HGC pros and negatives?

[Anonymous]

Worry about it if your kid gets in. Downside for us was being away from neighborhood friends. And it's harder to schedule outside of school time with new friends. An overwhelming positive experience even for a math kid.

My son never got an ES since our school does not give them. He was always in the top group and was capped at one year ahead. Always had off the chart MAP scores although the school never shared those until 3rd grade. So we had no idea how advanced he was and teachers never remarked on it since there was never and opportunity to shine

Apply and see what happens.

[Anonymous]

I remember the marketing video from MCPS on this subject and read lots of posts here with parents going on about how much their children thrive and how wonderful the program. I was excited at the prospect for my child, who always scored very high on standardized tests and really thinks in an outside-the-box way lots of times. But he never complained about being bored in school before because he doesn't mind not working that hard. Ha.

I was expecting him to light up and be so excited about school. He didn't. He often asked to return to his home school, and it was hard to get him to articulate why. He seemed to miss friends from his home school and he didn't seem to be a good match for the particular HGC teacher he had. He acknowledged that he liked having a peer group that kept up with his pace, and he did make some good friends. We felt torn and a little disappointed for him. We told him to give 5th grade a try, which he has, and he's been happier this year. Seems like a new teacher helped things. It can be a long day with a bus ride (for us, it meant leaving home at 8:15 and returning home around 4:45). He didn't seem to mind the long day, but last year he was bullied on the bus ride by the older kids. Removing him from the bus also helped. And this year those older kids are gone. . . We were also aware of another child in our HGC who was pretty unhappy because of some incidents related to bad behavior among classmates on the chromebooks. Even "highly gifted" kids can be up to no good.

All this to say, it's not all sunshine and roses in the HGCs. What we really like about it is the solid peer group of high-performing kids. I appreciate the opportunity for my child, but I'd only give it a qualified recommendation.

[Anonymous]

No pros in my opinion. Just a breath of fresh air with a similar ability peer group and engaged and involved parents. HGC is everything that ALL SCHOOLS should be and are not. Ask the teachers who teach in any magnet programs how it feels to teach interested and able students.

[Anonymous]

We kept DS in home school aftercare and also enrolled afterschool activities in home school so he gained new friends in HGC but also kept his fiends in homeschool. We involved in two International nights every year and formed a team with home school kids for an EC activity.

[Anonymous]

We enrolled DC in morning care at the home school a few days a week. Between that and free play in the neighborhood, she keeps up pretty well with old friends. Academically, the HGC has been a huge pro. Socially, not quite as much. DD enjoyed the diversity of kids at the home school, but does seem to have more in common with the HGC kids (just not as much fun/humor).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think that at every school every year there are kids that get in that are not among the "very best performers in class." MAP testing is helpful but it's achievement oriented so some kids that are off the charts in cognitive testing may not look so great on MAP tests. The HGCs use a cognitive reasoning test as the main criteria. Grades, teacher recs also count but in our experience less so. It's different for MS and HS magnets where these other achievement criteria will really be the main thing they are looking for.

This was not the case at our school. No surprises about who got in, based on class performance, standardized test performance all the way etc. The only variable was that a few were off the charts in math, and a few off the charts in reading; only one, I think, in both. The HGC test has three parts. Those admitted have very high scores on two of the three, and don't bomb the third (DD got near-perfect scores on two of the three, and scored at median on the third).

[Anonymous]

I am conflicted about the HGC. I had all three children go through it and they benefited from it -- however it is also our home school so they walked there. I often said that the projects wouldn't be worth the bus ride. The math is the same -- although depending on your home school, you may find MORE of your child's math ability in the HGC.

The biggest benefit I can see is they take on bigger workload with a single teacher before middle school. Particularly if your child may go to a magnet middle school, going to an HGC is great preparation. Students who come from a 'regular' elementary school to a magnet middle school make a huge adjustment (middle school is an adjustment by itself).

My son did benefit from the socialization in the HGC. There were other children who liked pokemon, etc. The teachers were more ready to deal with a 'quirky' kid.

So, I'm conflicted. Now that they are back to differentiating math in each ES (like they should), I don't know if I would send my child 45 minutes on a bus for the projects. However, I did see the benefit of the program when they got to MS (but the other children adjusted eventually..). It's not an easy or automatic decision.

[Anonymous]

My DD is a 4th grader at an HGC now. It really has been a mixed bag. I really dislike the whole program concept and feel strongly that this kind of learning and gifted education should be available in EVERY school, but since it is not, there she is. We left the decision to go up to her. I was very surprised when she went, as she is a child who loved her home school and never really complained about being bored. And for the record, she primarily had P's (and even an I or 2) on her report card with few ES's because they are rarely given at our school. She did well on the test in and I am sure had good recommendations from teachers, because she is a bit of a teacher's dream kid. I have loved her teacher this year, but I am sort of ehhh about the program as a whole. It really has been a mixed bag for us. She misses her home school and does not feel connected to her new school at all. I intensely dislike the other 4th grade teacher, who gives significantly more homework, so I am happy that my kid is in the other class. We carpool in the morning to avoid the long bus ride and do the bus in the afternoon, which works well enough, though I hate the different schedule and I had to rearrange my work schedule around having kids in two schools. I think that my daughter is generally happy now (it was rough for a while, with lots of tears), but she will also say that it is not all good or all bad. There are definitely good and bad parts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think that at every school every year there are kids that get in that are not among the "very best performers in class." MAP testing is helpful but it's achievement oriented so some kids that are off the charts in cognitive testing may not look so great on MAP tests. The HGCs use a cognitive reasoning test as the main criteria. Grades, teacher recs also count but in our experience less so. It's different for MS and HS magnets where these other achievement criteria will really be the main thing they are looking for.

