Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the way to go about it is to think about what needs your child has that are not being met in your home school.

A large part of this could be social. Does your child have peers? Is he able to work with others at a level appropriate to him, or is he always off in the corner working on something at his own level? Does he fit in/make friends, or is it hard for him to find kids who are interested in what he's interested in, or at his level. (Example: kids who play with army men vs. a kid who reads World War II histories.)

Look at his MARP-R scores. At what grade level does he read? My son who was admitted to an HGC read, in third grade, at a 12th grade+ level. My daughter, who in third grade read at a 6th grade level, was not admitted. So while they will say something like "HGC kids typically read two or more grade levels above," in reality most of them read at the top of the high school level.

Do you have outside testing, like IQ testing? If so, you should look for an IQ score on the WISC that's 135 or better (I learned this from an educational consultant and I believe it was accurate for last year's pool). It's not that there aren't kids with a lower IQ in the program, but more that a score lower than that won't help you make your case on appeal.

If his scores on all the tests were well below the mean, unless there are some really significant extenuating circumstances, it will be hard to make your case.

Sounds like MCPS speak.

Anonymous wrote:Why not relaize your kid might not be what you expect them to be?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the way to go about it is to think about what needs your child has that are not being met in your home school.

A large part of this could be social. Does your child have peers? Is he able to work with others at a level appropriate to him, or is he always off in the corner working on something at his own level? Does he fit in/make friends, or is it hard for him to find kids who are interested in what he's interested in, or at his level. (Example: kids who play with army men vs. a kid who reads World War II histories.)

Look at his MARP-R scores. At what grade level does he read? My son who was admitted to an HGC read, in third grade, at a 12th grade+ level. My daughter, who in third grade read at a 6th grade level, was not admitted. So while they will say something like "HGC kids typically read two or more grade levels above," in reality most of them read at the top of the high school level.

Do you have outside testing, like IQ testing? If so, you should look for an IQ score on the WISC that's 135 or better (I learned this from an educational consultant and I believe it was accurate for last year's pool). It's not that there aren't kids with a lower IQ in the program, but more that a score lower than that won't help you make your case on appeal.

If his scores on all the tests were well below the mean, unless there are some really significant extenuating circumstances, it will be hard to make your case.

Sounds like MCPS speak.

Anonymous wrote:I think the way to go about it is to think about what needs your child has that are not being met in your home school.

A large part of this could be social. Does your child have peers? Is he able to work with others at a level appropriate to him, or is he always off in the corner working on something at his own level? Does he fit in/make friends, or is it hard for him to find kids who are interested in what he's interested in, or at his level. (Example: kids who play with army men vs. a kid who reads World War II histories.)

Look at his MARP-R scores. At what grade level does he read? My son who was admitted to an HGC read, in third grade, at a 12th grade+ level. My daughter, who in third grade read at a 6th grade level, was not admitted. So while they will say something like "HGC kids typically read two or more grade levels above," in reality most of them read at the top of the high school level.

Do you have outside testing, like IQ testing? If so, you should look for an IQ score on the WISC that's 135 or better (I learned this from an educational consultant and I believe it was accurate for last year's pool). It's not that there aren't kids with a lower IQ in the program, but more that a score lower than that won't help you make your case on appeal.

If his scores on all the tests were well below the mean, unless there are some really significant extenuating circumstances, it will be hard to make your case.

Anonymous wrote:
This is wishful thinking and really completely untrue.

There are many many differences and homework is really the least of them. There's also no way that regular ES teachers would be remotely prepared to oversee the projects that they do. Then there's the writing, the vocabulary building, the problem solving in class with a true peer group, etc. etc.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I beleive my DS's need cannot be met at his homeschool. Unfortunately he is not accepted in the HGC. I think his teacher's recomendation was not glowing. I intend to appeal. However do not know what it takes. Can somone who has successfully done this, please enlighten me. TIA.

If your DS was identified for GT services in Grade 2, you should be able to get your homeschool to provide the same curriculum as the HGC. The only difference are the projects and the amount of HW assigned. If he is a motivated learner, you could make up the difference easily. I would not sweat it too much and you can personally spend more time focusing on his needs, which is always better than a school teacher with 25-30 kids in any school - HGC or not.

This is wishful thinking and really completely untrue.

There are many many differences and homework is really the least of them. There's also no way that regular ES teachers would be remotely prepared to oversee the projects that they do. Then there's the writing, the vocabulary building, the problem solving in class with a true peer group, etc. etc.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I beleive my DS's need cannot be met at his homeschool. Unfortunately he is not accepted in the HGC. I think his teacher's recomendation was not glowing. I intend to appeal. However do not know what it takes. Can somone who has successfully done this, please enlighten me. TIA.

If your DS was identified for GT services in Grade 2, you should be able to get your homeschool to provide the same curriculum as the HGC. The only difference are the projects and the amount of HW assigned. If he is a motivated learner, you could make up the difference easily. I would not sweat it too much and you can personally spend more time focusing on his needs, which is always better than a school teacher with 25-30 kids in any school - HGC or not.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I beleive my DS's need cannot be met at his homeschool. Unfortunately he is not accepted in the HGC. I think his teacher's recomendation was not glowing. I intend to appeal. However do not know what it takes. Can somone who has successfully done this, please enlighten me. TIA.

If your DS was identified for GT services in Grade 2, you should be able to get your homeschool to provide the same curriculum as the HGC. The only difference are the projects and the amount of HW assigned. If he is a motivated learner, you could make up the difference easily. I would not sweat it too much and you can personally spend more time focusing on his needs, which is always better than a school teacher with 25-30 kids in any school - HGC or not.

He was identified GT and we are previleged to be able to provide more challenge for him at home.

However, the concern is that he is being demotivated at school to the point of withdrawal since the homeroom teacher feels he is too enthusiatic (to learn and participate)! He is constantly being reminded that other students in the class need oppertunity to respond and wait for his turn! I understand the teacher's point, but what do I do with my son who knows all the answers and is demonstarting frustration, as a result, by acting out!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I beleive my DS's need cannot be met at his homeschool. Unfortunately he is not accepted in the HGC. I think his teacher's recomendation was not glowing. I intend to appeal. However do not know what it takes. Can somone who has successfully done this, please enlighten me. TIA.

If your DS was identified for GT services in Grade 2, you should be able to get your homeschool to provide the same curriculum as the HGC. The only difference are the projects and the amount of HW assigned. If he is a motivated learner, you could make up the difference easily. I would not sweat it too much and you can personally spend more time focusing on his needs, which is always better than a school teacher with 25-30 kids in any school - HGC or not.

Anonymous wrote:I beleive my DS's need cannot be met at his homeschool. Unfortunately he is not accepted in the HGC. I think his teacher's recomendation was not glowing. I intend to appeal. However do not know what it takes. Can somone who has successfully done this, please enlighten me. TIA.