Hi Katelyn'sMom
Sorry for the confusion.... Yes, the family rented a place for the purpose of getting into the school, but lives somewhere else.
My fault as far as Ruf's general school classification are TYPES (not level). Type IV are magnet schools and Type V are schools that facilitate continuous progress throughout subject levels without regard for the children's age).
If you don't mind me asking, what kind of options are available in Austin?
Thanks,
Mag
Thanks for the clarification.
Besides the PS which depending on the area you live in could have a high ratio of gifted kids but I have recently concluded that this is due to the high performance of the area and most of the kids are probably above average to moderately gifted.
There are also charter schools and lots of private schools including a gifted one. There are a lot of religious based private here but we do have many that aren't associated with any religion.
DD goes to a private Spanish Immersion program. They are fairly new, only open for 3 years and are still finding their way. They are in the process of getting certified as an IB school which I'm for but it means changes and I get a little nervous about too many changes. We plan on keeping her there through 5th grade which is as far as the school goes and this is only as long as the school is working for us. They are unusual in that they don't conform to the typical age requirements. Most schools have cut off dates for when a child meets age limits but this one seems to move kids up to the next grade level on their birthday. I know they do for the preschool area and need to ask about the elementary side. I see such flaws in this approach. If a child has a birthday in December (for instance) and gets moved up they will be at a disadvantage. Since DD's birthday is in August we don't really have the concern. But I also know that DD might need to be accelerated once she has mastered the Spanish which is close upon us. When I talked to them about acceleration they were all for it but this is just talk ... time will tell if they are but how easily they move kids up on birthdays makes me think I won't have too much problems and the parents will just assume she had a birthday so I won't get too many questions about it.
Though DD's school is not classified as gifted it is academically advanced by 2 years. She is 4 and they are already working on words and addition/subtraction. Most of the kids at the school are bright and some are definitely gifted. So we lucked out finding the place.
I am looking at a Progressive Prep school for when DD is in the 6th grade. I really like the approach of the progressive. Instead of focusing on test test test, the students get to play a big part in their academics. Lots of projects.
Austin has quite a few options and I know a few people who have their child in the Charter school located near downtown. It is suppose to be top notch.
