New to DC, looking for a school for my "gifted" son (Kindergarten)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He's not gifted. He has normal skills and a good knowledge base.

I would suggest stop treating him as a freak. Studies have shown that elementary gifted-track childern end up doing no better than normal-track kids because gifted on tests doesn't mean anything later as the material gets harder. You are welcome.

This is absolutely correct.

[Anonymous]

The tuition at the Smithsonian full day pre-k and k was pretty reasonable when I checked it last year. Welcome to DC!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How high is high?

In this area, there is a very high concentration of kids who test at or above national standard levels for gifted identification, both in the gifted or AAP program and in the general ed population.

The standards for gifted placement are much higher than in the rest of the country.

For example, one of my children scored 97% nationally on the qualifying tests for the AAP program. This score, which would have placed her in any other gifted program in the country, was too low for Fairfax County and more than a few points below the cut off. When the scores were separated for just Fairfax county, the same 97% national scores were below 90% in Fairfax County. My child is one of many kids who did not qualify for gifted services here, in spite of scores that would have been a lock in other states.

That will give you an idea of the level of achievement in this area. It might be dramatically different than the state where you are coming from. The skills you describe seem typical for many kids in this area. It sounds trite, but it is true. Given the limited description you included, your child will very likely have a decent sized peer group starting on time, and quite possibly a bit behind if he starts early.

My other child qualified for gifted services in two other states before coming to this area. In the other states, even starting school a week after turning five, this child was heads and shoulders above other kids in the same grade, and often receiving independent work or was just grouped with one or two other kids.

This kid has test scores in the upper 99% range.

In Fairfax County, my kid who was an anomaly in all other schools attended, has a definite peer group of many kids who are around the same level of achievement. There is also a smaller yet reasonable group of kids performing above my kid. In Fairfax County, this kid who was alone or one of two throughout all other school years, is at what I would consider the bottom of the top here.

I think that unless your kid is a real intellectual freak/savant type learner, then waiting to enroll in kindergarten on time will not be a waste for him. He will have a definite intellectual peer group if you are in any of the 10 or so high achieving pyramids. He will have the opportunity to learn and grow. He is more likely to have a positive experience starting on time than he will starting as a 4 year old with kids who are almost 6 or going to turn 7 by the end of the summer.

You need to research the average test scores for this area and compare them to your son's. Likely, he is not an outlier but fairly typical.

You also might consider that test scores on a four year old are often very fluid and unreliable. You would hate to set up his entire school career based off scores that may or may not remain stable as he continues in school.

I agree 100% with this and I have two gifted kids, one with an IEP in Fairfax county Schools. The education system here is rarefied and not necessarily in a good way. Competition is fierce and Tiger moms abound. This is not flyover country - and I mean it in a kind way. Please do not push your kid. I can't believe a panel would push a 4 year old into Kindergarten, especially with an IEP. I suggest you check in with Fairfax County Schools (if indeed that's where you are thinking of going) and see what they will require. I suspect they will want to run all their own testing again. He may or may not qualify for an IEP here in FCPS. At certain levels, some administrators see it as their life mission to deny kids their rights under IDEA and ADA. You may not qualify and you may not even want public. Visit the public kindergartens. Talk to a lot of fairfax parents. I am assuming his IEP has a comorbidity of Asperger's or ADHD. Just because he's gifted in I.Q. doesn't mean he is socially ready for K at 4. I have genius level kids who can't get out of bed in the morning without firm parental direction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you do realize it is very common in this area for kids that age to read, write and do basic math. Mine is 4.5 and has been reading for at least a year (can give him a new book or word and he read it), addition and subtraction and other stuff. To me, it is more about exposure than gifted at this age. We work on it.

Yes, I was surprised to hear how competitive people on the east coast are. I come from a rural area in another country and kids went to the local school and did rural kid stuff, not so much focus on "prestige", I guess.

People are very competitive but it is also parenting. Parents should be working with their kids at home to prepare them for school. My kid learned to read on his own. It shocked us as it came so easy to him. We worked with him but not to the level where he could read new things so easily. You sound far more competitive than anyone I know. I would never come out and say it as you get strange looks and no one believes you when you say that but they are also the parents who expect the teachers/schools to do all the teaching, only want play based in preschool and everything should be about fun.

[Anonymous]

Am I understanding this correctly?
If the child is turning 5 this September, he's not starting K early.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you do realize it is very common in this area for kids that age to read, write and do basic math. Mine is 4.5 and has been reading for at least a year (can give him a new book or word and he read it), addition and subtraction and other stuff. To me, it is more about exposure than gifted at this age. We work on it.

Yes, I was surprised to hear how competitive people on the east coast are. I come from a rural area in another country and kids went to the local school and did rural kid stuff, not so much focus on "prestige", I guess.

People are very competitive but it is also parenting. Parents should be working with their kids at home to prepare them for school. My kid learned to read on his own. It shocked us as it came so easy to him. We worked with him but not to the level where he could read new things so easily. You sound far more competitive than anyone I know. I would never come out and say it as you get strange looks and no one believes you when you say that but they are also the parents who expect the teachers/schools to do all the teaching, only want play based in preschool and everything should be about fun.

Play-based preschool is the best kind of preschool for a child's developing brain, all the experts agree. You all sound unhinged.

[Anonymous]

At this point, most private an montessori schools have already filled their slots for the year (this is usually done in Feb/March). Your child meets the regular cutoff for VA and DC, so he can proceed to K in either location without any hoops to jump through.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Am I understanding this correctly?
If the child is turning 5 this September, he's not starting K early.

