Do you tend to equate accelerated reading with giftedness?

[JudoMom]

This is something I've been wondering for awhile. Do you equate accelerated reading with giftedness? For example, if a 2nd grader reading on a 12th grade level, would you consider them gifted? What about a 4th grader reading on a 7th grade level? Do perfectly average kids read on an accelerated pace?

 

I'm keeping the poll simple, with just a yes or no response (sorry, other-lovers ;)), but I would love to read your thoughts and comments. For the purpose of the poll, let's consider accelerated to be 2+ grade levels ahead.

Edited June 11, 2011 by JudoMom

[Halcyon]

It's an interesting question. I don't really know the answer. I think it depends on how you define gifted. Both my children are accelerated in one or more subjects, but I have never had to "define" their talents, so they just....are. :D

[sparrow]

I was reading at an advanced middle school level by 2nd or 3rd grade. I am/was very average :001_smile:.

[The Girls' Mom]

No. It just means you are good at reading. All my kids are accelerated readers. They are all very smart. But I don't consider any of them particularly gifted.

[Jean in Newcastle]

My answer is "Yes, I do tend to equate accelerated reading with giftedness". That doesn't mean that accelerated readers are necessarily gifted, though. It just means that is my bias!

[OrganicAnn]

I think people are tempted to do this because it is something measurable and understandable. But there are lots of evidence that some kids with high IQ are late readers.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

My answer is "Yes, I do tend to equate accelerated reading with giftedness". That doesn't mean that accelerated readers are necessarily gifted, though. It just means that is my bias!

 

:iagree:

[Night Elf]

DH and I believe that it can be a sign of potential giftedness, but that the larger discrepancy would be a stronger sign. Reading just 2 levels ahead could just be normal variation. Think about how books are graded across age ranges, like ages 9 to 12. But the 2nd grader reading on a high school level would be going beyond the normal range.

 

So I couldn't vote because it's hard to say with the 2+ levels.

 

I also wonder if the age and/or ease of learning to read should be considered. I don't have any experience other than personal family. Both DH and ds14 were reading at age 3. I know I hadn't even given thought to doing phonics or beginning reading. I just found him reading a book one day. My MIL said the same thing happened with my DH. He was reading the newspaper and wanted to talk about the stories he was reading. Dd13 learned to read at age 4, but it was a super easy process. I got Hooked on Phonics and she basically went through the program independently and finished it in 6 months. All 3 of them have an IQ that is in the 'gifted' range.

 

I'm on the very low end of the 'gifted' range and I learned to read the regular way as far as I remember. I don't recall being ahead of peers. In fact, I remember having some difficulty with some letters in Kindergarten. I argued with the teacher that the W was pronounced "double u' which mean it should be 2 letter u's side by side. :D

[regentrude]

Having children who are accelerated readers and tested gifted, I would say there is certainly a correlation.

That does not mean that all gifted kids are early readers, or that all early readers are gifted- but the kids who are EXTREMELY accelerated in reading (I am not talking 2 grades - I am talking 6+ grades) likely to be gifted, because it's not just about reading mechanics, but also about comprehension, which, in turn, is about thinking abilities.

[rafiki]

.

[Denise in Florida]

Not by itself. Reading is really more of a readiness thing. Some read early some late. Some don't read until 2nd grade and then completely skip the little books and go straight to chapter books.

 

The development is uneven also. I knew some early readers who plateaued around 6th grade level and moved very slowly after that.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

Having children who are accelerated readers and tested gifted, I would say there is certainly a correlation.

That does not mean that all gifted kids are early readers, or that all early readers are gifted- but the kids who are EXTREMELY accelerated in reading (I am not talking 2 grades - I am talking 6+ grades) likely to be gifted, because it's not just about reading mechanics, but also about comprehension, which, in turn, is about thinking abilities.

:iagree:

[Tohru]

Gifted in what? Gifted how? What exactly does "Gifted" mean outside a public school setting?

[SailorMom]

I guess my definition of giftedness isn't necesarrily tied to school performance.

Oddly, I have one son who, while reading at a slightly higher level than his peers, is considered "gifted" by definition of IQ, whilemy other son who reads voraciously and leaps and bounds above his peer group has a pretty normal/average IQ.

What about comprehension as well? I mean - it is one thing to be able to read the words at a high school level in 2nd grade, but can they really explain the nuances of a book like Skaughter House 5, The Sun Also Rises, or any number of other books.

If I see a young kid getting that (the above comprehension issues) then I'll say yes - that's a gifted child.

