DS is a normal kid with normal high IQ and fit in great at the CES. Most kids were just like him.

I volunteered a bit at my child's CES and I would say there was one, may be 2 kids who stood out as profoundly gifted. One was a friend of DS and his parents told me they expected some kind of life changing experience at the CES where everyone got him but it was not like that. DS said a lot of kids had trouble following his thoughts and did not want to partner with him.

The other kid appeared more to be a regular kid. Well liked and seemed happy but sometimes he would say things that were beyond other kids that age, and be able to solve problems with what looked like no effort while other kids were struggling. DS always suspected he was much smarter than he let on and when MS magnet results came out it looked like he was right.

Long way of saying your child may be happy, but don't expect a grade full of kids like yours.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Give it a rest already. You sound like you don't even have a kid in the program yet. They don't have "unique" psycho-emotional needs. They are just regular kids who happen to work harder and do well on tests.

I'm confused, sorry. Are you saying that the CES program isn't for gifted kids? I'd like to hear others weigh in on this. DS has an IQ in the 99.8% and we got accepted into CES, but we were assuming it was a program for gifted kids, not just motivated test takers.

DC really enjoyed the CES but didn't feel like it was a "gifted" program. DC felt like the curriculum was better but the kids themselves were about the same level academically/intellectually. The difference was there was a higher percentage that saw themselves as gifted and their identities were built around being smart and good at school. That does help in class because the kids are more engaged. Your child's IQ is very rare, even around here. If your child is hoping for a whole class of academic "peers" I don't think you'll find that at the CES. The kids are really bright and most are motivated but for kids who are PG or almost PG it will be hard to find that stimulation in public school. Maybe in high school where it's more selective.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Give it a rest already. You sound like you don't even have a kid in the program yet. They don't have "unique" psycho-emotional needs. They are just regular kids who happen to work harder and do well on tests.

I'm confused, sorry. Are you saying that the CES program isn't for gifted kids? I'd like to hear others weigh in on this. DS has an IQ in the 99.8% and we got accepted into CES, but we were assuming it was a program for gifted kids, not just motivated test takers.

It's both, and that's fine. The whole selection process rests on standardized testing. There are no teacher recommendations, essays, or parent referrals. So the information they have is basically MAP scores, grades, and the CogAT screener. This means they are going to identify both the "gifted" kids and the bright hard-working kids who test well.

CES parent here. I'd say it's gifted, but not really super-gifted, if that makes sense. There aren't a lot of Einsteins, but probably a lot of Faucis. At least at our CES, the teachers do spend a lot of time talking about growth mindset, how you can't learn unless you are willing to make mistakes, etc. I think that's all really helpful for gifted kids. But things like actual anxiety and social issues are dealt with by the counselors.

CES parent here, too. I agree with this, though I guess this is where there is some variation school-by-school. The emphasis on growth mindset is key, and our particular program does focus on some social emotional tools in class (seems like there is a lot of talk about perfectionism, risk-anxiety), but it seems to be a strength of our teacher (and reading specialist) and not necessarily intrinsic to the curriculum. That said, I wholly disagree that it is just "regular kids who work harder"...that really isn't accurate, the scope of strengths and talents are much more broad, leading to a lot of variation between smart, gifted, and simply super motivated. An example where our CES teacher has been great for social emotional support: Our DD is completely a loner. Never had many friends, spends all her time reading and creating worlds. Back before CES, her teachers treated that like it was something to be overcome. She never wanted to be with kids at recess but her teachers constantly pushed her to join games that would in turn make her miserable. Enter CES, her teacher has really supported who she is, never pushes her to be social beyond her comfort zone, and has helped her learn to celebrate her solitary nature by ensuring she has books to read and space to do her own activities when others are pairing up for play. It sounds small but it really isnt.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Give it a rest already. You sound like you don't even have a kid in the program yet. They don't have "unique" psycho-emotional needs. They are just regular kids who happen to work harder and do well on tests.

I'm confused, sorry. Are you saying that the CES program isn't for gifted kids? I'd like to hear others weigh in on this. DS has an IQ in the 99.8% and we got accepted into CES, but we were assuming it was a program for gifted kids, not just motivated test takers.

It's both, and that's fine. The whole selection process rests on standardized testing. There are no teacher recommendations, essays, or parent referrals. So the information they have is basically MAP scores, grades, and the CogAT screener. This means they are going to identify both the "gifted" kids and the bright hard-working kids who test well.

