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What does QAGTC do to improve the education of gifted students?

QAGTC has a State Management Committee consisting of professionals who regularly attend meetings with top level staff in Education Queensland, Brisbane Catholic Education, and Independent Schools of Queensland to advocate for gifted students everywhere. We have developed a comprehensive set of Indicators and Strategies for schools to check whether they are making progress in their achievement of the best possible provisions for gifted children.

Can gifted children be overly sensitive?

Super-sensitivity and over-excitability in gifted children is real and can be misinterpreted as immaturity and bad behaviour. Here are some websites about super-sensitive gifted children which might provide additional insights into behaviour.
http://www.stephanietolan.com/dabrowskis.htm
http://www.metagifted.org/topics/gifted/dabrowski/

How can you tell if schools are suitable for gifted children?

1. ask schools what they do to extend the top 10% of students and how they differentiate for them
2. ask if/how they identify their gifted students
3. ask what percentage of staff are trained in gifted education
4. ask to see their action plan for gifted students

Where do I start to learn about giftedness and gifted children's needs?

QAGTC Management appreciates the predicament faced by those who want to learn more. Start with one authoritative book or browse the websites.

Four of the best texts to consider reading are:

Clark, Barbara. (2008). Growing up gifted: Developing the potential of children at home and at school. 7th Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall.

What type of education do gifted children need?

Ideally for the gifted I would want schooling that includes the appropriate mix of ability grouping, acceleration strategies and differentiated extension. We need mental age peers to relate to, not chronological age peers, so keeping gifted children in regular classrooms may inadvertently isolate them. Acceleration is the single best strategy for gifted children (in its many forms). See http://nationdeceived.org/ (A Nation Deceived)

How do I know if my child is gifted?

This could be the most frequently asked question from parents (and teachers too).  

Gifted children have high ability and, while there are many definitions and many ways to identify giftedness, the single best indicator would be a standardised test, properly administered and interpreted by gifted-friendly professionals.  

Should my child start Year One early?

Early entry to Year One is available in Queensland. It is one of many forms of acceleration that make up the best strategies for gifted children. You need to put your case to a gifted-friendly school and apply through Education Queensland if you are looking at a state school. Enter 'Early Entry' in the search box at Education Queensland website to find the guidelines. If you are looking at a non-state school they can do as they choose.