Comments on: Gifted and Special Education in Texas http://giftedspecialneeds.com/?p=33 The World of the Twice Exceptional Thu, 05 Jan 2012 05:10:37 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=3.9.40 By: Angie http://giftedspecialneeds.com/?p=33#comment-7 Tue, 14 Oct 2008 01:00:34 +0000 http://www.giftedspecialneeds.com/?p=32#comment-7 Please don’t think that Texas has a gifted program worth admiring. There is a mandate but most likely the gifted student is only being served one day or even half a day. Most public school districts have strict testing dates for admission to the program and if you miss this date, you must wait a whole year to enroll your child. Additionally, some districts use this program as a reward for high achieving well-behaved students.

I am a fully qualified gifted teacher working in the state of Louisiana but moved to the Houston Texas two years ago. The Louisiana district included gifted students under special ed which meant that all gifted students receive IEP’s. This was a legally binding document that the school was held to. I taught gifted students that could start the program whenever the completed their testing and review. The parents could enroll their child in any and all subjects they felt was appropriate for their child.

Teacher requirements, by comparison are also strikingly different. In Louisiana, I had to have a Masters and an Option in Gifted Education (30+ hours). Texas teachers don’t need a Masters but must have a certain number of hours of training from a qualified source.

Texas has great intentions and talk big but their walk is spotty at best. That’s why I’m not teaching here and looking forward to affect change by obtaining a doctorate in the field.

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