Anyone know anything about Loudoun Co. Public Schools' GT programs (or lack thereof???)

[Anonymous]

Thank you all, OP here. What to do then with DC and stratospheric test scores-- I thought FFX Co. GT was the be-all and end-all for GT programs? ALl I want is for him to have the childhood I missed out on-- I HATED being pulled out, bused to another school and THEN being responsible for the day's work at the base school...

but Loudoun is so kid-centric that we simply fell in love with the area. I hope by the time we reach eligibility in two years that the process and options for GT have evolved b/c I certainly am not getting good feedback about Nysmith.
Is Hatrick the problem or the BOS?

[Anonymous]

I think Loudoun County schools are pretty overcrowded, too--its why they keep rezoning and building more.

OP, if your dc is that smart, I would stick to Fairfax because of the GT centers.

[Anonymous]

the the PP - yes loudoun has big class sizes but they are building schools to accommodate -- not putting the kids in trailers like Farifax.

[Anonymous]

Well in all fairness, Loudon has a lot more undeveloped land available to them at a much cheaper price. Also, not everyone dislikes the trailers and not every FCPS school is overcrowded. Many are under capacity.

But back to the GT model question, many school systems believe that within class differentiation and/or pullouts are the best way to meet the needs of gifted children. The FCPS center based, self-contained classroom approach is, on the whole, less common. MoCo does the center based appriach, but a little differently. There are pros and cons to all systems. But the FCPS model is why we stay here because I think it's the best approach to meet the needs of my kid.

[Anonymous]

Testing in 3rd grade, programming (pullout-based, 1 day per week) begins in 4th. At least your kid will be at his/her home school for four days per week, right

[Anonymous]

My son is in Futura this year. (4th grade) So far he loves it. It is the one day of the week that he is eager to go to school. He has had no problem making up missed work. They give them two days to complete anything that is missed and he never needs it. This year in Futura they are focusing on "Structures" . It is a year long theme. I am guessing that there are some kids who dislike being away from the home school for the day, but I can only go by my child's experience. Also I cannot say that it is better or worse than any other district's program as this is the only one we have experience with so far.

I only wish that the rest of the days of the week were as challenging and thought provoking. Unfortunately a pricey private school is out of the question.

[Anonymous]

My son is in Futura this year. (4th grade) So far he loves it. It is the one day of the week that he is eager to go to school. He has had no problem making up missed work. They give them two days to complete anything that is missed and he never needs it. This year in Futura they are focusing on "Structures" . It is a year long theme. I am guessing that there are some kids who dislike being away from the home school for the day, but I can only go by my child's experience. Also I cannot say that it is better or worse than any other district's program as this is the only one we have experience with so far.

I only wish that the rest of the days of the week were as challenging and thought provoking. Unfortunately a pricey private school is out of the question.

[Anonymous]

To poster 20:42....We have children in Nysmith and have been very happy with it. Our children are thriving and have really come out of their shells. They are so exicted about what they are learning that they want to spend hours at home continuing to study the topic. I do admit though, that I struggle with the price tag.