How did B&M high school work out for your gifted/accelerated child? and ...

[Runningmom80]

What did you do to prepare him or her?

 

(I know there has to be a million threads on this topic but I couldn't find them.)

 

First of all, I only have a 10 1/2 year old, so this is just my nervous energy trying to figure out a little bit of the path forward. The usual disclaimer of "everything can change in the next 3 years" certainly applies.  Alas, I need to plan....

 

DS 10 maintains that he would like to go to high school.  He wants the experience of going to high school and he wants to make friends. Both my husband and I feel that we can let out kids choose and if they want to try school, we aren't against it.

 

That said, we will be looking into "out of the box" options.  We have a Montessori High School which is really sort of project based.  We also have an arts high school that could be an option, where he could immerse himself in music, but I'm not sure about the academics.  We also have several rigorous private high schools in the area although they would need to offer generous financial aid (The Montessori school is also private and $$$) Public school *could* work, we have a few districts with robust GT/AP/IB tracks, but I'm afraid they still won't be good challenge wise as we are on track to complete at least through Algebra II if not Geometry before he enters high school.  I know there are other classes like pre Calc and Calc, a couple of the schools also offer Statistics. He's not radically accelerated in math, but he is pretty accelerated as far as English Lit and Humanities are concerned.  Maybe dual enrollment could be an option, but I know that can throw a wrench in the plans as far as college acceptance & financial aid later on.

 

Anyways, I'm rambling here, but what has your experience been transitioning from home to high school?

 

What do you feel a student and their parents, should do to prepare?

 

TIA, thanks for putting up with my public display of neurosis!

[SanDiegoMom]

My always PS child tested gifted and did not enjoy school until 11th grade when she was able to load up on AP's.  They were taught by the best teachers and she shaped her schedule based on who was teaching.  She had plenty of challenge finally.  She is going into Political Science or Econ and has really enjoyed her Micro/Macro classes and Government, as well as her AP English classes.  

 

Peers have been more of a challenge.  Even though she goes to a very good school, she still is in touch with most of the kids from the last HS she attended that was very highly ranked. (83rd in nation).  She can tell the difference in the level of discourse and the issues that the kids talk about at the previous school -- here she has had problems finding anyone here that just CARES quite as much about anything the way she does.  So not perfect. She has made friends, but they are all pretty much surface friendships. 

 

We've never had access to other options for high schools, so I don't have any experience with project based or arts magnets.  

 

Most of her friends from San Diego finished at least Geometry before high school, doing Alg 2 in 9th grade.  If they did make it to PreCalc in 9th, they took either Calc AB/Calc BC/AP Stats, or Calc BC/Stats/DE Calc 3 or whatever was offered nearby.  That's not as common where we are now. 

 

We live in an area that is very strict about districting.  Since we are military I researched a ton to figure out the best school here and moved into its district.  So that affects the amount of AP's and the quality of teachers.

 

 

[Runningmom80]

My always PS child tested gifted and did not enjoy school until 11th grade when she was able to load up on AP's.  They were taught by the best teachers and she shaped her schedule based on who was teaching.  She had plenty of challenge finally.  She is going into Political Science or Econ and has really enjoyed her Micro/Macro classes and Government, as well as her AP English classes.  

 

Peers have been more of a challenge.  Even though she goes to a very good school, she still is in touch with most of the kids from the last HS she attended that was very highly ranked. (83rd in nation).  She can tell the difference in the level of discourse and the issues that the kids talk about at the previous school -- here she has had problems finding anyone here that just CARES quite as much about anything the way she does.  So not perfect. She has made friends, but they are all pretty much surface friendships. 

 

We've never had access to other options for high schools, so I don't have any experience with project based or arts magnets.  

 

Most of her friends from San Diego finished at least Geometry before high school, doing Alg 2 in 9th grade.  If they did make it to PreCalc in 9th, they took either Calc AB/Calc BC/AP Stats, or Calc BC/Stats/DE Calc 3 or whatever was offered nearby.  That's not as common where we are now. 

 

We live in an area that is very strict about districting.  Since we are military I researched a ton to figure out the best school here and moved into its district.  So that affects the amount of AP's and the quality of teachers.

We are fortunate in that we have been lifelong renters so far and able to move.  We plan on buying within the next couple of years and will of course be prioritizing by school district. (Although it's also really important that we be in a diverse neighborhood with diverse schools.  We do have a couple of districts where there are good schools with a diverse student body.)

[chocolate-chip chooky]

How does your local Montessori high school run? Are they doing the full Erdkinder?

