Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have been following another thread here where the OP's child is at a "cluster" school vs. a center. Someone said above that Mosaic is a center. Does that mean that an entire class of kids in the third grade will have only level IV kids?

There will be 3-4 classrooms of only AAP kids. There are probably 2-3 classrooms of "regular" (on grade) kids. And generally, they don't mix much.

Accurate except not on the "not mixing." Mosaic is not a school where there is a huge social divide between AAP and non-AAP kids. My child is in the AAP program and most of their friends are in non-AAP classes. They mix in recess, in PE, before and after school, and the only big stigma/social designation would be one put on them by parents... not by teachers, administration, or the students themselves! The kids don't make a big deal of it.

Agree - don't say your kid is bored. While it may be true, it just doesn't "sound" good.

And agree with getting prep books. I got a few for COGAT grade 2 on Amazon.

One had a yellow cover.
One had a bluish/purple cover.

(Sorry, don't remember the exact titles & don't have them anymore.)

Do some minor prep for COGAT and do a parent referral. Make sure you describe actual giftedness in your referral and not "my child is bored in the regular classroom" types of things. iReady scores also factor in to this. May the force be with you.

OP, Your best bet is to go onto the FCPS AAP website and download the parent referral form, and also take a look at the GBRS form that the teacher (or local school panel including your teacher) fills out. You'll see that the questions align/mirror each other a lot.

Hypothetically, they're looking for "signs" that your child is working beyond their existing grade level, or are exhibiting signs of "giftedness". It's kind of a crap-shoot to tell the truth. Getting all 4's and being a polite perfect student might be seen as positive from one panel, but might be seen as not going the extra mile, or not exhibiting true giftedness.

As for what to write, follow the prompts. Stay away from saying your child is bored and needs better teaching. If you can't help yourself and just need to say that, find a way to spin it in a way that basically says your child's mentality works well in an environment of challenges and competition amongst their peers.

Before the COGAT, I'd heavily recommend buying one of those booklet practice tests. Not sure about Mosaic, but most center schools in high SES, "prepping" is prolific. I'm not a big prepper myself (i.e. I consider this to be sending to classes, spending hours each week studying, etc...), but I certainly would advocate getting your child accustomed to the type of questions and framework of the test.

Note: I recognize just as many people will criticize me for the lower level of "prep" I do just as much as I look down at the ones who spend significant time/resources... To each their own...