Not if you live in Maryland, cutoff is 9/1

[Anonymous]

If he is going to be five in September you will be up against school cut offs. Montgomery County has a Sept 1 cutoff and EEK testing and admissions decisions are done. Not sure about DC or VA. My suggestion would be to figure out where you want to live and see gilt there is a local private that will accept him. Otherwise not sure where you can go. With an IEP your choices are somewhat limited because you aren't going to get services at a private. Maybe you want to cross post on the special needs forum

Also this is not a Fairfax board. You can get good recommendations for the entire greater DC area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If he is going to be five in September you will be up against school cut offs. Montgomery County has a Sept 1 cutoff and EEK testing and admissions decisions are done. Not sure about DC or VA. My suggestion would be to figure out where you want to live and see gilt there is a local private that will accept him. Otherwise not sure where you can go. With an IEP your choices are somewhat limited because you aren't going to get services at a private. Maybe you want to cross post on the special needs forum

Also this is not a Fairfax board. You can get good recommendations for the entire greater DC area.

The AAP program is only in Fairfax County, so this is a Fairfax board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If he is going to be five in September you will be up against school cut offs. Montgomery County has a Sept 1 cutoff and EEK testing and admissions decisions are done. Not sure about DC or VA. My suggestion would be to figure out where you want to live and see gilt there is a local private that will accept him. Otherwise not sure where you can go. With an IEP your choices are somewhat limited because you aren't going to get services at a private. Maybe you want to cross post on the special needs forum

Also this is not a Fairfax board. You can get good recommendations for the entire greater DC area.

The AAP program is only in Fairfax County, so this is a Fairfax board.

There are advanced academic programs in all area jurisdictions and there have been threads about all jurisdictions in this forum. It is not exclusive to Fairfax County- although it does seem to dominate.

Signed, a Fairfax County resident.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So he will be turning 5 in September? Isn't the cutoff Sept 30 (in VA at least). He would be enrolling in K this year normally, right? Rent something in a neighborhood with a strong elementary school and he will have a cohort of like-minded learners. You won't get an IEP in DC, VA or MD just for giftedness. If his social skills are delayed enough, he might qualify for social supports.

What's your rental budget and how big of a place do you need? That's really your starting point.

Yes, he turns 5 in mid-Sept., so we should be ok in Virginia. Maybe not in Maryland since we are not there yet to have taken the testing on time. (In the state where we thought we would be, the cut-off was August.) Apparently the IEP is portable, but the recommendations are quite vague (e.g., "would benefit from enrichment, accelerated activities, advanced materials" etc.), so no worries there. He may need social support but it isn't discussed in the plan, so I assume we would just wait to see how it goes.

Our rental budget will be stretched at $1600/ mo. until my husband finds a position, and we would like to have a 2 bedroom. I guess that is wishful thinking in the DC area!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So he will be turning 5 in September? Isn't the cutoff Sept 30 (in VA at least). He would be enrolling in K this year normally, right? Rent something in a neighborhood with a strong elementary school and he will have a cohort of like-minded learners. You won't get an IEP in DC, VA or MD just for giftedness. If his social skills are delayed enough, he might qualify for social supports.

What's your rental budget and how big of a place do you need? That's really your starting point.

Yes, he turns 5 in mid-Sept., so we should be ok in Virginia. Maybe not in Maryland since we are not there yet to have taken the testing on time. (In the state where we thought we would be, the cut-off was August.) Apparently the IEP is portable, but the recommendations are quite vague (e.g., "would benefit from enrichment, accelerated activities, advanced materials" etc.), so no worries there. He may need social support but it isn't discussed in the plan, so I assume we would just wait to see how it goes.

Our rental budget will be stretched at $1600/ mo. until my husband finds a position, and we would like to have a 2 bedroom. I guess that is wishful thinking in the DC area!

Talk to the people with whom you will be working. They many know of a basement apartment or over garage or other arrangement. There are one and two bedroom apartments in SFH scattered around NOVA, but people don't advertise them. It may be a while for your DH to find a job, open librarian jobs are rare and the local public libraries and schools have been cutting not adding positions.

[Anonymous]

@13:09: Is it safe to assume that "Tiger Moms" are the educational equivalent to "Hockey Dads"? So many interesting new terms. Red shirt = holding a kid back a year? What is "flyover country"? I thought that referred to the midwest...

He has not been diagnosed with Asperger or anything else (though people thought he might have had it earlier on), but he does have some quirks that sometimes make socializing with young kids challenging. (I am sure he is not genius level, just extremely curious, great memory, etc. but is terrified of little kids and gets "worn out" from socializing quickly.) I am sure we will figure things out. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If he is going to be five in September you will be up against school cut offs. Montgomery County has a Sept 1 cutoff and EEK testing and admissions decisions are done. Not sure about DC or VA. My suggestion would be to figure out where you want to live and see gilt there is a local private that will accept him. Otherwise not sure where you can go. With an IEP your choices are somewhat limited because you aren't going to get services at a private. Maybe you want to cross post on the special needs forum

Also this is not a Fairfax board. You can get good recommendations for the entire greater DC area.

The AAP program is only in Fairfax County, so this is a Fairfax board.

Here's the answer:
"Advanced Academic Programs (AAP)
Primarily for discussion of Fairfax County's Advanced Academic Programs, but open for discussion of AAP and similar programs elsewhere as well."