This was not the case at our school. No surprises about who got in, based on class performance, standardized test performance all the way etc. The only variable was that a few were off the charts in math, and a few off the charts in reading; only one, I think, in both. The HGC test has three parts. Those admitted have very high scores on two of the three, and don't bomb the third (DD got near-perfect scores on two of the three, and scored at median on the third).

How would you even know how other kids scored and how they score on other standardized tests?

[Anonymous]

The bus ride is the only downside. Child loves school now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think that at every school every year there are kids that get in that are not among the "very best performers in class." MAP testing is helpful but it's achievement oriented so some kids that are off the charts in cognitive testing may not look so great on MAP tests. The HGCs use a cognitive reasoning test as the main criteria. Grades, teacher recs also count but in our experience less so. It's different for MS and HS magnets where these other achievement criteria will really be the main thing they are looking for.

This was not the case at our school. No surprises about who got in, based on class performance, standardized test performance all the way etc. The only variable was that a few were off the charts in math, and a few off the charts in reading; only one, I think, in both. The HGC test has three parts. Those admitted have very high scores on two of the three, and don't bomb the third (DD got near-perfect scores on two of the three, and scored at median on the third).

How would you even know how other kids scored and how they score on other standardized tests?

People talk about this - especially Asian parents. Asian parents tend to be very open to sharing test scores, especially if their kid dies well!

(Before I get flamed for being racist, I am also Asian. I do discuss scores with other parents, and have found that I am less likely do discuss them with non-Asian parents, FWIW.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD is a 4th grader at an HGC now. It really has been a mixed bag. I really dislike the whole program concept and feel strongly that this kind of learning and gifted education should be available in EVERY school, but since it is not, there she is. We left the decision to go up to her. I was very surprised when she went, as she is a child who loved her home school and never really complained about being bored. And for the record, she primarily had P's (and even an I or 2) on her report card with few ES's because they are rarely given at our school. She did well on the test in and I am sure had good recommendations from teachers, because she is a bit of a teacher's dream kid. I have loved her teacher this year, but I am sort of ehhh about the program as a whole. It really has been a mixed bag for us. She misses her home school and does not feel connected to her new school at all. I intensely dislike the other 4th grade teacher, who gives significantly more homework, so I am happy that my kid is in the other class. We carpool in the morning to avoid the long bus ride and do the bus in the afternoon, which works well enough, though I hate the different schedule and I had to rearrange my work schedule around having kids in two schools. I think that my daughter is generally happy now (it was rough for a while, with lots of tears), but she will also say that it is not all good or all bad. There are definitely good and bad parts.

If you are interested, you should apply for a COSA for the younger kid. That might help because you wouldn't have kids at two different school. We're at the Barnsley HGC and there are several families who got COSAs for their younger siblings to attend.

[Anonymous]

DC is at Barnsley ES HGC and is happy. Great group of friends, boys and girls. Great teachers. Likes bus ride (afternoon buses are only HGC kids, I think, morning are mix from other special programs). Biggest negative: kids will split up in MS. Some will go to Eastern or Takoma Park Magnet Programs, some to Parkland Program, others will apply and not get in and will end up at home MS. I think about 70% or more of the kids will apply to the magnets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think that at every school every year there are kids that get in that are not among the "very best performers in class." MAP testing is helpful but it's achievement oriented so some kids that are off the charts in cognitive testing may not look so great on MAP tests. The HGCs use a cognitive reasoning test as the main criteria. Grades, teacher recs also count but in our experience less so. It's different for MS and HS magnets where these other achievement criteria will really be the main thing they are looking for.

This was not the case at our school. No surprises about who got in, based on class performance, standardized test performance all the way etc. The only variable was that a few were off the charts in math, and a few off the charts in reading; only one, I think, in both. The HGC test has three parts. Those admitted have very high scores on two of the three, and don't bomb the third (DD got near-perfect scores on two of the three, and scored at median on the third).

How would you even know how other kids scored and how they score on other standardized tests?

People talk about this - especially Asian parents. Asian parents tend to be very open to sharing test scores, especially if their kid dies well!

(Before I get flamed for being racist, I am also Asian. I do discuss scores with other parents, and have found that I am less likely do discuss them with non-Asian parents, FWIW.)

Ugh. *does* well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD is a 4th grader at an HGC now. It really has been a mixed bag. I really dislike the whole program concept and feel strongly that this kind of learning and gifted education should be available in EVERY school, but since it is not, there she is. We left the decision to go up to her. I was very surprised when she went, as she is a child who loved her home school and never really complained about being bored. And for the record, she primarily had P's (and even an I or 2) on her report card with few ES's because they are rarely given at our school. She did well on the test in and I am sure had good recommendations from teachers, because she is a bit of a teacher's dream kid. I have loved her teacher this year, but I am sort of ehhh about the program as a whole. It really has been a mixed bag for us. She misses her home school and does not feel connected to her new school at all. I intensely dislike the other 4th grade teacher, who gives significantly more homework, so I am happy that my kid is in the other class. We carpool in the morning to avoid the long bus ride and do the bus in the afternoon, which works well enough, though I hate the different schedule and I had to rearrange my work schedule around having kids in two schools. I think that my daughter is generally happy now (it was rough for a while, with lots of tears), but she will also say that it is not all good or all bad. There are definitely good and bad parts.

If you are interested, you should apply for a COSA for the younger kid. That might help because you wouldn't have kids at two different school. We're at the Barnsley HGC and there are several families who got COSAs for their younger siblings to attend.

This only works idyll can transport your younger to school. Not allowed on HGC bus.