A non-HGC Question: what happens to the kids left behind at the home school?
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Anonymous
| Just wondering what happens to the differentiation once kids have been siphoned off to the HGC. Does the whole level of teaching shift to less acceleration? Are there fewer levels of reading and math taught? Do the kids left behind like it better when the "smart" ones are gone? Wondering what parents think of the class makeup post-HGC departures. |
Anonymous
| I think it is so few kids that it hardly matters. There is one HGC to 4 sets of high schools which is probably 16 ES's I assume 2 kids per school-ish (?) |
Anonymous
| Yep -- 1 - 2 kids from each local school, usually. So it really doesn't change much. |
Anonymous
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Wow, I had no idea that it was so low. I guess that it would make no impact at all. Thanks.
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Anonymous
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DC got into HGC and we decided not to send him. He is one of several kids in his class who either got in or were wait-listed or whose parents simply decided not to try to send him. The high level differentiation still exists and he has a peer group at his current school. He is also getting 2 years ahead math, which is the acceleration he most needs.
That's a long way of saying that nothing changes at the home school so long as your child already has peers there. And there are some schools who get many more kids into HGC than 1 or 2 (though that 1 or 2 is probably the norm.) We're at a school where a far higher number got in this past year -- more than a dozen. |
Anonymous
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Agree, not much changes at the home school when HGC kids leave for the reason stated above, not enough get in from any one school to seriously change the classroom dynamic.
Also for another reason -- these HGC kids usually aren't being served at their level in their homeschool anyway, that's why there's a special program for them. Example -- the top reading group in a class may only be reading 2 years above level. It contains 5 kids. The child who got into the HGC is actually reading 6 years above level, so the reading group never served him/her anyway. When he/she leaves, that "top" level reading group will still exist and will continue to serve the 4 kids "left behind" at their level, which was only 2 years ahead anyway. |
Anonymous
| 19:48. More than a dozen? Which school is that? There are so few classes for the county, I am shocked that more than a dozen spots went to one school. I would think a school with that exceptional of a group of kids could have classes for them there. Though I guess since it can't happen every year one year fluke they would not have the resources for the one year. |
Anonymous
I'm going to guess Piney Branch in Takoma. Unless 19:48 responds. |
Anonymous
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I'm going to guess Piney Branch in Takoma. Unless 19:48 responds. Fallsmead and Wayside |
Anonymous
| If one school has so many children in one grade qualifying for HGC, maybe they should have their own HGC for 4th and 5th grade, creating more seats for other qualified kids. |
Anonymous
| wHO PAYS? |
Anonymous
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HGCs don't cost any more than regular classes, except for the extra busses.
In fact, they have a higher number of kids per class than neighborhood schools in many cases. And when my child went to the HGC that covers Piney Branch, there weren't a dozen kids from PBES. So maybe it varies a lot from year to year. |
Anonymous
| Therefore no extra funds are required to make this happen? |
Anonymous
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Well, if you had a school that was already full and you had to add classrooms, there would be a cost to that.
My point is that the existing HGCs don't cost more than regular classrooms except for the bus issue. |
Anonymous
| I believe there is a HGC coordinator for each program..not sure if it is full time though. |