Bright child in early elementary- what are my options?

[Anonymous]

Music lessons, chess, puzzles, lots of trips to the library. It will all work out.
Signed,
Mom of kid who tested 99% 2 or 3 grades up who used to worry about these things and now not sure why I did

[Anonymous]

PP again. Also mean to mention, it depends on the school but there are no options generally In MCPS until grade 4+.

[Anonymous]

OP, my DD is also in first grade and has similar stats. We've been having fun engaging her in games that make her think. Her favorite activities right now are:

--playing strategy games. Right now she likes Labrynth and Settlers of Catan (adult version)

--playing store with real money. We've put price tags on lots of her toys and she will sell them to us. If I get a doll for 0.63 and a ball for 0.92, how much change does she have to give me if I pay her $2? She loves this game!

--along with her interest in playing store she has decided that she wants to open a hot chocolate stand on the first snow day. She's been working determining the cost of goods for a cup of hot chocolate so it's profitable. Next up, she wants to build a stand with her dad. She's drawn a blueprint and we're working on refining it.

--her favorite game while waiting at a restaurant is Suduko. She loves logic games and numbers.

We're working on adding an instrument to her list of activities this spring. She wasn't ready last year, but suddenly seems up for it.

[Anonymous]

I'm sorry, OP that no one on this thread has a truly highly gifted child and they are not giving good advice. It is not fair for a student who is so far ahead of his peers in school to have to endure the boredom that comes with being in a classroom all day that doesn't meet his needs. All the enrichment in the world is not going to solve that problem for your child during those long school days. Unfortunately, MCPS does not offer much for highly gifted students. A pull out here and there, possibly advanced groupings for reading and math... I ended up homeschooling my gifted son for 5 years until he could enter a middle school magnet program. There is a fairly large gifted homeschool community in the DC area (since the schools don't measure up). Also you may want to check out Feynman school, a gifted private school in Bethesda with a high price tag. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

PP here. You may want to look at language immersion schools within MCPS to challenge your child academically during the school day. I did that with my son in preschool and it was great--he was very engaged in the foreign language. (He could already read by age two so preschool was quite boring without the added foreign language challenge.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm sorry, OP that no one on this thread has a truly highly gifted child and they are not giving good advice. It is not fair for a student who is so far ahead of his peers in school to have to endure the boredom that comes with being in a classroom all day that doesn't meet his needs. All the enrichment in the world is not going to solve that problem for your child during those long school days. Unfortunately, MCPS does not offer much for highly gifted students. A pull out here and there, possibly advanced groupings for reading and math... I ended up homeschooling my gifted son for 5 years until he could enter a middle school magnet program. There is a fairly large gifted homeschool community in the DC area (since the schools don't measure up). Also you may want to check out Feynman school, a gifted private school in Bethesda with a high price tag. Good luck!

Sorry but a kid who is mid way through first grade an reads at 'almost'' fourth grade (aka 3rd) is a prodigy requiring special schooling. Third grade reading basically means you can read! The standards are low. My dyslexic struggling reader was on grade level in 1. On grade level was the lowest group...where they were barely reading.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm sorry, OP that no one on this thread has a truly highly gifted child and they are not giving good advice. It is not fair for a student who is so far ahead of his peers in school to have to endure the boredom that comes with being in a classroom all day that doesn't meet his needs. All the enrichment in the world is not going to solve that problem for your child during those long school days. Unfortunately, MCPS does not offer much for highly gifted students. A pull out here and there, possibly advanced groupings for reading and math... I ended up homeschooling my gifted son for 5 years until he could enter a middle school magnet program. There is a fairly large gifted homeschool community in the DC area (since the schools don't measure up). Also you may want to check out Feynman school, a gifted private school in Bethesda with a high price tag. Good luck!

Sorry but a kid who is mid way through first grade an reads at 'almost'' fourth grade (aka 3rd) is a prodigy requiring special schooling. Third grade reading basically means you can read! The standards are low. My dyslexic struggling reader was on grade level in 1. On grade level was the lowest group...where they were barely reading.

