New to DC, looking for a school for my "gifted" son (Kindergarten)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seriously? OP was asking about schools, not a critique on whether or not her son is gifted (or worse, full resumes on other kids with similar skills who would not be considered "gifted" in the elite DC environment).

OP my "gifted" son did well in early grade Montessori. He is self-directed, a bit socially anxious and immature, will tune out if he's bored. Likes structure but not being controlled. The structured, independent nature of Momtessori worked well for him- he's going into second where the school will begin the transition to a traditional classroom.

Consider Montessori- I believe there is a good one in Old Town Alexandria.

Yes. She did not ask that.

BUT if OP goes to any school in this area and slaps down an IEP demanding gifted services for a kindergartner or early admission if she lives in MD, for scores which are not unusual in this area, at best she is going to get her head patted as they roll their eyes at her. She doesn't understand the system here and she doesn't understand the cohort of students and what their level is.

She has a very limited housing budget. One would hate for her to stretch herself very thinly on an uninformed assumption of the services she thinks her child will receive.

Unless the child is some profoundly gifted savant with social issues, her kids IEP is meaningless and he will not receive any more differentiation than many other kids in his class.

All of the posts are very helpful to OP and very informative. Her perception of what is available to her in terms of housing and her son in terms of gifted services is very much off base. Even if some are a bit curt they are all very accurate and helpful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So he will be turning 5 in September? Isn't the cutoff Sept 30 (in VA at least). He would be enrolling in K this year normally, right? Rent something in a neighborhood with a strong elementary school and he will have a cohort of like-minded learners. You won't get an IEP in DC, VA or MD just for giftedness. If his social skills are delayed enough, he might qualify for social supports.

What's your rental budget and how big of a place do you need? That's really your starting point.

Yes, he turns 5 in mid-Sept., so we should be ok in Virginia. Maybe not in Maryland since we are not there yet to have taken the testing on time. (In the state where we thought we would be, the cut-off was August.) Apparently the IEP is portable, but the recommendations are quite vague (e.g., "would benefit from enrichment, accelerated activities, advanced materials" etc.), so no worries there. He may need social support but it isn't discussed in the plan, so I assume we would just wait to see how it goes.

Our rental budget will be stretched at $1600/ mo. until my husband finds a position, and we would like to have a 2 bedroom. I guess that is wishful thinking in the DC area!

IEPs are not portable. The child will need to be evaluated by the then current school. Fairfax won't do an IEP for enrichment purposes.

With due respect, I don't think that is accurate. This is what we were told when we said we would not be attending the school he was assigned to. (See answer to Question A-5) http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/,root,dynamic,QaCorner,3, and http://osse.dc.gov/publication/proposed-individualized-education-program-iep-implementation-transfer-students-policy

From what I have read on this board (thanks to all who responded with great information!) it doesn't sound like we will need to worry about it, and it might not be relevant because of the way "disability" was defined, but it does sound like the IEP would portable until other arrangements are made.

The IEP would be portable and the new district would have to honor it, until such time that they make their own evaluation. If it is intra-state the IEP stays in place until the normal annual review. For inter-state, the IEP stays in place until the new district completes its evaluation, 3 or so months. What the schools systems around here will say, is that he will get enrichment within his classroom and no special pullouts or accommodations will be needed and they will use the 'least restrictive environment' clause. I suggest you look at wrightslaw.com to see specifics and other information- that site has been valuable to me. I know students cannot be dropped from an IEP without parent's consent, but I don't know if that applies when an IEP is transferred across state lines- there are several laws governing this and I do not know which takes precedent.

I posted earlier about contacting your future co-workers to see if they had any leads on an apartment. If you currently are active in a faith community, I would try to network through local congregations too. Has the Smithsonian Fellowship program given you any leads?

[Anonymous]

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/369350.page

The above is a helpful thread on this topic.



http://www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/gifted_ed/faq.shtml

Virginia does not use IEPs for gifted education. They will not honor the out of state gifted IEP unless it is for something like aspergers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oof, missed that your budget is $1600. Is that leaving money in your budget for private preschool/pre-K? Meaning, if you went public you could pay more for housing?

Nope, that's it. Research associates are not well-paid.

[Anonymous]

Are you a single parent?

[Anonymous]

Never mind, just re-read. So your DH is an unemployed librarian, and you are working out your budget based on your Smithsonian salary?

Montessori, private etc is out and you will have to do public. Your DH will need to temp or do something to bring in income until he finds a professional job. You aren't going to find anything liveable in a good school district for $1600, unless you want a 2 hour commute.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My family is moving to the DC area in August and I am looking for info on where we might move to based on what might be a good school for my son. He is four (Sept birthday) but has an "individual education plan" from another state that recommends that he start school this year. (His pediatrician recommended that he get tested and he scored very highly. He is very big for his age, and can read, write, do math problems, etc., but he is not super-social, which I doubt will change radically with time.)

