advice for family with profoundly gifted kid maybe moving to area?

[Anonymous]

there's no way to talk about this topic without sounding like a jerk so I will not eve try. Rest assured that I in no way think that my child's giftedness means anything special about me or my parenting. that said. I have a child who recently turned seven and is finishing up her first grade year. Her IQ is well over 160. she isn't bored in school exactly, but she certainly isn't challenged--she basically just reads a LOT about whatever she feels interested in that particular day after she spends 5 minutes on the class work. She was bored out of her skull during group lesson time and then we taught her a bunch of games she can play with herself--math games, name a book that starts with each letter of the alphabet, etc--and she is less bored now. She has friends and enjoys imaginative play with them. At home she reads. A lot. Mostly what she does is read.
Anyway, my husband is considering accepting a job in DC that he would really love to take.The offer just came in. We are trying to figure out where to start with a school for our daughter. Our 2 other kids are pretty easy-well, one is a baby, and the other is a happy, busy kindergartener who thus far is totally, blissfully average.
Any thoughts? School districts? Private schools MIGHT be an option if we had grandparent help?
Thank you,

[Anonymous]

Private school should be your first option. DC doesn't offer gifted programs. Don't buy into the SEM programs either.

[Anonymous]

ok-any specific suggestions?

[Anonymous]

There's some highly gifted private school in Herndon, I believe. It serves K-8. Kind of far, but it's probably the best one. I didn't think most DC private schools had great gifted programs, but not sure.

MCPS HGC program is for the top 2-3% in the county, but it doesn't start until 4th grade.

Fairfax AAP is for the top some say 20%, but not sure about that number. But it starts earlier in the 2nd grade. Though, if it does serve a wider group, then I would be suspect of the level of the curriculum.

[Anonymous]

http://www.m.nysmith.com

[Anonymous]

Even if the job is in DC, you can live in Northern VA or Maryland. I don't know much about Maryland's GT program, but Fairfax County has AAP, Advanced Academics Program, starting in 3rd grade. You can post on the Maryland public school forum and the Advanced Academics Program forum to get more feedback.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's some highly gifted private school in Herndon, I believe. It serves K-8. Kind of far, but it's probably the best one. I didn't think most DC private schools had great gifted programs, but not sure.

MCPS HGC program is for the top 2-3% in the county, but it doesn't start until 4th grade.

Fairfax AAP is for the top some say 20%, but not sure about that number. But it starts earlier in the 2nd grade. Though, if it does serve a wider group, then I would be suspect of the level of the curriculum.

Some pullout starts earlier, but the FCPS AAP centers begin in third grade. Those likely would serve your child well, OP. Our kid was in centers all through from third through eighth grades, was engaged and had some very creative teachers. Not every single teacher, every single subject, each year was perfect -- but that's life. Having a peer group of other students who were interested in learning and able to work at a fast pace was good, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's some highly gifted private school in Herndon, I believe. It serves K-8. Kind of far, but it's probably the best one. I didn't think most DC private schools had great gifted programs, but not sure.

MCPS HGC program is for the top 2-3% in the county, but it doesn't start until 4th grade.

Fairfax AAP is for the top some say 20%, but not sure about that number. But it starts earlier in the 2nd grade. Though, if it does serve a wider group, then I would be suspect of the level of the curriculum.

AAP starts in 3rd not second grade. It is probably the top 12 percent. The curriculum is much more challenging than the regular classes, and I would not "be suspect of the level of the curriculum." I would be suspect of calling it a gifted program. It is a full time accelerated academic program, which is much more than most gifted programs in the area. I believe the pp is referring to the Nysmith school and I personally know a few kids who weren't admitted to AAP but were to Nysmith. I would not waste my money, especially if you would need grandparents to help. Most people with kids in AAP would say the curriculum is much better than most public schools in the area. They argue about whether it could be even better if only profoundly gifted kids were admitted. Definitely first world problems.

[Anonymous]

Look into MoCo HGCs--for the top 2%, perhaps better fit for a profoundly gifted child. Test in 3rd for 4th.

[Anonymous]

thanks everyone! we will look at Fairfax and Montgomery. What do we do for next year? try to get the same thing we have now (not a lot of meaningful learning but she learns really well by herself and at least they give her time to read?)

[Anonymous]

Takoma Park Elementary does more pull-outs than other MCPS elementary schools, as it host the (mostly fake) "gifted" program. I say it is mostly fake because parent pressure led it to be watered down and the curriculum spread to all the kids. However, it's still probably your best option before the Highly Gifted Centers start up in 4th and 5th. After that, your daughter will have great choices. The Takoma Park Middle School magnet is wonderful if her interests are in STEM, and then the Blair Magnet is one of the best in the country.

Your other option would be one of the progressive schools (but they are EXPENSIVE) for 2nd - 3rd and then take the HGC test and presumably get in.

[Anonymous]

Most DC area private schools are not aimed at gifted kids at the elementary level. They're aimed at bright kids of successful parents - but the kids are not necessarily gifted and the curriculum is not generally geared toward gifted students. Although a gifted student might find private more interesting than a typical public because there's much less focus on testing and a lot more time on specials classes and recess, plus more individualized attention where she might get extra help with accelerated assignments. For a child as gifted as yours, I think the fairfax county AAP program (starts in 3rd grade) may be your best bet. If she's interested in science & tech, she could eventually apply for Thomas Jefferson high school, which is also in Fairfax county. Or if she's more interested in the humanities, you could try private at that point.

[Anonymous]

OP, I'm in MoCo. Everyone here is gifted. Everyone. I'm not dissing your kid; my kids are not gifted. But apparently literally every single other kid they go to school with is. They don't even offer anything below advanced English at my older child's middle school.

So you'll fit right in here, and from what little I know of the AAP drama in Fairfax, you'll do just fine there as well.

[Anonymous]

we are big believers in theory in progressives but haven't been willing to bite the bullet and pay for them even with help-but we've known it's a possibility to keep in mind. can they teach her, though?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I'm in MoCo. Everyone here is gifted. Everyone. I'm not dissing your kid; my kids are not gifted. But apparently literally every single other kid they go to school with is. They don't even offer anything below advanced English at my older child's middle school.

So you'll fit right in here, and from what little I know of the AAP drama in Fairfax, you'll do just fine there as well.

are they gifted, or are they profiundly gifted? OP's daughter is in the top...what? something like 3/100K people have an IQ of 160 and OP's daughter is above that.