Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid who has never received anything less than 99% on his MAP math tests has never complained of being bored in math. It's ok to go slowly in lower elementary, repeat concepts, feel confident about school, etc...they are little kids! Don't worry, unless they are a true prodigy, there will be PLENTY of time for your child to be challenged in math in MCPS. If your child loves math, then maybe do some fun math-focused activities outside of school (e.g., Bedtime Math).

It's not about how smart your child is. A child can be less "smart" than another kid and be bored. A child can be a prodigy and still be fine in regular school. My DS, who is bright, grumbles a lot about having nothing to do after rushing through work. If we could afford private he may have been happier. He has classmate who is likely a prodigy does not seem to have any complaints and dutifully does the work. I remember in kindergarten this child who was reading thick chapter books contently sitting with other kids as the teacher tried to teach them the sounds each letter makes for hours at a time while my child was making faces.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid who has never received anything less than 99% on his MAP math tests has never complained of being bored in math. It's ok to go slowly in lower elementary, repeat concepts, feel confident about school, etc...they are little kids! Don't worry, unless they are a true prodigy, there will be PLENTY of time for your child to be challenged in math in MCPS. If your child loves math, then maybe do some fun math-focused activities outside of school (e.g., Bedtime Math).

It's not about how smart your child is. A child can be less "smart" than another kid and be bored. A child can be a prodigy and still be fine in regular school. My DS, who is bright, grumbles a lot about having nothing to do after rushing through work. If we could afford private he may have been happier. He has classmate who is likely a prodigy does not seem to have any complaints and dutifully does the work. I remember in kindergarten this child who was reading thick chapter books contently sitting with other kids as the teacher tried to teach them the sounds each letter makes for hours at a time while my child was making faces.

Yes, this. This is OP again. When I was a kid they dealt with me by letting me work ahead while all the other kids were being taught. Whatever they were doing. This was great except certain concepts I didn’t really learn. I still can’t do long division the “right” way. I got around it by guessing and using multiplication until I found the answer... this got me to the right answer but I’m still not sure how you’re supposed to do it (and of course now I just use a calculator...)

Eventually I was allowed to go to a math class (three grades ahead) that challenged me. What I’m worried about is DD getting bored or not actually learning concepts because she’s teaching herself. I see that already. She taught herself to write the alphabet. Great, right? Except she writes her S’s weirdly and I’m not sure how to reteach her how to do it correctly. If she’s anything like me, she’s not going to wait to be taught...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid who has never received anything less than 99% on his MAP math tests has never complained of being bored in math. It's ok to go slowly in lower elementary, repeat concepts, feel confident about school, etc...they are little kids! Don't worry, unless they are a true prodigy, there will be PLENTY of time for your child to be challenged in math in MCPS. If your child loves math, then maybe do some fun math-focused activities outside of school (e.g., Bedtime Math).

It's not about how smart your child is. A child can be less "smart" than another kid and be bored. A child can be a prodigy and still be fine in regular school. My DS, who is bright, grumbles a lot about having nothing to do after rushing through work. If we could afford private he may have been happier. He has classmate who is likely a prodigy does not seem to have any complaints and dutifully does the work. I remember in kindergarten this child who was reading thick chapter books contently sitting with other kids as the teacher tried to teach them the sounds each letter makes for hours at a time while my child was making faces.

Yes, this. This is OP again. When I was a kid they dealt with me by letting me work ahead while all the other kids were being taught. Whatever they were doing. This was great except certain concepts I didn’t really learn. I still can’t do long division the “right” way. I got around it by guessing and using multiplication until I found the answer... this got me to the right answer but I’m still not sure how you’re supposed to do it (and of course now I just use a calculator...)

Eventually I was allowed to go to a math class (three grades ahead) that challenged me. What I’m worried about is DD getting bored or not actually learning concepts because she’s teaching herself. I see that already. She taught herself to write the alphabet. Great, right? Except she writes her S’s weirdly and I’m not sure how to reteach her how to do it correctly. If she’s anything like me, she’s not going to wait to be taught...

Anonymous wrote:Once all the MCPS Elem schools start using the new curriculum Benchmark Advance, you will see there is very little (if any) time for small-group reading. I think Benchmark is great for kids that are on or above grade level, but is very challenging for kids that are struggling and unable to work independently. Unfortunately -- at least for the k, 1st and 2nd grade classes, there will ALWAYS be (at least) several students below grade level, and (at least) several more students barely on grade level, so the teacher will spend the majority of the time of the reading / writing block working with the students who are struggling.

Even though the prior method of utilizing reading groups were not always super beneficial for the "top" readers, it was better than the new curriculum, which doesn't allow for small groups. Parents of students who are not yet using the new curriculum may not be aware of the changes.

