Myths and facts about the Explorer program

Compiled by Mimi Mott and Kate Venneri for presentation at the Teacher-to-Teacher Explorer information meeting Spring ’07.


Myth: The WWPS Explorer program accepts only 20 children per grade into the program, so they don’t want teachers to nominate too many kids.
Fact: All students who are nominated and qualify through the testing and selection process are accepted. No number limit.

Myth: You can identify a gifted child by watching for children who always complete assignments, are enthusiastic learners in class, and always seem to have their act together. Testing for Explorers should be reserved for kids who show the proper enthusiasm for learning. If the kid won’t comply in the regular classroom, then s/he doesn’t deserve to be an Explorer.
Fact: Gifted children often start out enthusiastic in school, but then often become bored and zone out. When these kids score at the top of the tests but refuse to turn in assignments, they are not exhibiting underachievement; they are displaying noncompliance. The Explorer program may be just the place for them.

Myth: The highest-achieving kids always come from families with lots of resources, and these families are very involved and supportive of their kids. These kids have had many opportunities to learn from birth, and the kids are involved in multiple activities outside of school.
Fact: Not always! Current Explorer classes include a mix of kids. Children who show high levels of intelligence despite family challenges deserve to be considered for the Explorer program.

Myth: I’ve had Explorer kids in my classes over the years…and sometimes these kids are not that easy to have in class. Some don’t seem that much more advanced than other kids I’ve had, and quite honestly some of them have been a pain!
Fact: There are undoubtedly kids in the Walla Walla schools who could qualify for Explorers but have never been tested. Having to be nominated by a teacher or a parent must let quite a few kids fall through the cracks. Because intelligence is measured on a continuous scale, some kids may also just miss the cut-off level. Please remember that the intelligence of the gifted child may not translate into maturity, patience, or understanding the point of lessons in your classroom.

Myth: It’s somehow wrong to focus attention on these smart kids, because, let’s face it, they are going to be just fine in life. They already have an advantage, so why waste resources on them?
Fact: There is a direct connection between early childhood behaviors, intellectual level, and the likelihood of later achievement. These are the kids who have the potential to become the top innovators in our future. “Most of humankind’s greatest inventors, creators, scientists and philosophers exhibited the same sort of very early childhood behavior, interests and skills.”1 We need to devote resources to actively encourage, nurture, guide, and motivate the individuals who have the strongest likelihood of developing advances that will benefit the greater society.

Myth: Early achievement, especially in reading, doesn’t matter too much in the long run because by fourth grade most other kids have caught up.
Fact: Early readers don’t simply “tread water” while others catch up. Gifted children self-instruct and advance in every school subject that has reading as a major component. “School achievement test results of high ability children reveal that their reading and comprehension scores not only are high, but they tend to go up more than two grade levels each year. Social studies and science scores go up nearly as fast, probably because gifted children do a lot of reading and assimilate facts on their own.”1


1. Deborah L. Ruf, Ph.D. Losing our Minds: Gifted Children Left Behind. Great Potential Press, 2005.