APS Gifted Eligibility for New Student in Middle School?

[Anonymous]

We live in DC and are considering a move to Arlington before my eldest starts 6th next year. I am trying to get a better sense of how children who move into APS in middle school can be identified as gifted. The criteria on the website seem rather vague. In other areas of the country, the criteria are very specific -- i.e., if your child achieves X percentile on Y nationally normed test, the child would be immediately placed in gifted upon starting school. This doesn't seem to be the case for APS -- instead it seems kind of squishy and like my child would be in a general classroom for some time while we waited for this subjective process to play out. Any thoughts/advice would be appreciated!

[Anonymous]

It makes absolutely no difference at all in APS middle school if you're tagged as gifted. It really only matters for elementary. Your student can still sign up for intensified classes whether or not they're tagged.

The biggest question you'll have to work through with APS is the appropriate math placement, but that is also not decided by the gifted label.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It makes absolutely no difference at all in APS middle school if you're tagged as gifted. It really only matters for elementary. Your student can still sign up for intensified classes whether or not they're tagged.

The biggest question you'll have to work through with APS is the appropriate math placement, but that is also not decided by the gifted label.

You need to be placed into intensified math though based on scores. There is a cut off and my kid was above the cut off in 6th, but didn’t get in pre algebra because they didn’t have enough teachers.

[Anonymous]

My child was referred by a teacher and identified in 8th grade. You can self-refer a kid. As a parent, you get asked to fill out a referral form that asks for qualitative examples of your child exhibiting gifted-like behaviors. This form is kind of BS. If your kid is in APS, they have all grades and test info. A kid outside the school system, I assume you'd have to provide the info. Then a committee meets and evaluates.

The only reason I would maybe push for it is they do cluster gifted kids, even in the intensified classes. Lots of kids take intensified classes, particularly in middle school so being in an intensified class does not mean you are with other gifted kids. Lots of kids (i.e., their parents) placing into intensified starts to taper off more as high school moves on when shit gets more real. The teachers will see your kid is tagged all the way through. I sincerely do not think most teachers do anything with this information, however. Particularly by high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It makes absolutely no difference at all in APS middle school if you're tagged as gifted. It really only matters for elementary. Your student can still sign up for intensified classes whether or not they're tagged.

The biggest question you'll have to work through with APS is the appropriate math placement, but that is also not decided by the gifted label.

You need to be placed into intensified math though based on scores. There is a cut off and my kid was above the cut off in 6th, but didn’t get in pre algebra because they didn’t have enough teachers.

The math score placement is unrelated to being tagged as gifted. They largely use the MAP test score and SOL scores for math placement, though they'll consider a CoGAT score if available. A kid who is new to APS will have to discuss with the math department to determine math placement based on available scores.

A different set of APS employees and different process are part of gifted determinations, so that's totally separate.

[Anonymous]

Gifted is pointless past elementary; and with the push in model, daily worthless even in elementary

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We live in DC and are considering a move to Arlington before my eldest starts 6th next year. I am trying to get a better sense of how children who move into APS in middle school can be identified as gifted. The criteria on the website seem rather vague. In other areas of the country, the criteria are very specific -- i.e., if your child achieves X percentile on Y nationally normed test, the child would be immediately placed in gifted upon starting school. This doesn't seem to be the case for APS -- instead it seems kind of squishy and like my child would be in a general classroom for some time while we waited for this subjective process to play out. Any thoughts/advice would be appreciated!

If this is your thinking, move to Mclean

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We live in DC and are considering a move to Arlington before my eldest starts 6th next year. I am trying to get a better sense of how children who move into APS in middle school can be identified as gifted. The criteria on the website seem rather vague. In other areas of the country, the criteria are very specific -- i.e., if your child achieves X percentile on Y nationally normed test, the child would be immediately placed in gifted upon starting school. This doesn't seem to be the case for APS -- instead it seems kind of squishy and like my child would be in a general classroom for some time while we waited for this subjective process to play out. Any thoughts/advice would be appreciated!

If this is your thinking, move to Mclean

But why though? What was it about what I wrote that makes you say that? I'm at the early end of the learning curve here.

