GT Magnets

[Anonymous]

From: 11:02. The school I'm referring to is Fox Chapel. Anyone has experience with this school's GT program?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From: 11:02. The school I'm referring to is Fox Chapel. Anyone has experience with this school's GT program?

Many studesnts in our homeschool do not apply because of Fox Chapel's perceived issues within local population. I have a close friend whose child went to Fox Chapel and they pulled him out after significant frustrations with the schoool adminstartion. He did well in his homeschool and then went on to be accepted in two magnet MS programs. This is just one second hand experience though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tons of self confidence from being at the top? Is that a good thing?

In general, being surrounded by other bright students should meant that kids are less obviously "at the top"! No experience yet with the centers, but I know from my youth that chances to be surrounded by other gifted students meant that I was feeling more challenged and had to work harder for my success. So the increased self-confidence wasn't the result of any sort of label but from pushing myself and then feeling good about it.

Confidence comes from being able to challenge oneself not from labels.

[Anonymous]

We are moving from DC to MD next year with a DS entering 5th grade, currently at a private school. He has taken WISC-IV and SCAT and done relatively well. What tests are administered for the GT? Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately your child will have to wait out 5th grade and apply for a GT middle spot. You have to apply for GT 4 and 5 in 3rd grade. Not a good system but the way it is. I think it is the SCAT test.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unfortunately your child will have to wait out 5th grade and apply for a GT middle spot. You have to apply for GT 4 and 5 in 3rd grade. Not a good system but the way it is. I think it is the SCAT test.

Ah.. thats too bad. I read somewhere here that they use CoGAT as well in Montgomery county specifically.

[Anonymous]

I think it's the Cogat for ES magnet and the SCAT for MS magnet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's the Cogat for ES magnet and the SCAT for MS magnet.

I thought it was ravens matrices test for the ES magnets?

[Anonymous]

Raven is given to all 2nd graders as part of the global screening. This test is just for those applying to HGC for 4th. I think it is the SCAT but I am not sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Raven is given to all 2nd graders as part of the global screening. This test is just for those applying to HGC for 4th. I think it is the SCAT but I am not sure.

do the teachers see the test results from scat/cogat before writing up their recommendations? or are the teacher's recommendations blind with respect to test results?

[Anonymous]

Aren't they all kind of similar anyway? Number of these different tests is mind boggling and confusing to the parents and I would hate having to put my child through these tests at such an early age. And, in the end they are hardly accurate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Aren't they all kind of similar anyway? Number of these different tests is mind boggling and confusing to the parents and I would hate having to put my child through these tests at such an early age. And, in the end they are hardly accurate.

in second grade they do global testing for G&T plus 3 days of standardized testing (terra novas) so it's not like standardized testing is anything new or unusual.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Aren't they all kind of similar anyway? Number of these different tests is mind boggling and confusing to the parents and I would hate having to put my child through these tests at such an early age. And, in the end they are hardly accurate.

I think you're off on multiple counts.

The tests are not all that similar. Raven's matrices is entirely visual/spatial (here's a pattern, a part is missing, which piece would complete the pattern). Cogat is verbal reasoning, vocabulary, and verbal memory. SCAT is verbal reasoning and mathematical reasoning. (Now if you'd said, why would any narrow test be considered a stand-in for overall ability I might have agreed).

It's confusing to parents but you can do a bit of homework and figure it out (see above).

I've never known a gifted kid who felt they were being "put through these tests". Every kid I've ever talked to said it was fun to figure out the test, and they often add that it's more fun than regular school.

The accuracy part is more debatable - it depends on how you're using the test.

FWIW, I write as a parent who turned down admission to a GT center for my DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Aren't they all kind of similar anyway? Number of these different tests is mind boggling and confusing to the parents and I would hate having to put my child through these tests at such an early age. And, in the end they are hardly accurate.

I think you're off on multiple counts.

The tests are not all that similar. Raven's matrices is entirely visual/spatial (here's a pattern, a part is missing, which piece would complete the pattern). Cogat is verbal reasoning, vocabulary, and verbal memory. SCAT is verbal reasoning and mathematical reasoning. (Now if you'd said, why would any narrow test be considered a stand-in for overall ability I might have agreed).

It's confusing to parents but you can do a bit of homework and figure it out (see above).

I've never known a gifted kid who felt they were being "put through these tests". Every kid I've ever talked to said it was fun to figure out the test, and they often add that it's more fun than regular school.

The accuracy part is more debatable - it depends on how you're using the test.

FWIW, I write as a parent who turned down admission to a GT center for my DC.

I have a year before we need to think about this. Yes - these tests are too narrow to decide overall ability and the maturity to be able to handle advancement. I said I hate to see children being put through this, not just gifted children. Maybe you speak to only gifted children?

May I know your reasons for turning down admission?

[Anonymous]

I think the second grade test scores/teacher recommedations/reading scores/grades all play in too. That makes it seem pretty broad to me. How many indicators can you use? My child did actually think all the tests were fun. It is really only a few hours spread out over several days.