Has anyone here left private to go to a gifted program (elementary)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:poster 12:15, you seem to not have read my original post. I'm "particularly interested in how the curriculum incorporates visual and performing arts, music, and physical education," not academics. Likewise, I ask about class size. The unfounded premise you mention is, indeed, unfounded. And it is not my own.

Well in my experience, public schools have smaller classes than privates. We toured privates and were surprised at the class sizes.

My 4th grader is taking clarinet, in a school play, participates in a chorus, and has plenty of physical education opportunities in her Arlington public school. There are 23 kids in her class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:poster 12:15, you seem to not have read my original post. I'm "particularly interested in how the curriculum incorporates visual and performing arts, music, and physical education," not academics. Likewise, I ask about class size. The unfounded premise you mention is, indeed, unfounded. And it is not my own.

26 kids per class in our HGC but since the kids are all at the same level, it works really well. It has been a great experience for dc. The curriculum is fantastic but does not really integrate the visual and performing arts, music and physical education. there are a couple of non - HGC public schools in MCPS that follow an arts integration approach but implementation can be spotty and depends on how committed that school's admin. is to arts integration.

[Anonymous]

Can anyone comment on how well the 4th/5th grade HGT program prepares them for the 6th GT program? The reason I ask is that a friend whose daughter was not in 4/5 HGS entered into a 6th GT program and was extremely stressed out and ultimately transferred back to her home school.
Thanks!

[Anonymous]

oops should have said 6th grade magnet program

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone comment on how well the 4th/5th grade HGT program prepares them for the 6th GT program? The reason I ask is that a friend whose daughter was not in 4/5 HGS entered into a 6th GT program and was extremely stressed out and ultimately transferred back to her home school.
Thanks!

I think the HGC kids are better prepared because they've been working on study skills (time management etc.), research skills and writing skills in the 4th and 5th grade. The HGC kids do many projects and presentations every year and learn how to break up a large project into smaller parts (thesis topic, research questions, research, outline, draft etc.). However, all the kids who get into the 6th grade magnet programs are equally qualified and so while it might take someone coming from a regular public school a couple of months to acquire these skills, I'm sure they all end up at the same place halfway through 6th grade.

[Anonymous]

Thanks PP! I was hoping that it was like that and not that the magnet program has such high expectations that the kids were stressed out to their limits. It could just be that in this case the child though capable found it stressful and was happier in a less competitive environment.

[Anonymous]

OP, what state are you in? The states are different in their programs, and so are the school districts.

[Anonymous]

^^MD public schools.

[Anonymous]

The kids that go to the center are a quirky and odd lot. Parents of these kids may not want to say that, but it is the case. We didn't send our DD last year b/c the group of children from her home school were the oddest kids. An entire class room of these kids could be problematic b/c they are socially awkward and sometimes very strange.

Also, be aware that curriculum 2.0 will be rolled out at the center this fall. Some might say that the center can and will implement the curriculum with better results than neighborhood schools, but that is doubtful at best. In reality, MCPS doesn't really support the center anymore so they are beginning to gut it. In short, a center with the odd kids and without a strong curriculum is less attractive than ever. Do your homework about the center.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The kids that go to the center are a quirky and odd lot. Parents of these kids may not want to say that, but it is the case. We didn't send our DD last year b/c the group of children from her home school were the oddest kids. An entire class room of these kids could be problematic b/c they are socially awkward and sometimes very strange.

Also, be aware that curriculum 2.0 will be rolled out at the center this fall. Some might say that the center can and will implement the curriculum with better results than neighborhood schools, but that is doubtful at best. In reality, MCPS doesn't really support the center anymore so they are beginning to gut it. In short, a center with the odd kids and without a strong curriculum is less attractive than ever. Do your homework about the center.

That's a very broad brush you paint with. My daughter is at an HGC and would probably be labeled as odd by you. That being said, there are a ton of kids there who would definitely not be considered strange in any way; just very smart.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The kids that go to the center are a quirky and odd lot. Parents of these kids may not want to say that, but it is the case. We didn't send our DD last year b/c the group of children from her home school were the oddest kids. An entire class room of these kids could be problematic b/c they are socially awkward and sometimes very strange.

Also, be aware that curriculum 2.0 will be rolled out at the center this fall. Some might say that the center can and will implement the curriculum with better results than neighborhood schools, but that is doubtful at best. In reality, MCPS doesn't really support the center anymore so they are beginning to gut it. In short, a center with the odd kids and without a strong curriculum is less attractive than ever. Do your homework about the center.

That's a very broad brush you paint with. My daughter is at an HGC and would probably be labeled as odd by you. That being said, there are a ton of kids there who would definitely not be considered strange in any way; just very smart.

This.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The kids that go to the center are a quirky and odd lot. Parents of these kids may not want to say that, but it is the case. We didn't send our DD last year b/c the group of children from her home school were the oddest kids. An entire class room of these kids could be problematic b/c they are socially awkward and sometimes very strange.

Also, be aware that curriculum 2.0 will be rolled out at the center this fall. Some might say that the center can and will implement the curriculum with better results than neighborhood schools, but that is doubtful at best. In reality, MCPS doesn't really support the center anymore so they are beginning to gut it. In short, a center with the odd kids and without a strong curriculum is less attractive than ever. Do your homework about the center.

Wow! There are odd kids in all school settings. There is less bullying and more kindness at the center in our experience. Most of the children are outgoing, social and have interests outside school - soccer, drama, gymnastics etc. In other words, the vast majority are bright, social and well-adjusted.
Are you sure C2.0 will affect all subject areas in the center - I've heard it will impact math in a big way but have not heard about it affecting the other areas at all. It is a great curriculum and I can't imagine why they would want to mess with it.
Starr is not a big proponent of GT education in the regular school system so the centers might well be the only refuge for the highly advanced learner.

[Anonymous]

Doesn't make any sense that they would mess with the center's curriculum, but this is MCPS and that is what they are doing. Crazy, yes. The new MCPS, yes. Sorry, but true.

[Anonymous]

The center curriculum now is the same as the rest of MCPS for science, social studies, and math. The difference is with reading/writing. When the 2.0 version of the center curriculum comes out, that won't change (their reading/writing will be different, but they will do 2.0 math, science, social studies).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Doesn't make any sense that they would mess with the center's curriculum, but this is MCPS and that is what they are doing. Crazy, yes. The new MCPS, yes. Sorry, but true.

No such announcement has been made.

Even if this were so, I am quite sure that the Center teachers will do what they need to do to address the needs of these kids, regardless of what curriculum is technically applicable.