Should say...not a prodigy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm sorry, OP that no one on this thread has a truly highly gifted child and they are not giving good advice. It is not fair for a student who is so far ahead of his peers in school to have to endure the boredom that comes with being in a classroom all day that doesn't meet his needs. All the enrichment in the world is not going to solve that problem for your child during those long school days. Unfortunately, MCPS does not offer much for highly gifted students. A pull out here and there, possibly advanced groupings for reading and math... I ended up homeschooling my gifted son for 5 years until he could enter a middle school magnet program. There is a fairly large gifted homeschool community in the DC area (since the schools don't measure up). Also you may want to check out Feynman school, a gifted private school in Bethesda with a high price tag. Good luck!

Guess it was a miracle but my highly gifted child did somehow manage to survive being bored in school until magnet opportunities were available.

[Anonymous]

If you all seriously believe that up to 40% of MCPS 1st grade students read at the 4th grade level, then you're living in some kind of lake wobegon fantasy. OP, consider having your child skip a grade.

[Anonymous]

We did nothing. Nothing! Until 3rd grade. At that point we eased in with things like readtheory, Kahn academy, mathletics, beast academy, AoPS, kumon, private tutor. I mean we really eased in. Not all at once.

Please let your child be a child. I personally think at least 3rd grade before you start enriching. Before then is just completely child led.

[Anonymous]

What does your child like? Music? Animals? Art? Look into opportunities to encourage those interests.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DC is in 1st grade; however, has been in the 99% in the MAP (math) the past two tests and reads at an almost 4th grade level. As a new parent to MCPS, what enrichment pathways are available to keep DC engaged and excited about learning? DC is already pulled out for reading and math. No clue as to what opportunities MCPS offers. FYI- we read at home, but do not do any math enrichment at home.

OP you're not going to get a lot of kindness on DCUM that being said, I have a very gifted 1st grader and a 2nd grader who has learning difficulties. We do extra tutoring and therapy for my 2nd grader but younger one just seems to have a natural aptitude for math. Her teacher suggested some workbooks that we ordered through Amazon and when she burned through those (they were 2nd grade math) we signed her up for Kumon. She's doing 3rd grade math now and really enjoys it but she is still very much at the emotional/social level of a 1st grader so anything we do is "extra" and for fun. I would recommend that you explore extra workbooks or games and when your child is beyond that you assess whether they are ready for outside help or maybe advancing in a school setting. Best of luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm sorry, OP that no one on this thread has a truly highly gifted child and they are not giving good advice. It is not fair for a student who is so far ahead of his peers in school to have to endure the boredom that comes with being in a classroom all day that doesn't meet his needs. All the enrichment in the world is not going to solve that problem for your child during those long school days. Unfortunately, MCPS does not offer much for highly gifted students. A pull out here and there, possibly advanced groupings for reading and math... I ended up homeschooling my gifted son for 5 years until he could enter a middle school magnet program. There is a fairly large gifted homeschool community in the DC area (since the schools don't measure up). Also you may want to check out Feynman school, a gifted private school in Bethesda with a high price tag. Good luck!

Guess it was a miracle but my highly gifted child did somehow manage to survive being bored in school until magnet opportunities were available.

I found that my gifted child seemed to make her own way. She would add spelling words to her list for more challenge. She would write a few extra word problems on the back on the original math sheet. When she liked a school project she would do it again at home on a different topic. She always had her own books with her at school. Some teachers kind of ignored her and others really took an interest. My grade level kid was the one who would tell you school was boring. My gifted kid loved school every year and is now a Blair magnet senior.

[Anonymous]

Many parents with highly able kids struggle with this. A friend tried adamantly to skip K but teachers/admin refused. My DC was highly gifted in math (taught himself to multiply and divide fluently in K). But there was nothing short of homeschooling that we could have done. He’s in 4th now and was bored in math throughout but now is at least enjoying the faster paced compacted math. It’s really not fair that these kids have to go through the same curriculum as their slower counterparts. It’s almost as we’re punished for teaching our kids to read before K. But I’ve always hated this aspect about public school. Everyone has to learn at the same pace. Admin says the slower kids catch up, sure but at the expense of the rest of the kids not learning anything for several years.
I heard of this charter school in DC where kids learn on their own via videos that they can pause and repeat if needed and have small group discussions with the teacher. Sounds like that is the way to go. Sorry OP, join the club

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you all seriously believe that up to 40% of MCPS 1st grade students read at the 4th grade level, then you're living in some kind of lake wobegon fantasy. OP, consider having your child skip a grade.

In the W schools I’d bet that amount are at the 4th grade level in whatever chart they use. My kid is middle of the pack and was at a 3rd grade level in 1st.