Principal and home teacher's affect on GT admission

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It does not happen with middle school applications. This is only for the elementary HGC program.

Are you a teacher? Or can a teacher answer whether the ranking actually happens?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had heard from reliable sources that in my dc's home school, the recommendation was a "panel recommendation". I will not identify the school - because different schools do it differently, and I do not want to get into a flaming war here.

Once the students qualified the admissions exam, their files were evaluated by the principal, all the 2nd and 3rd grade teachers as well as the counselors. They also looked at the various scores of the student (MSA, Terranova, Raven) from the 2nd grade onwards. I thought this was a fair way of doing things.

This particular school is known for sending large number of their students to HGC. They do not hold back bright kids because their own MSA scores will suffer - mainly because they offer quite a bit of enrichment in school anyways.

Neither do they use HGC as a place to send their extremely bright students with behavioural issues. They actually evaluate which student is a good fit for HGC.

BTW - it is not a school in the "W" cluster... in a very affordable part of MoCo, and it is a great gem of a school.

I am a teacher and this is what happens at my school.

So at your school the teachers do not make recommendations until after the students take the HGC test? That timing does't make sense

I am the pp who wrote about this school. I may be mistaken about the timing of when the recommendations are made (when you are applying or when they qualify), but I am not mistaken about the panel decision. Keep in mind also that this was 2 years back - my kid is in 5th grade HGC now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had heard from reliable sources that in my dc's home school, the recommendation was a "panel recommendation". I will not identify the school - because different schools do it differently, and I do not want to get into a flaming war here.

Once the students qualified the admissions exam, their files were evaluated by the principal, all the 2nd and 3rd grade teachers as well as the counselors. They also looked at the various scores of the student (MSA, Terranova, Raven) from the 2nd grade onwards. I thought this was a fair way of doing things.

This particular school is known for sending large number of their students to HGC. They do not hold back bright kids because their own MSA scores will suffer - mainly because they offer quite a bit of enrichment in school anyways.

Neither do they use HGC as a place to send their extremely bright students with behavioural issues. They actually evaluate which student is a good fit for HGC.

BTW - it is not a school in the "W" cluster... in a very affordable part of MoCo, and it is a great gem of a school.

I am a teacher and this is what happens at my school.

So at your school the teachers do not make recommendations until after the students take the HGC test? That timing does't make sense

I am the pp who wrote about this school. I may be mistaken about the timing of when the recommendations are made (when you are applying or when they qualify), but I am not mistaken about the panel decision. Keep in mind also that this was 2 years back - my kid is in 5th grade HGC now.

I also have a 5th grader. At our school (also non-W, great school) the decisions were made as a group but it was before testing. I was surprised how soon it was after we submitted the application, in part because it was a new school and so early in the year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like Wyngate to me - we live in the area but go to private. The principal gave the spiel to us years back about how families don't bother going to the HGC because of the level of the Wyngate peer group and their needs being met locally.

So you actually have no first-hand experience with Wyngate or MCPS...?

If first hand means having a kid enrolled then no. In agreeing with previous PP re the speculation that this could be Wyngate (not that it "is" Wyngate)- we have had first hand experience via our own conversations with the principal and know of multiple conversations had between the principal with friends and neighbors that followed the same exact theme. Not to mention our friends and neighbors who describe their decision not to apply to the HGC in a way that seems strangely as if it was coming straight from the principals mouth.

This is not to say these families are not happy there and or that they don't believe their children's needs are being met. But there is definitely an explicit message being sent by the Wyngate principal that "there is rarely a need to go to the HGC because Wyngate can meet their needs". In the past, it seemed like most families bought into this and were happy. But we have noticed a change this year - maybe due to 2.0 - where there is a jump in the number going to the HGC.

And BTW...just because we are not enrolled there, doesn't mean we aren't part of that community and don't follow closely what goes on. MCPS is always an option for us and there are many good programs - so we are sure to be as fully informed as we can about the various programs within MCPS and what is going on at the schools within our cluster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:On another thread a poster wrote that their principal is very involved in the GT selection process and home teacher recommendations have a strong impact assuming the child scores high on the tests. Our principal tells people that she has nothing to do with the process and that the teachers do not even write recommendations. Her report was that it is only outside testers and she's glad she isn't part of the process.

