Anonymous wrote:No prodigies. Just general kids. Either in because of 2 tests way back in 1st grade or pushy parents who are tricked to think it’s a different cohort than GenEd.

We are at a Language Immersion school and I can tell you that the kids in LI behave differently then the kids not in JI. There are far fewer disruptions and issues in JI then there is in the regular classroom. We have friends who have kids go through both programs and they will tell you that it is night and day different. I am not sold on the fact that it is the kids as much as it is the parents and their focus on their kid that makes the difference but the LI classroom is more calm and moves more quickly then the regular classroom. You have kids with IEPs in LI but they tend to need fewer supports then the kids with IEPs in the regular classroom. The parents in LI tend to be more on top of homework and volunteer more at the school, you can see the numbers differences at every grade level event.

I would imagine that there is a similar effect in the LIV classrooms. The parents across the board are more involved then you will find in the regular classroom. That means that the parents are more likely to be responsive to what the Teacher is telling them then in the regular classroom. And you do end up with fewer kids needing lots of supports in the classes, which makes a difference in how the Teacher can present material.

I don't think that the kids are inherently different in the two groups but how parents are responding and what parents are reinforcing at home is different for enough of the kids that there is a behavioral difference in the groups.

Two kids in AAP. One is above average academically but not prodigiously gifted. Works hard. The other is a very deep thinker and keeps up with the curriculum fine, but not quite as academic. Also works hard.

When I was at TJ I knew about 3-4 prodigies in my class of 450. The rest of us were academically above average and worked hard.

No prodigies. Just general kids. Either in because of 2 tests way back in 1st grade or pushy parents who are tricked to think it’s a different cohort than GenEd.

My kid loves math, always has, and seems to have an intuitive grasp of concpts. He picks up new mathmatical concepts pretty quickly. He loves math competitions and will sit down and do math problems for fun. Is he a prodigy? No. Does he like math and seem to be good at math? Yes. Would he be fine at school without RSM and competition class? Yes. He attends RSM because he likes the challenge and to be with other kids who like math.

Does he work hard at it? It depends on how you define working hard. He chooses to take extra classes because he enjoys the subject. Those classes push him but he doesn't get stressed out by them or seem to need much extra time to understand the material. I would say he is working hard only because he is putting in extra time and chooses to do the extra work. I don't think the work is hard for him.

He is not in Advanced Math because he does the extra work, he started those classes after being accepted into LIV. I don't think his math path would be any different if he had never started at RSM or doing math competitions. I do think his abilities would be far less developed without the classes and I am not sure he would have the same love of math because math at school is less engaging. THe competition piece is what he engages with. The school work and regular RSM is the work he has to do in order to be able to play with math, something that he understands.

I agree that there are very few real prodigies in AAP.

It's not either or. Smart people can work hard also.

No prodigies. I agree those are rare and not the typical AAP kid.

Of my two that did it -
One is a hard worker plus just very intuitive with math so did not actually need to work at math at all. This kid cruised through AAP and probably should have skipped up another math level to do MS math in ES. DC did a center.

My other I don’t really see as that hard a worker and this kid is not as intuitive with math but still did well (3s, 4s) in it. That may vary depending on the intensity of the program though. DC did LLIV.

Child has very 99% IQ, smart but not a prodigy,

One child in my child’s AAP class of 20 is a prodigy. They have been in my child’s class for 3 years. AAP is not enough for him, he gets pulled out to do harder work and goes to a higher grade class for math. He will be going to middle school for math next year.

One is bright but lazy. The other less bright but more diligent.

Two kids in AAP. One very bright, but not remotely a prodigy. The other is a hard worker.

It’s really not that challenging, from what I can see.

Anonymous wrote:Is your child an actual prodigy (like Young Sheldon, doing Algebra in 1st grade) or works hard (gets high marks and gets things right with reading/study but no prodigal abilities)?

I recognize the former would be a shoe-in for AAP but how good of a chance does the hard worker have?

There's a vast gap between Young Sheldon and smart enough to do well in AAP without working hard.

Tests well.

I’ve had two kids go through AAP and only seen one maybe prodigy. Of course I didn’t see all the kids test scores in every grade but in everything the kids did that we all saw, this girl was on another level. All the other parents noticed it too. Her parents were lovely and mentioned once that they did some “outside enrichment” for her. Turns out they were doing high school level math with her when she was in 3rd grade. Not to push her but because she needed it.

There are very few actual prodigies in AAP. In fact, it would not be an appropriate program for someone that is a genius; there is insufficient acceleration.

DD is smart, hard working, and has excellent executive functioning skills. Much like 90 odd % of the kids in AAP.

Is your child an actual prodigy (like Young Sheldon, doing Algebra in 1st grade) or works hard (gets high marks and gets things right with reading/study but no prodigal abilities)?

I recognize the former would be a shoe-in for AAP but how good of a chance does the hard worker have?