I agree, Bluemagic. It's easy to SAY that you won't "play the game" but quite another when it means major tuition waivers on the line, or (more) elite college admission.
Also agree with Deacongirl-- my DD has been able to figure out in a hurry which of her AP classmates are HG/HG+, (and they her) simply by who seems to be ENJOYING the class and not finding it overwhelming, etc. It took her exactly 15 minutes to make the same determination in an honors COLLEGE course when she visited the program she'll be attending in the fall, too. There is a range of ability in any group educational setting-- and most HG+ kids are going to find themselves near the top of it either way. Yes, the EF skills may not measure up to that cognitive mark, but I'm not sure how increased DEMAND on EF at a younger age really accomplishes much. I suspect it may depend on the individual teen-- some of them can "rise to the expectations" and some of them might be demoralized by failing to do so adequately.
Those are her peers-- not the ones point-grubbing, whining, and moaning about the workload.
While I personally probably prefer the IB model, it's not a reality for a lot of us who live in areas which are non-urban.
