Interview with GT, ex-MCPS, African-American Parent

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Genuinely curious: why is a move to the next grade level not acceptable long term? What is a more permanent solution? Because if the child does not have a peer group within his/her own classroom, then what other option is there?

Well, I should say in most cases it is not an acceptable long term option. If the teachers involved make a conscientious effort to dovetail their schedules, so that they are both consistently teaching math and language arts at the same time of day, every day, then it can work. However, if they try to do this schoolwide they will run into scheduling problems with other teachers.

And all too foten I have seen teachers officially say that a child is going to the next grade up for math or reading, only 2 days out of five, either she cancels the exchange (we're having a speaker come in, or are doing a project, or the child needs to take a test for some otehr subject, or some other thing ran a little long....) or the receiving teacher cancels the exhange (for the same reasons).

If a second grade teacher cancels math instructino one day for her own class, it isn't any big deal because she knows when she'll make up the lesson. But if the first grade teacher keeps the firstgrade child out of going to the second greade class one day for math instruction... it doesn't necessarily get made up. If it happens frequently, the result can be rather fragmented, catch-as-catch-can instruction.

If the child is overall pretty smart, it might no seem like much of a problem. BUt there's no telling how far that child would have gotten, with regular consistent instruction.

And yes, you are exactly right -- if only one child is working on that grade level in the class, there may not seem as if there is another option. That's why kids who are working at "advanced" levels in schools with more kids like them generally are better served at schools with a bigger peer group. They get far more attention and consistent, regular instruction by their classroom teacher than those who stand out as the only child working above grade level.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for taking the time to post that explanation. It was very helpful.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for posting this article. I think I was particularly struck by this part of the article "research shows that high-achieving students of color have fewer friends than high-achieving white students as they progress through high school." It's odd because recently I was noticing that when it came to certain educational things - my African-American friends seemed to have a similar outlook and the non-AA friends had a different outlook. When I read this article, I realized this may be part of it. Among the AA crowd - we went to high schools in different parts of the country but all had very similar experiences with acceptance being in the honors and GT classes. Sometimes it was about what teachers thought were your potential and capability - other times it was about fellow students giving us a hard time. Adding to all this my parents were really the first generation where there were more opportunities open to them so I was raised with the idea that if the job required a college degree you needed to have a masters - having more than the minimum the job required if you wanted to get your foot in the door. Well my girls will be starting MCPS next year so we will see if it lives up to the press.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for posting this article. I think I was particularly struck by this part of the article "research shows that high-achieving students of color have fewer friends than high-achieving white students as they progress through high school." It's odd because recently I was noticing that when it came to certain educational things - my African-American friends seemed to have a similar outlook and the non-AA friends had a different outlook. When I read this article, I realized this may be part of it. Among the AA crowd - we went to high schools in different parts of the country but all had very similar experiences with acceptance being in the honors and GT classes. Sometimes it was about what teachers thought were your potential and capability - other times it was about fellow students giving us a hard time. Adding to all this my parents were really the first generation where there were more opportunities open to them so I was raised with the idea that if the job required a college degree you needed to have a masters - having more than the minimum the job required if you wanted to get your foot in the door. Well my girls will be starting MCPS next year so we will see if it lives up to the press.

I don't think that's an accurate generalization. This past summer, I attended a workshop where the guest speaker, an AA Harvard professor, shared his studies regarding ethnicity and student achievement. If I remember correctly, students were more inclined to judge others - regardless of race - on music and clothing choice, not academic achievement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Maybe our principal is better at providing an environment that promotes identification of kids needing acceleration than her child's principal was. We'll see how it goes as my kids get older. I'll watch the writing education.

I think that's very likely to be the case -- how a principal handles and enforces differentiation at the top end of the spectrum makes a huge difference.

I'm the PP -- I'd like to add that IMO moving a child to the next grade level up for differentiated math or reading is not an acceptable soution long term. It may be a stop gap measure until something more permanent can be worked out. But it is definitely not ideal.

Genuinely curious: why is a move to the next grade level not acceptable long term? What is a more permanent solution? Because if the child does not have a peer group within his/her own classroom, then what other option is there?

I've seen elementary schools run specific schedules like class periods in high school where students change rooms for specific subjects like math. This works if there is not alot of fragmentation and pull-outs.

[Anonymous]

Interesting analysis of MCPS gifted and talented hoopla

http://www.examiner.com/x-29782-DC-Gifted-Education-Examiner