APS Gifted Referral Form

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems like a few recent posters are very satisfied with their schools, and that is great. We see this school as incredibly weak. We cannot see how kids are building any foundational skills for middle and high school. I have older kids and they’re out of district schools prepared them well, but I am looking at DC wondering how this will work.

I’m glad the PPs are so confident though. What schools are you at?

I didn't say I was highly satisfied. I just think you're ridiculous for claiming that your student has learned nothing in 4th grade. You can think it should be more challenging and still accept that your student is learning new material.

What exactly do you think they should be teaching in 4th grade that isn't being taught?

Well, to start,’if they demonstrate they know the 4th grade standards…not those again. Move forward, accelerate, go to the 5th or 6th grade standards.

A fourth grade teacher is expected to teach 4th grade standards, however they are also expected to differentiate for advanced learners. Differentiation does NOT always mean move faster to the next grade level. It means they can modify what kids are creating, or what they are doing with the content. If you have a 4th grader who is ready for middle school material, can you really expect an elementary teacher to teach content they aren’t even certified in?

The issue is with pacing. APS does move kids faster to get to 7th grade Algebra I; they keep them at grade level content thought 5th grade before ramping up sharply in 6th where they compact content aggressively just as the material gets tougher. In contrast, FCPS ramps up more gradually, beginning in elementary school and accelerating through less difficult material. FCPS's more gradual path for acceleration positions kids better to succeed in Algebra 1 than APS's path. APS waits until 6th grade to accelerate for equity reasons -- some kids develop their math skills later and a delayed jumping off point accommodates them. The downside is that all students then face a tougher time once acceleration does begin. That is why some argue it would be better for APS to move faster in 4th grade and not just keep kids treading water with grade level content.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:It really doesn’t matter. The “gifted services” at APS are lip service. At Williamsburg, my kid’s teacher didn’t even know they were identified as gifted at parent teacher conferences when I asked about differentiation. It’s just in place to make striver Arlington parents feel better. I believe APS is mostly able meet the needs of children who are gifted in Math, but English is a joke.

At least in elementary, math isn’t differentiated in any meaningful way, either. It’s a complete farce. The English curriculum actually looks like it could differentiate if someone attempted to do it.

I had no idea how terrible APS was for gifted education and I am so sad at our experience.

+1 It is bad. Early on, we were told to sit tight and wait for 3rd grade. We never saw any differentiation at all in elementary. They need to stop pretending there’s a “program.”

They don’t. It’s gifted services

Okay, fine. Poor usage of program on my part. If someone could point me toward these gifted services?

I realize each school varies in approach, but it’s ridiculous to pretend that any real service is being provided by the quarterly whole class visits by the RTG. And that was the extent of gifted services at our APS elementary.

I'm sure it depends on your school. As an example of services, my upper elementary student takes a math pretest for each unit. If she gets the problems correct, she can skip the classroom work and do an extension math project with a small group, which typically ends up being the gifted cluster in her classroom. These projects don't introduce new material to move a student ahead, but are structured to make students think more deeply. Occasionally the GTR works with with group directly, but often they just use materials that she provides.

APS allows non-tagged kids to join this small group if they pass the pretest, but as a practical matter it usually ends up mostly being the kids already tagged and in the cluster.

Are these projects that make students think more deeply actually beneficial? Do you feel they are advancing your child's knowledge and understanding? Or are they just using concepts they know in a different way with unclear additional benefit?

I don't know, but my student enjoys these activities more than relearning things she already knows. Some projects are more fun and interesting than others. Others are more busy work. It varies.

In our experience (4th grade) it is pure busy work. My kid has not learned a single thing since starting at her north Arlington school. The math curriculum and “extension” activities are a joke. I am one of the PPs who asked which school lets the kids skip over the required basic content if they know it because that’s not happening at our school.

Check the growth assessment reports on ParentVue. Look for your kids fall scores and make sure they got every question given to them correct, and as many difficult as possible.

Then do the same with the winter score.

Yes, DC started at the top quartile of the fall assessments and the MOY MI showed slight decline, suggesting that DC did not learn anything and in fact lost skills due to lack of challenge. To continue to grow requires additional material. Deepening doesn’t cut it.

You are a piece of work!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems like a few recent posters are very satisfied with their schools, and that is great. We see this school as incredibly weak. We cannot see how kids are building any foundational skills for middle and high school. I have older kids and they’re out of district schools prepared them well, but I am looking at DC wondering how this will work.

I’m glad the PPs are so confident though. What schools are you at?

I didn't say I was highly satisfied. I just think you're ridiculous for claiming that your student has learned nothing in 4th grade. You can think it should be more challenging and still accept that your student is learning new material.

What exactly do you think they should be teaching in 4th grade that isn't being taught?

Well, to start,’if they demonstrate they know the 4th grade standards…not those again. Move forward, accelerate, go to the 5th or 6th grade standards.

FCPS has advanced 4th grade math that covers 5th grade content as well. FCPS begins math acceleration earlier which makes sense. It offers younger kids challenge and avoids the sharp ramp-up that occurs when acceleration is delayed until middle school.

FCPS moves kids to different schools for that. APS doesn't have the budget to bus kids elsewhere. There's a neighborhood school model. Our 4th grade has 3 classes--you expect 1/3 of the grade to be working a grade level ahead? I can tell you that's not happening.

It actually doesn’t sound unreasonable to me to think that 1/3 of the class is ready for accelerated math, based on DD’s class.