My children are at a private school and I work in MCPS. Although in the school my kids attend I have not seen much official math or reading differentiation, they are definitely getting individual attention during math and reading. Many people do public for elementary and middle, with the hope of going to a private high school, but I have found the opposite to be true and plan on going to public high school.

If your child is truly gifted, I think MCPS has a lot to offer if they test into a CES or magnet middle / high school, and I would focus on supplementing math and reading (and writing) at home or with a tutor in the early years of elementary school. My kids are smart but not exceptionally gifted, so being in a private school where they can receive individual attention has been beneficial for them.

Anonymous wrote:Once all the MCPS Elem schools start using the new curriculum Benchmark Advance, you will see there is very little (if any) time for small-group reading. I think Benchmark is great for kids that are on or above grade level, but is very challenging for kids that are struggling and unable to work independently. Unfortunately -- at least for the k, 1st and 2nd grade classes, there will ALWAYS be (at least) several students below grade level, and (at least) several more students barely on grade level, so the teacher will spend the majority of the time of the reading / writing block working with the students who are struggling.

Even though the prior method of utilizing reading groups were not always super beneficial for the "top" readers, it was better than the new curriculum, which doesn't allow for small groups. Parents of students who are not yet using the new curriculum may not be aware of the changes.

My children are at a private school and I work in MCPS. Although in the school my kids attend I have not seen much official math or reading differentiation, they are definitely getting individual attention during math and reading. Many people do public for elementary and middle, with the hope of going to a private high school, but I have found the opposite to be true and plan on going to public high school.

If your child is truly gifted, I think MCPS has a lot to offer if they test into a CES or magnet middle / high school, and I would focus on supplementing math and reading (and writing) at home or with a tutor in the early years of elementary school. My kids are smart but not exceptionally gifted, so being in a private school where they can receive individual attention has been beneficial for them.

Anonymous wrote:We're currently trying to decide whether our DD is going to stay in her private school or switch to MCPS for Kindergarten. Private is a stretch for us, but we want to support our kid as much as we can. My main concerns are two-fold: the class sizes (moving from ~15 to 30 is a huge jump) and differentiation. DD is reading and doing basic math (addition and subtraction of numbers up to 20). Both DH and I excelled at math as kids -- I was the kid that worked ahead in my workbooks and taught myself math to the point I ended up in algebra at 6th grade (also the only girl in my calc bc class in high school, but I digress). DH was similar and we're seeing the same thing in DD.

I don't want her to get bored or be forced to stay on pace with everyone else if she's beyond what is being taught. I know about the HGCs and the testing in 3rd grade (and the competition for that), but I'm wondering what is done for differentiation before that.

(and yes, before the trolls come out -- I know every parent thinks their kid is gifted, yadayada, that's not what I'm asking about. I just know how I was in school and I see the same things in DD).

Anonymous wrote:OP,

Send your kid to public until 2nd and move them to private from 3-8th. They build neighborhood friends, but when the learning and absorbing really needs to kick in, but doesn’t - get them out. We did it with #2 and 3 and the difference is night and day. The love of learning, field trips, outdoor classes on nice days, only one day of testing all year, a lot of art, science, hands on, etc.... Class sizes were maxed at 15, even in middle school. I am sorry I didn’t do this for my first. It was worth the cost. We did get some financial aid.

High school can go either way. Enough AP and other classes to appease them. #2 went to public, #3 begged to stay private. Even though private was better, the difference wasn’t nearly as substantial as late ES and MS. It is just awful at MCPS and #1 did HGC and it still sucked compared to private.

But all private’s are not equal. Look for secular college prep schools.

Good luck!

Anonymous wrote:OP, my suggestion is to keep your DD in private until 3rd grade, when she can apply to CES (formerly HGC) and if she is accepted, you can transfer back to public system. It's super boring in the first 4 years (K-3rd) for kids advanced in math. If you are financially capable, try to wait until 5th grade before apply to magnet MS is another option. If you get in, you go because the program is excellent and your DD will not be bored ever since (CES is still heavily humanity oriented, but math-wise is also good. Once accepted by STEM magnet MS, your DD will be assured to enjoy the curriculum).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid who has never received anything less than 99% on his MAP math tests has never complained of being bored in math. It's ok to go slowly in lower elementary, repeat concepts, feel confident about school, etc...they are little kids! Don't worry, unless they are a true prodigy, there will be PLENTY of time for your child to be challenged in math in MCPS. If your child loves math, then maybe do some fun math-focused activities outside of school (e.g., Bedtime Math).

It's not about how smart your child is. A child can be less "smart" than another kid and be bored. A child can be a prodigy and still be fine in regular school. My DS, who is bright, grumbles a lot about having nothing to do after rushing through work. If we could afford private he may have been happier. He has classmate who is likely a prodigy does not seem to have any complaints and dutifully does the work. I remember in kindergarten this child who was reading thick chapter books contently sitting with other kids as the teacher tried to teach them the sounds each letter makes for hours at a time while my child was making faces.

