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Hernando Today

Gifted Enrollment May Jump

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By LINNEA BROWN

Hernando Today

Published: July 15, 2008

SPRING HILL - Tuesday morning, 11-year-old Anaislah Osborne sat quietly in the crowded front office at Explorer K-8 in Spring Hill, engrossed in a novel about werewolves.
Ignoring the hustle and bustle around her, she sighed each time her reading session was interrupted, eying her book longingly.
"She's like, 'I can't believe you brought me here,'" said her mother, Spring Hill resident Esha Osborne.
The pair were among more than a dozen parents and children waiting for results of free screening sessions for the district's new centralized immersion-style gifted program, set to open this fall at the new school off Northcliffe Boulevard.
Anaislah is always immersed in books — one of the indicators to those around her that she might qualify for the program, her mother said.
"All of her teachers are always telling me how bright she is and how she needs to be challenged," her mother said. "All she does is read. We go to the library a couple times a week."
About 160 students were scheduled to meet one-on-one with school counselors for individualized IQ screening sessions Tuesday and Wednesday, two much-publicized dates set for any local parents who believe their children may have unidentified high IQs.
When appointments with five guidance counselors filled up, officials added a sixth, with back-to-back appointments scheduled every 45 minutes from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
"We're very happy with the turnout and the interest in the program," said the school's principal, Dominick Ferello. "Parents are very anxious to see if their children qualify, and everything has been running smoothly."
This is in addition to hundreds of children who were automatically offered the chance to be screened based on receiving particularly high scores on standardized tests, as well as other children who have previously been receiving gifted services at area schools.
Weeki Wachee resident Stephanie Rupp waited in a chair with her 6-year-old daughter, Cassidy, a high-achiever who has consistently made straight A's in her classes at Pine Grove Elementary School.
"Tests are so easy," Cassidy proclaimed, though she admitted to feeling jumpy the night before.
Her mother said she went to bed early, in an effort to "give her brain a rest."
"She told her brothers she was going to the 'smart school.' They're a bit jealous," she said.
A student is defined as "gifted" if he or she scores at least two standard deviations above the mean IQ score of 130 (minus the standard "error of measurement" of three points) and meets at least one characteristic of a gifted student on the state's standard scale or checklist.
In Hernando County, a student can qualify for the program if he or she has a mean IQ score of 120 and are a member of an underrepresented group — such as a low socioeconomic level or if English is not their first language.
However, the open screening is not a full IQ test. Only children who pass through the initial "IQ indicator" screening process move on to a full-blown IQ test, scheduled privately at a later date with a school psychologist, assistant principal Dana Pearce said.
Parents may also hire a private psychologist to administer testing. A passing score is required by law to be recognized for admittance to the program, even if they have not passed through screenings at the district level.
Following individual screening sessions Tuesday, siblings Michael and Sarah Labasik of Brooksville described the process as "pictures and riddles."
"Some of it was hard," conceded Michael, 12.
Their mother, Lynne Labasik, said the family recently moved to the area from Pittsburg, Pa. While her children have not received gifted services before, she said she decided to have them screened in an effort to get them enrolled in the best local school possible.
"They've been getting a great education, and we want them to keep going on that (track)," she said.
But in situations when only one sibling is considered gifted, sending children to different schools may prove difficult.
"Busing would be a challenge, with different (start and finish times)," said Rupp, whose two other children have not undergone screening.
Tuesday, there were about 215 students enrolled in the school's gifted program. There are 168 other currently-identified gifted children in the district, most of whom are either undecided about transferring to a new school or have decided against it.
Students receiving gifted services bring in about $2,100 in additional state funding per child for the district.
School officials say the numbers are far from concrete, and the program's enrollment is expected to jump as the year continues.
If there's enough parent demand, officials may even schedule another open screening session, Ferello said.

Reporter Linnea Brown can be reached at 352-544-5289 or lbrown@hernandotoday.com.

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