Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments We will relocate to find the right school-help

We are in the process of making the rounds to different states to hit all the open houses of schools listed as Gifted.

We live in Northern California, and are looking at Washington State, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada and are open to other schools within the Western Region. (If you have any experience or knowledge of any schools for the PG, please let me know)

Our DD is 4yr 9mo, and is EG/PG and completed Kindergarten in a Private Montessori back in May. She was also assessed by the K12 Private International Academy for grade placement back in Feb, and was found to be ready for Math at 1st grade second semester, and Reading/Language Arts at 3rd grade while she was only 4yrs 1 month old. We chose to enroll her in the iCademy at the begining of First grade in April. She is quickly coming to the end of her 1st grade curriculum (really with no challenges at all..and only working at it 3 days a week), and her iCadamy teachers are suggesting she skip 2nd grade altogether, since she has not faced any challenges so far, and after looking at the 2nd grade scope and sequence, it appears she will not find any challenge until the very end of 2nd grade.

Now, this homeschool/online/distance learning is great for her in that it allows her to learn at her own pace, however, I am reading more and more about how EG/PG kids thrive and "feel normal" when in classes and environments with other highly gifted students.

This is why we are seaching for a school for her to attend with intellectual peers. (btw- she is still supplementing her school with a 2 day a week visit to the local Private Montessori school in their 1st-3rd level class...she loves the kids, but is still not finding any intellectual peers)

After spending days calling around taking to admissions at numerous school touting the "gifted" tag, I am disheartened that I keep hearing that they would love to have our DD in their K class next September. I explain, that by next September, she will have most likely either be ready to go into 2nd, 3rd or possibly even 4th grade depending on whether we continue with her iCadamy school between now and then. Now, we are assuming that "gifted" schools may have an accelerated curriculum at each grade, and that she may actually be okay reapeating 1st grade, however, she is really excited about starting 2nd grade soon, and is comfortable with her intelligence and secure in her abilities, and I question how having her repeat a grade or two is better for her socially and emotionally. (since that is the line I am hearing from admissions people) She fits in fine with her 1st-3rd level classmates at her Montessori, and has no disrubtive behavior or social or learning disabilities.

Right now I see her only choices are homeschooling alone or being in a gifted classroom with intellectual peers and having to repeat one or more grades....well...that is my problem that I need help with.

Maybe a few more sets of eyes from other parents with gifted kids can help me look at this from another angle and or direct me to a new way of thinking.

Thanks for reading this long ramble.

Julie

There are no perfect solutions :-( I just wanted to say not to discount all of your options, even if it doesn't say "gifted". We actually pulled our son, 6 1/2, from a private "gifted" school last year after Pre-K and K there. We were assured repeatedly in fancy brochures and in one on one meetings that all of his needs would be met. Hahahaha! That didn't even come close. The school was really only able to deal with kids one year ahead. They had no clue what to do with my K kid reading at a 3rd grade level and instead backpedaled repeatedly, talking about his coloring ability etc. Blech.

We pulled him and put him in a local public charter school. The teachers IMMEDIATELY (I mean as in the first week of school!) put him in a reading group at 4th grade level and began assessing his weaknesses in that area. He is getting accomodation in math, though not perfect, we're working out the kinks. He is with age peers, not academic peers but we're working through that as well. They are open to a grade skip when his handwriting will not prevent him from keeping up in class.

They have also formed GATE clusters for kids at 95% and above on the NWEA testing they give 2x a year. These teachers are receiving specialized training and are eager, interested and focused on the kids' needs.

Oh and for free- he gets PE 3x a week, Spanish daily, art 2x a week all with specialized instructors. And field trips once a month!

You could try Chrysallis school in San Jose. It's private but not too expensive. My DD5 does 1st in the morning and 2nd in the afternoon there. The 2nd stuff is language arts-related.

They take kids as young as 4y9m.


CAMom, where's this charter school? Is it in northern or southern CA?

Val

Here's one idea -
Let your DD run ahead as fast as she wants to go at home, with sports or arts in the afternoon with agemates, and then when she hits 'Middle School' level work, apply to http://www.davidsonacademy.unr.edu/

They are a Middle School and High School, free to Nevada residents, and quite used to young children being able to do Middle School Level work.

Maybe a year or two from now. That way she will be with kids who are 'really' on her level, AND be learnig. If I could uproot the family, that's where I'd be in a heartbeat.

My hunch is that they wouldn't push her to graduate until she was really ready.

Smiles,
Grinity

Have you checked out the list of recommended schools on the Davidson Site? That's where I found my son's small private school, which has been as close to perfect as we could hope. And I would second CAMom's advice that you look beyond schools with the gifted label. My son's school is open to everyone, but it is small enough that they can give each student an individualized curriculum. They had no problem accepting my son into kindergarten at age 4, quickly assessed his reading level at 5th grade, and developed a curriculum to meet his needs.

I also wouldn't assume that grade skips are necessary, given the right school. Because my son's reading is off the charts and he's a grade or two ahead in math as well, I had assumed when I started looking at schools that there would be multiple grade skips in his future. Now I'm not so sure. So far, it looks like his school might actually be able to keep him challenged without moving him up. The school is K-12, and although most of the students there are gifted, few of them graduate early--most just leave with lots of college credit already under their belt. One really neat thing about this school's approach of meeting kids where they're at in the grade they're in is that my son doesn't have any idea he's smart. As far as he knows, it's perfectly normal for every kid in the class to be reading something different, and for some kindergarteners to read at the 5th grade level.

I'm in Northern CA- central valley not coastal. I'll PM the info if someone wants it. The application process begins in Jan each year and is done by lottery.

CAMom

Please PM me the info on your school too. :-)

Julie

MsFriz,
I have called most of the schools on the recommended schools list. I am also looking at schools that are not labeled "gifted" but do say that they accomodate gifted children by subject acceleration within age pure classrooms.

I would love to find a K-12 school like yours, where the administration and teachers acknowledge, assess and accomodate each child's needs.

any luck with any of these?

http://www.schoolofchoice.com/giftedresources.html

I sent you a PM. Used to live in Northern CA...