I don't expect we will stay in the area for more than 2-3 years. My husband and I are both laid-back, and we value living in a leafy environment (could be urban but we like to be able to walk around in an area with green space). We will be renting and don't have a huge budget. I will be working downtown (Smithsonian).

If anyone has any ideas or tips, I would be grateful.

What kind of test and what were his scores? We can tell you how normal he will be around here. School for a kid with a 170 IQ is very different than for a 140 IQ, kwim?

I'm not worried about him being "normal". I want him to enjoy going to school. His scores seemed quite good to the people who assessed him... I don't know anything about the tests and their reliability, and haven't had time to read up on them. (It seems like they make a lot of conclusions based on a couple of hours of testing, of a four-year old!) Woodcock-Johnson III: achievement (99), reading (99), math (98), writing (>99.9), academic knowledge (81). RIAS VIX (99.74), NIX (58), CIX (95). So scores all over the board on the second one.

[Anonymous]

Honestly OP I wouldn't stress so much about it. Look for something you think will work, try that, and if it doesn't you can always move again on a year - these are not permanent decisions at this point.

And I do understand a bit where you're coming from as we have a similarly advanced kid. But what I've learned the last few years is that the things I think I need to worry about often aren't the things that turn out to be the real issue, and that there are lots of opportunities to course correct. I've also learned that the stuff at home / with parents still plays a large role in these early elementary years, so it's still easy to 'fill in the gaps' as it were.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Never mind, just re-read. So your DH is an unemployed librarian, and you are working out your budget based on your Smithsonian salary?

Montessori, private etc is out and you will have to do public. Your DH will need to temp or do something to bring in income until he finds a professional job. You aren't going to find anything liveable in a good school district for $1600, unless you want a 2 hour commute.

Not at all. With a September birthday, her DS can start K on time in Virginia, and they can find an apartment, TH or rental house for that price. The commute may be 45-60 minutes each way (or longer depending upon where they end up), but not 2 hours. We're in W. Springfield and DH works in DC and his commute is 45-60 minutes.

I'm not familiar with the testing, so if her DS is profoundly gifted, I'm not sure what would serve his needs best (probably private, but OP probably can't afford it right now).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seriously? OP was asking about schools, not a critique on whether or not her son is gifted (or worse, full resumes on other kids with similar skills who would not be considered "gifted" in the elite DC environment).

OP my "gifted" son did well in early grade Montessori. He is self-directed, a bit socially anxious and immature, will tune out if he's bored. Likes structure but not being controlled. The structured, independent nature of Momtessori worked well for him- he's going into second where the school will begin the transition to a traditional classroom.

Consider Montessori- I believe there is a good one in Old Town Alexandria.

Yes. She did not ask that.

BUT if OP goes to any school in this area and slaps down an IEP demanding gifted services for a kindergartner or early admission if she lives in MD, for scores which are not unusual in this area, at best she is going to get her head patted as they roll their eyes at her. She doesn't understand the system here and she doesn't understand the cohort of students and what their level is.

She has a very limited housing budget. One would hate for her to stretch herself very thinly on an uninformed assumption of the services she thinks her child will receive.

Unless the child is some profoundly gifted savant with social issues, her kids IEP is meaningless and he will not receive any more differentiation than many other kids in his class.

All of the posts are very helpful to OP and very informative. Her perception of what is available to her in terms of housing and her son in terms of gifted services is very much off base. Even if some are a bit curt they are all very accurate and helpful.

"...slap[ping] down an IEP demanding gifted services for a kindergartner or early admission if she lives in MD, for scores which are not unusual in this area, at best she is going to get her head patted as they roll their eyes at her."

Seriously? You don't have a clue. Yes, I am ignorant of the local systems and conditions; that's why I asked for help. I thank everyone who has made practical suggestions, especially about focusing our search for housing in areas of Virginia that may be affordable, suggestions for schools, and that with a September birthday he will go to kindergarten this year in Virginia and DC. I am very grateful for that information! But I also see that some people seem to want to put me in my place for reaching out. My kid's doctor suggested that he be assessed in the local public school system. We agreed to it. He got an IEP because that's the way it works in the state where he was tested. I now understand that they are not done in the DC area. End of story. We will find a place somewhere in Virginia or DC that we can afford and that has a well-rated school. I will show the teacher or whoever his assessment. If they want to keep an eye on him, fine. The end.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I posted earlier about contacting your future co-workers to see if they had any leads on an apartment. If you currently are active in a faith community, I would try to network through local congregations too. Has the Smithsonian Fellowship program given you any leads?

Thank you! My future colleagues are being very helpful with suggestions, and I have a friend in DC who has suggested some affordable areas that she thought we would like. It was one of the people in my program who suggested that I should be looking into schools as well as areas that we could afford. The suggestions here have been very informative, since I now see it doesn't make sense for us to live in Maryland.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seriously? OP was asking about schools, not a critique on whether or not her son is gifted (or worse, full resumes on other kids with similar skills who would not be considered "gifted" in the elite DC environment).

