cutoff scores for Fairfax County GT centers for this year?
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Anonymous
You can also wait until next year and do a referral at that point. |
donalan
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my son was accepted (99th percentile) so now we have to vet the Level IV services. No doubt the services offered at our home school are much worse than the central app school.
FYI they defunded transportation for Level IV students if their home school offers ANY Level IV services. Make sure to contact your school board member to have those funds reinstated and do it soon. |
Anonymous
We've got the smartest kids in the coutnry--its amazing how many 99% there are. Not doubting the score, but I think something is fishy with the way the COGAT and NNAT are scored. I've heard age also affects so if your kid is young in 2nd grade, its easier to get a higher score--confirmed "unofficially" with teacher. |
Anonymous
Well, yes. Overall, kids in the county tend to score higher than other kids in the country. There are some not-so-great school systems out there and ours is not one of them. And yes, kids who are younger tend to score a higher age-related percentile. BUT not because there is anything "fishy" about the tests. It's just math. Kids who are nearly a year younger than other kids in the same grade, yet who perform as well or better than other kids in their grade, WILL score in a higher AGE-RATED PERCENTILE. It isn't "fishy," it's MATH. Consider, 3 year olds can usually do more than 2 year olds. Would you put a 2 year old who can perform like a 3 year old into a higher percentile? It brings up the whole red-shirting debate. Should kids with birthdays near the cut off be held back? Don't older kids have their own advantage? A whole extra year of learning can give them a huge advantage. So some might say that the grade-based comparisons are unfair to younger kids. |
donalan
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we are in no way enamored of APP - he is in immersion and that is a good program. We are new to it all. In many ways it would be much easier if he were more normal. If he had not made the cut it would have been fine with us. He has a good heart and a good mind so we think he will be fine with or without APP.
I was surprised when they told us we should basically embellish his score with our observations in applying for app. I mean I would have though 99 percentile was an automatic in. Apparently a lot of parents push really hard for their marginal kids to get in. Not sure why they would do that. I mean why would you put your normal kid in with sort of odd balls like my son - they are not normal. They are literally smarter than me, my Phd wife and virtually all the people I meet. A lot of people say 'you must be so proud of him' - I am but not because he is smart. It would be like being proud of him because he is really tall. I dont get it. he has a good heart and is kind - im proud of that sure enough. The fact that he memorizes every single thing he sees, reads or does - thats just luck of the draw... PS teachers have little or nothing to do with this process as I understand it. The fact that people are trying, for their kids, to force them into this program is alien to me. Whom do they think they are helping pushing an unprepared student into an accelerated learning environment? Self esteem is far more important than APP. PPS sorry to for the poor choice of the word 'marginal' - sounds like the cut off is absurdly high. I understand the frustration having a very smart kid and having to deal with some teachers and admin on that issue. There is nothing 'marginal' about any of our children. I apologize for the gaff. |
Anonymous
| I guess my 97th percentile kid must be one of those "marginal" kids as DC was not accepted. |
Anonymous
| PP - you sound like a very good parent. I am with you 100 percent. In general, I think the GT system is very misunderstood. Those that try to mainstream it place at risk those who need it most to thrive (or even survive) in public school. |
Anonymous
| 22:05 here to clarify that I was addressing 21:36 |
Anonymous
The Gifted and Talented program IS NOT about servicing the top 2 or 3 percent of students IQ wise or by any other such lofty criteria! I really wish that folks out there posting to the GT threads would quit harping about how the so called “marginal” students are getting pushed into the program by over aggressive parents. Look at the numbers, about 12% of the total 2nd grade student population get into the GT program each year. There are thousands of students in the program and they are not going all going to be helping Johny-super-genius (who scored 99% on the COGAT) to solve the unified field theory but they may learn reading-writing-math faster by being in a class room of 30 other kids, who are bright students and learning oriented instead of stuck in the general population with the not quite so bright student who may never care about learning and might be more interested in being a bully, etc. What parent who has a above average (not-super-genius) child would not want their child in the GT program? Those lame posts about not extending the submission deadline to give the marginal students a better chance to get in because of the worse snow storm in history, etc. are betting really tiring. |
donalan
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My kid is 'johnny super genius' so what.
Who cares? he needs to be happy and a be good person. Does GT teach that better than mainstream? If you are so desperate for academic accomplishment go back to school yourself. Learning is awesome so leading through example will trump any program a government has. Step up for real and just relax about your kids for God's sake. |
Anonymous
Wow, I just can’t stop parsing this posting. People come to this forum seeking advice and trying to learn about GT program and they have to read through all those posts like yours talking about how dare they try to get their so called marginal students in the program. What do you think the next batch of GT students will be studying this fall (number theory, quantum physics reading "Crime and Punishment" in the original Russian,...)? No, they will be in an accelerated program for the top 10% of students. Not the top 1%, 2% or 5% but the top ten percent (actually more like the top 12%). If you have concerns with the fact that the GT program services the top 10% of students please take it up with Fairfax County Public Schools. Maybe they will create a new Extra-Special-Gifted and Talented program for the top 3% or something. Until then get used to the fact that my son and 25 or so other students are going to be sitting in the classroom with your son and they are all going to do just fine despite your worries about their self esteem, etc. |
Anonymous
Huh? I'd guess the answer is yes for above average students since it services the top 10 to 12% of students.
The only thing that I am weary of is reading postings like yours in the GT threads knocking peoples kids who are not in the top few percent of students. A lot of people come here for pragmatic advice and details about the GT program not lofty lectures and sermons about marginal kids, damaged self esteem and pushy parents, etc. |
Anonymous
| Some people fail to see shades of gray... |
Anonymous
Per the FCPS website: http://www.fcps.edu/DIS/gt/faqs.html How does Local Level IV differ from the Full-time AAP Center? The teachers in both settings are trained in gifted education and teach the same advanced academic curriculum to students who are ready for a highly challenging instructional program in the four core subject areas. The main difference is in the make-up of the class. All of the students in a full-time AAP center-based class have been identified as center-eligible by a central selection committee and will be coming from several neighborhood schools to comprise the center class. In a Local Level IV classroom, the students are a mix of students who are center-eligible and high achieving students who are capable of working at advanced levels, all enrolled in their local school. |
Anonymous
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Just because 10-12% of the FCPS second graders are found eligible for level 4 services doesn't necessarily mean that children with low scores (say below 97%) are allowed level 4 services.
Look around at your adult peers - how many of us in this area have advanced degrees? Graduated from top tier schools? Are Phi Beta Kappa? Were in GT programs ourselves growing up? This area is full of some of the most educated people in our country. That said, more than 2% of the kids around here are likely going to score in the top 2% on these group achievement tests. Also, Donalan - not all genius GT kids are self-driven like your apparently is - many become underachievers/hiders. I count myself as one - after 5th grade (when I switched schools and no GT was available) I didn't really blossom as a student until university where I could do/study what I wanted. I haven't found many parents in our area of FC who are "pushing" their kids into GT. They have the scores and work examples needed. Sure, maybe a few coach their kids for the test but I've found it's pretty easy as a parent volunteer in the class 1-2 times a month for math or writing to pick out the kids who will do well on those tests and ultimately get selected. I find most second graders haven't gone underground with their abilities yet. |