how to prep a preschooler to get into a MoCo gifted program

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think some of the obsession with getting into the GT comes, in some cases, from parental concerns that have nothing to do with DC actually being gifted. Instead:

1. Gifted program is perceived as the fast track to Harvard. But Harvard will take your kid from high school not fourth grade. While I do think normal-but-hardworking kids can succeed in magnets, by high school the non-gifted kid is either going to be miserable with the stress of keeping up, or the truly gifted kids will be kicking his/her butt, and Harvard won't be interested.

2. The local school isn't great, it may even be bad. I think some parents I know even view gifted programs as a free equivalent to private school.

Disagree with one but agree on some level with two. The HGC program serves so many kids to make the gifted label meaningless. Parents mainly seek it out because it is a stronger peer group of academic minded kids that can serve as a buffer to issues at homeschool. Percentages of even magnet kids that get into Harvard is low.

Not really. Each Center serves about 75 kids in each grade, and there are six Centers - so total about 450 kids out of 10,000 fourth-graders.

To my knowledge there are no statistics on percentages of magnet students admitted to Harvard. What an odd reference - why would such stats even exist?

And what do you mean when you write, "serve as a buffer to issues at homeschool"?

How is it an odd stat that póster says percentage of magnet kids at Harvard is low but it's not odd for pp to say kids send their kids to magnet because its an automatic ticket to Harvard?!?!

I find boh statements strange and nonsensical.

It's not difficult to find info for Blair and poolesville acceptances to Harvard. There was a recent thread related to this and the numbers were quite low.

Figures like this are meaningless, because they assume that magnet students all want to go to, and apply to, Harvard.

There are magnets other than Blair and Poolesville - RM, for example, and CAP (in a sense).

In any case, this thread is about MoCo gifted programs and not about whether magnet kids are admitted to (or want to attend) Harvard.

I didn't bring up Harvard, my purpose is to refute the poster who said entrance to Harvard is why people choose magnets.
And you are right that perhaps kids don't want to go to Harvard (its a stretch though) but I wouldn't say the numbers are meaningless. It shows that you do not need to be in a magnet to get into Harvard and vice versa (being in a magnet doesn't mean you will go to a top school by choice or otherwise)
CAP and some of these other programs are not considered true magnets since most of the county can't apply. But if the suggestion is that they have more kids going to Harvard I have no doubt that you are mistaken.
[b]Lastly, this thread is most certainly about the end outcome of sending kids to magnets more than anything else[/

What is a stretch? Not wanting to go to Harvard? Are you saying that it is a stretch to imagine that anyone doesn't want to go to Harvard? If that is what you are saying, that is just bizarre - to think that every last student out there wants to go to the same school - really?

If you think this thread is about the end outcome of sending kids to magnets, then your perception of it is vastly different from mine. I'm not reading that in this thread at all. I do, however, think it is silly to think you can prep any child, much less a preschooler, for the MoCo HGC.

No what's a stretch is the explanation as to why no one in the magnet going to Harvard is that no one wants to.. Not all want to but competitive kids want to compete with the best. It's typical of the rejected to claim ambivalence all along.

And you are reading in this thread about magnet outcomes as you and I discuss it in front of your eyes because its only a natural progression, when people make educational decisions that affect the rest of their child's lives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think some of the obsession with getting into the GT comes, in some cases, from parental concerns that have nothing to do with DC actually being gifted. Instead:

1. Gifted program is perceived as the fast track to Harvard. But Harvard will take your kid from high school not fourth grade. While I do think normal-but-hardworking kids can succeed in magnets, by high school the non-gifted kid is either going to be miserable with the stress of keeping up, or the truly gifted kids will be kicking his/her butt, and Harvard won't be interested.

2. The local school isn't great, it may even be bad. I think some parents I know even view gifted programs as a free equivalent to private school.

Disagree with one but agree on some level with two. The HGC program serves so many kids to make the gifted label meaningless. Parents mainly seek it out because it is a stronger peer group of academic minded kids that can serve as a buffer to issues at homeschool. Percentages of even magnet kids that get into Harvard is low.

Not really. Each Center serves about 75 kids in each grade, and there are six Centers - so total about 450 kids out of 10,000 fourth-graders.

To my knowledge there are no statistics on percentages of magnet students admitted to Harvard. What an odd reference - why would such stats even exist?

And what do you mean when you write, "serve as a buffer to issues at homeschool"?

How is it an odd stat that póster says percentage of magnet kids at Harvard is low but it's not odd for pp to say kids send their kids to magnet because its an automatic ticket to Harvard?!?!

I find boh statements strange and nonsensical.

It's not difficult to find info for Blair and poolesville acceptances to Harvard. There was a recent thread related to this and the numbers were quite low.

Figures like this are meaningless, because they assume that magnet students all want to go to, and apply to, Harvard.

There are magnets other than Blair and Poolesville - RM, for example, and CAP (in a sense).

In any case, this thread is about MoCo gifted programs and not about whether magnet kids are admitted to (or want to attend) Harvard.

