My dc had a first grade teacher who really challenged kids and gave them opportunities for enrichment. I remember dc bringing home a book being read in her reading group about the different forms of government. They were learning about the differences between democracies, monarchies, oligarchies, theocracies, autocracies, etc. I was amazed. The reading group also read a story about a girl who had to do a project on Egypt, so the teacher told them they had the option to do a project (not for a grade) on Egypt and present it to the whole class if they wanted to. I couldn’t believe the time and effort dc devoted to this project.

Sadly, dc didn’t have enrichment like that again until the CES in 4th grade, but at least dc had a second grade teacher who had students work on cursive writing and learning to type properly when they’d finish their work early. I think they used Typing Club.

Anonymous wrote:When my kids were younger MCPS provided no formal acceleration in the early grades. I don’t think that’s changed. My own kids didn’t need it as they weren’t advanced but we were at a high performing school and it was a common complaint from other parents. You might be happier with a private school. However, the way you describe your child doesn’t sound that advanced for the peer group at our old ES. It could be that your child will have a peer group even without acceleration depending on the school.

Yes, this is a good point, lots of kids come into kindergarten reading and doing the equivalent of 1st or 2nd grade math, because many kids can grasp those things at 4 or 5 if taught. Not uncommon and also not a sign that the kid will remain "2 grades ahead" as they progress through school.

When my kids were younger MCPS provided no formal acceleration in the early grades. I don’t think that’s changed. My own kids didn’t need it as they weren’t advanced but we were at a high performing school and it was a common complaint from other parents. You might be happier with a private school. However, the way you describe your child doesn’t sound that advanced for the peer group at our old ES. It could be that your child will have a peer group even without acceleration depending on the school.

My son was in K last year and was already reading when he entered and scored above the end of year benchmark on the DIBELS test in the Fall. When I asked about enrichment I was told they weren't doing any that year because the curriculum was new and the teachers were still learning it. I just read more challenging books with him at home and had him sound out more difficult works for decoding practice. The lists they sent home were useless because he had those words memorized. I will say that even though he was pretty bored in the skills lessons of CKLA especially he enjoyed learning all the terms like digraphs and whatnot.

Thankfully in first grade he has a teacher that actually differentiates so I'm more hopeful. The school also has an intervention/enrichment block built in, which seems to be new. I've heard a lot of schools are implementing them, so that may be something to look into. His teacher announced that first grade is focusing on reading first (for the intervention block) but my son told me he's in a group doing writing. I guess that's something since he's just on grade level there, but I'm still holding out some hope for some true enrichment.

Make sure your academic preschool isn’t sacrificing social emotional learning for academics. The soft skills of preschool - problem solving, following instructions, listening, following instructions, self-advocacy, self-regulation, etc. are important, too.

Anonymous wrote:Try language immersion so at least he’ll be learning something new

This is what we did. It prevented boredom thru 4th.

No. You won’t get anything from K-3. Maybe in 4th you will luck out and your kid will get into CES. But that’s a lottery among qualified applicants, so that relies on luck of the draw. I would consider private to the extent that a teacher has a chance to create challenge within the curriculum — but even so, the base curriculum is likely aligned with grade level standards.

For private you could try a Montessori school like Butler because that method is more individualized to the child.

For MCPS agree the immersion programs are a good idea. Some are lottery and some are whole school immersion programs for everyone assigned to the school.

I was very high IQ and young for my grade level. Past the birthday cutoff but mom got me in. I am glad not to have skipped a grade.

Try language immersion so at least he’ll be learning something new

Anonymous wrote:Absolutely nothing before 4th grade, and they just removed ELA acceleration path from 4th grade up to middle school humanity magnet programs, so you basically wouldn't only have compact math starting from 4th grade. Since your kid is still young, you have enough to wait and see how the regional model (only for HS portion) shakes up.

I have a very bright kid so I know the way I suffered through. Luckily CES was still criteria-based so both my DC and I were set free since then. I hated what I looked like as a tiger mom.

A few points of clarification:
1) They are supposed to provide enrichment (and, if needed, acceleration) in both math and ELA in all grades starting in K. This is very hit or miss-- mostly "miss," really-- but is possible and there may be schools that do a better job of it, I don't know.
2) Some schools are still offering cohorted enrichment in ELA in 4th and 5th grade although many have dropped it.
3) The middle school humanities curriculum being worsened is still a proposal at this point although may be implemented as early as next year. There are no proposals at the moment to get rid of either the humanities or the math/science middle school magnets.
4) The PP did not mention it but there is also a 4th and 5th grade magnet program. Current eligibility is selected by lottery so chances to get in are small, but criteria could change by the time your kid is that age.

Probably not. Work with him at home. Lots of kids are doing that.

Absolutely nothing before 4th grade, and they just removed ELA acceleration path from 4th grade up to middle school humanity magnet programs, so you basically wouldn't only have compact math starting from 4th grade. Since your kid is still young, you have enough to wait and see how the regional model (only for HS portion) shakes up.

I have a very bright kid so I know the way I suffered through. Luckily CES was still criteria-based so both my DC and I were set free since then. I hated what I looked like as a tiger mom.

DC is in PK4 and is fairly bright.

He’s learning to read, writes pretty well, and does math at a first grade level. He can finish 250 piece puzzles without help— and quickly.

How does MCPS support students who are 2+ grade levels ahead of their assigned grade level in early elementary grades (K-2) vs later grades (3-5)?

Would private school offer more catered acceleration?

We want a happy safe experience for him more than anything else and don’t want to cause him any stress from academic at this age. But we would like to know what kind of acceleration options there are so that he’s not bored.