Advice on elementary school gifted and talented programs?

[Hellraiser97 183]

So we spent more time meeting with my daughter's kindergarten teacher last year than my daughter probably spent in class.  She was constantly getting in trouble for not paying attention, being disruptive, etc.  I figured it was mostly due to her having done kindergarten already once at Primrose but being forced to do it again since her birthday is 5 days after the cutoff and AISD bends rules for NO ONE!!!!

Turns out that while that was definitely a problem, she's apparently really fucking smart.  We had her do one of those all day assessments where they test everything from ADHD and Anxiety to whether your kid is a complete retard or Einstein junior.  Well, she's borderline ADHD (no surprise, her mom has a pretty serious ADHD), but it wouldn't be much of a problem except that she tested above 92nd percentile on every intelligence test, including one that was 99.9th percentile.  On the academic stuff, she scored as performing in line with late 1st grade in most things, 2nd grade in several and 3rd in one.  

So she's in 1st grade now.  When we got the results from the doctor, frankly, we were a bit overwhelmed but I managed to ask the doctor if these results meant she just needed to be challenged a bit more or where we talking look at private gifted and talent programs.  His response was that she would definitely qualify as gifted and we should explore what AISD has to offer as well as private options.

We've shared the results with the school counselor and her teacher and had one meeting.  Nominations for the AISD gifted program don't happen until January, but her teacher is GT certified so that's good.  We're at Clayton and we've met with the asst principal that runs their gifted program.  We went to an info session today.  At least from what we heard there and from other people, we're in the right place if we're going to keep her in regular public school.  So it then begs the question, should she stay in regular public school? 

I've hear there are AISD magnet schools at middle and high school, but I didn't see anything on  AISD's site for elementary school.  We have friends that have a 'legitimately gifted' 3rd grader and he goes to Regents, though his dad told me while he likes the school, at the elementary school stage, he didn't think they were doing anything special for the gifted students.  He recommended St. Francis and said if he didn't live and work in South Austin, that's where he'd send his kids.  He was not impressed with AISD's options and said the general education was better than the gifted program in AISD (can't remember which elementary school though he's zoned for).  

So, any of you deal with this before and have any advice?  I'm kind of all over the board.  On one hand, I want to do whatever I can so that she reaches her full potential, on the other, I've never been a huge fan of private schools and while she may end up doing better academically, in the long run is it really going to make her life any better?  Any advice is welcomed.

Thanks

 

[iamthepush 72]

Have your kid take an online IQ test to see actually how smart they are

[Baboontyme 2827]

10 bucks says Huckleberry schools her in trivia crack. 

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

Both our kids went to accelerated elementary, middle and HS programs.  Smaller classs sizes, the kids were challenged more, quicker pace, started learning foreign languages in the 2nd grade.  I can't imagine a general public school program being better than a gifted program.

The biggest hassle was the programs are often not at your home school so getting them to the bus stop was always about 45 minutes earlier than if they'd gone to their home school.

The kids that go thru these programs thru HS usually enter college as second semester freshman.

[Hellraiser97 183]

Was that in Austin, Onboard 2.0?  I'd really like her to learn a second language starting now.  

[woohorn 1131]

On one hand, I want to do whatever I can so that she reaches her full potential, on the other, I've never been a huge fan of private schools and while she may end up doing better academically, in the long run is it really going to make her life any better? 

Does. Not. Compute.

