
OP here: Thanks for the responses. To the poster who said her DC didn't have any "spikes" in any areas, but has a child at the center, what do you think made DC get accepted? I am just wondering what they are looking for, as I know it's highly competitive. Thanks |
"I don't have personal knowledge of what happened. I only know that the mother told me of this telephone conversation and that the following school year her child was in the GT center in CCES, apparently having gained entry. Perhaps I, not knowing the terminology for GT applications, should not have used the phrase, "apply twice." Maybe the parents simply asked the school to resubmit a letter of recommendation following the guidance of the MCPS staff member with whom the mother spoke. I was only trying to help OP and anyone else applying from private school because I think it's interesting that MCPS made a distinction between a private-school rec letter and a GT rec letter. Sorry I cannot be of more help. I suppose I could call this woman and ask her, but I really do not want to pry, and that's probably why i did not delve further when she told me this. "
Gossip mongering for attention isn't helpful. |
PP here with the child with no "spikes":
What I meant by this is more that he isn't one of those math outliers. When I think about it, he is more of a language "spike" and indeed he did have an usually high test score in one of the three areas on the entrance test -- the other two areas were right at the mean for the class. Honestly, I think they just look at the test scores at first. They probably have enough kids to fill all the classes just based on those. Then they go back and read recommendations and parent submissions to see if they missed anything. Basically, they want to identify kids whose needs aren't and can't be met in their home school. So just being a bright, or even really smart, kid isn't really enough. They want to serve children who can't get what they need in a regular classroom -- I think that's more what was mean than actual spikes. So for example if your child works a grade ahead in math and gets all As in language arts and loves to read, that might not be what they are looking for. But if your third grader is doing fifth or 6th grade math, or reads high school level books, that might be more of an indicator. So this is a hint: when you write the application or talk to the teacher about recommendations, be sure to emphasize this. It's a painful process. I have one child who got in and is thriving, and one who did not. The one who didn't would probably have struggled with the level of work in some ways, but it still makes me sad to think that child #2 won't get the same amazing level of enrichment and inspired teaching that #1 is getting. |
Almost 40% of kids in MoCo are classified GT. This was according to the newest issue of Bethesda Magazine. I have a hard time with that number. It seems very high.
The article also talked about math acceleration and how there is now a backlash from parents and teachers since they are finding many kids don't have the basics down especially with fractions and multiplication. They also are seeing that 25% of the kids who are in the accelerated classes need tutors to get through the program which they feel is an indication that many of the kids should not being pushed ahead. The article is not available to be posted but here is the issue: http://bethesdamagazine.com/magazine/ Just some food for thought. |
We appealed *twice* for our child and never once would anyone speak with us about anything substantive on the phone. My spouse teaches in MCPS and knows the insiders, and it was just not possible. |
We have a child in the Center this year who doesn't "spike" either. DC performs above grade level in both math and English and is overall an outstanding student.
I don't think the "spike" theory holds water. What MCPS looks for is data, hard data. The first cut relates to test scores, and after that, when the pool is narrowed to testing-qualified applicants, they look at teacher recommendations and parent statements. Teacher comments can sink a child easily. We know a family whose child was super-qualified (his test scores were above the mean for children accepted) but that child's third-grade teacher gave the child a mediocre review. On appeal they learned that this was what sank him. |
What does this have to do with the Center Program for the Highly Gifted? The 40% number is correct for second-graders who are tested by MCPS, but the group admitted to the Center is separate and distinct from that. |
13:24 (or others) could you say a little more about what makes the G&T curriculum/experience different? Is it primarily that they do work at a more advanced level/pace? Is it less test-oriented? What sort of additional enrichment are you referring to?
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This is spot-on. The purpose of the Center is to provide a learning environment for students whose needs cannot be met in the regular classroom. |
13:24 here
I think the biggest thing in the HGC program is expectations. They expect complex, high quality work from the kids. They offer multiple ways to accomplish tasks, most very creative, hands-on and in-depth. They progress quickly through the curriculum. They treat the kids as smart, engaged, developed people whose opinions matter. For example, in 4th grade DC's class did an author project. Each child picked an author (all middle-school level books or higher) and read three full-length novels (not in a series but with distinct sets of characters, etc.) as well as a book-length bio of the author. Then they did about five projects, from 2 - 3 page long essays to to textual analysis to posters, etc., and involved learning literary forms and terms, etc. They did a powerpoint presentation for the class about their author. Papers needed to be typed, properly formatted, with formatted bibliography. Spelling and grammar were carefully scored. This project lasted about five weeks and was only one class, one of many projects. It was amazing -- on one hand as involved and advanced as eighth or ninth grade and on the other hand, captivating for 4th graders. |
thanks |
It's not gossip. |
Actually, I have applied to two different GT programs for my kids -- one child got in, one child was deemed qualified but did not make the lottery. In both cases, the MCPS staff answered questions about my child's testing and application and admit/decline letter over the phone. They were very open and helpful. |
In general, kids must be at least 2 years ahead of grade level in reading and 1 year ahead in math. (This year at CCES HGC there are no HGC kids in the at-grade-level math, and some kids are as much as 3 years ahead in math.) Many kids read more than two years ahead of grade. I would say it's the norm for middle or high school level reading skills. Many also have unusually strong areas of interest/knowledge.
Successful applicants to the HGC will perform well on the test, and be able to demonstrate above grade level performance in their academic record and/or teacher recs. MCPS offers an information night for the HGC application. It's posted when the applications are released. I would definitely recommend attending as they provide a lot more information about the program and application process. Agree with a PP who said big thing with HGC is expectations. The other big thing is the cohort of kids -- by and large they all like school and don't present many discipline problems and are very smart. So the kids learn as much from each other as the teacher and the peer culture is accepting of being smart and wanting to do well in school. |
I don't know what this means, "did not make the lottery." In the Center program (which is the one this thread is about), there is no lottery. You apply, then you are either accepted, rejected, or wait-listed. |