live in DC, plane don public schools, learning that DC might be gifted - what now?

[Anonymous]

I really don't want this to come across as a humble brag.

A couple of years ago I signed DC up for an academic assessment - they assess his progress every 6 months, part of a larger study. Every six months he gets assessed on his "academic" skills, and we receive results as a percentile, compared to a national sample. The categories are things number fluency, receptive language, etc. So it's not an IQ test, as I understand it, more an assessment of where he is. As it happens, he is consistently scoring just above the 90th percentile in all categories. Which is great - we know he's great, we think he's awesome, etc, but we're also pretty laid back and not pushing him an any area, just enjoying seeing how quick and bright he is. He's a great kid.

But now, after getting a series of these results, and spending too much time on DCUM, I'm starting to wonder a couple of things. First, he's just going into K. So I'm trying not to overanalyze things. He's going into a good public school west of the park, where a great deal of kids seem to be advanced. We all know DC doesn't have a gifted and talented program. But we had planned to stay in DC, doing public school, for the duration. Given his high scores, though,I wonder if at some point we're doing him a disservice. Our plan thus far is to take it as it comes, and I am definitely keeping my eye on schools like Basis or Latin or others where there might be more differentiation. We're really not in position to send to an elite private school - where I think a kid like him would excel. I also have little desire to move to a county that has a gifted and talented program, like AAP or Montgomery County. But are we being short sighted?

A related question: DC has an older sibling who appears to be a bright kid, but bright in the way all DC kids of highly educated parents are. Older sibling is slightly above grade level in reading and math, but mostly right on track, according to teachers. I am wondering if we should have older sibling tested in some form or fashion to have a better handle on where older sibling really is. But what kind of testing would that be, and where would we get it? I'm wondering if there is a way to get more data that can help us focus older child to excel, if that makes sense.

[Anonymous]

Hope you get good advice. Don't let the assholes - who will surely trash you for posting - get to you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hope you get good advice. Don't let the assholes - who will surely trash you for posting - get to you.

Thanks. I have a thick skin. This is just so new that it's worth shifting through the chaff on DCUM to glean those few nuggets of helpful info.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But now, after getting a series of these results, and spending too much time on DCUM, I'm starting to wonder a couple of things. First, he's just going into K. So I'm trying not to overanalyze things. He's going into a good public school west of the park, where a great deal of kids seem to be advanced. We all know DC doesn't have a gifted and talented program. But we had planned to stay in DC, doing public school, for the duration. Given his high scores, though,I wonder if at some point we're doing him a disservice. Our plan thus far is to take it as it comes, and I am definitely keeping my eye on schools like Basis or Latin or others where there might be more differentiation. We're really not in position to send to an elite private school - where I think a kid like him would excel. I also have little desire to move to a county that has a gifted and talented program, like AAP or Montgomery County. But are we being short sighted?

No. Stick with the plan of taking it as it comes.

[Anonymous]

Take it as it comes. There are lots of opportunities for extracurricular enrichment here in DC, and DCPS does have public test-in and public charter high schools.

[Anonymous]

I think that 90th percentile means your kid has a good chance at academic success and will likely find school fun, interesting, and sufficiently challenging, at least through elementary. At a WOTP elementary, my guess is that 1/4 to to half of the students, including your older son, might hit the 90th percentile on those kinds of tests. The threshold for admission to gifted programs in many parts of the country is scoring at the 95th percentile (or sometimes even the 98th). In short, keep doing what you're doing - it sounds like your kid is bright but not the kind of bright that means you have to start bending over backwards to accommodate his genius.

(FWIW, I was a kid who scored in the 99th percentile on every standardized test I ever took - I am not a crazy genius, but school and academics came really easily to me. I went to a pretty crummy elementary school through 2nd grade, a good magnet school 3rd-5th, and then my parents move to an excellent district in the 'burbs.)

[Anonymous]

So I am in a not dissimilar position. And I'm totally in a "wait and see" mode. If it's not broke, I don't want to fix it.