Yes, this. This is OP again. When I was a kid they dealt with me by letting me work ahead while all the other kids were being taught. Whatever they were doing. This was great except certain concepts I didn’t really learn. I still can’t do long division the “right” way. I got around it by guessing and using multiplication until I found the answer... this got me to the right answer but I’m still not sure how you’re supposed to do it (and of course now I just use a calculator...)

Eventually I was allowed to go to a math class (three grades ahead) that challenged me. What I’m worried about is DD getting bored or not actually learning concepts because she’s teaching herself. I see that already. She taught herself to write the alphabet. Great, right? Except she writes her S’s weirdly and I’m not sure how to reteach her how to do it correctly. If she’s anything like me, she’s not going to wait to be taught...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid who has never received anything less than 99% on his MAP math tests has never complained of being bored in math. It's ok to go slowly in lower elementary, repeat concepts, feel confident about school, etc...they are little kids! Don't worry, unless they are a true prodigy, there will be PLENTY of time for your child to be challenged in math in MCPS. If your child loves math, then maybe do some fun math-focused activities outside of school (e.g., Bedtime Math).

It's not about how smart your child is. A child can be less "smart" than another kid and be bored. A child can be a prodigy and still be fine in regular school. My DS, who is bright, grumbles a lot about having nothing to do after rushing through work. If we could afford private he may have been happier. He has classmate who is likely a prodigy does not seem to have any complaints and dutifully does the work. I remember in kindergarten this child who was reading thick chapter books contently sitting with other kids as the teacher tried to teach them the sounds each letter makes for hours at a time while my child was making faces.

Yes, this. This is OP again. When I was a kid they dealt with me by letting me work ahead while all the other kids were being taught. Whatever they were doing. This was great except certain concepts I didn’t really learn. I still can’t do long division the “right” way. I got around it by guessing and using multiplication until I found the answer... this got me to the right answer but I’m still not sure how you’re supposed to do it (and of course now I just use a calculator...)

Eventually I was allowed to go to a math class (three grades ahead) that challenged me. What I’m worried about is DD getting bored or not actually learning concepts because she’s teaching herself. I see that already. She taught herself to write the alphabet. Great, right? Except she writes her S’s weirdly and I’m not sure how to reteach her how to do it correctly. If she’s anything like me, she’s not going to wait to be taught...

I don't mean to sound unsympathetic, but this is public school. If what you are saying is that you have this outlier kid, and you are worried that public school is not going to cater to the kid's unique talents, then you either are going to need to make the best of your public school options (and Somerset is a great ES), and be at peace with that, or you need to figure out another way. But I don't think it realistic to expect a MCPS ES, even a great one, to create an individualized academic plan exceeding what is offered. (Yes, I know that there are IEPs, but this does not sound that sort of situation.) Teachers, frankly, don't have that time. Maybe a school would accelerate your kid, but at the TPMS magnet open house, there were only 11 out of 125 invited who were one year ahead in math (i.e., took IM in 5th, not 6th). So not common, even among that select group.

We have friends in a similar situation with their DC, and they send the kid to a well-known private for ES. That school did create an individualized plan for the kid. But for $40K+/year, one would hope so.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, my suggestion is to keep your DD in private until 3rd grade, when she can apply to CES (formerly HGC) and if she is accepted, you can transfer back to public system. It's super boring in the first 4 years (K-3rd) for kids advanced in math. If you are financially capable, try to wait until 5th grade before apply to magnet MS is another option. If you get in, you go because the program is excellent and your DD will not be bored ever since (CES is still heavily humanity oriented, but math-wise is also good. Once accepted by STEM magnet MS, your DD will be assured to enjoy the curriculum).

Before embarking on such a strategy, it'd be worthwhile reading the MS magnet acceptance threads (TPMS, EMS), which are recent, and then the CES acceptance threads, which will pop up in April or whenever they are announcing the invitations. Take everything with a grain (many grains) of salt. And understand as best possible how the selection process works, particularly for kids coming out of private schools, maybe even call MCPS to confirm. Planning on acceptances at a CES and especially the MS magnets seems like a risky strategy no matter how smart your child is, and you'd be well served to have a back-up plan, even if you never need it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid who has never received anything less than 99% on his MAP math tests has never complained of being bored in math. It's ok to go slowly in lower elementary, repeat concepts, feel confident about school, etc...they are little kids! Don't worry, unless they are a true prodigy, there will be PLENTY of time for your child to be challenged in math in MCPS. If your child loves math, then maybe do some fun math-focused activities outside of school (e.g., Bedtime Math).

