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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]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).  [/quote]

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.[/quote]

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...[/quote]

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.  [b]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). [/b] 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.

[/quote]

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

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.[/quote]

That's because differentiation and extra's are not offered at most MCPS schools or teachers.  We've never gotten anything.[/quote]

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