As I see it, there are a lot of advantages for a bright kid to be in school with their age peers. My kid will do better and will be happier if he has the kinds of social skills that he'll get in a public school that's diverse along all sorts of categories.

I feel like if he's *not* doing well, we'll know, and then we can do something about it, but until then, this is working for us, and we'll just let it play out.

[Anonymous]

I really don't feel like gifted and talented stuff does anything other than maybe help make a difference in college admissions, but your kid will be a super smart kid from DC public schools and that alone will give him an advantage in getting into good colleges. Whereas if he was one of 100 smart kids in an advanced program, well, he's just like everyone else.

[Anonymous]

90% is not that special. unless he is extraordinary in other ways, it's not enough for a top 10 , and probably not even a top 20 college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think that 90th percentile means your kid has a good chance at academic success and will likely find school fun, interesting, and sufficiently challenging, at least through elementary. At a WOTP elementary, my guess is that 1/4 to to half of the students, including your older son, might hit the 90th percentile on those kinds of tests. The threshold for admission to gifted programs in many parts of the country is scoring at the 95th percentile (or sometimes even the 98th). In short, keep doing what you're doing - it sounds like your kid is bright but not the kind of bright that means you have to start bending over backwards to accommodate his genius.

(FWIW, I was a kid who scored in the 99th percentile on every standardized test I ever took - I am not a crazy genius, but school and academics came really easily to me. I went to a pretty crummy elementary school through 2nd grade, a good magnet school 3rd-5th, and then my parents move to an excellent district in the 'burbs.)

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:90% is not that special. unless he is extraordinary in other ways, it's not enough for a top 10 , and probably not even a top 20 college.

This must be a kid. You are so ridiculous. Guessing what kind of college a kid will get into based on their achievement test percentile in Kindergarten. You clearly aren't getting into a top 10 -- or even top 20 -- college.
And this isn't an IQ test, it's some other kind of test. I bet your assessment is based on 90th percentile on an IQ test.
OP -- testing at this age is notoriously unreliable. Which is not to say your kid isn't very, very bright. He might certainly be gifted, or just very bright, or not. Either way, it's just too soon to tell. Impossible to know at this point which school would serve him best, but wait and see seems like a good approach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:90% is not that special. unless he is extraordinary in other ways, it's not enough for a top 10 , and probably not even a top 20 college.

This must be a kid. You are so ridiculous. Guessing what kind of college a kid will get into based on their achievement test percentile in Kindergarten. You clearly aren't getting into a top 10 -- or even top 20 -- college.
And this isn't an IQ test, it's some other kind of test. I bet your assessment is based on 90th percentile on an IQ test.
OP -- testing at this age is notoriously unreliable. Which is not to say your kid isn't very, very bright. He might certainly be gifted, or just very bright, or not. Either way, it's just too soon to tell. Impossible to know at this point which school would serve him best, but wait and see seems like a good approach.

I took the PP to be using it as an illustration of how significant 90% is, not as an attempt to literally debate OPs child's college prospects.

[Anonymous]

OP - If your child is profoundly gifted, which you would not need a study to figure out, I might worry about regular old schools sufficing. Otherwise, not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I really don't feel like gifted and talented stuff does anything other than maybe help make a difference in college admissions, but your kid will be a super smart kid from DC public schools and that alone will give him an advantage in getting into good colleges. Whereas if he was one of 100 smart kids in an advanced program, well, he's just like everyone else.

I'm not even sure colleges care about elementary or middle school.

Given your kid's age they will not be eligible for a gifted and talented program for 3 years (assuming of course they qualify) in the mean time keep advocating and supporting your kid. I also will point out that just because a school doesn't have a gifted program doesn't mean kids don't get differentiation.

[Anonymous]

So your older DC is already in school? Why not ask them? Frankly proven G&T programs don't start until 3rd grade because an exceptionally bright pre-ker maybe an average 3-5 grader.

Profoundly gifted needs aren't even met by elite privates.