Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Proud or a big sigh?

A bit of proud and a sigh. She will probably have to study a bit more for the APs, but it probably will not be much. My son will do the same, get the extra then say "Oh I didn't think I filled out that part".

Its the I didn't even study or I don't know what the grade is or how well I did that gets me.

At the end of the year as my ds school it seems they give several extra credit opportunities, even in the AP classes. He snubs his nose at it. I tell him don't be so smug.

I'm not really in the camp of someone must fail. That bit of extra credit might give someone the opportunity just push them over 70 or 80% and mean the world to them and their parents.

In DS's school, which claims to be "rigorous", the extra credit questions, which are challenging (e.g. think along the lines of competition math problem sets) are actually used to weed out the kids who are working at a higher level in the subject as compared to the rest of the class. A math test that is long and has hard problems is difficult to complete and check for errors in the standard 40-minute format and the extra credit question which takes a few minutes to process and solve is meant to challenge the child to think on their feet, solve problems on the fly, etc. Some schools use this as an indicator that the child has attained mastery and is working above grade level which enables them to finish the test in a shorter duration and to solve extra challenging problems in the leftover time.
DS's teacher only gives credit for the extra questions if the child has finished the regular credit questions.
It turns out that not many kids get around to solving them on a regular basis and those who do are considered to be working below their abilities because they could finish the regular test and then tackle a challenging problem in the same time that it took others to complete the original test. A score that is higher than 100% in such tests means that the child is probably working at a higher level on that subject through self-study and is performing at a higher than expected level for that grade and is a candidate for subject acceleration. They ask such kids to write an essay on whether they think that their placement in the subject is correct or not and based on that essay, they meet with the child and decide to test them for subject acceleration.
(kids being chosen for getting > 100% is the case for NT kids whereas there are accommodations in place for kids who need them such as taking the test in the library for longer durations etc.)

I know. I read so many posts like mine. It's just sometimes good to have some place to share. I do not talk about it with fellow parents or even my sibling because it is taken the wrong way (parent bragging).

DD is not embarrassed, but she is very aware of how she doesn't need to try. She once flippantly stated she didn't need to edit because she knew she would do just fine.

Oh yes, doing research is absolute joy for DD. After school is her fun zone. We need to shove her out the door to make her get some fresh air and exercise. I will have to think carefully about finding something challenging while dealing with the reality that the AP teachers are asking for summer work plus we plan to travel quite a bit. Balance is key. I wish I had posted this earlier in the year and set up something for DD at that point.

That situation in college in which kids hit reality hard is one we want to avoid. We have asked the HS teachers to up the difficulty of DD's work, but only one teacher jumped at the chance.

I asked DD how this worked. On this particular test it was a combination essay/multiple choice. The extra credit was also essay and multiple choice questions. She added that the teacher gave her extra credit for a particularly good essay within the regular test. Other DD says most teachers do not do extra credit.

You sounds like you have a very good handle on things, but I know it’s impossible not to worry. If it helps, I think the concerns about lack of challenge leading to disastrous college experiences can really vary. I think the individual personality and approach to self-challenge, curiosity, or internal motivations are a huge factor. I do worry about my DS, who has become quite disengaged with formal education, but he is still able to garner enthusiasm for his own projects, so hopefully that will see him through.
My DD sounds similar to yours, in that she relished the opportunity to delve deep, and when she could, did her own “extensions” or enrichment even in school; it was just part of her nature. So despite little to no challenge in hs, she has been knocking it out of the park in college- you can just feel her expand into the opened-up opportunities, if that makes sense. She has been ready for years (decades, almost) and can hardly contain herself.

Ha - so familiar. DD will probably end with five 100%, two 99% and a 98% in 9th grade.

She also got 50/50 on a History test today and told me "I don't know how - I had no clue and just made something up for the very first question".

One of this year's classes was an AP class. She took the two hour exam last week - "I was done in an hour and just sketched for the rest of the time. Math 2 Subject Test last weekend, where 5 or 6 wrong is still 800 - "I might have missed one".

I keep telling her that it won't always be this easy, and I do worry about her ability to adjust when it does become hard. Fortunately, her older sister managed to adjust for college freshman engineering, and told her the stories, so she might know what's coming.

We also have extracurriculars - she's in a math club that had 12 AIME qualifiers this year, taught by college grad students, so she knows what not knowing all the answers is like. It motivates her to learn, though this is her favorite subject - hopefully it carries over.

fwiw, three of her 100% are actually higher - many tests have one or two bonus points, and there are also extra activities/assignments that can get bonus points for he grading period. She's a cumulative 230/225 in Pre-calc, before the quarter review bonus next week.