 

I'm a Montessori teacher but I've never seen a real Erdkinder, so that made me  :drool:

[wapiti]

You can usually find a course catalog online.  Regarding the math, in short, see if any of the schools have a Calc 3 course (combined differential equations and multivariable calc, I believe).  Not a lot of schools do, though our large public high school does.

 

Also look at the availability of dual enrollment if available coursework at the high school is exceeded.  Dual enrollment would mean enrolling in a college course prior to graduating from high school, so that would not affect financial aid/scholarships and would not make him a transfer student.

 

Look closely at the AP and honors offerings.  Need for acceleration in humanities courses may be much harder to demonstrate and/or receive, though it also might be the case that honors/AP classes might be sufficient.  Most high schools will have a set path with honors options (English 9 or honors English 9, Brit Lit or Honors Brit Lit for 10, American Lit or AP English Lang for 11th, various English electives or AP English Lit for 12th).

 

Look at the School Profile (brief document submitted to colleges).  Look at the types of colleges the students get into.  Look at clubs/activities.  Go on a tour if available.  Plan to do shadow visits during 8th grade.  Plan to spend a small amount of time reviewing in preparation for math placement tests.

 

We have a lot of montessori experience at the lower levels but pulled our older kids during or before middle school.  There is a montessori high school a few districts over, though my understanding is that the academics may not be the greatest at that particular school.  It would probably not be my choice for a gifted kid with a few exceptions.

 

Looking even further ahead to college, with a 10 y.o. it is *not* too early to start considering what your *financial* situation will be and exploring the various financial options (e.g. in-state, CC-transfer-to-state-U, what it might take for out of state merit scholarships, whether your financial situation might or might not yield significant financial aid at top schools).

[Mike in SA]

Ugh.  Not well.  We shouldn't have tried it.  Once AL, it's rough going to a B&M moving at a snail's pace.  Other kids can't relate, either - his best friends are all graduating seniors.  He'll have to start over next year, and it's not going to get any better over time.  We are seriously flirting with early admission college, and finish out high school at home at the same time (not DE - early admission; can't use credits for HS, but he can test out through TTUISD or other).

 

For younger DS, we won't do it.  We may just use TTUISD and start doing HS courses now (at 10).

[Runningmom80]

How does your local Montessori high school run? Are they doing the full Erdkinder?

 

I'm a Montessori teacher but I've never seen a real Erdkinder, so that made me  :drool:

 

sending you a PM. :)

[Runningmom80]

 

You can usually find a course catalog online.  Regarding the math, in short, see if any of the schools have a Calc 3 course (combined differential equations and multivariable calc, I believe).  Not a lot of schools do, though our large public high school does.

 

Also look at the availability of dual enrollment if available coursework at the high school is exceeded.  Dual enrollment would mean enrolling in a college course prior to graduating from high school, so that would not affect financial aid/scholarships and would not make him a transfer student.

 

Look closely at the AP and honors offerings.  Need for acceleration in humanities courses may be much harder to demonstrate and/or receive, though it also might be the case that honors/AP classes might be sufficient.  Most high schools will have a set path with honors options (English 9 or honors English 9, Brit Lit or Honors Brit Lit for 10, American Lit or AP English Lang for 11th, various English electives or AP English Lit for 12th).

 

Look at the School Profile (brief document submitted to colleges).  Look at the types of colleges the students get into.  Look at clubs/activities.  Go on a tour if available.  Plan to do shadow visits during 8th grade.  Plan to spend a small amount of time reviewing in preparation for math placement tests.

 

We have a lot of montessori experience at the lower levels but pulled our older kids during or before middle school.  There is a montessori high school a few districts over, though my understanding is that the academics may not be the greatest at that particular school.  It would probably not be my choice for a gifted kid with a few exceptions.

 

Looking even further ahead to college, with a 10 y.o. it is *not* too early to start considering what your *financial* situation will be and exploring the various financial options (e.g. in-state, CC-transfer-to-state-U, what it might take for out of state merit scholarships, whether your financial situation might or might not yield significant financial aid at top schools).

 

 

Thank you SO MUCH for all of this, I really appreciate it.  I'm taking notes.

 

The Montessori HS in our area has an IB option so it seems to be a little more on the academic side, BUT, I'm definitely concerned about the academics and will be asking a lot of questions to make sure it will be a good fit.

 

The financial situation is very important for our family.  We are most likely going to end up at the low end of the bracket that does not get any need based aid so that means we will be relying heavily on merit, and encouraging our kids to keep the big picture in mind when they are deciding on schools.  The ROI has to be taken into account.

