Relocating Into DMV
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ikornika
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I posted this on the AAP board but was told that wasn't the correct place to pose my query so I'm trying here:
We're relocating to the DMV area in June 2018 and have decided on Virginia as our target residence; where exactly will depend on schools. My daughter is currently in gifted here in Florida. She's in first grade now and will be entering into second grade (captain obvious here) once we're there. I've read the Virginia DOE's FAQ page about needing a referral to get into TAG programs. What exactly does that entail? I have her intellectual evaluation that was performed by our school district's psychologist and her WISC-V scores (full scale: 136, verbal 133, and fluid 134 with all scaled scores above 13). Also, how is elementary school gifted done? Is it once a week or fully immersive or ...? Here, it's once weekly and if she didn't already attend the school where the gifted program was offered, she'd be bussed in on that one day. Do y'all have a recommendation for best school district for us to live in if we wish to pursue public schools? We've sort of set our hearts on Alexandria, but only because we don't know what else is nearby. Hubs will work downtown DC, near N Street, and I will seek employment later based on where we land. We'd like to be within a 30-45 minute commute (whether by car or rail) and we'd like to avoid Maryland as we've read there's a local income tax there in addition to state and federal. Any advice or pointers would be greatly appreciated. |
ikornika
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Also, I was pointed in the direction of FCPS's site and have discovered some useful information, but my biggest concern is bussing.
It appears second graders would qualify for differentiated learning. Once she qualifies, does this level 2 learning take place at whatever school she attends or will she be bussed to a different school to do It? We would rather she not have to travel since we have the option of moving into the neighborhood of whatever school she needs to be at in order to avoid any bussing. |
Anonymous
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Whoever told you this did not belong in the AAP forum was obviously messing with you.
Almlst all of your question belongs over there. The commute part belongs in real estate. But really, most of your post belongs in AAP. |
Anonymous
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For second grade-NONE of the local Virginia school systems have an official gifted program. She will get whatever enrichment the particular school offers. The official line is that teachers differentiate inside the classroom.
Find a place you can afford with a decent commute for your DH and schools rated at least a 5. |
Anonymous
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AAP doesn't start until 3rd grade here in FCPS. Your child will be retested along with all 2nd graders, and will be evaluated regardless of Florida status.
30-45 minutes will be tricky from FFX Cty if he has standard work hours, but is doable if he can flex hours or is willing to carpool in. You need to identify a budget and housing requirements, and that will narrow down your options significantly. |
Anonymous
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Oh, and based on the level of services your child qualifies for, it could be full time or pull outs.
Level IV is an immersive program. Some kids are bused daily to a center school to find a critical mass of level IV students, others have it at their base school. Level III is pull out services based at her home school. |
Anonymous
Pull outs depend on the school. Some schools do them, some schools do not. |
Anonymous
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Alexandria City schools doesn't have a gifted program.
You could live south of Alexandria city, in Alexandria zoned for FCPS. |
ikornika
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Thank you all. It kind of seems like with the establishing of residency and paperwork/application package, she wouldn't get placed until mid-second grade at the earliest and even then, she'd be retested anyway.
Am I understanding this correctly? Budget is flexible though since we'd rent for at least our first year, I'd like to cap it at 3k for a 3/2, which I'm finding is doable in some areas, but not in others. |
Anonymous
Incorrect. Source: mother of two children currently enrolled in ACPS TAG Talented and Gifted |
Anonymous
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I suggest Arlington as a good choice for a few reasons. The community is small and relatively easy to navigate. There are many military/World Bank/political families moving in and out sobthe social structure for kids is quite fluid.
The schools are very strong. While there is an ongoing debate about overcrowding and boundary lines, you cannot go wrong if you choose a north Arlington location that feeds into Jamestown. Worse case scenario is that you end up at Discoverybor Taylor which are strong academic and social communities. These schools have highly educated parents (many dual career multiple degree families) who are hard working and have access to excellent extra curriculars. Kids who like science got to NASA camps or spend three weeks at Potomac School ecology camp. The peer group for your DD will be filled with other gifted children. If your DD has an interest in STEM later and is truly gifted, she might qualify for Thomas Jefferson Science and Tech, a Fairfax County Governor’s School which is the Mecca for the brightest highly motivated STEM students. The Arlington public schools will put your DD on the path with accelerated math classes (Alg in 7 th grade has become almost standard at Williamsburg MS.) There is quite a bit of wealth and entitlement here- not just Arlington but McLean and Great Falls- which is a challenge for some of us raised elsewhere. Of course, there are challenges everywhere! Good luck! |
Anonymous
| Arlington checks off a lot of your boxes - great schools, easy commute to DC, and Tysons, where there are lots of job opportunities. |
Anonymous
Level III services in FCPS are a joke (IME). My students haven't been pulled out since before winter break. |
Anonymous
You may think your budget is flexible....but you don't want to have to switch schools when you eventually buy. So you need to rent in a school zone where you can afford to buy. There are BIG differences in the housing costs in different areas. Coming from FL, you might think 500k will buy a 4 bed SFH.....you would not be able to get that here. You need to really think about that housing purchase budget. And you aren't going to be driving to work in 30 min unless you leave at 6:00a.m. people always want great schools, a nice house, easy commute, and all for less than 600k....it doesn't work. You will have to compromise unless you can spend 1mil or more on housing....really, more like 1.5mil. Most people commuting to dc have a longer commute, take public trans, or live in a TH, etc... As for "gifted".. your child will likely get into AAp as a third grader with those scores. It might be wise to pick an elem school zone that has a center program for AAP or local level 4 ....so she doesn't have to move after a year. Just fyi...your kid is just "normal smart" for this area. Not "gifted" . You don't want to use the term "gifted" here. She will be tested along with all the 2nd graders. Invitations to AAP are made in April of 2nd grade. It's goid, but not great. Don't expect too much. |
Anonymous
| I meant that not only are the housing costs in Florida different from Northern Va., but the housing costs in Arlington or McLean are significantly more than the housing in Springfield or Alexandria in Fairfax Cnty. (Note tgat Alexandria in Fairfax County is part of FCPS, not to be confused with the City of Alexandria which is a separate schhol district.) |