Private School for Gifted and Talented Child in NOVA or DC?

[Anonymous]

Well, I've just learned that gifted and talented education in my city of residence basically sucks. I'm trying to find out if there is a private school that can do it any better. The one private school I've talked to so far said they handle it by giving gifted kids "extra work." That's not exactly what I was looking for.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a private school (K-6, K-8, or K-12) in Northern Virginia or DC that handles gifted and talented education really well? Let me distinguish between bright kids and gifted kids. Bright kids are very good at grade-level tasks or a little ahead of their grade level. A gifted child is often 4, 5 or more grades ahead of their grade level and has a completely different way of looking at the world. They need more support than just being given extra work. They need a tailored education that responds to where they are at intellectually, while grounding them socially. Again, we're looking for schools that can support truly gifted children.

I've heard better things about Fairfax county's gifted and talented education, and while we'd prefer to stay in Alexandria, will consider moving as an option, too. That said, I've heard that Fairfax county's gifted and talented education is full of "bright" kids who just barely make the cut-off and that the programs are just a better quality education at grade level, rather than true gifted and talented education. Any opinions on that?

[Anonymous]

You likely aren't going to find what you're looking for in private schools. To find the type of differentiation and specialized instruction, you will need to look at either Fairfax public or Mont. County public schools. T.J. High School might be an option for high school.

[Anonymous]

OP, what grade is your child in right now? Is your child currently working 4, 5 or more grades ahead of grade level?

[Anonymous]

What does "talented" mean?

[Anonymous]

What does "truly gifted" mean?

[Anonymous]

Best to homeschool until TJ. You'll never be satisfied otherwise.

[Anonymous]

have friends in fairfax g&t programs whose kids definitely fit your definition of gifted. they had them in a montessori until third grade and then shifted to fairfax. seems to think it's been good so you may want to look into those again. i think they vary site by site as well....

[Anonymous]

My lab is gifted and talented. My Mercedes is gifted and talented (voice activated everything), my KitchenAid mixer is gifted and talented. We always oversell ourselves and our offspring. I take these original posts from people claiming to have genius children that are too good for STA with a grain of salt.

[Anonymous]

Nysmith or Edlin

[Anonymous]

In a nutshell, you simply won't find it anywhere in public or private. If you are looking for 4-5 grades above age you need to basically do it on your own looking to your county for some things but taking on the bulk by yourself. My DS attends Stanford University's online high school via their EPGY (educational program for Gifted youth). You may want to look there. Hopkins CTY offers a lot of awesome options but Stanford is unique in that they offer an actual high school. My son manages most of the work by himself. I hired a tutor for higher order math and physics (sorry... I don't remember one whit of calculus). Look to CTY for additional things to keep him busy and engaged and their summer programs are very fun and give your kid a chance to interact with other kids of similar interest. My son has several friends from school that he hangs out with. He does attend 'normal' school part of the day with differentiation. Keeping him in school was his choice, he does online work at home. It works out well for us because it gives him a peer group, field trips, Phys Ed, school dances and all the other fun parts he would miss if he totally home schooled. That and I have a FT job . I will tell you if you plan to meet with your school administration to secure a differentiated curriculum for your child come armed with test results and a plan because this is the DMV; every parent that meets with the principal is there because their "gifted" child is "bored" and needs a "challenge". Bring results they will understand. I brought Stanford Binet, OLSAT, SCAT and a plan. Oh, he does participate in 'normal' English class at school because he is far too busy to punctuate...

[Anonymous]

NP here-- 15:48, thanks for your response! Very informative!

[Anonymous]

Or simply skip high school (part or all) and send to college. If the kid is that gifted, Johns Hopkins and most other top tier private universities will take them early.

[Anonymous]

Yes, if they are a Sheldon Cooper they will take them but need to make sure they are ready for what their peers will expose them to and I'm not talking about string theory.

[Anonymous]

The ones I know who went early were very happy in college. Had people like themselves and finally had friends and fit in, challenging interesting work, etc whereas in earlier grades they had none of these things.

[Anonymous]

Do not send them early, wait until at least 17. Unless they are the most mature 16 year old you have ever encountered.

I'm good friends with a someone who went to college at 16, and his brothers went at 16-17. Their school is a top 5 school. They were too young maturity wise; them. They all say that...especially with alcohol foolishness that happens at College that they didn't experience in high school because they were skipping multiple grades.