Anonymous wrote:16:02, I think honestly the best thing you can do is be involved and care. Read to your kids. Involve them in day to day math stuff like helping cook. Help them think abstracty. Ask them questions. All of which you're probably already doing.

Agree with this 100 percent. Of all my friends, it seems like the fluent, early readers were successful in gaining entrance into TAG. And interestingly, some -- but not necessarily most -- foundered in the later grades. They may have started out ahead, but there is a leveling effect as the kids whose parents didn't push as hard on the early reading catch up.

I think the best thing you can do is supplement at home with reading etc.

16:02, I think honestly the best thing you can do is be involved and care. Read to your kids. Involve them in day to day math stuff like helping cook. Help them think abstracty. Ask them questions. All of which you're probably already doing.

Can anyone tell me what the TAG test involves? Are there things a parent can do to help prepare their child, even from a young age?

Anonymous wrote:If my child could get into a TAG program then I'd do public. But he didn't get in so we're staying private.

That's us also. I have an older child who was TAG-identified. We considered pulling out of the private and going to the TAG magnet after she "passed" the TAG test and made it through the lottery. But the younger sibling is not a TAG student. So we do private. I think -- as someone who went through the PG schools many years ago -- that TAG is paramount. I was not a TAG student and was denied some educational opportunities. A test that I failed in first grade had repercussions for me all the way through high school. And frankly, the peer group for the TAG kids is better than for those in the "general population." It was then and seems even more so today. Teachers have told my friends that it was critical that they pass the TAG test in third grade to avoid being a non-TAG student in middle school.

13:48 here. Everybody's tested in grades 1 and 3. Kids can also be nominated in grades 2 and 4 through 7. Pull out started in grade 2.

I don't know how old your DD is, but my child was in a kindergarten class of 25 or 26, I think. That said, the teacher (a veteran in the system) was WONDERFUL and did a terrific job of making sure everybody was doing stuff appropriate to their level. A lot of what kindergarten is about is learning how school works, and socializing, and being responsible for things like putting your belongings where they go, and working with others. Which, honestly, even our very bright early-reader math whiz kid needed to learn.

Anonymous wrote:PP, you are really lucky that your child was TAG identified and still had a decent in bounds option. I would take the risk if my in-bounds was acceptable.

Yep, I was. But I honestly didn't have much of a choice in the matter. FWIW, our in-bounds school was (is) over 80% FARMS, and the test scores were very much not-so-hot. But fortunately, that doesn't tell the entire story. Much more incredible and telling were a very onvolved and active PTO, a great principal, and a real grip on the community's needs.

13:48 - we're on the fence with our younger DD right now. We are pretty certain she'll be TAG identified as she is way more precocious than her elder sibling was at this age and that DC is TAG id-ed. We did private for the eldest because our in bounds school at the time of kinder was a disaster. We are in a better school zone now, but when do they TAG identify kids for pull out services in PGCPS? If they start some sort of TAG services early that would make public way more attractive to us since we're more concerned that she is not going to sit quietly and read to herself the whole day if she's finishing stuff early in class. I don't think she'll see much differentiation in the private school early on, but with the smaller classes I think it will be easier for the teacher to give her extra tasks and kind of keep her busy if needed.

PP, you are really lucky that your child was TAG identified and still had a decent in bounds option. I would take the risk if my in-bounds was acceptable.

No school is a panecea.
We looked at private, and straight up, I can't afford it.
My son went to our locally zoned elementary, which turned out to be one of the best non-decisions I've ever made.
He was TAG-identified, and did the pull-out program for a bit. We entered the lottery two years in a row, and now he's in the TAG magnet program. It's great...for him...but it's still not a panecea.

Anonymous wrote:I don't think the privates in PG necessarily offer a better education. I think the social environment is better for sure but I hear that many of the privates are lacking in the upper grades. They are too small to really offer a differentiated education.

In terms of public, many I know say it is teacher dependent and as long as they have stayed involved it as been fine.

I think because the privates are pretty small it can be really dependent on the cohort in a particular class as far as whether they are "better" or not. The smallness can be hugely positive or hugely negative, it depends on what your child needs and the fit of that particular class at that particular school. Many of the private schools in PG do differentiate in the upper grades, however, they aren't going to have the numbers to accommodate a child who is working several grade levels ahead in math or a child with an LD who really needs specialized instruction in a certain topic. I think they do pretty well by the kids who are in between though. But again, I think this really comes down to what your child needs specifically. The publics are not uniformly bad, nor are the privates uniformly good. There are pros and cons to either.

I don't think the privates in PG necessarily offer a better education. I think the social environment is better for sure but I hear that many of the privates are lacking in the upper grades. They are too small to really offer a differentiated education.

In terms of public, many I know say it is teacher dependent and as long as they have stayed involved it as been fine.

If my child could get into a TAG program then I'd do public. But he didn't get in so we're staying private.

I don't consider a charter to be private. It's more like 4 categories, private, public, public magnet and charter. Many of the charters seem similar in attitude to each other, I don't see a lot of alternatives being offered yet. Our Board of ed is not very interested in encouraging them. The previous poster is correct, even some of the worst schools have some great teachers, and you can be in a great school, even private and get a teacher who's not right for your child. Some kids do well anywhere. A school with involved parents is fantastic whether private or public, several public elementary schools in the county have many happy families. Middle school not so much it seems.

What I want is a different attitude from the ground up in how children are expected to treat each other, and how teachers, children and parents interact. And I don't get that impression from many of the charter schools so far...if they are more strict, more authoritarian, more rigid kids will behave better seems to be the philosophy. My kid is a rule follower by nature already, so we don't need more of them. I really want an environment of kindness and respect which right now we find in private school. I wish I felt like there were more options.

My experience in PG public schools is that it depends on the teacher. Some are great and some are lousy. You cannot rely on any school to have consistently good teachers; and in other districts, perhaps more of the teachers are OK to great. We've had a few bad teachers. But the good teachers have been fantastic.

I often read maryland public school forum and independent/ private forum. Which statement or question do you agree with and why?

1. I beleive in the public school as long as you are an involved parent the schools are not that bad
2. p.g county public schools are not good private is the way to go for a great education?
3. Stay public no charter schools are good in p.g. county

I ask this question/statement because it seems like these are the comments i hear when talking to friends. Wanted to see if the feelings are mutual outside of my inner circle.