I didn't bring up Harvard, my purpose is to refute the poster who said entrance to Harvard is why people choose magnets.
And you are right that perhaps kids don't want to go to Harvard (its a stretch though) but I wouldn't say the numbers are meaningless. It shows that you do not need to be in a magnet to get into Harvard and vice versa (being in a magnet doesn't mean you will go to a top school by choice or otherwise)
CAP and some of these other programs are not considered true magnets since most of the county can't apply. But if the suggestion is that they have more kids going to Harvard I have no doubt that you are mistaken.
[b]Lastly, this thread is most certainly about the end outcome of sending kids to magnets more than anything else[/

What is a stretch? Not wanting to go to Harvard? Are you saying that it is a stretch to imagine that anyone doesn't want to go to Harvard? If that is what you are saying, that is just bizarre - to think that every last student out there wants to go to the same school - really?

If you think this thread is about the end outcome of sending kids to magnets, then your perception of it is vastly different from mine. I'm not reading that in this thread at all. I do, however, think it is silly to think you can prep any child, much less a preschooler, for the MoCo HGC.

No what's a stretch is the explanation as to why no one in the magnet going to Harvard is that no one wants to.. Not all want to but competitive kids want to compete with the best. It's typical of the rejected to claim ambivalence all along.

And you are reading in this thread about magnet outcomes as you and I discuss it in front of your eyes because its only a natural progression, when people make educational decisions that affect the rest of their child's lives.

I'd be much more interesting in seeing how many go to MIT/Cal Tech/CMU etc. That seems much more along the lines of the kids who go to magnets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think some of the obsession with getting into the GT comes, in some cases, from parental concerns that have nothing to do with DC actually being gifted. Instead:

1. Gifted program is perceived as the fast track to Harvard. But Harvard will take your kid from high school not fourth grade. While I do think normal-but-hardworking kids can succeed in magnets, by high school the non-gifted kid is either going to be miserable with the stress of keeping up, or the truly gifted kids will be kicking his/her butt, and Harvard won't be interested.

2. The local school isn't great, it may even be bad. I think some parents I know even view gifted programs as a free equivalent to private school.

Disagree with one but agree on some level with two. The HGC program serves so many kids to make the gifted label meaningless. Parents mainly seek it out because it is a stronger peer group of academic minded kids that can serve as a buffer to issues at homeschool. Percentages of even magnet kids that get into Harvard is low.

Not really. Each Center serves about 75 kids in each grade, and there are six Centers - so total about 450 kids out of 10,000 fourth-graders.

To my knowledge there are no statistics on percentages of magnet students admitted to Harvard. What an odd reference - why would such stats even exist?

And what do you mean when you write, "serve as a buffer to issues at homeschool"?

How is it an odd stat that póster says percentage of magnet kids at Harvard is low but it's not odd for pp to say kids send their kids to magnet because its an automatic ticket to Harvard?!?!

I find boh statements strange and nonsensical.

It's not difficult to find info for Blair and poolesville acceptances to Harvard. There was a recent thread related to this and the numbers were quite low.

Figures like this are meaningless, because they assume that magnet students all want to go to, and apply to, Harvard.

There are magnets other than Blair and Poolesville - RM, for example, and CAP (in a sense).

In any case, this thread is about MoCo gifted programs and not about whether magnet kids are admitted to (or want to attend) Harvard.

I didn't bring up Harvard, my purpose is to refute the poster who said entrance to Harvard is why people choose magnets.
And you are right that perhaps kids don't want to go to Harvard (its a stretch though) but I wouldn't say the numbers are meaningless. It shows that you do not need to be in a magnet to get into Harvard and vice versa (being in a magnet doesn't mean you will go to a top school by choice or otherwise)
CAP and some of these other programs are not considered true magnets since most of the county can't apply. But if the suggestion is that they have more kids going to Harvard I have no doubt that you are mistaken.
[b]Lastly, this thread is most certainly about the end outcome of sending kids to magnets more than anything else[/

What is a stretch? Not wanting to go to Harvard? Are you saying that it is a stretch to imagine that anyone doesn't want to go to Harvard? If that is what you are saying, that is just bizarre - to think that every last student out there wants to go to the same school - really?

If you think this thread is about the end outcome of sending kids to magnets, then your perception of it is vastly different from mine. I'm not reading that in this thread at all. I do, however, think it is silly to think you can prep any child, much less a preschooler, for the MoCo HGC.

No what's a stretch is the explanation as to why no one in the magnet going to Harvard is that no one wants to.. Not all want to but competitive kids want to compete with the best. It's typical of the rejected to claim ambivalence all along.

And you are reading in this thread about magnet outcomes as you and I discuss it in front of your eyes because its only a natural progression, when people make educational decisions that affect the rest of their child's lives.

I'd be much more interesting in seeing how many go to MIT/Cal Tech/CMU etc. That seems much more along the lines of the kids who go to magnets.

My kid got into HGC and both middle school magnets and I have no idea where dc will end up going after he finishes middle school and high school! We probably won't even apply to any of the highly selective (and therefore usually very expensive) schools unless they offer hefty scholarships for people who have what is considered a middle income in MoCo - it is hard to save for college in MoCo even with a relatively high income because of the high cost of living. Sending a kid to Harvard could cost between $200K-$250K - not many people can come close to having that amount saved up. Having said that, I don't think that is why kids should go to a magnet program. They offer a quality education experience that is a good fit for gifted children - THAT is what makes it worthwhile in my opinion.