Ds6 started at private gifted this fall after K in public school last year.
I have to preface this by saying that of course, all private gifted schools are different, as they are run by different administrators and different ideas and different ways of running things! But I can tell you about my ds's school.
The children are grouped in 2-grade mixed classrooms: first-second, third-fourth, etc; there are about 14 kids in each class. The school is pre-K through 8th. Each child is assessed and placed in the appropriate learning level group; math and Language Arts meet during the same time blocks for all grades, and current grade isn't a consideration for placement. Ds6 is in the mid-third-grade groups for both language arts and for math, where they work standard curriculum at a quicker and more in-depth pace than you'd see in the typical public school. He's learning about mean, median and mode right now. In LA they're reading "Because of Winn Dixie." His indepedent reading level is higher than 3.5 grade, but he's learning more about following directions and thinking about what he's read -- more about plot lines and character development, that sort of thing.
I love that ds is really being challenged for the first time, it's fun to watch! I'm also really happy with it because he seems to be finding a few real peers -- children who are near him both in age and intellectual prowess, and who share some of his interests. He's found several friends that are far more "friends" than his K class last year offered -- not kids he'll play with just because they're there, but kids that he actively seeks out.
He has art, drama, gym, French (they offer a choice of French or Spanish starting in first grade), music, each at least 3 days a week.
They offer band and chorus starting in third grade. There are several after-school clubs/activities, including scouts and Destination Imagination. I believe sports start in fifth grade, though I'm not sure -- not at this age, anyway. There are plenty of contests that the kids do -- chess, language, math, science -- as the kids get older.
They also have a few other programs -- there is a program for children that have an intense interest in a subject that for some reason can't be followed in the classroom. They'll match the child up with a mentor from the community who will help guide the child's learning for a project or for longer term. Really neat program.
They do MAP testing starting at age 8, whatever grade the child happens to be in when they turn that age. They rather frown on grade skips, but there isn't much need unless you've got a true prodigy -- and even then they'd try to work with the child during the scheduled block of time.
So far, we're very, very happy with the place. Of course, it's only been 2 months. But we've seen a change in ds6 -- he's far more persistent while working on homework, is much happier overall, fewer surly moments and getting in much less "trouble" for being off-task at school. Of course he still has his moments, but he's just a happier kid. His favorite classes are French and math.
We'll be talking about placement and pace with the teacher at parent-teacher conferences, to make sure he's moving at the appropriate pace. But at least as a starting point, I think they were right on with his placement.
The only real negative I've seen so far is the number of days off! The Friday before Columbus Day was marked on the school calendar as a "non-attendance day" -- pretty much a free day. And they have have the *entire* week of Thanksgiving off, with parent-teacher conferences scheduled during the day. Not bad if you're a SAHM, but as a working parent, it's a little frustrating to be paying a small fortune, just to have to find childcare for all these off days!
Good luck! For ds, this has definitely been a great option. It's been worth all the penny-pinching to get him there.
Last edited by Mia; 10/25/08 11:37 AM. Reason: typos
