topics will include a general understanding of the tests required for the various G&T programs including the ERB/WPPSI, OLSAT, BRSA & the Stanford Binet. Karen and Michael will discuss the 7-Abilities every test assesses and your child must have to succeed in kindergarten and beyond; public and private school processes and procedures, timelines and deadlines. This is a not-to-be-missed session for all parents exploring kindergarten options in NYC!

BIOS:

Karen Quinn is the author of “Testing For Kindergarten” and co-founder of TestingMom.com. She co-founded Smart City Kids, one of the first consulting services in NYC to help parents find the best public or private school for their child. Two of her novels, including “The Ivy Chronicles,” were optioned for feature films.
 http://www.testingmom.com

*Karen’s books will be on hand for sale and autographing.

For more information contact Angelique LeDoux at 212.343.8881, or email palworkshops@me.com

Register for the series at  http://palworkshops.eventbrite.com

Join the conversation with our new P.A.L. Listserv-
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/palworkshops

Share resources and get G&T news, tips and events at:
http://palworkshops.wordpress.com

We hope you can make it!
Cheers,
The P.A.L. [Parents of Accelerated Learners] Team

When funding is taken away;

When the state of the art science lab turns from a fully functional teaching lab to a mobile cart;

When the art classroom morphs into a new classroom to accommodate more students;

When a teacher has 3 high achievers who will “be just fine” and 3 low achievers who require additional help;

When the highly able are acting as tutors to their peers to help the teacher;

When differentiated instruction turns into teaching to the middle to get through the day;

When teaching and learning suffers…

No matter where you are on the issue, be sure to check out: Acknowledging the Trade-Offs, at NYTimes.com.