[Anonymous]

My kid was deemed gifted in ES. Middle school has intensified classes but really he has had teachers thay create special projects for him. His English teacher and science teacher reached out to me re special projects they are having him and a few other kids work on. He has veen happy and felt challenged (this is gunston)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We live in DC and are considering a move to Arlington before my eldest starts 6th next year. I am trying to get a better sense of how children who move into APS in middle school can be identified as gifted. The criteria on the website seem rather vague. In other areas of the country, the criteria are very specific -- i.e., if your child achieves X percentile on Y nationally normed test, the child would be immediately placed in gifted upon starting school. This doesn't seem to be the case for APS -- instead it seems kind of squishy and like my child would be in a general classroom for some time while we waited for this subjective process to play out. Any thoughts/advice would be appreciated!

If this is your thinking, move to Mclean

But why though? What was it about what I wrote that makes you say that? I'm at the early end of the learning curve here.

Not this poster here but Fairfax's model is to separate out the gifted kids completely through middle school. It's called AAP. Fairfax's AAP program is somewhat controversial as many parents aggressively lobby and game the system to get kids into the program and overall the outcome is often white flight from lower-performing schools. FCPS re-integrates for high school. The two school districts (FCPS and APS) have very different gifted services models.

[Anonymous]

You have three buckets to think about: gifted services, gen ed or intensified, math placement:

Speak to the gifted/differentiated services contact at the school you are interested in moving into. They will explain everything.

Speak to the grade level counselor about placement in intensified classes.

Speak to the math coordinator about placement in the appropriate math class.

Much easier to just get info directly from them. They are used to direct parent communication. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We live in DC and are considering a move to Arlington before my eldest starts 6th next year. I am trying to get a better sense of how children who move into APS in middle school can be identified as gifted. The criteria on the website seem rather vague. In other areas of the country, the criteria are very specific -- i.e., if your child achieves X percentile on Y nationally normed test, the child would be immediately placed in gifted upon starting school. This doesn't seem to be the case for APS -- instead it seems kind of squishy and like my child would be in a general classroom for some time while we waited for this subjective process to play out. Any thoughts/advice would be appreciated!

If this is your thinking, move to Mclean

But why though? What was it about what I wrote that makes you say that? I'm at the early end of the learning curve here.

You are asking any questions about gifted, you don’t belong in APS. Learn from our disappointment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We live in DC and are considering a move to Arlington before my eldest starts 6th next year. I am trying to get a better sense of how children who move into APS in middle school can be identified as gifted. The criteria on the website seem rather vague. In other areas of the country, the criteria are very specific -- i.e., if your child achieves X percentile on Y nationally normed test, the child would be immediately placed in gifted upon starting school. This doesn't seem to be the case for APS -- instead it seems kind of squishy and like my child would be in a general classroom for some time while we waited for this subjective process to play out. Any thoughts/advice would be appreciated!

If this is your thinking, move to Mclean

But why though? What was it about what I wrote that makes you say that? I'm at the early end of the learning curve here.

You are asking any questions about gifted, you don’t belong in APS. Learn from our disappointment.

I am just asking how it works. I don’t see how asking about it and then figuring out if my kid qualifies means we don’t belong in APS. We are currently in DCPS, which doesn’t even pretend to do gifted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We live in DC and are considering a move to Arlington before my eldest starts 6th next year. I am trying to get a better sense of how children who move into APS in middle school can be identified as gifted. The criteria on the website seem rather vague. In other areas of the country, the criteria are very specific -- i.e., if your child achieves X percentile on Y nationally normed test, the child would be immediately placed in gifted upon starting school. This doesn't seem to be the case for APS -- instead it seems kind of squishy and like my child would be in a general classroom for some time while we waited for this subjective process to play out. Any thoughts/advice would be appreciated!

If this is your thinking, move to Mclean

But why though? What was it about what I wrote that makes you say that? I'm at the early end of the learning curve here.

The PP wrote that because APS is not very engaged for the gifted, and if the criteria seem vague, it’s because they don’t do anything for your child once they are identified. You child will take advanced classes along with all those who are not identified. There is no gate keeping except for math. Math paths are determined by scores on several exams as the other PP mentioned.

[Anonymous]

We moved from DC to Arlington and have been happy with the schools but if your focus is on gifted programs, you may want to look to Fairfax.