[ktgrok]

Not really. My son was behind or at grade level for years, and is highly gifted. It finally kicked in later, and now he reads ahead of grade level. I don't think he was less gifted then, or more now.

[regentrude]

Gifted in what? Gifted how? What exactly does "Gifted" mean outside a public school setting?

 

One often used definition (which has nothing to do with a school setting) is an IQ>130, as measured by an IQ test such as the WISC.

[angela in ohio]

No. I think, especially in homeschooling, where many students are encouraged to read and provided with the time to practice it, there will be many accelerated readers who are not gifted. I also agree with pp that 2+ grade levels in reading is not a large amount and wouldn't equate that with giftedness.

 

"Gifted" is a clinical term for a specific set of characteristics. One possible characteristic is accelerated reading (though I think more of 5+ grade levels,) but there are so many others to consider as well.

Edited June 11, 2011 by angela in ohio

[Jan in SC]

No. My truly gifted, not just "bright" child could not read until he was eight.

[OLG]

Having children who are accelerated readers and tested gifted, I would say there is certainly a correlation.

That does not mean that all gifted kids are early readers, or that all early readers are gifted- but the kids who are EXTREMELY accelerated in reading (I am not talking 2 grades - I am talking 6+ grades) likely to be gifted, because it's not just about reading mechanics, but also about comprehension, which, in turn, is about thinking abilities.

 

I would agree with this and believe that being ahead in more than 1-2 subjects, not just reading but say Math as well, means either giftedness or a proclivity for learning that is beyond the norm. THen again, there are just so many factors that go into this! What about birth order or an only child who has the full attention of his/her parents. It certainly isn't linear.

[fairfarmhand]

my dd has been reading advanced levels for a long time.

 

When she was small I thought it was gifted. Now, not so much. She reads well, but just is average in most everything else. Doesn't have incredible natural understanding of different things. Just reads well.

[Margo out of lurking]

No. I had to leave my elementary classroom just for reading beginning in first grade. By fourth grade, I consistently tested at college level for spelling (Morrison-McCall scale).

 

I was an otherwise unremarkable student, and while I like to think I am smarter than the general public, I am a pretty average adult.

[SweetMissMagnolia]

It's an interesting question. I don't really know the answer. I think it depends on how you define gifted. Both my children are accelerated in one or more subjects, but I have never had to "define" their talents, so they just....are. :D

 

I think this is how I feel about it too--Zach is advanced in his reading and is quite good at math too....I didn't answer guess my vote would be MAYBE....DEPENDS.....

[Kertie]

Do you equate accelerated reading with giftedness? For example, if a 2nd grader reading on a 12th grade level, would you consider them gifted? What about a 4th grader reading on a 7th grade level? Do perfectly average kids read on an accelerated pace?

.

 

Well, I wouldn't say 2 or 3 levels above meant a child was gifted--just really good at reading. Possibly gifted, in that a gifted child may not be so across the board. And I do think average folk read at an accelerated pace. I wonder mostly about the when--if an average kid learns to read at at average age in an average way:D, but loves reading, I'm guessing acceleration is likely soon-to-come.

 

I will say that when I discovered my oldest could read at 2.5, I wondered what on earth I was dealing with:blink:. My dh and my dad immediately thought he was a genius, of course. :rolleyes: And when ds read the Narnia books before he was 6, I decided that he must at least be gifted in READING. While I think it's mostly across-the-board with him, I'm not going to jump on that bandwagon based only on the reading.

 

Good question, by the way. :001_smile:

[joannqn]

Reading just two grade levels ahead? No.

[Hannah C.]

I think accelerated reading can definitely be a sign of giftedness. More specifically, accelerated reading is probably a sign of being gifted in verbal/reading skills. I don't think it will say anything about things like math aptitude, for example.

 

FWIW, I was reading fluently when I was 4 and was reading books like Dickens by the time I was 10. I read very easily (and quickly), write well, and finish tests quicker than others - mostly because I read and write fast. I was also given the official G&T label when I was in 10th grade at a public high school. I don't think I'm really gifted in any other way.

[sassenach]

I do not equate early reading with giftedness (ex: a 3yo reading 3-4 letter words), but I do equate advanced reading with giftedness (assuming that the are comprehending what they are reading, not just spitting out syllables. It would take at least a 4-5 grade spread for my mind to go to "gifted."

[JennyD]

Surely there must be actual social science research on this, no?

