Reply to Do Montgomery County HGC and magnet programs ever "counsel out" students who are struggling?

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Reply to "Do Montgomery County HGC and magnet programs ever "counsel out" students who are struggling?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=SAM2]Thanks for your response.  Further questions below.
[quote]The Wechsler is not used in MoCo.  The Raven is one part of the tests, but only one.  Other criteria go into the selection process.[/quote]
I had read this -- http://www.examiner.com/school-rankings-in-washington-dc/details-of-the-montgomery-county-gifted-and-talented-identification-process -- to suggest it was.  But maybe that's wrong.  And in the end, it doesn't matter which test is used, since they're all subject to the same criticism.
[quote]Children who are struggling have the option to return to their home schools, or to leave for a school of their choosing (or to be homeschooled).  To my knowledge they are not "counseled out."  Workload is not adjusted for individuals.[/quote]
But does that mean children who struggle simply are allowed to fail at a highly accelerated courseload?  Someone told me that HGCs typically push children to work 2-3 years ahead of grade level.  If that's true, then won't that be a pretty miserable experience for a struggling child?  It sounds like you're saying the answer is "tough luck, kid -- if you can't cut it, get out."  Is that correct?  [b]And if all the critics of these tests are right, that would suggest that 50% or fewer of the test results are accurate indicators, which would seem to indicate that a fairly high percentage of children might be struggling.  Do you see a high percentage struggling at your child's HGC? [/b]
[quote]The HGC is a program for 4/5 graders.  If those students wish to attend a magnet middle school, they must go through the entrance exam and application process like everyone else.  (If they were automatic-ins, it wouldn't be fair to other students, would it?)[/quote]
So those that test in for 4th grade are given a pass at 5th grade (no re-test there)?  I don't know enough about it to judge what's "fair" or not -- I'd imagine some parents whose children were part of the ES HGC, but not admitted to the MS HCG, might argue [b]it's not fair to separate their child from his friends.  But setting aside fairness, I definitely think regular re-tests would be important as the children develop, to ensure the HGC has highly-gifted group it seeks.   [/b]

Thanks for your responses.
[/quote]

RE the inaccuracy of testing, as I said above, the test is only one of several criteria - other criteria include grades, teacher statements, parent statements.  The net result seems to be that the kids who are admitted are prepared for the work.  Indeed, the waitlist is full of kids whose profiles are really about the same as those of the admitted applicants.  Those who get in, are capable of doing the work.  Whether they want to be in the Center program (and there are lots of reasons that it might not be a good fit for a given individual) is another story.  If the fit isn't right, or they are unhappy, they can return to the home school.

RE friends, school isn't about friends from MCPS's point of view.  I don't think that "fairness" approach would fly.

RE re-testing, since the HGC program is structured for 4th & 5th graders (i.e. 5th graders don't get a "pass"; it's that this is the way it is organized), I don't see when re-testing would take place.  At the end of fourth grade?

If a student wants to go to a competitive-entrance magnet middle program, s/he has to apply, so there is your "re-testing" wrt HGC kids.

[/quote]

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