+1 Two of the kids I know who got into CES go to a well-known math enrichment program that costs a good amount. They also do kiddie creative writing classes. Are they bright? Absolutely. Would they be 95% rather than 85% without that enrichment and well-resourced parents. Who knows. But I don't think we're talking about a CES full of Young Sheldons here--these are just bright kids who are clearly above grade level. |
We did CES and then private starting in 6th. Anticipate a tutor for Math no matter how “advanced” your child is now at MCPS. |
LOL then you are a fool financially and academically. Science and math are subjects to study... |
Well the CES program is not based on math scores so your experience is not super relevant. |
Are you saying kids scored 231 (99 percentile) and 210 (85 percentile) on map R are not major difference? Then you should be paid as 85 percent of your salary. It’s not major difference😂 |
Did you miss the part about where they also take extracurricular writing classes? |
So if you do CES your child still has to do extracurricular reading and writing classes to learn? Our family doesn't have time for the added commute to school and extracurricular classes on top of that |
The point, I think, was that the kids scored high enough to get in *because* of the enrichment classes. It's much easier to prep for MAP tests than for the IQ-type tests—although people certainly tried to game those in the past, too. Assuming they have a reasonable level of aptitude, kids who have had enrichment beyond their grade level can do well because a lot of what MAP tests at the higher percentiles is based on exposure. The digital exam keeps giving you additional questions, on increasingly advanced concepts, until you miss too many. With math, exposure is especially key. You can't solve a math question involving exponents if you've never seen one before and have no idea what it means, but if you've been introduced to the idea of squares and cubes, you could make an educated guess. |
My kid was in CES and the experience was really teacher-dependent. We had a wonderful teacher in 4th grade: young, energetic, full of creativity and willing to work with the kids and change up the lessons to meet their needs and interests. Best teacher ever. The 5th grade teacher was absolutely terrible. No engaging or connected lessons, the kids would write essays that were never looked at or graded. Teacher was not good with feedback, even when they were wrong, and got very defensive. It honestly seemed like the teacher was coasting until retirement. That year was a big letdown.
The biggest benefit I saw was the social aspect. Like-minded, highly-motivated, quirky kids all in one class with similar interests. They would egg each other on to write better essays, get higher MAP scores, build better STEM projects, etc. I think they often got more out of each other than from what the teachers taught. I echo the sentiment that coming from CES to a regular, non-magnet middle school environment was a major letdown. You worked harder in CES, for what really? My kid (an admitted nerd who loves school) doesn't get why most kids around him are goofing off and interrupting the teacher during lessons. Staying motivated in that environment can be a struggle at times. |
Where are extracurricular reading and writing classes to learn in MoCo? I am just curious. |