New Student of Fairfax County & GT Testing

[Anonymous]

Since the GT testing in Fairfax County Public Schools is administered in both second and third grades, how does FCPS handle new students that enroll in their schools who haven't taken the GT test? I'm currently in a school district and in a state which doesn't offer much for GT students.

My husband and I are relocating back to the DC area sometime next summer. However, my child will be entering third grade next year. Would my child miss the cut off date for GT testing? Would FCPS only count the third grade test to enter into the GT pool or would my child have to make up the GT test that the second graders take as well?

I read on their site about a reference to a psychologist at George Mason University that conducts educational, IQ, and GT testing. However, that site does not mention the cost. Should I have my child tested by an independent psychologist before the start of third grade? Also, has anyone ever had their child tested by the psychologists at George Mason or any other independent psychologist? If so, how much do the GT tests cost?

Sorry for asking so many questions. I just want to be prepared before our move next year.

Thanks in advance for taking the time to answer my questions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Since the GT testing in Fairfax County Public Schools is administered in both second and third grades, how does FCPS handle new students that enroll in their schools who haven't taken the GT test?

Check out the specifics in the parent packet:

http://www.fcps.edu/is/aap/forms.shtml

For Students Not Enrolled in FCPS

This packet contains information regarding screening, testing, and identification procedures is for parents/guardians of students who are not enrolled in FCPS and who would like their child screened for full-time Advanced Academic Programs (AAP) (Level IV). This packet explains the screening process and provides the deadlines to be met.

http://www.fcps.edu/is/aap/packet/ParentInformationPacketnonFCPS.pdf

Anonymous wrote:I read on their site about a reference to a psychologist at George Mason University that conducts educational, IQ, and GT testing. However, that site does not mention the cost. Should I have my child tested by an independent psychologist before the start of third grade? Also, has anyone ever had their child tested by the psychologists at George Mason or any other independent psychologist? If so, how much do the GT tests cost?

Since you are relocating over the summer, I would arrive with the testing already done. Personally I would go with an independent psychologist vs. GMU (who uses graduate students for testing), but that's just a matter of preference. WISC-IV testing is in the range of $375 - $475. (Not sure about NNAT or CogAT testing.)

You may want to contact the AAP office directly and ask for advice:

http://www.fcps.edu/is/aap/directory.shtml

Dr. Carol V. Horn
K-12 Program Coordinator
[e-mail]

FAIRFAX RIDGE BUILDING
3877 Fairfax Ridge Rd - 3rd Floor
Fairfax, VA 22030
[phone]
[phone] (Fax)

[Anonymous]

I agree. Contact the office directly. If you approach them with test scores in hand, they may be able get him placed in AAP for third grade if he qualifies.

[Anonymous]

my friend's kid was put into general ed when they moved here from other state. She took cogat test at school in Nov. She was put in the aap class in Jan. when she got the score. The school has aap which may make things easier. A group test in GMU costs about $150 and you can get score in 2 weeks. The test can be only taken in Jan or Sept.

[Anonymous]

Someone on the FCAG Yahoo group posted that they moved to Fairfax County from abroad (over the summer), rented a home, submitted the AAP referral paperwork, and were able to get AAP placement for their student within days of applying. You may want to check with that poster to find out more.

[Anonymous]

OP -- FCPS has a procedure for immediate placement posted on their website:

http://www.fcps.edu/is/newaap/identificationntc.shtml

[Anonymous]

OP Here- Thanks everyone! I really appreciate your assistance.

[Anonymous]

We just went through this last year, too. We had our child tested with a private psychologist on the recommendation of her teacher, and figured we would decide based on her scores whether or not to pursue AAP placement.

Her scores were not off the charts, but definitely high enough for us to proceed with the process. We had the teacher at her previous school fill out the GBRS, submitted one or two work samples, and filled out the parent questionnaire.

When we arrived back in the area, we stopped at the school to register her, and had set up the appointment with the AAP office for the following day. While the intake woman was a bit off-putting, we made sure that everything was in order.

We received the letter advising her acceptance about a week and a half later -- ironically it arrived on the day AFTER it said we had to let them know if we wanted her in the program (wth?). Our base school is a center, so it didn't change much except which class room she was in, but I am glad I went through the effort to spare her yet another transition in January (if we had waited for the regularly-scheduled testing for new FCPS students).