[Bozo_Casanova 26580]

So we spent more time meeting with my daughter's kindergarten teacher last year than my daughter probably spent in class.  She was constantly getting in trouble for not paying attention, being disruptive, etc.  I figured it was mostly due to her having done kindergarten already once at Primrose but being forced to do it again since her birthday is 5 days after the cutoff and AISD bends rules for NO ONE!!!!
Turns out that while that was definitely a problem, she's apparently really fucking smart.  We had her do one of those all day assessments where they test everything from ADHD and Anxiety to whether your kid is a complete retard or Einstein junior.  Well, she's borderline ADHD (no surprise, her mom has a pretty serious ADHD), but it wouldn't be much of a problem except that she tested above 92nd percentile on every intelligence test, including one that was 99.9th percentile.  On the academic stuff, she scored as performing in line with late 1st grade in most things, 2nd grade in several and 3rd in one.  
So she's in 1st grade now.  When we got the results from the doctor, frankly, we were a bit overwhelmed but I managed to ask the doctor if these results meant she just needed to be challenged a bit more or where we talking look at private gifted and talent programs.  His response was that she would definitely qualify as gifted and we should explore what AISD has to offer as well as private options.
We've shared the results with the school counselor and her teacher and had one meeting.  Nominations for the AISD gifted program don't happen until January, but her teacher is GT certified so that's good.  We're at Clayton and we've met with the asst principal that runs their gifted program.  We went to an info session today.  At least from what we heard there and from other people, we're in the right place if we're going to keep her in regular public school.  So it then begs the question, should she stay in regular public school? 
I've hear there are AISD magnet schools at middle and high school, but I didn't see anything on  AISD's site for elementary school.  We have friends that have a 'legitimately gifted' 3rd grader and he goes to Regents, though his dad told me while he likes the school, at the elementary school stage, he didn't think they were doing anything special for the gifted students.  He recommended St. Francis and said if he didn't live and work in South Austin, that's where he'd send his kids.  He was not impressed with AISD's options and said the general education was better than the gifted program in AISD (can't remember which elementary school though he's zoned for).  
So, any of you deal with this before and have any advice?  I'm kind of all over the board.  On one hand, I want to do whatever I can so that she reaches her full potential, on the other, I've never been a huge fan of private schools and while she may end up doing better academically, in the long run is it really going to make her life any better?  Any advice is welcomed.
Thanks
 

I’ve been through this. At the elementary level. Most differentiation happens in the classroom, and your kid will probably be fine. Maybe they create a class cohort in 3rd-5th but that’s about it. Middle/high school is magnets as you said.

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

8 hours ago, Hellraiser97 said:

Was that in Austin, Onboard 2.0?  I'd really like her to learn a second language starting now.  

No we're in Va. but I'd think gifted programs are similar.  The younger they start a second language the better for damn sure. Second grade for both.

 

They started languages in their home school the year before they shifted to the gifted programs, but that was because their home school was the exception to the rule. It's in a affluent/upper middle class  area, and is one of those public schools that you'd think was private.

The language classes were after school till they entered middle school at both their home school and gifted programs .

The daughter ended up double majoring/minoring  in French and international studies at William & Mary, and graduated in 3.5 years because of the credits she'd earned thru her accelerated HS curriculum.

Just being around other smart kids motivates your kids to do better we found. Not much of a shock there of course.

 

Edited September 14, 2018 by Onboard 2.0

[Post Oak 20287]

9 hours ago, Hellraiser97 said:

So we spent more time meeting with my daughter's kindergarten teacher last year than my daughter probably spent in class.  She was constantly getting in trouble for not paying attention, being disruptive, etc.  I figured it was mostly due to her having done kindergarten already once at Primrose but being forced to do it again since her birthday is 5 days after the cutoff and AISD bends rules for NO ONE!!!!

Turns out that while that was definitely a problem, she's apparently really fucking smart.  We had her do one of those all day assessments where they test everything from ADHD and Anxiety to whether your kid is a complete retard or Einstein junior.  Well, she's borderline ADHD (no surprise, her mom has a pretty serious ADHD), but it wouldn't be much of a problem except that she tested above 92nd percentile on every intelligence test, including one that was 99.9th percentile.  On the academic stuff, she scored as performing in line with late 1st grade in most things, 2nd grade in several and 3rd in one.  

So she's in 1st grade now.  When we got the results from the doctor, frankly, we were a bit overwhelmed but I managed to ask the doctor if these results meant she just needed to be challenged a bit more or where we talking look at private gifted and talent programs.  His response was that she would definitely qualify as gifted and we should explore what AISD has to offer as well as private options.

