Anonymous
Post 05/13/2014 16:37     Subject: Why does the HGC program not start until 4th grade?
Anonymous wrote:Argyle is not a test in magnet. For the test in magnets, they do provide bus transportation. You are right that they don't provide transportation to Argyle, etc.


I didn't know that -- thanks! Goes to show you how carefully we considered magnet MS. We are lucky to have a strong home MS so there was no need/desire to take on the logistical headache.
Anonymous
Post 05/13/2014 11:07     Subject: Why does the HGC program not start until 4th grade?
Argyle is not a test in magnet. For the test in magnets, they do provide bus transportation. You are right that they don't provide transportation to Argyle, etc.
Anonymous
Post 05/13/2014 10:27     Subject: Why does the HGC program not start until 4th grade?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:PP- but not continuing to the MS magnet isn't just because the children were mis-identified. Plenty of families choose to stay at home MS to avoid long commute to their MS Magnet option. Just as some families choose not to do HGC for the ES commute but may decide later it is worth it for MS.


Agreed. We're in an HGC and decided not to even apply for the middle school magnet. The bus ride was 1:40+ in the morning and would have picked up at 6:10. Crazy.


We didn't bother either. My kid wanted to apply to Argyle for the digital media program, but I told her she could (1) spend 2+ hours each day in the car and not have after school activities, or (2) go back to the home MS, have after school activities, play dates, and time to independently work on digital art projects (which she already does). She chose option 2. The HGC ES commute wasn't terrible because they have bus pickups/dropoffs at our home ES, but for the magnet MS, I understood we'd be on our own. Hell no, not with a solid home MS.
Anonymous
Post 05/13/2014 08:43     Subject: Why does the HGC program not start until 4th grade?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:More accurate to test kids in 3rd than second? I have no idea. Curious though.


Earlier scores aren't as accurate as scores in 3rd. Testing in 1st or 2nd would favor kids from enriched environments.


This. I think there might be a chapter in *NurtureShock* about testing for gifted programs and how early testing misses qualified kids. The kids who do get in benefit from the program, so they appear to remain gifted, but kids who simply developed a little later but are qualified never get in. I think testing in third grade is supposed to be more accurate.


+1 and testing in fifth grade is even more accurate. My personal opinion - there were lots of kids in our HGC that seemed out of their depth. Now in our MS magnet the kids seem to be more uniform.
Anonymous
Post 05/12/2014 19:20     Subject: Re:Why does the HGC program not start until 4th grade?
Anonymous wrote:i am poster 20:25. son is now in 5th and is doing fine but frankly is bored esp under curr 2.0 (not an indictment of the curriculum, just commenting since he's had both). i do not think son is a genius or "gifted," but nor do i think that most of the kids admitted from his grade were either. i do think he would have done just as well there as the kids we know from his school who attended (and they've all loved the hgc program, btw). my son did not test well on the hgc test - no idea why, since his 2nd grade gifted testing administered by mcps was highest in his class and since he seemed to do well on the wppsi and wisc tests. but it doesn't really matter since the hgc admittance is almost exclusively based on the hgc test scores. his 2nd grade teacher thought he'd be a shoo in. his 3rd grade teacher did recommend him (according to her - the parents never see that info) but she was a dud and probably didn't advocate for him very much. i know i sound bitter but i was disappointed in the hgc process - obviously since my child wasn't admitted - but i suspect my kid just had an off day on the test and it seems a pretty big penalty to have the whole admittance rest on that (even the sat's can be taken more than once). Also having seen who was admitted from our school and who was not, I can see that is was kind of a crapshoot bc many qualified kids did not get admitted and several did get admitted out of left field. The only reason I posted any of this on this thread is just to say to not put all your eggs in that basket!


I hear you! There are no guarantees that your child will get in. And there are many more kids in MCPS who will thrive in that program.

I wonder what will it take to have additional HGCs in MCPS. There is a need for expansion.
Anonymous
Post 05/12/2014 18:52     Subject: Re:Why does the HGC program not start until 4th grade?
Anonymous wrote:Is the IQ section more important than the verbal or quant section in the HGC admissions test?


Man, I'm clueless. There's an IQ section on the test, in ADDITION to the quant. and verbal/nonverbal? I didn't ask my DC how many sections the test had. DC just told me is was multiple choice.
Anonymous
Post 05/12/2014 18:49     Subject: Re:Why does the HGC program not start until 4th grade?
Is the IQ section more important than the verbal or quant section in the HGC admissions test?
Anonymous
Post 05/05/2014 22:02     Subject: Why does the HGC program not start until 4th grade?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Median is median for admitted students.


How do you know? Did someone in GT admissions tell you this or is this an assumption? Generally curios.


It says that in the letter


I'm pp asking about median score. I re-read the test score letter. I see it now. I just scanned the letter before.
Anonymous
Post 05/05/2014 21:49     Subject: Why does the HGC program not start until 4th grade?
Anonymous wrote:I went to FCPS and switched schools in 3rd grade for the GT program. Elementary school was until 6th grade, so I was at the new school for 4 years.
Here in MoCo, the HGC program doesn't start till 4th and then after 5th they are off to middle school. It seems like a huge change for just two years. Why not start in 3rd?


Montgomery county only had room for a small % of its student to be in the magnet programs. FCPS can handle a larger % of its student body.

Enjoy the long bus ride in rush hour!
Anonymous
Post 05/05/2014 13:45     Subject: Why does the HGC program not start until 4th grade?
Anonymous wrote:PP- but not continuing to the MS magnet isn't just because the children were mis-identified. Plenty of families choose to stay at home MS to avoid long commute to their MS Magnet option. Just as some families choose not to do HGC for the ES commute but may decide later it is worth it for MS.


Agreed. We're in an HGC and decided not to even apply for the middle school magnet. The bus ride was 1:40+ in the morning and would have picked up at 6:10. Crazy.
Anonymous
Post 05/05/2014 12:44     Subject: Why does the HGC program not start until 4th grade?
PP- but not continuing to the MS magnet isn't just because the children were mis-identified. Plenty of families choose to stay at home MS to avoid long commute to their MS Magnet option. Just as some families choose not to do HGC for the ES commute but may decide later it is worth it for MS.
Anonymous
Post 05/05/2014 12:38     Subject: Why does the HGC program not start until 4th grade?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:More accurate to test kids in 3rd than second? I have no idea. Curious though.


Earlier scores aren't as accurate as scores in 3rd. Testing in 1st or 2nd would favor kids from enriched environments.


This. I think there might be a chapter in *NurtureShock* about testing for gifted programs and how early testing misses qualified kids. The kids who do get in benefit from the program, so they appear to remain gifted, but kids who simply developed a little later but are qualified never get in. I think testing in third grade is supposed to be more accurate.


Kids in HGC don't necessarily remain in the gifted for middle school. They test again and plenty go back to home school while others get into MS magnet.