Preschool Requiring IQ Tests for Application

[Athena]

This is awesome news.

New 'gifted' preschool requires IQ tests for applicants
08:31 AM PDT on Monday, May 5, 2008
By JANE MCCARTHY / KING 5 News

SEATTLE - It is unprecedented in Washington state: a school that requires IQ tests for preschool applicants.

IQ tests are generally reserved for kids over the age of five or so. Now, a new school is geared toward young kids considered "gifted."

The school is called BK Play. They have other programs but are starting a gifted academy in Bellevue this fall. They believe early intervention will help gifted kids reach their potential.

Just like any preschooler, they have an affinity for toys and will flop on the floor without notice. But the parents of these little ones say they've known there was something special going on in their heads.

"He seemed to kind of exude a higher level of learning," said Jeremy Hubbell, parent.

"By the time he was one, his vocabulary was pretty extensive," said Angie Jones, parent.

These kids have been admitted into this fall's first BK Play Academy for the Gifted and got in, in part by scoring high on an IQ test. It's the first preschool in Washington state to require IQ testing for children under the age of four-and-a-half.

"Some people said, oh let them be children," said Dr. Meera Shin.

Shin says IQ testing on a two and a half year old may sound strange, but she says children with a higher-than-average IQ need special attention, much like those with learning disabilities.

"You want them to be tested right now and have the appropriate education right now," said Shin.

Some parents were excited for their children to take the test, others were reluctant. But all of them tell us, in the end, they're glad they did.

"We suspected he had some gifts and some challenges and it really just confirmed those in concrete numbers, so it was actually enlightening," said Laura Lim, parent.

The BK in BK Play stands for bilingual kids because they offer foreign language to their young students. Their gifted program will be offered in the fall for preschoolers up to the second grade.

BKPlay's website (http://www.bkplay.com/)

Article (http://www.king5.com/education/stories/NW_050508WAB_preschool_IQ_test_LJ.ce82b235.html)

_________________

We focus so much effort and resources on "special ed" kids. It's refreshing to see some balance. :)

[Dakota Valkyrie]

I agree with the testing... TRULY gifted kids need to be kids and be provided opportunities different than "normal" kids.

I hope they are able to weed out those whose parents have pushed them into early learning. The difference usually is the child's desire and ability to learn rather than the parent's desire to have their child learn.

Not that I think early learning is bad/wrong - I am all for it. I just think learning for the sake of learning is the point... not for an imagined leg-up or because of some perceived "status" in having an advanced child.

Gifted kids generally run the risk of being "bored" and losing interest in school/learning if not adequately challenged. They ARE "special ed" kids... just at the other end of the spectrum.

[Raq me darkly]

Fine and good, but is the school system able to handle these kids once they get out of preschool? Or will they be dumped in with the rest of the students and then drugged into oblivion when they are bored and not fitting in?

[Countess Olenska]

Talk about setting these kids up for failure.

[Athena]

Setting kids up for failure??? So, are you suggesting we just don't bother starting off these kids at a higher level, simply because elementary schools might not be able to pick up the slack? No advanced learning is better than some? I'd like this to be explained. Besides, not all gifted students dumped into average schooling suffer from behavioral problems. That's an inaccurate stereotype, often. Many of them just breeze through the regular schooling.

All that being said, it is not uncommon in Western Washington for the public school districts to have gifted programs that a child must test into.

[Dakota Valkyrie]

Good question mammasweets! so I looked...

It looks like Bellevue has a decent program for gifted students starting in first grade through high school:

Bellevue School District’s Gifted programs expand Bellevue’s already rigorous curriculum in order to serve students of exceptionally high intellectual ability. Three programs are designed to enrich and challenge the thinking of those students with greater capacity and need for learning:
http://www.bsd405.org/Default.aspx?tabid=335

I can't speak for the quality of it but it is far greater scope than anything I have encountered in our area districts.

Bellevue schools offer basic enrichment programs of 5 hours a week all the way up to full time programs - even at elementary level. Testing criteria is used to determine admission.

BK Play preschool was probably formed there because of a decent public school supported program (my guess).

As I said, I do believe truly gifted students (not necessarily "early learners") may have "special ed" needs that schools need to address...

[Dakota Valkyrie]

Actually, it is not uncommon in Western Washington for the public school districts to have gifted programs.
That settles it... next time I give birth to a gifted kid, I'm moving!

[Athena]

Dakota, if it ever comes to that, I highly recommend it. Seattle's not only education-forward right up through college level (Seattle consistently ranks among the most educated cities in the country), you also have relatively low crime rates when compared to other cities. It's spendy, but it's got its perks. :p

[Countess Olenska]

My response was agreeing with Raq Me Darkly. After seeing that there is continuing education available in this area at the same level I can do nothing but applaud it.
My family has an IQ average that is usually 10-15 points higher than most. I married a Valedictorian and my sister was one also. I understand first hand about passing with flying colors while never cracking a book or even staying awake in class. I too had problems paying attention in school until my IQ was tested and I was accepted into a program that better suited me academically. The standard in schools varies so much in my county that it's luck of the draw education wise. I wish the same was available here.

[Raq me darkly]

Thank you for clarifying that, Athena. I too was worried that giving the kids a head start and then "dumping" them into a typical "dumbed down" school system would do more harm than good.

[Athena]

I wonder how you might come to that conclusion, Raq. Odds are, the parents who pursue advanced preschool education will be administering it at home, regardless of whether or not a spot in this school is available. That what thousands of parents who don't have access to gifted programs do already - they teach these kids as much as they can on their own time. I don't see how this is any different, and I certainly can't see how none is better than some.

[Raq me darkly]

I suppose that parents who pursue an advanced pre-school would be more inclined to tutor and otherwise enhance a child's education at home.