We've shared the results with the school counselor and her teacher and had one meeting.  Nominations for the AISD gifted program don't happen until January, but her teacher is GT certified so that's good.  We're at Clayton and we've met with the asst principal that runs their gifted program.  We went to an info session today.  At least from what we heard there and from other people, we're in the right place if we're going to keep her in regular public school.  So it then begs the question, should she stay in regular public school? 

I've hear there are AISD magnet schools at middle and high school, but I didn't see anything on  AISD's site for elementary school.  We have friends that have a 'legitimately gifted' 3rd grader and he goes to Regents, though his dad told me while he likes the school, at the elementary school stage, he didn't think they were doing anything special for the gifted students.  He recommended St. Francis and said if he didn't live and work in South Austin, that's where he'd send his kids.  He was not impressed with AISD's options and said the general education was better than the gifted program in AISD (can't remember which elementary school though he's zoned for).  

So, any of you deal with this before and have any advice?  I'm kind of all over the board.  On one hand, I want to do whatever I can so that she reaches her full potential, on the other, I've never been a huge fan of private schools and while she may end up doing better academically, in the long run is it really going to make her life any better?  Any advice is welcomed.

Thanks

 

Can she coach against USC Saturday?

[immamac 43211]

Send her to Montessori School. 

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

8 minutes ago, immamac said:

Send her to Montessori School. 

Those are franchises (I believe) so you have to really research each one, but when they do what their mission statement states they're really great choices for self motivated kids.

[Hellraiser97 183]

That would be an absolute disaster.  She needs structure.

[immamac 43211]

Montessori not having structure is a myth.

It's all about a self learning principal and less so about "lack of structure" they are still very much guided and supervised through the entire process. 

[Hellraiser97 183]

We tried a 'montessori' school when she was little.  It was a disaster.  I'm sure it works for some kids, but it's not for her.  

[Your Mom 4855]

 100 posters on here are going to  give you 100 opinions.   You guys are obviously doing a great job already, keep it up. Investigate your options and go with whatever feels best to you guys.   Parenting is 99% of it and you probably already have that part covered. 

I have a GT elementary kid  in a school very close to Clayton.  He is absolutely thriving but it’s not because of the GT program.   He’s in math and science with nothing but GT kids, but prior to this year all the GT kids were in normal classes and were just given some extra work and harder problems.   It works for us and I’m happy with it and he is thriving. But I don’t think you could go wrong if you were looking for something more involved.  Bottom line is,  keep up the good work and stay involved. 

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

1 hour ago, Hellraiser97 said:

That would be an absolute disaster.  She needs structure.

With her condition, that's for damn sure, and that's speaking from my own personal experience growing up.

[swraith 347]

Montessori is a philosophy. The implementation of which is not regulated. You can get terrible schools that slap the name Montessori up on a sign with no adherence to the philosophy. You can get Montessori schools accredited by AMI which is the most snobby accrediting body and their schools are generally really good and well financed. St. Alcuin in Dallas and Community Montessori i. Georgetown are 2 I am familiar with.

However, Montessori schools are definitely not for all children. I have had to listen to far too many Montessori discussions, wife holds 2 different grade level certifications in Montessori in addition to her Texas public teaching certificate and a Masters in early child education.

One of my kids goes to AISD Gullett elementary even with our connection to Montessori. Public school is better suited for him.

Have you thought about having your daughter skip an elementary grade if she needs the academic acceleration?

I don’t see gifted and talented as being all that important until middle school.

For reference I went through a magnet school program 25 years ago starting with 6th grade. With AP courses I started my freshman year at UT with like 3 credit hours short of being a sophomore. Still took me longer than normal to graduate.

[Helobious 9467]

Tell her to not worry about school or grades and to just focus on being hot when she's older. It'll get her much further in life. 