[twoforjoy]

I'd say it means they are "gifted" when it comes to reading, or maybe to language issues in general, but that doesn't mean they are gifted in other areas.

 

My son is an accelerated reader, and just generally picks up anything having to do with language (grammar, spelling, etc.) very quickly. He's much closer to grade level in math. I wouldn't say he's globally gifted, but he seems to have a natural facility with language.

[Carpe]

Early or advanced reading is not really a sign of giftedness IMO. Kids get better at reading by reading, so a child that likes to read (or read early) has simply done more of it up to that point, compared to an average child. I feel like this could easily explain up to about 4 grades ahead in an elementary-aged child.

[DarlaS]

I think people are tempted to do this because it is something measurable and understandable. But there are lots of evidence that some kids with high IQ are late readers.

 

Which means their giftedness is more likely to go unnoticed.

 

A gifted child does not necessarily have to be an early reader. I do believe early reading to be a typical indicator though--particularly if a child learns to read with little or no instruction. Anytime you have a kid who self-teaches and is advanced, you might have a gifted child.

[Teachin'Mine]

Yes I think they're related. But with so many parents actually teaching their children to read at younger ages, it's not so easy to say whether it's because of the child or the teacher. When children learn on their own without reading instruction, then I think it's definitely a sign. These readers tend to be many grade levels ahead in their reading ability.

[ElizabethB]

No.

 

I have taught plenty of average inner city and formerly homeless children to read at that level. With the right tools and syllable work, 95% of end of year 2nd graders should be reading at the 12th grade level.

 

For children that reach that level earlier than 2nd grade on their own, that is a sign.

[JudoMom]

No.

 

I have taught plenty of average inner city and formerly homeless children to read at that level. With the right tools and syllable work, 95% of end of year 2nd graders should be reading at the 12th grade level.

 

For children that reach that level earlier than 2nd grade on their own, that is a sign.

 

This has always pretty much been my thought on the matter--thanks for confirming it :001_smile:.

[angela in ohio]

Surely there must be actual social science research on this, no?

 

There is, of course. I'm assuming the OP was more interested in people's attitudes and opinions toward the question.

[Ester Maria]

No, not at all.

 

Also, I generally do not equate being accelerated with being gifted. Two very different things which are often mistaken and lumped together. A child can be academically accelerated and working even several grades above their chronological age, but still be pretty average in terms of thinking patterns, only somewhat advanced on the scale of development, or better nurtured. Giftedness is not about being a bit advanced on the same scale, it is a whole different thing cognitively, as though one was developing on a different scale. But then again I mostly count PG or extreme acceleration (as in, decades of cognitive nuances, not just being a bit precocious for a year or two) for giftedness anyway, as all of those "moderately gifted" kids are usually what I would call bright kids, accomplished kids - typical, but bright / smarter / more advanced or accomplished. The gifted are atypical. Giftedness is akin to a "cognitive disorder" of a kind (though not necessarily a "bad" one), rather than just a modest acceleration on the typical developmental pattern.

 

Not to even mention that these days of ever lowered academic standards help even more the overpresent abuse of the label "gifted" which is then extended to a whole bunch of perfectly normal, perfectly typical kids, who are merely accomplished, using extremely problematic tests based on crackable matrices, diagnosed by psychologists which usually possess no serious medical and specifically neurological background... A problem after a problem. The whole gifted business is a HUGE mess. Not only early reading does not predict it (nor early motor skills in babies), even an "official" confirmation might not mean much.

 

Correlation may exist in some cases and not exist in other cases, so I tend not to equate.

[Karen in CO]

I think 2-3 grades above marks a good reader or maybe even a bright child, but not gifted. Some profoundly gifted kids don't learn to read until much later than their peers.

 

Here is an interesting list of differences between bright kids and gifted kids.

 

And here is a list of gifted characteristics.

 

And here is a statistical comparison of gifted kids.

 

All of these resources note gifted kids are not all the same, just like any other group.

[TKDmom]

My answer is "Yes, I do tend to equate accelerated reading with giftedness". That doesn't mean that accelerated readers are necessarily gifted, though. It just means that is my bias!

 

Yep. Logically, I know that they aren't necessarily related, but my biased self always assumes they are. ;)

[kamom]

I should not have voted. I voted yes, but after reading this thread, I'm not sure.

My two older children are both very bright. For years I have gone back and forth wondering if they were gifted or just accelerated because we taught them to read early. They both learned to read at four and learned two languages as they learned to speak. ( a small bit of the third). For years I believed that they were normal just smart because we stimulated their minds so much. I love learning and interacting with babies and kids. Talking to them a lot and telling them all about life.

