Which school best supports children who are advanced academically?

[Anonymous]

IN that case, maybe she would want to consider a move.

[Anonymous]

OP: I appreciate all the answers even though many of you are convinced I want to hear only one thing. Moving can be a costly venture both financially and for how much time we'll both spend commuting. We might have to do it. But its best to explore all options in the city first.

[Anonymous]

Something to consider: magnets, such as the ones in MoCo, are difficult to get into. Many moderately gifted kids don't get in. So unless her kids are very gifted, it's not sure thing.

[Anonymous]

So, for that matter, are the four schools OP listed. No guarantees anywhere, and trying to rank order four highly selective schools, while saying you don't want to even hear about other possibilities, is rather...arrogant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So, for that matter, are the four schools OP listed. No guarantees anywhere, and trying to rank order four highly selective schools, while saying you don't want to even hear about other possibilities, is rather...arrogant.

Agreed. And announcing that you are now "closing" a thread, as if you own it, is similarly arrogant.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I want to apologize for my "arrogant tone" throughout most of this thread. Obviously, this whole process is very stressful and I am trying to get a handle on it. I'm a law partner and in my field, having a forthright--and sometimes abrupt--demeanor really works for me. But I admit that it is not appropriate for my personal life, because it has not worked well for me thus far (i.e. getting flamed on this thread, the fact that my husband has asked me for a divorce). I guess I can't just steamroll my way through life...

[Anonymous]

OP -- I'm so sorry! You did come off really arrogant on this thread. But you are going through a lot of stress, and this is just one discussion forum. I'm sure you are a great person, and the schools issue is stressful for lots of us. Keep in mind, there's no one right answer or best choice. And kids who are a year or so ahead of grade level even in both reading and math aren't rally that unusual. Many good schools should be able to handle them just fine. Kds who are way off the charts are a little harder to deal with.

[Anonymous]

OP here again. Thank you for your kind words of encouragement. I'm seriously thinking about getting some type of help from a mental health professional for my control issues. It's one thing when your husband thinks you're a PITA--frankly, I just chalked that up to him being a jerk. But when anonymous strangers are having a negative reaction to me, then clearly it's time for me to re-evaluate.

[Anonymous]

OP,
It's huge that you have returned to apologize and, in the cliche language of talk therapy, taken ownership of this style of yours. Divorce is hard. I'm divorced. He left me. I'm very sorry. Also if you are planning to share custody there is a loss of control there, so yes therapy could help you deal with all of it. Best to you.

[Anonymous]

The fact that you are able to listen to what other people are saying (even when they are pretty rude and mean) is encouraging and inspiring, for the rest of us who might need some introspection. And I would agree that any of the schools that you ask about (as well as many other schools in the DC area) are easily able to accommodate children who are working above grade level. The only concern I might have would be if my child were profoundly gifted in math. It is relatively easy (speaking as a teacher here) to differentiate language arts, science or social studies projects to address the needs of more- or less-advanced students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Something to consider: magnets, such as the ones in MoCo, are difficult to get into. Many moderately gifted kids don't get in. So unless her kids are very gifted, it's not sure thing.

Not OP, but curious. Are magnets typically for kids who work several grades above their peers then? Are they all of the same level of difficulty or are some of them a little easier to gain entry?

[Anonymous]

MoCo gifted magnets tend to be several grades up. DC, in 4th grade in a GT Center magnet, is reading middle school level novels and writing 10 page papers with properly-formatted bibliographies, and things of that nature. In math he works 1 - 2 grades up and is in the "lowest" math group for his class. And lots of long-term projects -- the time management requirements mean kids must be pretty mature, I think (otherwise, the parents may pull their hair out making sure things get in on time).

The problem, I think, is that in MoCo if you are bright but not at a level that would make the magnet the right place for you, you are stuck (as far as elementary school goes, at least). I think the regular classes just are too big and at too many different levels for kids who need something extra to thrive. So there's a real unmet need there. That's why we are looking at private for DC#2.

[Anonymous]

I've seen some of the MoCo magnets post their curricula online. I suspect many of you MoCo G&T parents have bookmarked those curriculum links. Would you mind posting the links here, so it's easy to compare them with private school curricula? It's all well and good to say something like "two grades ahead," but I'm not smart enough to know exactly what that means, or how that compares to private school curriculum.

Links appreciated.

[Anonymous]

I'm 13:07.

It's not a separate curriculum in math -- it's just a higher grade level. So in other words, my 4th grader is doing fifth grade math with some 6th grade material. So you would just look at the regular MCPS math curriculum for that grade. Some of that info is available here:
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/math

I visited a lot of private schools this year and observed that the level of math seemed about the same as MCPS for each grade, but that there might be less opportunity for a kid to work up a grade or two by just going up to join the next class for math. I'm sure that varies from school to school though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not a separate curriculum in math -- it's just a higher grade level. So in other words, my 4th grader is doing fifth grade math with some 6th grade material. So you would just look at the regular MCPS math curriculum for that grade.

So does your MoCo 4th grader go to the 5th grade math class and sit with 5th graders? Or does the teacher create an "honors" class of several 4th graders, and begin teaching them from the 5th grade curriculum?