[Runningmom80]

Ugh.  Not well.  We shouldn't have tried it.  Once AL, it's rough going to a B&M moving at a snail's pace.  Other kids can't relate, either - his best friends are all graduating seniors.  He'll have to start over next year, and it's not going to get any better over time.  We are seriously flirting with early admission college, and finish out high school at home at the same time (not DE - early admission; can't use credits for HS, but he can test out through TTUISD or other).

 

For younger DS, we won't do it.  We may just use TTUISD and start doing HS courses now (at 10).

 

I'm afraid of this very issue.  Thank you for mentioning it.

 

(What is TTUISD? :leaving: )

[Pawz4me]

B&M high school worked out very well for our two.

 

Oldest DS chose the local public high school. He said he felt he needed some live, in person competition for motivation to do his best academically. He signed up for some APs right away (although we did need a waiver for him to take APs as a freshman) and he pretty much thrived academically from then on. Socialization was a huge issue for him, too. He's our honorary extrovert and he really wanted (needed) to be around other kids more. He got involved in cross country and track and field and found his tribe.

 

Youngest DS (2e) applied and was admitted to our local early college. It's been an excellent experience for him all around, both academically and for the opportunity it has provided him to progress in his social skills, learn how to advocate for himself, etc.

[Mike in SA]

I'm afraid of this very issue.  Thank you for mentioning it.

 

(What is TTUISD? :leaving: )

 

TTUISD is Texas Tech's online program.  It's fully accredited, but not all that rigorous.  However, for a 10yo, "rigorous" is relative. 

 

DS10 is actually taking Geography online this year, and it has been about perfect.  He'll have 5 full HS credits by the end of the year, but is a year or so away from being ready for a HS English program.

[Laura Corin]

IB worked okay for Calvin, but it's up to the school how they structure it. There wasn't much busy work at the school he went to.

 

He wasn't accelerated in maths, but the maths Higher course (make sure that is offered, not just Standard) has the reputation of being pretty high level. The extended essay was brilliant for him: he could make it as high level as he wanted. He got into a very good university.

 

There were social issues, but not connected to giftedness. He found the casual misogyny and homophobia of some teenage boys disgusting.

 

The important prerequisites for him were in English, maths, foreign language and science.

[MamaSprout]

Are there any online options you would consider for an AL? Stanford online high school is so expensive it's actually laughable. I'll be finishing some grad work about the same time did finishes 8th grade, and we're weighing options for high school. We don't have any B&M options locally, though, without moving or spending the week in a nearby city.

[DawnM]

My current 11th grader went to school for the first time last year as a 10th grader.  We chose the Charter School, 19 miles away, because it was started by former HSers and several of our HS friends had sent their kids there.

 

It was a good transition year for him, but it was WAY too far away, I was driving 40 miles twice a day and often spending up to 3.5 hours in the car to get him there.

 

He went to our local HS this year and I wish I had started him out there.  It is very highly ranked (highest in our greater city area and around 500 on the US News and World Report of all the HSs in the US).

 

He is in honors classes, but has opted not to take APs, which we are fine with, he is smart, but also wants to have a HS experience with being in clubs, having a job outside the home, etc....and we have allowed that.

 

My point is, it all went very well, with very few bumps in the road.  I should have relaxed more.

Edited March 21, 2017 by DawnM

[JeanM]

I currently have 10th and 12th graders who both attend the local public high school part time. We're lucky in that the public school has been very helpful. My dc have participated in sports and other extracurriculars. The school has mostly let us choose what classes to put dc in. Like oldest was (and is) a big history person, so we put him in AP European history in 9th grade. The guidance counselor wasn't thrilled about that, but when ds did well and won an award for outstanding student in the class, guidance has since pretty much let us choose where to put dc. We've chosen to have them do classes at school that are difficult for us to replicate at home (like band), and classes which we are less comfortable teaching (Spanish, history, English).

 

On the plus side, this is a small high school. Their AP classes are usually small. Older ds's AP US history had 9 students, currently younger ds's AP US history has (I think) 14 students. This means that the AP classes virtually never fill up. On the minus side, since it is a small school there is generally only 1 section of everything, and not all APs are offered. This year older ds had to choose between AP English literature and band, he couldn't do both since they were scheduled at the same time. The highest math the school offers in AB calculus.

 

Academically it has worked out ok, not necessarily great. With the AP classes you pretty much know what they are going to cover in advance. Some of the non-AP classes have been less than stellar, but I think it's worked out fine. This year, for the first time ever, older ds is doing both math (AP statistics) and science (AP biology) at school. This experience has made him super grateful for the math/science that he has done at home. The hardest part has been scheduling everything since the high school uses a rotating daily schedule. Older ds has been taking history classes at a local liberal arts college for two years, and making that work with the high school schedule has been a challenge.

