Agree with PP about not stressing the CES thing for the moment, not because it wouldn't be a good opportunity, but because there is so little an individual/family can do that greatly would influence chances given current selection methodology. Instead, work with other parents to encourage teachers/administrators at your local school to provide proper GT identification and enrichment. That could include differentiation (within that allowed) in the classroom, teacher training for such, supports for others to free up time for such, routine assessments of ability, rigorous adoption of ELC for 4th & 5th grade, ensuring accelerated Math is preserved, etc. Enrichment is supposed to be available at all grade levels, and is required by state law and MCPS policy, but is quite variably employed across classes & schools (though your community likely has a positive experience, as is the case in many, but not all, higher-SES schools). Right now, CES is lottery-based after universal central evaluation of 3rd-grade studens' second-quarter grades and locally-normed winter MAP-R scores -- you don't need to express interest. Standard offering of accelerated Math, which also begins in 4th grade, follows a similar paradigm, but is more the bailiwick of the local school administration, as is any Math acceleration offering beyond/before that. That could change, as they revew the paradigm each year, though changes don't always happen. There are many, especially in your area, who will seek outside enrichment. It can be beneficial, but it also can be a burden on a child's psyche, and it begets an arms race for all-too-limited opportunities. The best solution, there, would be greatly expanding the enrichment programs so that there is enough to meet the vast need in the county. There have been efforts in recent years from MCPS to do the opposite, though, following a theory, which unfortunately has gained national traction, that GT education is inherently bised & inequitable. Though I'd suggest that advocacy is entirely reasonable, should you have the time/energy, you'd have to make a decision as to whether it is better for your child to be part of a race, or, rather how you might best support the growth of your child while balancing the potential negative effects of measures that push with the race in mind. |
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Sometimes I feel, to just go with the flow. Right the kids are in kindergarten. They seem bored goes they can read a lot more than normal. So I don’t know if I need to just let them be or get them more challenge. So I wanted to find out about ces, in case it did apply to kindergartner.
We are still waiting for MAP result. As far as reading, they can read dragon master books. So I don’t know what is being taught in school. But in their report card, it just say ON. I was expecting more like above grade. I hope they get a chance to go to advance subjects Is the demand so high that they have to do lottery system? |
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Would love to see the prescribed methodology for determining ON vs. ABV for reading level. Seems like there are a lot of kids mis-evaluated, like yours may have been. And ABV is a central criterion for the magnet pool.
Yes. There are many, many more MCPS students who would benefit from enrichment than are provided it, to speak nothing of the paucity of magnet seats. They could go back to rank-ordering selectees for that so that those with greatest ability/need are offered (they aren't going to), but that would still leave multiples more above the bar representing qualification/need than land in the magnet programs. |
| Does anyone know what percentage of kids in the lottery are selected? I’m fairly certain my dd will be in the lottery pool. Curious what chance she has of getting selected. |
Very low. The stats are actually available. About 2 spots from our elementary every year seem to go. (We are not an elementary that houses a CES.) |
Very low. That’s why it’s really good they are extending ELC to all school. |
Where are these statistics available? |
Do the schools that house a CES get more slots? I'd be interested in seeing the stats as well. |
They are using Fountas and Pinnell for that still and it is less accurate than flipping a coin. |
For the PP whose DC is in kindergarten, I wouldn't stress about being only "on" grade level after only a half-year of school. I imagine there's barely sufficient time for an accurate assessment. FWIW, my DC started kindergarten not knowing how to read a lick because her preschool was play-based and not academic. By the end of 1st she was doing chapter books and has been consistently above grade level since then. Your DC has plenty of time to develop as a reader. |
No, there is no set-aside, unlike middle school magnets. |
I wouldn't count on it either I imagine that some tiny colleges will have declining enrollment or be a risk of closing but selection schools will be very competitive and there will still be a lot of competition from kids overseas especially if their parents will pay full tuition. |
I believe it's based on Dibels data? It's not a great evaluative tool because it's timed and your kid could have a bad 5 minutes or something or get flustered. My kid got a bad score on the timed nonsenses word fluency test in the fall but scored well in other areas. In the middle of the year she did much better |
My kid was on a similar trajectory. She had a rough year during virtual kindergarten was very resistant to learning how to read and now she's devouring chapter books. |
It's weird to me that parents always assume their kid is gifted if they are bored in school. In my experience gifted kids are very curious and engaged and full of questions or want to experiment or tinker. |