I still don't know. Now I wonder are most kids that learn to read early way ahead of peers? I think one of mine might be gifted and the other one very bright. They are both ahead in school.

[ElizabethB]

This has always pretty much been my thought on the matter--thanks for confirming it :001_smile:.

 

You're welcome!

 

There used to not be reading grade levels. Prior to 1826 when whole word teaching was first introduced, people learned to read with syllables and Spellers and when they finished, they went directly to reading their Bibles, which would have been around the 12th grade level, what was available then was the KJV or Genevra or something else written at around a 12th grade level.

 

They were just taught to read and spell until they could read anything. And, because they were taught in one-room schools, people who didn't get it the first year could keep learning it with the new crop of students until they got it.

[myfunnybunch]

I voted No.

 

A 2nd grader reading and comprehending 12th grade material, yes. A 2nd grader reading and comprehending 4th grade material, no. Reading ability develops at different rates in different children, so I would consider it within the range of normal for an elementary-age child to be reading within 2 grades levels, above or below, his or her actual grade.

 

Giftedness and accelerated reading ability very often coexist. But it is possible to be gifted and not read well, and it is possible for a child to be an accelerated reader without being gifted.

 

Cat

[catz]

Hmmm ... depends on the age, how they learned to read, etc. My son went to PS for 2 years. MANY kids were reading in kindergarten, and now 5 years later, many of those kids are bright but not gifted. Most of them went to very academic preschools and had involved parents that sat them down and taught them phonics. It was funny, because I considered us BEHIND at that point. My kids went to play based preschool and I never did any academics with them unless they asked questions or initiated something.

 

The other thing is many kids leap in reading at some point, like it's an on/off thing and reading levels aren't that way. I think this may be more prevalent in visual spatial learners. So I don't think grade level in reading is necessarily very telling.

 

When preschoolers spontaneously read or leap in reading with minimal or no instruction, than yes. But kids can be gifted without doing that. Both my kids were gifted and leaped 4-6 grade levels in reading soon after being introduced to it. Now at 4th grade, my oldest tests more advanced in math than reading. They actually read late compared to many kids they'd compare to at their ages now.

 

And reading within a year or 2 of grade level, I don't really consider accelerated after kindergarten.

[KrissiK]

I haven't read the replies. However, I voted no. When I was a kid, I was always several grade levels ahead in reading. I loved to read. That was just my thing. I would say I might have been a little above average in intelligence, but certainly not gifted!

[Truscifi]

By itself, no. However, it can be a sign of giftedness, in combination with other things.

[Runningmom80]

It depends on the child. :)

[Heidi]

I never really thought of it that way. I think we all have giftedness in one form or another. If a child can read 2+ grades ahead of the average level, then sure, they are gifted in reading... but not necessarily in every area. If a child is behind in reading for their level then it would be safe to say they are not gifted in reading, but probably have other gifts that they do excel at. Wow, that was so deep. ;)

[Melissa B]

No. All of my girls are accelerated readers, yet none of them are gifted.

 

However, I do have two siblings that are gifted and they were both early/accelerated readers. :)

[J-rap]

...

Edited September 24, 2023 by J-rap

[actuary]

I voted no. Gifted children are a diverse group and to me accelerated reading may or may not be present in a gifted child.

 

For example, my two brothers and I all were professionally tested as children and tested in the genius range on the IQ tests, and our parents taught us how to read. I was an accelerated reader, my older brother was uninterested in reading and more focused on math and my younger brother was more of a blend between the two. My father actually had a lot of trouble learning to read as a child but was brilliant at math and science - looking back it seems that he had some undiagnosed learning disabilities.

 

I guess overall I agree with Ester Maria in that giftedness is more of a way of thinking with a child and not just a set of skills (she expressed it much more eloquently than I did though!)

[MissKNG]

I voted no because I was an advanced reader in school (and in all the "top" reading groups throughout elementary school) and I'm not gifted.

[specialmama]

I voted no because IMO books marketed as readers for specific grade levels can be misleading at best. Publishers who put age limits on material are just guessing, and it's often based solely on content not reading difficulty. Add to that mixture the fact that illiteracy is on the rise, and publishers end up with a skewed idea of what "the general public" would consider age appropriate. My dd is in grade 6 reading Our Town by Thornton Wilder. I read that play in grade 9. She is what I would call a voracious reader, but she is not gifted.