CES parent here. I'd say it's gifted, but not really super-gifted, if that makes sense. There aren't a lot of Einsteins, but probably a lot of Faucis. At least at our CES, the teachers do spend a lot of time talking about growth mindset, how you can't learn unless you are willing to make mistakes, etc. I think that's all really helpful for gifted kids. But things like actual anxiety and social issues are dealt with by the counselors.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Give it a rest already. You sound like you don't even have a kid in the program yet. They don't have "unique" psycho-emotional needs. They are just regular kids who happen to work harder and do well on tests.

I'm confused, sorry. Are you saying that the CES program isn't for gifted kids? I'd like to hear others weigh in on this. DS has an IQ in the 99.8% and we got accepted into CES, but we were assuming it was a program for gifted kids, not just motivated test takers.

It's both, and that's fine. The whole selection process rests on standardized testing. There are no teacher recommendations, essays, or parent referrals. So the information they have is basically MAP scores, grades, and the CogAT screener. This means they are going to identify both the "gifted" kids and the bright hard-working kids who test well.

Anonymous wrote:Give it a rest already. You sound like you don't even have a kid in the program yet. They don't have "unique" psycho-emotional needs. They are just regular kids who happen to work harder and do well on tests.

I'm confused, sorry. Are you saying that the CES program isn't for gifted kids? I'd like to hear others weigh in on this. DS has an IQ in the 99.8% and we got accepted into CES, but we were assuming it was a program for gifted kids, not just motivated test takers.

^I have three kids who all went through the program including one at a CES. Many of DC's friends at the home school could have gotten in but didn't have good luck this year.

Give it a rest already. You sound like you don't even have a kid in the program yet. They don't have "unique" psycho-emotional needs. They are just regular kids who happen to work harder and do well on tests.

Anonymous wrote:The way it is handled at our CES which is the way I think it should be handled is that the kids are referred to the counselor. That's the counselor's job. Sometimes these kids disrupt the learning environment for everyone else. The teachers are understanding that they are struggling and help them make up the work but their response is to ask the child to leave the classroom and return when they are ready to learn.

These CES classes are huge, the curriculum moves fast, and there is no time for them to give extra coddling to these kids.

The purpose of the program is to provide the "extra" these kids need. That doesn't just mean more work, it means more work in a context that allows for intellectual development. It isn't coddling to consider the unique psycho-emotional needs of these kids, unless providing them more stimulating curriculum is also coddling.

Anonymous wrote:The way it is handled at our CES which is the way I think it should be handled is that the kids are referred to the counselor. That's the counselor's job. Sometimes these kids disrupt the learning environment for everyone else. The teachers are understanding that they are struggling and help them make up the work but their response is to ask the child to leave the classroom and return when they are ready to learn.

These CES classes are huge, the curriculum moves fast, and there is no time for them to give extra coddling to these kids.

Is this something your child shared with you or are you a CES teacher?

Anonymous wrote:NP. Think it's fair to ask you to consider for a moment that your child's issues are not due to his being gifted. At our school there are a lot of parents who think that's the "problem" and they don't get their children help they need. They argue with teachers that their children cry or can't do something because they are too gifted. This may not be your child but it is something that happens and people should not be attacked for pointing this out.

Amazingly, parents can recognize that their child's anxiety, social issues, hypersensitivities etc. go along with being gifted and *gasp!* still seek help for their kids for those issues. And schools that serve gifted kids can absolutely be aware of and sensitive to the increased prevalence of these issues in gifted kids. Why would you assume that knowing the issue is related to giftedness automatically leads to allowing inappropriate behavior?

Anonymous wrote:NP. Think it's fair to ask you to consider for a moment that your child's issues are not due to his being gifted. At our school there are a lot of parents who think that's the "problem" and they don't get their children help they need. They argue with teachers that their children cry or can't do something because they are too gifted. This may not be your child but it is something that happens and people should not be attacked for pointing this out.

Why would you assume PP hadn't considered all the variables and possible causes of anxiety? Why assume that parents here don't know their kids, that they think their kids are special snowflakes, and all the research evidence isn't important because you KNOW the more likely cause of some stranger's woes relate to your personal biases.

There was an earnest concern posed by someone who was being reasonable and informed.

NP. Think it's fair to ask you to consider for a moment that your child's issues are not due to his being gifted. At our school there are a lot of parents who think that's the "problem" and they don't get their children help they need. They argue with teachers that their children cry or can't do something because they are too gifted. This may not be your child but it is something that happens and people should not be attacked for pointing this out.