Thanks. I guess we'll see how the cluster goes this year and the amount of work they do that's actually challenging. I think it's fascinating how one district is all about letting kids work at their own pace and grouping kids according to their level, and the other is about identifying kids that are gifted, but not letting them work at their own pace. Anyone else here have a kid in a "cluster group"? I don't know enough about this stuff to know what I should be looking for (or what are red flags). With my DS being so far advanced in math already, the other district may be a better option for him, if they truly do let kids work ahead. On the other hand, he is a stereotypical "geek" and will probably never really fit in with "typical" kids so I wonder if being with kids who are all in the upper percentiles (i.e. GATE) will help him find friends who have similar interests. Of course, who knows if he will test well or qualify based on their rigid criteria. He wouldn't start GATE for 3 more years. But if I pull the kids out of the district now (even though we live here) it would be harder for him to qualify later on.