She has a reputation for lying on other matters. There are rumors that she makes a big push to keep kids at the home school and not the GT program under the argument that there are enough high scorers to give them a peer group at the home ES. The rumor is that she wants to keep them to keep the high scores. Our ES scores at the top in the county and many kids at the top. Strangely, only 1 child was admitted to HGC this year and possibly 2 the year before.

We're trying to decide whether to wait it out and try for GT or just start applying for private schools for 3rd grade and forget about GT as an option. GT is hard enough to get into even for top scoring kids but if the principal obstructs admissions from our school the chances would be even lower.

OP - you should probably do both - apply to private and HGC. HGC competition is high. The privates you would probably be considering with a GT kid will also have very high competition. Not to mention, the application processes have a parallel timeline, so you can't "wait and see" how the HGC pans out before applying to private (unless you are willing to wait it out another year and apply for private at 5th grade instead of for 4th).

FYI - If you do end up applying for both, you will hear from the private schools before the HGC and most likely will need sign a contract and put down a non-refundable deposit to hold your spot while you wait to hear from the HGC. Most privates will let you step away from the financial contract if you do so by early June (but they will keep the deposit) June is plenty of time for HGC acceptance letters but not if your child is waitlisted. In that case you are really out of luck because via the financial contract you sign with privates generally say you are 100% financially obligated by early August. WL movement is rare - but there seems to be some movement the week before MCPS starts - after you are already fully obligated to pay the private tuition.

[Anonymous]

PP here (11:25) - OP I just realized you wrote that you are considering applying to private for 3rd (so that means child is in 2nd now) so clearly my advice to apply to both is not an option now - but would be if applying for 4th. Still hope that info was helpful to you. Nonetheless, getting into HGC is highly competitive so it depends on how unhappy you think your child (and you) will be in 4th if not accepted. As well as how you feel about 3rd grade at your current school.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I'm done with Curriculum 2.0. The home school is great for everything except the lack of challenge and mediocre curriculum. I understand that HGC moves past the 2.0 problems. If DC doesn't get into HGC, we would definitely go private and have already done so with our younger child based on K-1 and what it appears 2nd grade will be under 2.0.

The transition to private would make more sense for high school if HGC and a magnet is an option. If a magnet isn't an option, middle school entry is still easier than 3rd or 4th grade entry. Original plan was to apply for both private and HGC in 3rd for 4th but now I'm leaning toward just going for private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I'm done with Curriculum 2.0. The home school is great for everything except the lack of challenge and mediocre curriculum. I understand that HGC moves past the 2.0 problems. If DC doesn't get into HGC, we would definitely go private and have already done so with our younger child based on K-1 and what it appears 2nd grade will be under 2.0.

The transition to private would make more sense for high school if HGC and a magnet is an option. If a magnet isn't an option, middle school entry is still easier than 3rd or 4th grade entry. Original plan was to apply for both private and HGC in 3rd for 4th but now I'm leaning toward just going for private.

OP - HGC uses 2.0 curriculum. My DC is in it now. It's just supposed to be a faster pace and more in depth coverage of a topic, but the curriculum is pretty much the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I'm done with Curriculum 2.0. The home school is great for everything except the lack of challenge and mediocre curriculum. I understand that HGC moves past the 2.0 problems. If DC doesn't get into HGC, we would definitely go private and have already done so with our younger child based on K-1 and what it appears 2nd grade will be under 2.0.

The transition to private would make more sense for high school if HGC and a magnet is an option. If a magnet isn't an option, middle school entry is still easier than 3rd or 4th grade entry. Original plan was to apply for both private and HGC in 3rd for 4th but now I'm leaning toward just going for private.

OP - HGC uses 2.0 curriculum. My DC is in it now. It's just supposed to be a faster pace and more in depth coverage of a topic, but the curriculum is pretty much the same.

That has not been my experience. In fact, child's current HGC teacher said that the curriculum is not followed.

[Anonymous]

yes there is 2.0 at the HGC but my child loves it so far. Still wish the math was more challenging but we will take it! My child has never been so happy. Tells me they are doing real interesting work instead of one worksheet after another.