Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Greatschools ratings, good schools and gifted ed

I'm trying to if a good school or a good district means a good fit for all or a good fit for the middle. DS6 could go to a reputable district and a school that tests high next year or a charter that does not test high, has a low rating, but seems to be individually focused. We are likely doing the charter but I fear I'm missing something while considering passing up on a district everyone says is wonderful.

SO I'm wondering does a school called a good school mean anything when it comes to all students?

You might want to ask questions of both schools.

For the district school, remember that sometimes schools with high test scores can getting those scores because they're very focused on the tests. Ask yourself if this is what you want for your daughter.

Ask them specifically about what they'll do for a child who is x years ahead and listen very carefully to their answers. For me, general, vague answers are a warning sign. ("Our teachers are great at in-class differentiation!"). "All children are gifted" is, for me at least, a signal to go to Red Alert.

Also, what about homework (How much? What kind?). We have a lottery school in our district that gets very high test scores. I called them and they told me that one thing they do is to give out a lot of homework, starting in kindergarten. They also don't take kids with learning disabilities. All this helps the tests scores but wouldn't benefit gifted kids, 2E or not.

Askabout science, PE, art, and music. How much time do the kids get in these classes? Are there science labs?

Are there a lot of minimum days/half days?

Bottom line: you're looking for specific answers. I always advise people to get promises (like grade or subject acclerations) in writing.

HTH,

Val

Thanks Val.

The current school aligns the math times grades 1-5, individualizes reading and does science twice a week in two hour blocks so they can get more in depth. It sounds perfect and I excitedly reenrolled him in spite of a frustrating kindergarten year and a poor school rating.

The good school said on the tour he would not be subject accelerated which bothers me a lot since they hadn't even met him. He currently is accelerated in one subject.

So I've been thinking about what it means to be a good school in a good district. People talk a lot about good districts and bad districts but I'm not sure it has any real meaning on an individual level.

I agree with this. When moving from another state, we chose our neighborhood because the schools are supposedly excellent. However, our kids now attend a charter school that I hadn't even considered at the time, instead of the neighborhood school. It's about what would be a better fit for their particular learning needs.

We have a "fabulous" school (or so the test scores and loads of parents say) which has not met the needs of 2 of my 4 children. Really sort of held down and (forgive the drama of the word) oppressed my kids, and made them hate school.

A good/great school to the average Joe has absolutely no relation to a good/great school for a gifted child!

The public school my son went to is rated 9/10 on greatschools and had enough kids apply to fill 7 kindergarten classes last fall. They only have enough space for 3 kindergarten classes. It is extremely popular. But the overlying attitude is that "all kids are gifted". Given that they ID up to half the kids there as GT, they aren't too far off the mark given their definition of GT. But the vast majority of those kids are at or very close to grade level achievement wise. It was quite miserable for my own HG-PG kid.

I would ask very hard and targeted questions about your particular situation before making any decisions. If we were going to return to school, we'd definitely be visiting some lower scoring schools that seem to look at kids more individually.

Great post and something I, too, have pondered. I really think what makes a 'great' school or district is how well they test which means a lot of time focused on the state tests, plus how well they serve the masses. The district we live in is the second best district in the metro area and both the first and second districts have higher than the average ratio of gifted kids in the community. But as we all know there is a range of gifted and most of the gifted in our community is Moderately to the low range of Highly gifted. So the gifted program established in both districts are IMHO ridged because they believe they have the answers and stand behind their program. I have my doubts of their ability to really teach my child and keep her motivated. If we were going to go the public route (and at this point I don't see us doing that) I would possibly move to a more rural district because there is a better chance of teaching to the individual versus the pre-established criteria being taught at these schools.

On a side note: DD's school is a small private school and when we looked into it we asked questions about motivation and mastery of the material. They assured us we would have no road blocks and if her assessment shows she is above the material they would have no problem moving her up. (I haven't gotten it in writing) DD is in the 3 yo class and though academic since they are learning material from public kindergarten level, still not up to DD's abilities. This said ... it is all taught in Spanish so DD is being challenged right now and we are overjoyed by this but once she has mastered the curriculum in Spanish will she really be moved up to keep her motivated? I received my answer this past week and was thrilled that one of her classmates who has been going to the school full time for a couple of years and is fluent in Spanish was moved to the next class because he had mastered the criteria. With this new information I am even more sure we have found a great fit for DD. BTW, I am not looking to move DD up but love that the school is open to it IF we need it.

My ds6 is in 1st grade at a Title 1 school in our district - this school is not considered one of the good schools in town - it's not in the best area, and has in the past had a bad reputation. We open enrolled him there, mainly because of the "math, science and technology" emphasis. 80% of the kids are on the free or reduced lunch program. Out of 311 enrolled kids, 11 are in the gifted program. Looking at one of the "better" schools here - one has 588 students, has 7.2% on the free/reduced lunch program, and 61 students enrolled in the gifted program. Now - I obviously don't know how many kids are actually gifted, or how many are "better than average", but I'm pretty sure that if my son attended the 2nd school, he would not get as much help as he does now. He goes to 2nd grade for math, and also attends ULE (gifted) classes - and this without any testing. He really stands out in his class, and his teachers really try to challenge him - they have been wonderful to work with so far. We are VERY happy with him NOT being at one of the better schools.

If the charter school offers an effective, individually focused education then why is it testing low? How low?

Tests scores reported in greatschools are usually relative to just-adequate state standards. If the school's approach can't even get the kids to that level, then I would wonder what was good about it.

Now, if the charter school happens to draw kids with learning challenges, or who have been underserved in the past, then maybe it is an excellent school despite lower scores. But I wouldn't automatically conclude that a school that does a great job bringing low performing student closer to grade level is necessarily a good fit for a child who is already excelling.

Perfectly put! We have some experience with options that sound very much like the ones you are choosing btwn. To me, a school should have above avg scores for the state (like a 7 or so on Great Schools), but the difference btwn a 7 and a 10 is generally irrelevant for a gifted child. It tells me how many kids they can get up to average. If it is a lot of them vs. all of them, so what? I'm not looking for average and my kids will score at least that well even if you do nothing for them.

If they can't even get half of the kids up to avg on a state test, on the other hand, then I have a concern about their population having a lot of kids who won't be peers for a gifted child or poor teachers.

Dds attended a charter for one year which offered subject acceleration and sounded quite similar to what little you have posted about your local charter. Ours is currently ranked at a 4 on Great Schools. Locally, we have a lot of schools in the 8-10 range, so that looks bad to me. They did tend to draw a lot of troubled kids with serious behavioral problems or kids who weren't making it elsewhere. There were so many other problems at this school, that they had regular teacher turn over & a lot of novice teachers (as well as some who weren't certified), which also made for inconsistent education. A low Great Schools ranking wouldn't be an automatic "no," but it does raise a red flag & I'd look further. How do the parent ratings look on that site?