Quebec has paid more than 30 million over the past three years for services intended for gifted students, but it is unclear how many classes have been opened with these sums, nor what has actually been done with them. Moreover, the government considers that there is no “consensus” on a definition of giftedness.
What there is to know
The government has been paying millions for gifted students since 2020, without knowing concretely what has been achieved with this money.
In general, it is explained that it allows in particular “mentoring, the development of personal educational projects and the diversification of groups of gifted students”.
Giftedness affects between 2 and 5% of the population.
In March 2020, the provincial budget included a measure for these students for the very first time.
The Minister of Education then considered that, just like children in difficulty, gifted students “have special needs and have the right to receive different services”.
“We are opening this door this year,” added Jean-François Roberge, without however quantifying the number of classes that would be intended for these young people.
Three years later, Quebec does not know what the school service centers (CSS) did with the 33.3 million it paid them for these students.
What types of classes have been opened? We are told that the “mode of operation [des classes]their naming and their composition are local choices”, and we are referred to the CSS to find out how the money was spent.
In general, it is explained that these sums allow “mentoring, the development of personal educational projects and the diversification of groups of gifted students”, but also “the training and support of teachers”.
“No consensus” on giftedness
The Ministry of Education writes on its website that “there is no consensus on a universally accepted definition” of giftedness and that there is “no single profile of a gifted student or single criterion to recognize them”. We do not diagnose giftedness, say the specialists, we “identify” it.
Full professor in the department of psychoeducation and social work at the University of Quebec at Trois-Rivières, Line Massé works closely with several CSS.
She explains that several of them have first set up “simple things” for students who learn more quickly, for example allowing them to start working before the end of the explanations on a given subject, or giving them less of exercises.
Mme Massé observes that the education sector has “fought for years” to have services offered to students with special needs without a diagnosis.
Consequently, “we should not go back and ask for an identification” of gifted students, she believes. A pupil who is bored at school and complains that he is not learning anything, for example, should be helped without being formally “identified”.
In three years, the Montreal school service center received nearly $2 million to provide services to gifted students. It was impossible to know how many classes were opened or how services to these students were distributed. The sums “are used for the specific purposes for which they were dedicated”, we were told.
The Marguerite-Bourgeoys school service center has eight gifted classes in three schools. They are the ones who decide on the criteria for admitting students, taking into account “behavioral manifestations related to each of the skill areas,” explains spokeswoman Mélanie Simard.
It indicates that 291 students have adapted services in regular classes.
A first group for gifted students in Laval
Next September, the Laval school service center will open a very first group for gifted students at Georges-Vanier high school. To access it, students may “have carried out an assessment by a specialist such as a neuropsychologist who concludes that they are gifted, or even be referred by their 6-year-old teacher.e primary year or their management,” we are told.
Pediatric neuropsychologist, Marie-Josée Caron explains that giftedness affects between 2 and 5% of the population – “2%, for purists”, she says.
Giftedness is not “a disorder” or “a handicap”, explains Mr.me Because we. “Usually it’s an asset, it’s a protective factor. It’s like having a good map,” she adds.
As some schools suggest that students who would like to enter a giftedness program have an assessment from a specialist, sometimes parents come to consult her on this subject.
“When the reason is giftedness, it is often for educational acceleration and it is often requested or suggested by the school environment,” says Ms.me Caron.
It costs the private sector approximately $600 to obtain such an evaluation.
With private schools often selecting the strongest students and multiple special public network programs doing the same, are gifted classes necessary?
Marie-Josée Caron does not believe that there are too many offers for gifted students, although there may have been “too much identification” of giftedness in the past.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Georges-Vanier high school, in Laval
“Private schools, that answers in part, but special vocation classes, it’s a great offer. If, in schools, there are small options designed to meet [aux élèves doués]I think it’s a good idea,” says Mr.me Caron.
Special programs for gifted students, where we see the subjects much more quickly, “create a diversity that was not offered” at present, also believes Line Massé.
“There are young people who are just looking forward to going to university,” she illustrates.
2023-05-08 10:29:47
#million #gifted #students
