Differentiation in MCPS elementary

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, my suggestion is to keep your DD in private until 3rd grade, when she can apply to CES (formerly HGC) and if she is accepted, you can transfer back to public system. It's super boring in the first 4 years (K-3rd) for kids advanced in math. If you are financially capable, try to wait until 5th grade before apply to magnet MS is another option. If you get in, you go because the program is excellent and your DD will not be bored ever since (CES is still heavily humanity oriented, but math-wise is also good. Once accepted by STEM magnet MS, your DD will be assured to enjoy the curriculum).

Before embarking on such a strategy, it'd be worthwhile reading the MS magnet acceptance threads (TPMS, EMS), which are recent, and then the CES acceptance threads, which will pop up in April or whenever they are announcing the invitations. Take everything with a grain (many grains) of salt. And understand as best possible how the selection process works, particularly for kids coming out of private schools, maybe even call MCPS to confirm. Planning on acceptances at a CES and especially the MS magnets seems like a risky strategy no matter how smart your child is, and you'd be well served to have a back-up plan, even if you never need it.

The kid is 4. This whole conversation is insane.

+1

[Anonymous]

I should have been clearer, and am not used to all the acronyms. But at the TPMS magnet open house, the magnet coordinator said that 11 of the incoming 125 (or however many they selected initially) had already taken in 5th grade what the magnet students would take in 6th grade. I realize that the CES kids take two years of compacted math, so I think should be a year ahead by 6th grade, but the message was that there is a group of 11 who are, essentially, 2 years ahead.

Not just CES kids, by the way. Lots of kids did not attend a CES but were placed in compacted math in their home school.

To the point, however, MCPS is one year ahead of math in most of the country. A child who is on grade level in MCPS will take Algebra 1 in 8th grade. In most of the country, including possibly where the OP is from, grade-level math is Algebra 1 in 9th grade.

So, those 11 kids admitted to TPMS (who do not comprise the whole cohort of kids who did AIM in 5th grade, by the way) are three years ahead of most schools in the country. That math pathway will let them access lots of amazing opportunities in HS. Even the "regular advanced" kids will have two years of AP math in high school.

Finally, there's no guarantee that OP's child (who is in preK) will need to be three years advanced in math. Genetics doesn't work that way - you can' predict whether a child is going to be mathematically gifted based solely on what math pathway her mom took.

[Anonymous]

All private and public curriculae are boring for advanced children.

Do what other families do, which is to enrich at home or pay for after school math/writing.

This will serve your kids well when they take the magnet tests in 3rd and 5th.

[Anonymous]

In THEORY, MCPS differentiates within a class so that the teacher meets each child at their level, whether they're significantly below grade level, significantly above, or somewhere in between. In reality, struggling students might get extra help, but above-grade level students often get little or nothing at their level.

I suggest you contact the school directly and ask what opportunities would be available if the school determines your child is at an advanced level. Be aware that elementary schools in MCPS have a high level of Principal turnover. A new principal can change everything.

You might consider an immersion program. Learning a new language can provide a challenge even if the subject material is already mastered. That's the route we took for our kids who were advanced. It worked well in early grades, but by third grade, however, the foreign language skills were sufficiently developed that it didn't compensate for the weakness of the curriculum. The school's basic stance was that we should be grateful for the immersion and expecting anything extra was unreasonable. "Differentiation" per MCPS policy was theoretically practiced, but was up to teacher implementation. My two kids in the same school had vastly different experiences due to their teachers. One child's third grade teacher had her read one chapter of Charlotte's web as her only differentiated work. When she asked for the chance to learn something new in math she was refused. Two years later, the other child had math grouped by ability and her teacher met privately with her during lunch for a "book club" so that she could study and discuss books that were at a more advanced level. As other students progressed through the year, the book club slowly expanded.

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/specialprograms/admissions/immersion.aspx

The MCPS curriculum was truly awful. Thanks to the negative findings of a recent curriculum audit, it is being gradually being replaced. Hopefully, the new curriculum will be a vast improvement, but I don't know much about it. I would encourage you to check on whether your school is using the new curriculum or the old one. In either case, I would monitor your child's skills and make sure they're learning what you think they should know. Under the old curriculum, there were many areas I felt I needed to supplement at home.

I agree with PPs that if your child can get into a magnet program, instruction and curriculum are vastly improved.

For general purposes, you might find the Hoagies website helpful. It explores all facets of giftedness and different ways to deal with it. They also have a fabulous area of links to enrichment websites for all interests that your kid might enjoy regardless of which school they attend.

https://www.hoagiesgifted.org/

https://www.hoagiesgifted.org/links.htm

Good luck to you and your child as you start the K-12 adventure. While the bad news is that there isn't an easy answer, the good news is that you have several options, all of which you can make successfully work ans that you're not locked-in to anything. I think that having parents who are so concerned and proactive, your child will do great whichever choice you make.

[Anonymous]

OMG OP you sound insufferable.