Anonymous wrote:
At what level? The HGC level?

The 30% who test as gifted (MCPS terminology) cannot work at the HGC level. That is not what the designation means.

Actually I think that a lot more than 3% could work at the HGC level. For every child at my child's school who got into the HGC, there was at least one child who would have done fine at the HGC but didn't get in.

Anonymous wrote:
There is nothing in the MCPS model that allows an advanced student to help a struggling student. Its a teacher centric model. The kids struggling just see that others can do something that they can't, they get no benefit other than a hit to self esteem. The only person in the room that benefits from the way MCPS is doing this is the teacher. She gets a class where at least 30% of the students require no instruction and hands her positive test scores. She just has to discipline them to stay in their seats. She only has to teach the rest of the class.

What school are you in? That's not how it works at our school.

Anonymous wrote:Personally I think the HGC for the top 3 percent is reasonable and good. I have no issue with that.

I think the 30% is too high and should be more like top 10 or 15 and I think those kids should have access to more advanced/above grade level teaching especially in math.

Problem though is then I think everyone wants their kid in the advanced path and then next thing you know everyone is there and we end up in the same mess.

Doesn't MCPS offer advanced math tracks? At my son's school 75% of the middle schoolers take and pass at least 1 high school math class in middle school.

Personally I think the HGC for the top 3 percent is reasonable and good. I have no issue with that.

I think the 30% is too high and should be more like top 10 or 15 and I think those kids should have access to more advanced/above grade level teaching especially in math.

Problem though is then I think everyone wants their kid in the advanced path and then next thing you know everyone is there and we end up in the same mess.

Anonymous wrote:I keep hearing how only a small fraction (3%?) of the 30%+ kids who test/qualify for "gifted" status actually get into a gifted center. What happens to the 27+% of kids who have the academic ability and interest to work at this level but there isn't space? Is MCPS really just free childcare for them? If these kids are clustering in schools and already make up a 1/3 of a population, why don't they just have a gifted section in the home school?

If any kids had a hard time with the "gifted" curriculum they could more easily switch to a regular classroom without transferring schools. The county would save money in busing fewer kids all over the place.

Because when a group makes up a third of the class, it's not hard to address them with in class differentiation. Kids who are at the 70th %ile for their peer group are in a good place, and can easily be well served.

The fact that a child would be at the far end of the bell curve in another setting is kind of irrelevant.

Anonymous wrote:I keep hearing how only a small fraction (3%?) of the 30%+ kids who test/qualify for "gifted" status actually get into a gifted center. What happens to the 27+% of kids who have the academic ability and interest to work at this level but there isn't space? Is MCPS really just free childcare for them? If these kids are clustering in schools and already make up a 1/3 of a population, why don't they just have a gifted section in the home school?

If any kids had a hard time with the "gifted" curriculum they could more easily switch to a regular classroom without transferring schools. The county would save money in busing fewer kids all over the place.

At what level? The HGC level?

The 30% who test as gifted (MCPS terminology) cannot work at the HGC level. That is not what the designation means.

If Montgomery County allowed a segregated classroom of students who tested as gifted in the home school, it would take them out of the classrooms with kids who are struggling academically and could benefit from learning alongside their more advanced peers. The county has a stated goal of bringing every student up to the level of proficiency. That is clearly a higher priority.

There is nothing in the MCPS model that allows an advanced student to help a struggling student. Its a teacher centric model. The kids struggling just see that others can do something that they can't, they get no benefit other than a hit to self esteem. The only person in the room that benefits from the way MCPS is doing this is the teacher. She gets a class where at least 30% of the students require no instruction and hands her positive test scores. She just has to discipline them to stay in their seats. She only has to teach the rest of the class.

Actually MCPS benefits because they can increase the class size since, 30% of the room is just occupying space.

Growing up, I was in the "gifted" class. Although I think they called it "accelerated" then. All I remember is that near the end of third grade my folks asked if I'd like to be in a class where work would be a little harder and we'd get to do more projects, advanced math, etc. Each ES had a class like this, and looking back I feel like it was a better way to do it. I was with the same kids for 4th and 5th grade. I'm guessing there were 5 classrooms for each grade, so essentially the "accelerated" class served 20% of the population. Were there a couple kids who were crazy bright that were still probably bored? Sure, but seems it would be easier to give them a bit if extra enrichment in that setting rather than pull out only the 3% and leave the rest in regular classrooms.

Gifted is really the top 2-3%. Expanded definitions of gifted such as the ones you describe are, IMO, basically a bone tossed to affluent parents in MoCo.

If Montgomery County allowed a segregated classroom of students who tested as gifted in the home school, it would take them out of the classrooms with kids who are struggling academically and could benefit from learning alongside their more advanced peers. The county has a stated goal of bringing every student up to the level of proficiency. That is clearly a higher priority.

As a parent of children in a Montgomery County elementary school who are in the 30% but not the top 3%, it's my conclusion that schools that are meeting the needs of advanced/gifted children are the exception, not the rule.

Maybe we should move to Fairfax!

Fairfax county offers gifted education to a much broader population - 25-30% but the complaint there is that they having nothing for that same top 3% who is not just above average but really has different needs. The gifted education there is at a lower level then MCPS because it serves a much braoder population.

Anonymous wrote:I keep hearing how only a small fraction (3%?) of the 30%+ kids who test/qualify for "gifted" status actually get into a gifted center. What happens to the 27+% of kids who have the academic ability and interest to work at this level but there isn't space? Is MCPS really just free childcare for them? If these kids are clustering in schools and already make up a 1/3 of a population, why don't they just have a gifted section in the home school?

If any kids had a hard time with the "gifted" curriculum they could more easily switch to a regular classroom without transferring schools. The county would save money in busing fewer kids all over the place.

I am confused about what you want. Separate gifted classes in the home schools?

Obviously the citeria for gifted is quite low and there is a large range of abilities in that cateogry. Most of them are accomodated at their local school. The top 3% are harder to accomodate and less clustered..thus the centers. I am not saying that every child is totally challenged where they are or that every child that would benefit gets it but when you call 30% or more gifted..it is really closer to average for many.

Your idea is completely contrary to Starr's vision.

I keep hearing how only a small fraction (3%?) of the 30%+ kids who test/qualify for "gifted" status actually get into a gifted center. What happens to the 27+% of kids who have the academic ability and interest to work at this level but there isn't space? Is MCPS really just free childcare for them? If these kids are clustering in schools and already make up a 1/3 of a population, why don't they just have a gifted section in the home school?

If any kids had a hard time with the "gifted" curriculum they could more easily switch to a regular classroom without transferring schools. The county would save money in busing fewer kids all over the place.