It's not about how smart your child is. A child can be less "smart" than another kid and be bored. A child can be a prodigy and still be fine in regular school. My DS, who is bright, grumbles a lot about having nothing to do after rushing through work. If we could afford private he may have been happier. He has classmate who is likely a prodigy does not seem to have any complaints and dutifully does the work. I remember in kindergarten this child who was reading thick chapter books contently sitting with other kids as the teacher tried to teach them the sounds each letter makes for hours at a time while my child was making faces.

Yes, this. This is OP again. When I was a kid they dealt with me by letting me work ahead while all the other kids were being taught. Whatever they were doing. This was great except certain concepts I didn’t really learn. I still can’t do long division the “right” way. I got around it by guessing and using multiplication until I found the answer... this got me to the right answer but I’m still not sure how you’re supposed to do it (and of course now I just use a calculator...)

Eventually I was allowed to go to a math class (three grades ahead) that challenged me. What I’m worried about is DD getting bored or not actually learning concepts because she’s teaching herself. I see that already. She taught herself to write the alphabet. Great, right? Except she writes her S’s weirdly and I’m not sure how to reteach her how to do it correctly. If she’s anything like me, she’s not going to wait to be taught...

I don't mean to sound unsympathetic, but this is public school. If what you are saying is that you have this outlier kid, and you are worried that public school is not going to cater to the kid's unique talents, then you either are going to need to make the best of your public school options (and Somerset is a great ES), and be at peace with that, or you need to figure out another way. But I don't think it realistic to expect a MCPS ES, even a great one, to create an individualized academic plan exceeding what is offered. (Yes, I know that there are IEPs, but this does not sound that sort of situation.) Teachers, frankly, don't have that time. Maybe a school would accelerate your kid, but at the TPMS magnet open house, there were only 11 out of 125 invited who were one year ahead in math (i.e., took IM in 5th, not 6th). So not common, even among that select group.

We have friends in a similar situation with their DC, and they send the kid to a well-known private for ES. That school did create an individualized plan for the kid. But for $40K+/year, one would hope so.

That’s not true. All the kids we’ll have completed sixth grade math before sixth grade.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid who has never received anything less than 99% on his MAP math tests has never complained of being bored in math. It's ok to go slowly in lower elementary, repeat concepts, feel confident about school, etc...they are little kids! Don't worry, unless they are a true prodigy, there will be PLENTY of time for your child to be challenged in math in MCPS. If your child loves math, then maybe do some fun math-focused activities outside of school (e.g., Bedtime Math).

It's not about how smart your child is. A child can be less "smart" than another kid and be bored. A child can be a prodigy and still be fine in regular school. My DS, who is bright, grumbles a lot about having nothing to do after rushing through work. If we could afford private he may have been happier. He has classmate who is likely a prodigy does not seem to have any complaints and dutifully does the work. I remember in kindergarten this child who was reading thick chapter books contently sitting with other kids as the teacher tried to teach them the sounds each letter makes for hours at a time while my child was making faces.

Yes, this. This is OP again. When I was a kid they dealt with me by letting me work ahead while all the other kids were being taught. Whatever they were doing. This was great except certain concepts I didn’t really learn. I still can’t do long division the “right” way. I got around it by guessing and using multiplication until I found the answer... this got me to the right answer but I’m still not sure how you’re supposed to do it (and of course now I just use a calculator...)

Eventually I was allowed to go to a math class (three grades ahead) that challenged me. What I’m worried about is DD getting bored or not actually learning concepts because she’s teaching herself. I see that already. She taught herself to write the alphabet. Great, right? Except she writes her S’s weirdly and I’m not sure how to reteach her how to do it correctly. If she’s anything like me, she’s not going to wait to be taught...

I don't mean to sound unsympathetic, but this is public school. If what you are saying is that you have this outlier kid, and you are worried that public school is not going to cater to the kid's unique talents, then you either are going to need to make the best of your public school options (and Somerset is a great ES), and be at peace with that, or you need to figure out another way. But I don't think it realistic to expect a MCPS ES, even a great one, to create an individualized academic plan exceeding what is offered. (Yes, I know that there are IEPs, but this does not sound that sort of situation.) Teachers, frankly, don't have that time. Maybe a school would accelerate your kid, but at the TPMS magnet open house, there were only 11 out of 125 invited who were one year ahead in math (i.e., took IM in 5th, not 6th). So not common, even among that select group.

We have friends in a similar situation with their DC, and they send the kid to a well-known private for ES. That school did create an individualized plan for the kid. But for $40K+/year, one would hope so.

That’s not true. All the kids we’ll have completed sixth grade math before sixth grade.

I should have been clearer, and am not used to all the acronyms. But at the TPMS magnet open house, the magnet coordinator said that 11 of the incoming 125 (or however many they selected initially) had already taken in 5th grade what the magnet students would take in 6th grade. I realize that the CES kids take two years of compacted math, so I think should be a year ahead by 6th grade, but the message was that there is a group of 11 who are, essentially, 2 years ahead.