Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To 23:20,
They do indicate in the letter that they are available to answer questions and offer to meet in person for a conference if desired. In the future, you might consider adding value to this message board instead of being presumptuous. Besides, since you have never applied to EEK, yours was not the learned guidance I was seeking.

Whatever.... I just wanted to you to carefully consider having the school administration spend time on this. Unless you have kids in public school already (not assuming), you may not realize how stretched the school personnel are already.

Ha, yeah I tried that in my last job too, before I was fired for laziness and a bad attitude: "Sorry customer, please go talk to some other people in order to figure out just how super busy I might be. Then carefully consider if you ask me any more relevant questions about my work, product or service. Particularly my decisions involving your child, I def don't wanna hear about that."

To 9:04 and 21:24 - Thank you for your helpful feedback! I appreciate it.

Absolutely get feedback from the school on the rejection, scores, etc.
It can help you decide how to proceed, not to mention that's part of their job and your tax dollars in action.

Anonymous wrote:To 23:20,
They do indicate in the letter that they are available to answer questions and offer to meet in person for a conference if desired. In the future, you might consider adding value to this message board instead of being presumptuous. Besides, since you have never applied to EEK, yours was not the learned guidance I was seeking.

Whatever.... I just wanted to you to carefully consider having the school administration spend time on this. Unless you have kids in public school already (not assuming), you may not realize how stretched the school personnel are already.

Which school is your daughter apply for?

Anonymous wrote:Recently received rejection for EEK in mail. Very generic two-liner letter from MCPS. Not interested in appealing but considering meeting with them to discuss results to see if there is any helpful feedback regarding areas of growth/strengths, etc. But it sounds like they are so cryptic with test results that I am not sure it is even worth meeting with them /if we would get any helpful info from them at all. Thoughts on this? Have any of you gotten any helpful info at a post-rejection conference? TIA.

I found it helpful in making decisions for my child. The information I got was the score on all of the subtests (if I am remembering correctly, there are 7 and your child has to pass each of the seven - it's not an overall average). I was able to get information about the subject matter of the questions she got wrong on the subtests and what time of day she took those tests. At the time, I had three options: appeal the decision, repeat pre-k or enroll her in private kindergarten. Based on the information I received, I decided to go with private kindergarten. I doubt I would have appealed regardless of the information I got. I know that one PP was successful, but she is definitely in the minority when you look at the MCPS statistics on this. Also it's a very time consuming process and I would have nad to make my private school decisions before the decision on the appeal was issued.

One of the things I was told by the school is that to pass the EEK test, your child has to score proficient for an end of the year kindergartener who is about to go into first grade, not proficient for a kid ready for kindergarten. So, if your child did not pass, that doesn't mean your child isn't ready for kindergarten.

To 23:20,
They do indicate in the letter that they are available to answer questions and offer to meet in person for a conference if desired. In the future, you might consider adding value to this message board instead of being presumptuous. Besides, since you have never applied to EEK, yours was not the learned guidance I was seeking.

This: passibely should be this: passively

Anonymous wrote:My child is in preschool this year and is enthusiastically working 3 to 4 years ahead in math. I really don't think he'd be happy going into public K in two years and following the traditional K curriculum. Socially he prefers playing with older, typically developing kids or age peers that are similarly advanced.

I'm really surprised none of the teachers posting have ever taught a child like mine in all their years.

Former K - 2nd grade teacher here, turned school admin. I have taught kids like yours.

If your child is 3 to 4 years ahead in math, he's not going to be in the same place as the other kids next year or the year after. If you feel that his happiness is going to depend on being passibely academically challenged every minute, you're going to be disappointed. It sounds like he learns at a different pace than other kids, so even if you accelerate him he won't spend the whole year on the same level as his peers. A better strategy is to encourage him to enjoy the social aspects of school, and to learn to find ways to challenge himself. I was a gifted child, and I know that I did a lot of that -- taking assignments and making them harder. Using the time after I finished an assignment to read or write. Thinking up ways to turn "easy" problems into "hard" problems. I'll also say that my schools didn't quite know what to make of my academic skills and moved me back and forth several times (e.g. up a grade, and then down a grade). To be honest, I wasn't "happier" or "unhappier" up or down. My happiness at school was far more dependent on whether I had a teacher who allowed me some wiggle room to challenge myself, whether they were teaching interesting content (e.g. science, social studies, etc . . . ), and who the other kids were in a group.

As far as socially, often times when kids play best with older kids, it's because they can't negotiate the give and take that comes with playing with same age peers. When older kids play with younger kids, they tend to take on the role of deciding who will lead. Sometimes they let the little kid lead, or at least think he's leading, and sometimes they take on that role, but they're always the one deciding. Playing with same age peers is much more challenging, as it requires more give and take. It's also the skill he'll need when he's an adult and age differences kind of disappear.