Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Questions to ask during prospective HS meeting

Well, I am thinking that if we develop a list like that, it might be useful to others, not just myself:-)
Tonight we have a meeting (open house at our MS) with a HS that is probably an alternative to an IB program Ghost and we are thinking about. As he progresses through school I am learning more and more what questions to ask, but I generally come up with them when it is too late to ask the question. Ever been there :-)
I have already learned that I have to ask very specific questions as opposed to the general ones like "how do you accomodate your advanced students". Some that I was late to ask are:
- getting HS credit for courses completed in MS - is there anything we have to be doing now?
- can a freshman be admitted straight into an AP class
- are there any prerequisites before taking an AP class (most schools, but not all, will require a general/introductory course in the subject before allowing an AP course)

Can you think of others? I am asking specifically those of you who have kids in HS now and went through the moment "Why didn't I ask for that? Why didn't they tell me?"

The school we are meeting today is an early college HS, goes 10-12 and they have kids taking courses at the local U.
Thanks:-)
Ania

Hi Ania,

We (charter middle school administration) are actually meeting Today with school district about the HS credit for work done in MS. Previously we've seen kids complete advanced math but have to go back to highest offered math class for freshmen (Pre-AP Algebra 2). It wasn't right. Now we're hoping to establish an assessment, so that kids who test 85% proficient can move on and/or get accreditation for online or MS-taught Alg 2 or further. Since our state requires 3 math courses for HS graduation, we're also asking for dual credit(MS/HS). Not that kids who are advanced in math won't continue to take enough classes, but in case they are trying to "condense" high school and graduate early. Anyway, we'll see how the meeting goes, but I'm sure there will be lots of followup (how do you assess GPA so as to not penalize them and take them out of the valedictorian running? Will credits be weighted honors or regular? There may be debate on acceptable online providers, figuring out how courses match up to state benchmarks/standards, appropriate assessments, proficiency definition, etc.)

I have been given mixed signals about freshman taking AP courses. The counselors at DS13's HS said NO, though I've heard the other HS in town has allowed it. DS clearly should have at least started in 10th grade English, but now that he's suffering through Honors 9th, I'm going to ask for AP next year (usually for jrs). The AP Eng teacher who has PG son herself said that AP courses are not necessarily geared toward highly gifted kids (they are methodical, do not allow "compacting", no thinking outside the box, etc.--I don't know enough about this and don't remember my own AP courses to assess this). I worry a little about asking for something and regretting it. Really what I want is college level. So at some point dual enrollment might be preferred...we'll have to see.
Maybe that's another question for you for school (dual enrollment--how they do it and when).

IF he skips Eng 10, he'll still need a total of 4 English credits to graduate HS, but there are limited offerings at the HS. How does he complete the last requirement (college class? online class? summer institute?). Another question for your meeting, state requirements for graduation and how your son can fulfill those with advanced level work.

You might start out asking about how to graduate in 3 years--develop a plan with the counselors to map out courses. Your son can still take another year, but spend the last one as an exchange student or dual enrollment or electives, or whatever.

Our HS changes offerings yr to yr, but you might ask about electives, languages offered, clubs/service organizations, sports, mentorships, college counseling.

Between my meeting with the district today and DS's IEP next week, I might have more comments on this.

Sorry Ania, I just re-read your last line in the original post about the school going 10-12 so you can ignore my suggestions about condensing or graduating early

Cym

Very important point Cym about calculating GPA! I have heard that some HS will only give pass/fail grade for HS classes taken in MS. On the other hand, colleges generally recalculate GPA, anyways that is what I am reading.
Also, generally schools that are early college do not offer AP classes, since they offer college level classes. Do those kids still write AP exams? If not, they are out of the race for some scholarships, I believe?
I think that early college schools work well for kids who want to stay in state for college. What if you want to go OOS?
Excellent point about extracurriculars - I am reading that early college HS do not offer too many.
Please keep your ideas coming!

Ania wrote "Also, generally schools that are early college do not offer AP classes, since they offer college level classes. Do those kids still write AP exams? If not, they are out of the race for some scholarships, I believe?"

There is a difference between classes at local college and AP classes. Unless the local college is a well known one, other universities may not know what the quality is. The quality of college classes vary wildly as well. AP classes, on the other hand, is pretty much a known quantity, assuming the student takes the AP test and does well on them (score 4 or 5).

Ania, young son should aim for top national research universities since he is very bright. In that case, the early college HS may not be a good match for you.

I agree Chenchuan, that is why we are thinking about the big, top HS in a neighboring city, that offers IB as well as classes at the state flagship.
But I would like for him to know "other options", so to speak, so he can compare and make an educated decision. He is only in 7th grade right now, but if he makes a decision about going with an IB program, he will need to make that decision by the fall of next year.
I actually would like for Ghost to ask questions tonight, that is why I am brainstorming right now:-)
Then I will just give him a printout and voila...

Well...I think this really depends on the personality of the student, the setting of the college/university, and how the interests of the student line up with the opportunities offered by the school.

Someone who wants a highly specialized arts major or an unusual dual major of some sort might do better at a small liberal-arts college that offers more personal attention, opportunities for internships and travel, etc. Sometimes the smaller schools even team up with a large research school so they can offer the best of both worlds: great humanities and great sciences.

I attended both a large research institution and a small, private, liberal-arts shool. Both came with pros and cons. But I know that I didn't have to work nearly as hard to get exciting, off-beat educational opportunities at the liberal-arts school as I did at the big research school. I was more of a number at the big school and I was a person at the smaller school.

I'm not trying to bash large research institutions. I'm just saying that I don't agree with the blanket statement that very bright kids should necessarily attend large research-focused universities.

Anybody has any more ideas as to the questions we should ask?

It would be nice to be able to ask about the student life in some way. What are the favorite clubs? Is there an active Math or Chess club? Are students generally respectful to others who have different interests, or is it more of a social 'haves' v. 'have nots?' I don't know how to ask these as a question, but I would like to know these things.

BTW As far as I know, one can sign up for the AP tests without taking any class whatsoever. That it's sort of a way to compare apples to apples.

Best Wishes,
Grinity

My kids aren't at the stage you're asking for help with yet, but I have a few thoughts anyway. Feel free to ignore...

Travel and foreign exchange opportunities? (I'd think lots at an IB!)

Opportunities for arts (drama, music, fine arts, etc.) and sports, as these apply to the student's interests? Both in-school and extracurricular.

Potential schedule SNAFUs: if the only calculus class is ALWAYS scheduled at the same time as the elective that your child is all aflutter about taking, it will be a problem. It would to be good to know about that ahead of time.

That's all I can think of right now...