[Anonymous]

Yes, I’m curious what other posters would say about a kid moving into APS in 4th or 5th grades that had already covered those standards in the out of state curriculum because it allowed for acceleration. It makes no sense for a kid to have to fake re-learn standards that they covered two (or more) years ago, does it? That’s what our elementary seems to think, though.

[Anonymous]

Do folks in here honestly know what your kid does in math in the classroom. We get a worksheet homework assignment but I don't know what group my kid works with in math or what work they are working in in class. I don't even know how folks can say in classroom learning isn't differentiated when they aren't watching the classroom all day long. Do you know the teacher isn't asking your kid more in depth questions? Do you know other kids aren't working on lower level problems?

I didn't think that most kids were good at giving in depth reports of their school day. But maybe that is just my kid who gives one word answers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our child was referred based on test scores but we filled it out because said child is so underwhelmed and bored in school that we did not want to leave anything to chance. I don’t think anything will change even once identified - it will still be the same terrible curriculum - but it seems to matter more when they get to middle school math options, or so I’ve heard. If the test scores speak for themselves maybe the examples matter less.

Have others at APS in upper elementary found math and reading instruction to be augmented? Ours does not appear to be at all.

OP here, this is partly what we are pushing for gifted. Child is in K and is so bored all day. Seems to spend a lot of time alone on the ipad (is there a way to check how much time they are logged on?), and actually asked if they could move to 1st grade.

They have fun at recess and have lots of friends in class, but basically taught themselves how to read last year, and mastered all math skills, and is just idling while teacher is focused on her large 27 student class.

1) Gifted children do not get bored. They are endlessly curious.
2) There is no gifted identification at K

I know it’s hard to hear but you likely just have another high-achieving people pleaser like most kids in Arlington. Pretty typical and average.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do folks in here honestly know what your kid does in math in the classroom. We get a worksheet homework assignment but I don't know what group my kid works with in math or what work they are working in in class. I don't even know how folks can say in classroom learning isn't differentiated when they aren't watching the classroom all day long. Do you know the teacher isn't asking your kid more in depth questions? Do you know other kids aren't working on lower level problems?

I didn't think that most kids were good at giving in depth reports of their school day. But maybe that is just my kid who gives one word answers.

Considering differentiation = Dreambox only my kid knows what he did in math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I’m curious what other posters would say about a kid moving into APS in 4th or 5th grades that had already covered those standards in the out of state curriculum because it allowed for acceleration. It makes no sense for a kid to have to fake re-learn standards that they covered two (or more) years ago, does it? That’s what our elementary seems to think, though.

I'm curious what you think the elementary school should do. Create a new curriculum for that one student?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do folks in here honestly know what your kid does in math in the classroom. We get a worksheet homework assignment but I don't know what group my kid works with in math or what work they are working in in class. I don't even know how folks can say in classroom learning isn't differentiated when they aren't watching the classroom all day long. Do you know the teacher isn't asking your kid more in depth questions? Do you know other kids aren't working on lower level problems?

I didn't think that most kids were good at giving in depth reports of their school day. But maybe that is just my kid who gives one word answers.

Considering differentiation = Dreambox only my kid knows what he did in math.

You can set up a dreambox family account and it will send you (the parent) emails when your kid completes a new section. It allows you to follow their academic progress. So for example, i can see areas that my child needs help in and areas that he is progressing in. I assume the teacher can see all that as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I’m curious what other posters would say about a kid moving into APS in 4th or 5th grades that had already covered those standards in the out of state curriculum because it allowed for acceleration. It makes no sense for a kid to have to fake re-learn standards that they covered two (or more) years ago, does it? That’s what our elementary seems to think, though.

I'm curious what you think the elementary school should do. Create a new curriculum for that one student?

DP If they offered regular and advanced math in 4th and 5th grade at neighborhood schools like FCPS does, the infrastructure would be there to accommodate that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our child was referred based on test scores but we filled it out because said child is so underwhelmed and bored in school that we did not want to leave anything to chance. I don’t think anything will change even once identified - it will still be the same terrible curriculum - but it seems to matter more when they get to middle school math options, or so I’ve heard. If the test scores speak for themselves maybe the examples matter less.

Have others at APS in upper elementary found math and reading instruction to be augmented? Ours does not appear to be at all.

OP here, this is partly what we are pushing for gifted. Child is in K and is so bored all day. Seems to spend a lot of time alone on the ipad (is there a way to check how much time they are logged on?), and actually asked if they could move to 1st grade.

They have fun at recess and have lots of friends in class, but basically taught themselves how to read last year, and mastered all math skills, and is just idling while teacher is focused on her large 27 student class.

27 students in one K class?! Where is this? Getting more and more concerned about class sizes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It really doesn’t matter. The “gifted services” at APS are lip service. At Williamsburg, my kid’s teacher didn’t even know they were identified as gifted at parent teacher conferences when I asked about differentiation. It’s just in place to make striver Arlington parents feel better. I believe APS is mostly able meet the needs of children who are gifted in Math, but English is a joke.

At least in elementary, math isn’t differentiated in any meaningful way, either. It’s a complete farce. The English curriculum actually looks like it could differentiate if someone attempted to do it.

I had no idea how terrible APS was for gifted education and I am so sad at our experience.

Where would you have gone if given a chance for a redo? Do privates do better at this? It seems like they would have limited resources