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Fairfax County GT Center vs. Edlin?
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Anonymous
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Whcih would you choose -- a Fairfax County GT Center or Edlin for a highy gifted (not profoundly gifted) rising 3rd grader?
(WISC-IV GAI 148) |
Anonymous
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Read this thread and maybe you ought to post to the FCAG Yahoo group. I think it would depend upon which specific Fairfax County GT Center you are comparing Edlin to.
http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/49851.page |
Anonymous
| It depends on which Center. The centers are free, Edlin is not. The GT centers probably have much worse student/teacher ratios. How much will large class sizes affect your DC? Is $$$ a concern? |
Anonymous
Yes, $$$ is a concern. We are thinking it would be better to spend the $$$ at the middle/high school level vs. in 3rd - 6th grade. |
Anonymous
We would be at Canterbury Woods. The logistics of getting to/from Edlin each day may also be tough for us. |
Anonymous
Thank you. |
Anonymous
Should say GAI = 148 |
Anonymous
| To OP - What is WISC 14 and GAI 148? |
Anonymous
| I'm not OP, but WISC-IV is the name of a commonly used intelligence test. GAI is "General Ability Index", which is a measure of IQ that excludes one subtest of the WISC. |
Anonymous
| Save your money for middle but especially high school. Woodson is a fine school and should be renovated by then....but you never know with FCPS. |
Anonymous
Thank you! |
Anonymous
| Have you considered Nysmith? Perhaps too far away -- and also it is expensive. |
Anonymous
Yes, too far away and too expensive plus I have heard mixed reviews about their program for older (3rd grade and up) kids. |
Anonymous
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I have a highly/profoundly gifted 4th grader in a GT center. She's been to several other schools out of state, and I have another gifted child at a regular private school here, so I have something to compare to, but I haven't visited Edlin.
Overall, we're pretty happy with the Center, based on the few months we've been there (just moved from out of state.) The GT center is far more advanced than regular private school, but not as advanced as I would prefer. Right now she's still making friends, getting used to a new place, etc., but sooner or later she might wish she had more advanced work. In our center, math is not differentiated, but it is in some centers. The class is much bigger than I would like (24) but DD is doing ok with that. Possibly as a result of class size, there doesn't appear to be much differentiation. In the public system, there are fewer specials and they come less frequently. Foreign language is a PTA-run program for only part of the year. Library is every two weeks, not every week. Art is so infrequent that DD never can remember what they're supposed to be working on. Peer group seems to be a good fit. Both Edlin and Nysmith are both for-profit schools, run by individuals rather than boards, with no accreditation oversight as regular non-profit schools would get. Those characteristics are keeping me away from them for now. Also, I'd ask very carefully about any gifted school's 2e population. With such good public schools here, it is possible that some kids who choose private gifted schools are those who just can't cope at other schools, and that will affect the classroom environment. My daughter used to attend a gifted-only private school that had a very high 2e population. There were nice aspects to this, but also can be very difficult, negative ones, particularly if the staff isn't well trained in the various special needs (like Aspberger's needs, how to differentiate for LD's while not holding the non-2e's back, etc.) |
Anonymous
| What is "2e"? |