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

26 minutes ago, Helobious said:

Tell her to not worry about school or grades and to just focus on being hot when she's older. It'll get her much further in life. 

listen to this advice. He's a male....

[Guest]

Nobody ever asks for pics of report cards...

[Hellraiser97 183]

9 hours ago, swraith said:

Have you thought about having your daughter skip an elementary grade if she needs the academic acceleration?

I don’t see gifted and talented as being all that important until middle school.

For reference I went through a magnet school program 25 years ago starting with 6th grade. With AP courses I started my freshman year at UT with like 3 credit hours short of being a sophomore. Still took me longer than normal to graduate.

Skipping a grade seems not to be really an option at our school.  Hell, we tried to have her in 1st last year since she'd done Kindergarten already, but they just weren't having it.

I've been told there is a lot of research surrounding GT and early (pre-middle) education and that, sort of like with languages, the earlier you start the better.  That's not me, just many of the 'experts' we've consulted.

 

8 hours ago, Helobious said:

Tell her to not worry about school or grades and to just focus on being hot when she's older. It'll get her much further in life. 

She's got my genes.  Obviously looks won't be a problem.  I just need to make sure she's smart enough to keep her men inline.

[Bozo_Casanova 26580]

I wouldn’t skip a grade and I wouldn’t put a kid in GT too early because there’s not much upside unless your kid is so different that the talent gap causes social problems. When my daughter was in second grade they created a cohort of gifted kids in each grade level and informally kept them in a class so that the teacher could differentiate for them efficiently.

That being said- learning how to constructively work with and lead the general population was worth far more than the academic enrichment offered at the time.

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

24 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

I wouldn’t skip a grade and I wouldn’t put a kid in GT too early because there’s not much upside unless your kid is so different that the talent gap causes social problems. When my daughter was in second grade they created a cohort of gifted kids in each grade level and informally kept them in a class so that the teacher could differentiate for them efficiently.

That being said- learning how to constructively work with and lead the general population was worth far more than the academic enrichment offered at the time.

This is why I've never been a fan of private schools, especially past middle school.  I've met far far too many entitled douche bags that have come from those environments.

Russell Wilson attended a private here.  A great school, but so many of the kids are/were such entitled, huge assholes with very little parental control. Public school is such a great cross section of society.  Some of my  friends in HS were basically big rednecks, but were also from some of the nicest, close knit families I've ever met.

[KYHorn 17206]

30 minutes ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

This is why I've never been a fan of private schools, especially past middle school.  I've met far far too many entitled douche bags that have come from those environments.

Russell Wilson attended a private here.  A great school, but so many of the kids are/were such entitled, huge assholes with very little parental control. Public school is such a great cross section of society.  Some of my  friends in HS were basically big rednecks, but were also from some of the nicest, close knit families I've ever met.

Exactly. This is why public GT schools are good middle grounds, IMO. They offer more advanced curricula and opportunities, but the students are private school douchebags, nor are they thugs and hillbillies. I went to a public GT elementary and middle school and I have always appreciated they diversity of backgrounds represented in my classes. Most of these students will be reasonably positive influences and will take their school work pretty seriously. 

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

1 hour ago, KYHorn said:

Exactly. This is why public GT schools are good middle grounds, IMO. They offer more advanced curricula and opportunities, but the students are private school douchebags, nor are they thugs and hillbillies. I went to a public GT elementary and middle school and I have always appreciated they diversity of backgrounds represented in my classes. Most of these students will be reasonably positive influences and will take their school work pretty seriously. 

The bolded point is so true, and makes their educational experience that much better. It breeds competition among the kids to excel, and do their best.  

And I don't want to come off as saying all private school kids suck, but too many do. When you're expected to go on the middle school Spring Break trip to the Caymans because "all the other kids families are doing it", that environment of expected entitlement wasn't something we wanted our kids to experience growing up in.  We did some cool spring breaks, but we wouldn't have been able to if we'd had to drop $15-$20k on tuition every year.  We were also fortunate that our local public school system was so good.