Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I never worked for her, but I can attest that the time when she was with AEI was a pretty good time to have a "gifted" kid in MCPS.
It is genuinely hard to talk about highly able learners, and the ways in which certain groups are not identified, and I think she threaded the needle well. There were programs to identify gifted kids in high needs elementary schools, and to nurture that talent so that they would be able to apply for criteria-based programs (HGC, at the time).
Within the confines of the political realities, she did a good job.
I think A LOT of people would disagree with your assessment that this was some kind of golden age for gifted kids in MCPS.
I'm the PP and I never said "golden age." I said "pretty good considering the political dynamics."
In the time when she was in charge of AEI, we had no "peer cohort" criterial for HGC and MS magnets, no lottery, and a full CogAT. There were "advanced" English and science classes in middle school outside the magnets, and Honors for All was not a thing. These at the things people say they want back.
Personally, I think some of the changes that came after her time were good. I think getting rid of at-home essays was absolutely good, and offering the MS test in school rather than having kids find transportation on a Saturday. But other changes were absolutely bad, and it's worth noting that for all that folks complain about Dr. Felder's focus on "equity," AEI was much better under her leadership than what came after.
But if gifted education is one of the issues someone cares about, the period when Dr. Felder was in charge was better on a lot of the metrics that folks complain about now.