OP my "gifted" son did well in early grade Montessori. He is self-directed, a bit socially anxious and immature, will tune out if he's bored. Likes structure but not being controlled. The structured, independent nature of Momtessori worked well for him- he's going into second where the school will begin the transition to a traditional classroom.

Consider Montessori- I believe there is a good one in Old Town Alexandria.

Yes. She did not ask that.

BUT if OP goes to any school in this area and slaps down an IEP demanding gifted services for a kindergartner or early admission if she lives in MD, for scores which are not unusual in this area, at best she is going to get her head patted as they roll their eyes at her. She doesn't understand the system here and she doesn't understand the cohort of students and what their level is.

She has a very limited housing budget. One would hate for her to stretch herself very thinly on an uninformed assumption of the services she thinks her child will receive.

Unless the child is some profoundly gifted savant with social issues, her kids IEP is meaningless and he will not receive any more differentiation than many other kids in his class.

All of the posts are very helpful to OP and very informative. Her perception of what is available to her in terms of housing and her son in terms of gifted services is very much off base. Even if some are a bit curt they are all very accurate and helpful.

"...slap[ping] down an IEP demanding gifted services for a kindergartner or early admission if she lives in MD, for scores which are not unusual in this area, at best she is going to get her head patted as they roll their eyes at her."

Seriously? You don't have a clue. Yes, I am ignorant of the local systems and conditions; that's why I asked for help. I thank everyone who has made practical suggestions, especially about focusing our search for housing in areas of Virginia that may be affordable, suggestions for schools, and that with a September birthday he will go to kindergarten this year in Virginia and DC. I am very grateful for that information! But I also see that some people seem to want to put me in my place for reaching out. My kid's doctor suggested that he be assessed in the local public school system. We agreed to it. He got an IEP because that's the way it works in the state where he was tested. I now understand that they are not done in the DC area. End of story. We will find a place somewhere in Virginia or DC that we can afford and that has a well-rated school. I will show the teacher or whoever his assessment. If they want to keep an eye on him, fine. The end.

NP here. Sorry OP that folks appeared to come down on you heavily. Since you're not familiar with the area, you wouldn't realize that certain things, IEPs and AAP and giftedness, in particular push buttons around here. One of my friends works in Special Ed for FCPS. According to her, before the gifted program (which starts in third grade in VA) lowered its entry standards to simply advanced, a number of people sought IEPs for their kids in order to get them extra attention, time to take tests, etc. There was the perception that the special ed designation was being abused. I'm sure your child has documented needs, but historically that has not always been the case and in an area as crazy competitive as this one, people get bent out of shape if they feel a child gets an undeserved edge. Crazy, I know. But that's this area, and you and your innocent question simply got caught in the crossfire. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Never mind, just re-read. So your DH is an unemployed librarian, and you are working out your budget based on your Smithsonian salary?

Montessori, private etc is out and you will have to do public. Your DH will need to temp or do something to bring in income until he finds a professional job. You aren't going to find anything liveable in a good school district for $1600, unless you want a 2 hour commute.

Not at all. With a September birthday, her DS can start K on time in Virginia, and they can find an apartment, TH or rental house for that price. The commute may be 45-60 minutes each way (or longer depending upon where they end up), but not 2 hours. We're in W. Springfield and DH works in DC and his commute is 45-60 minutes.

I'm not familiar with the testing, so if her DS is profoundly gifted, I'm not sure what would serve his needs best (probably private, but OP probably can't afford it right now).

Thank you. I am sure we will find something, even if it is very small. We have a modest amount of savings to start out, and my husband can temp until he finds something.

[Anonymous]

Can you rent a 2 bedroom in west Springfield for $1600? That seems low.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly OP I wouldn't stress so much about it. Look for something you think will work, try that, and if it doesn't you can always move again on a year - these are not permanent decisions at this point.

And I do understand a bit where you're coming from as we have a similarly advanced kid. But what I've learned the last few years is that the things I think I need to worry about often aren't the things that turn out to be the real issue, and that there are lots of opportunities to course correct. I've also learned that the stuff at home / with parents still plays a large role in these early elementary years, so it's still easy to 'fill in the gaps' as it were.

Anonymous wrote:NP here. Sorry OP that folks appeared to come down on you heavily. Since you're not familiar with the area, you wouldn't realize that certain things, IEPs and AAP and giftedness, in particular push buttons around here. One of my friends works in Special Ed for FCPS. According to her, before the gifted program (which starts in third grade in VA) lowered its entry standards to simply advanced, a number of people sought IEPs for their kids in order to get them extra attention, time to take tests, etc. There was the perception that the special ed designation was being abused. I'm sure your child has documented needs, but historically that has not always been the case and in an area as crazy competitive as this one, people get bent out of shape if they feel a child gets an undeserved edge. Crazy, I know. But that's this area, and you and your innocent question simply got caught in the crossfire. Good luck!

Thank you both, and thanks to others for the specific suggestions! I think I have enough info to go on now.