Is My Child Ready for an Advanced Academic Program?

Here’s What Really Matters

Every year—no matter the state, grade level, or school system—parents ask me the same question:

“Do you think my child is gifted?”
Followed quickly by:
“Should I try to get them into an advanced academic program?”

As someone who has spent 25+ years teaching advanced learners in the U.S. and abroad, including gifted programs, AAP models, and high-ability clusters, I can tell you this with complete honesty:

Advanced program success is not about being gifted.
It’s about being ready.

And readiness is something parents can build—calmly, naturally, and without a shred of pressure.

Let’s talk about what “ready” really means.

1. Today’s Gifted Programs Are Not What They Used To Be

Gone are the days when gifted programs were elite ivory towers gated by IQ scores.
Most modern districts now use multiple measures:

• critical thinking

• reading comprehension

• curiosity

• task commitment

• creativity

• teacher input

• portfolio samples

• problem-solving

These programs aren’t asking:
“Is this child a genius?”
They’re asking:
“Will this child thrive with deeper, richer opportunities?”

Big difference.

In fact, many students who excel in advanced programs would NEVER have been labeled “gifted” under the old models.

And thank goodness for that.

2. The Qualities That Actually Predict Success

Here are the characteristics I see again and again in students who flourish in advanced learning environments:

✔ Curiosity

The ones who want to know why.
The ones who poke at ideas.

✔ Reading (and being read to)

Paper reading builds the background knowledge advanced programs rely on.

✔ Motivation (or at least a willingness to try)

Not perfection. Not straight-A mentality.
Just… willingness.

✔ Comfort with challenge

Kids who can sit with uncertainty do beautifully.

✔ Exposure to rich experiences

Museums, books, conversations, documentaries, cooking, maps, nature—
all of these build thinking muscles.

✔ Vocabulary + language exposure

Kids who hear complex language think in complex ways.

None of this requires a gifted label.
All of this can be nurtured at home.

3. “My Child Isn’t Motivated… Now What?”

Ah, yes.
The great parental fear.

Let me reassure you: unmotivated does NOT mean “not capable.”
Most “unmotivated” kids are actually:

• overwhelmed

• perfectionistic

• anxious about being wrong

• disconnected from meaning

• bored

• tired

• or stuck in a cycle of “I can’t do this”

You can absolutely build motivation through:

• tiny successes

• choice

• conversation

• connection

• structure

• letting them teach you what they learned

• giving them appropriate challenges

Motivation is built—just like reading stamina, athletic skill, or cooking confidence.

4. What If School Isn’t Challenging Your Child Enough?

This is far more common than parents think.

Your child can learn deeply at home through:

• family book clubs

• kitchen science

• nature walks

• documentaries

• after-school enrichment

• independent projects

• coding apps

• creative writing

• research rabbit holes

• museums and cultural experiences

You don’t need to create a homeschool classroom at your dining table.
You just need a home where thinking is valued, curiosity is welcomed, and exploration is normal.

That’s ALL.

5. So… Is Your Child Ready?

If your child is:

• curious

• eager to explore

• willing to engage

• interested in ideas

• able to think beyond “right answers”

• capable of reading and talking about what they read

• and supported at home…

…then yes.
They may be beautifully ready for advanced opportunities.

Gifted programs don’t create giftedness.
They give already-curious kids a place to grow.

And readiness is not fixed.
It develops over time—with your help.

If you want clear, practical support, I created something for you.

Parents constantly tell me they wish someone would just lay out:

• what advanced programs look for

• how to build readiness

• how to support motivation

• how to challenge kids at home (without being a drill sergeant)

• how to nurture curiosity

• what to do when school isn’t enough

• and how to help their child grow into a deeper, more confident thinker

So I did exactly that.

Download my new guide:
Raising an Advanced Learner — A Parent’s Guide to Curiosity, Motivation, and Readiness
(Available in the Shop at GetReadyEd.com.)

It’s parenting help meets gifted-education wisdom meets “Why didn’t someone tell me this sooner?”

If your child is curious, capable, or craving challenge, this guide will give you everything you need to support their growth—calmly and confidently.