Why does the HGC program not start until 4th grade?

[Anonymous]

I went to FCPS and switched schools in 3rd grade for the GT program. Elementary school was until 6th grade, so I was at the new school for 4 years.
Here in MoCo, the HGC program doesn't start till 4th and then after 5th they are off to middle school. It seems like a huge change for just two years. Why not start in 3rd?

[Anonymous]

More accurate to test kids in 3rd than second? I have no idea. Curious though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:More accurate to test kids in 3rd than second? I have no idea. Curious though.

Earlier scores aren't as accurate as scores in 3rd. Testing in 1st or 2nd would favor kids from enriched environments.

[Anonymous]

Because that's the way its been for many years? No idea. Probably more in MCPS admin want to get rid of the program than extend it. You do start to see more differences in kids in 3rd. In K the kids that were "advanced" were the ones you had been worked with. In 3rd many of the HGC admitted kids are in a completely different place academically.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because that's the way its been for many years? No idea. Probably more in MCPS admin want to get rid of the program than extend it. You do start to see more differences in kids in 3rd. In K the kids that were "advanced" were the ones you had been worked with. In 3rd many of the HGC admitted kids are in a completely different place academically.

So those who were advanced in K aren't always top of the class in 3rd? Or those who were behind in K are top of the class in 3rd? Which one is more likely that would make the program be more accurate at 4th than 3rd?

[Anonymous]

Reading certainly levels out...

[Anonymous]

Maybe some things level out. But some really top level kids stay ahead at an early age onwards. Current HGC kid taught self to read at age 4 and hasn't stopped going faster than his peers.

Would have loved for HGC to start earlier and go longer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe some things level out. But some really top level kids stay ahead at an early age onwards. Current HGC kid taught self to read at age 4 and hasn't stopped going faster than his peers.

Would have loved for HGC to start earlier and go longer.

I'm the OP and my child is also an early and ravenous reader, like yours--doing math beyond grade level, etc. Just in K now so 4th (assuming acceptance into the program) seems light years away, though I do wonder about the leveling off.

[Anonymous]

My kid was very accelerated vis a vis his peers in K - got pulled out of class for a reading group with the few other high readers. very quick at math. also tested 99% overall on the wppsi test at age 5 and 97% overall on the wisc iv at age 8. he was not admitted to an hgc. i share this only bc when my child was in K i would have thought he'd be admitted to the hgc.

[Anonymous]

PP - Just curious, did your son do poorly on the HGC test?

[Anonymous]

My son was admitted. He was an early reader but I don't think ever particularly stood out among his peers in K-2 at school. Our school has no acceleration or pull-outs and we did not ever do any outside testing. He seems to have really come into his own in the last year and scores well on the MAP-R/MAP-M along with the HGC test.

Personally I could tell from the an early age that is quite bright (e.g. knew all his letters at 15 months). I was surprised he was admitted to the HGC though given how hard it is to get in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid was very accelerated vis a vis his peers in K - got pulled out of class for a reading group with the few other high readers. very quick at math. also tested 99% overall on the wppsi test at age 5 and 97% overall on the wisc iv at age 8. he was not admitted to an hgc. i share this only bc when my child was in K i would have thought he'd be admitted to the hgc.

Op here. How is your child doing now in school? How old is he? Do you think he should have gotten in?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid was very accelerated vis a vis his peers in K - got pulled out of class for a reading group with the few other high readers. very quick at math. also tested 99% overall on the wppsi test at age 5 and 97% overall on the wisc iv at age 8. he was not admitted to an hgc. i share this only bc when my child was in K i would have thought he'd be admitted to the hgc.

Op here. How is your child doing now in school? How old is he? Do you think he should have gotten in?

I believe it's more than just test scores, which apparently can be gamed by studying for the tests or having tutors (I never knew this until after dc got in, but still wouldn't have done it). The teachers also make recommendations, so even if the child tests well, if teachers don't think the child is ready for an accelerated program because of some reason (like lets say learning style or maturity), then the child might not get in even if the test scores are high.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP - Just curious, did your son do poorly on the HGC test?

My kid is 3. So no chance to take it yet. Just speculation.

[Anonymous]

i am poster 20:25. son is now in 5th and is doing fine but frankly is bored esp under curr 2.0 (not an indictment of the curriculum, just commenting since he's had both). i do not think son is a genius or "gifted," but nor do i think that most of the kids admitted from his grade were either. i do think he would have done just as well there as the kids we know from his school who attended (and they've all loved the hgc program, btw). my son did not test well on the hgc test - no idea why, since his 2nd grade gifted testing administered by mcps was highest in his class and since he seemed to do well on the wppsi and wisc tests. but it doesn't really matter since the hgc admittance is almost exclusively based on the hgc test scores. his 2nd grade teacher thought he'd be a shoo in. his 3rd grade teacher did recommend him (according to her - the parents never see that info) but she was a dud and probably didn't advocate for him very much. i know i sound bitter but i was disappointed in the hgc process - obviously since my child wasn't admitted - but i suspect my kid just had an off day on the test and it seems a pretty big penalty to have the whole admittance rest on that (even the sat's can be taken more than once). Also having seen who was admitted from our school and who was not, I can see that is was kind of a crapshoot bc many qualified kids did not get admitted and several did get admitted out of left field. The only reason I posted any of this on this thread is just to say to not put all your eggs in that basket!