Fairfax County GT/AAP Decisions

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Interesting. If schools are including samples like that, it would go a long way toward explaining why some kids with high scores do not make the cut. Families may request copies of everything submitted, right?

Not the PP, but I was able to view the materials submitted to the central screening committee (when I met with the AART), but was not able to make a copy for me to take home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But I prepared strong work samples and parental questionaire. Had to fight with the base school
on GIBS and school samples submitted- lots of people involved and finally the school caved-in and pulled their sample out. For the few weeks in March/April, his GT thing
became my full-time job.

What do you mean by, "had to fight with the base school on GIBS and school samples submitted?" I mean don't they just do their thing? How can you fight with them and they pull their sample out?

Thanks!

One of the school sample submiited to the central office was only 25% finished, the school just wanted the committee to see the kid does not finish the school work@school (in fact he finishes 85% of the school work on-site). After all the evidents were dug out, few meetings with the principal and cluster superintedent, the school pulled out their sample not letting me know (I called AAP office, the staff informed me his GT resource teacher pulled that sample out). Also for GIBS/GBRS, I let the central office know that GBRS was very unfairly rated- my kid was not nicely treated by his classroom teaher - the GT committee. I guess I did the appeal work beforehand.

I guess what I don't understand is how you even got to know beforehand what went into the packet??? My AAP would not meet with me and when I asked DC's homeroom and reading/math teachers about it, they referred me to the AAP coordinator. I suspect something similar happened to DC. Oh well, I'll get the packet and see.

[Anonymous]

Interesting. Our school makes it a policy not to submit anything that is not flattering (or so they say). 25% finished is certainly not flattering. But then, they also will not discuss or show you the packet until after it has been submitted, so certainly no option to fight over any submissions or affect the the school's submission in any way.

[Anonymous]

Anyone have any information about going to the GT Center as a 4th grader (not 3rd grader)? Will DC be really behind in math w/ GT's compacted math? I'm wondering if DC needs to do some catching up over the summer.

[Anonymous]

What about other subjects? I heard that the 3rd grade GT classes had WordlyWise V for Language. My DC has been doing WW III and that too only once in a while.

This is going to be a busy summer.

[Anonymous]

Did anyone else get an orientation date/time at a GT Center of Monday 5/10 at 2:15? If this is designed for parents to attend, why would they schedule the orientation for 2:15? Assuming that either parent works (which is likely), how can the family really experience the GT center that day? I'm wondering whether it might be a typo. I'm planning to call the GT center tomorrow to check.

[Anonymous]

I'm going to be moving my child to the GT Center from a LLIV in 4th grade. Honestly, I'm not going to worry about it that much. I know a few people at our Center and their math does not seem advanced vs ours. But I am planning to go to the GT Orientation for our center and that seems like a good question to ask.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone have any information about going to the GT Center as a 4th grader (not 3rd grader)? Will DC be really behind in math w/ GT's compacted math? I'm wondering if DC needs to do some catching up over the summer.

My DC's friend moved from a Local Level IV to a Center for 4th grade and had a little catching up to do, but she caught up to the class by the time parent teacher conferences in November.

[Anonymous]

I'm convinced my child got in based on GBRS and teacher recommendations. We did not have strong test scores but we had strong support from the school. I also think the recommendation letters and work samples that I put together were pretty persuasive.

As far as working with the school, I think it depends on your teacher and AART and how supportive they are of your child. When I called my child's classroom teacher to discuss the test stores, the teacher was completely in favor of me referring my child and committed to doing as much as possible to help us create a solid screening file. Then I went to school and met with the teacher and we looked at the work samples that were being considered, I asked what kinds of work samples are most useful, and I asked a bunch of other questions about the teacher's experience with what kinds of kid did and didn't get in and what was in their files. That helped me select other things for the file that were complementary and not duplicative of what the teacher was using. I also had a long phone conversation with the AART to ask questions and get guidance on what to emphasize in my submissions. Both of them were very open to working with me, in part b/c they were 100% supportive of me referring my child from the beginning and felt he clearly belonged in the Center despite not testing into the pool.

It's a shame that others aren't finding the same level of support at their base schools. If the teacher doesn't believe a child is qualified and therefore isn't supportive of working with the parents on the file, I think that is ok, because the teacher should give his/her professional opinion based on experience with that child and should use the GBRS to do an objective assessment of the child. But it's different if teachers and AARTs just don't want to help parents navigate the process at all, regardless of whether they feel the child is qualified.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm going to be moving my child to the GT Center from a LLIV in 4th grade. Honestly, I'm not going to worry about it that much. I know a few people at our Center and their math does not seem advanced vs ours. But I am planning to go to the GT Orientation for our center and that seems like a good question to ask.

I am moving my child in 4th grade too. I plan to do 4th grade math with him over the summer so he doesn't enter feeling like he's behind in math, which is his relative strength. He's received lots of horizontal enrichment in math, but his current private school does not offer compacted or accelerated math in elementary school. I don't think it should take him that long to master it (he's been coasting in math his whole life), but it should help him with his confidence since I expect the Center will be the first time he's with some kids who are better at math than he is. I'm not sure what to do about L.A., which is not his relative strength, although he's still above grade level. I'll ask at the GT center orientation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did anyone else get an orientation date/time at a GT Center of Monday 5/10 at 2:15? If this is designed for parents to attend, why would they schedule the orientation for 2:15? Assuming that either parent works (which is likely), how can the family really experience the GT center that day? I'm wondering whether it might be a typo. I'm planning to call the GT center tomorrow to check.

Ours is at 9:30 on a weekday. Not good for working parents or for the kids, who have to miss class at their base school to attend the orientation. My child will be missing a field trip that he's been looking forward to....I haven't told him yet, but he won't be happy about it.

[Anonymous]

Our GT Center's orientation is on Wednesday May 12 at 7 pm.

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know when the Mantua orientation is?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know when the Mantua orientation is?

According to the PTA website it is on Monday May 10.

[Anonymous]

PP thanks for the Mantua PT website info. It doesn't say what time though. We went last year when my child was a third grader, but this year I want to go again because we chose to stay at our base school last year, but we are moving my child to Mantua this year.