Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Regions Phoenix--help please!

So it is looking quite likely that we may be moving to Phoenix in the next few months. I am so confused by the options and don't really know where to begin to choose a school despite tons of time googling.

Dd10 is currently in 5th grade at a Montessori school. She will need to be tested, but she is at least MG with Davidson qualifying scores on the Explore. Dd4 I strongly believe would also qualify for gifted services. Any advice is appreciated!

OK so I am now trying to decide between the Chandler school district and Scottsdale or Paradise Valley School District. Would love any feedback! Thanks!

anyone? anyone?

If no one here is replying, I suggest joining TAGFAM and asking there and also joining an AZ gifted mailing list if one exists.

Chandler has a self contained gifted program. Chandler's CATS program is offered for kindergarteners to eighth-graders and has about 1,400 students involved.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/artic...fted-students-program.html#ixzz1Xs9yyZAY

Some full-day gifted programs offer the same grade-level curriculum, but with lessons that go deeper and broader. Other districts offer lessons that are two grades above the regular curriculum, such as the program in the Madison Elementary and Paradise Valley Unified school districts.

Madison's REACH - Rigorous, Enriched, Accelerated Curriculum - is offered for first- to eighth-graders at Madison Park Elementary School. The program has 86 students in the classes, said Terrie Barnes, Madison's administrator for curriculum and instruction.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/artic...fted-students-program.html#ixzz1XsAElRnW


and from a forum .. answering about gifted programs I found this..


To be honest I am pretty disappointed in the gifted system in Scottsdale and was much happier with Chandler schools (we recently moved to Scottsdale). In Chandler my daughter was in a self contained gifted class since 1st grade (she is in 4th now) and in Scottsdale she only qualifies for pull out gifted. I like the gifted teacher at her Scottsdale school, but the problem is that she is still in a regular 4th grade class for everything else including math (she did not test gifted in math). Honestly, in her math class she is reviewing what she learned in 2nd grade (in Chandler) and its now the middle of 4th grade! There is a huge difference. I wish that the Scottsdale system was similar to the Chandler system where kids that test gifted in any of the three areas are able to participate in self contained gifted classes, if they choose to do so.

all the feedback here
http://www.greatschools.org/elementary-school/community/discussion.gs?content=37785