 

Socially it's also been a bit of a mixed bag. Younger ds especially has enjoyed having more time with his friends. On days when he could come home mid-morning, he generally stays and has lunch at school with friends. Since it is a small school, it's often the same small group of kids in many of the AP classes. I will say that even though younger ds enjoys hanging with his friends, he is adamant that he wants to be homeschooled for math and science next year. It gets harder - like older ds was mostly taking classes with older kids. This year as a senior, he's back with his same-age peers. He's *really* ready to be out of high school. I'm guessing the same thing will happen with younger ds.

[Mike in SA]

Thinking a bit more - I think the amount of acceleration is the obvious tell as to how the experience is likely to go. Our son was doing MIT-OCW in middle school - how could he expect freshman HS content to compare?

 

If you can reasonably expect 50% new content, then you should be able to expect a more favorable experience. Also, if clubs and athletics are a draw, those will be abundant.

[MamaSprout]

Thinking a bit more - I think the amount of acceleration is the obvious tell as to how the experience is likely to go. Our son was doing MIT-OCW in middle school - how could he expect freshman HS content to compare?

 

If you can reasonably expect 50% new content, then you should be able to expect a more favorable experience. Also, if clubs and athletics are a draw, those will be abundant.

 

Those are good thinking points.

 

I don't want dd home alone all day with a computer, but none of our B&M high school options offer her main sport, and she will exceed their music options by the time she's a freshman. We've rejected the idea of early college. It would be different if she wanted to be an MD, which requires years of post secondary school, but I don't see any interest in that direction.

[Guest]

We didn't want our dc home all day with the computer either,but the district othered all the honors/AP students and made them choose between study hall or fee based fully included options once they had taken all the reqd for the diploma classes. We were happy with the courses where the teachers did teach all the content, but some did teach for the pass. 12th grade was five study halls as the district had dropped college prep classes so we had to bring the kid home and do online courses, as the school doesn't have online access available and both courses the kid needed were offered at the same time at the CC (an hour away door to door, and kid was too young for unrestricted drivers license).Agree that course offerings are a good first pass when choosing, but they will vary annually. We stayed for IB, and the whole program was cut when ds1 entered 9th.

[Library Momma]

 

You can usually find a course catalog online.  Regarding the math, in short, see if any of the schools have a Calc 3 course (combined differential equations and multivariable calc, I believe).  Not a lot of schools do, though our large public high school does.

 

Also look at the availability of dual enrollment if available coursework at the high school is exceeded.  Dual enrollment would mean enrolling in a college course prior to graduating from high school, so that would not affect financial aid/scholarships and would not make him a transfer student.

 

Look closely at the AP and honors offerings.  Need for acceleration in humanities courses may be much harder to demonstrate and/or receive, though it also might be the case that honors/AP classes might be sufficient.  Most high schools will have a set path with honors options (English 9 or honors English 9, Brit Lit or Honors Brit Lit for 10, American Lit or AP English Lang for 11th, various English electives or AP English Lit for 12th).

 

Look at the School Profile (brief document submitted to colleges).  Look at the types of colleges the students get into.  Look at clubs/activities.  Go on a tour if available.  Plan to do shadow visits during 8th grade.  Plan to spend a small amount of time reviewing in preparation for math placement tests.

 

We have a lot of montessori experience at the lower levels but pulled our older kids during or before middle school.  There is a montessori high school a few districts over, though my understanding is that the academics may not be the greatest at that particular school.  It would probably not be my choice for a gifted kid with a few exceptions.

 

Looking even further ahead to college, with a 10 y.o. it is *not* too early to start considering what your *financial* situation will be and exploring the various financial options (e.g. in-state, CC-transfer-to-state-U, what it might take for out of state merit scholarships, whether your financial situation might or might not yield significant financial aid at top schools).

 

I agree with this but would like to add that  some schools offer ECE (Early College Experience) classes for students on the most accelerated track.  So for example, a student that completes AP Calc sophomore or junior year can later take an ECE statistics class at the school that offers them credit from our State University.  It is essentially an in house DE.  Years ago when I was in high school these ECE classes were associated with the local state colleges.  That was a problem because many of the universities students attended after graduation did not accept the transfer credits from the colleges.  Now that it is associated with the State University it seems to be more useful to more students.  You see these ECE classes in the maths, foreign languages and specialized electives like childcare and accounting.

 

Also, in terms of APs good schools often let students on accelerated tracks start taking AP classes sophomore year and some specific students can take the "easier" AP exams (just the exam not the class) as early as freshman year.  

[epi]

... 12th grade was five study halls ...

 

Excuse my ignorance; us parents have not been in American school, and our kids have not been in school.

 

What exactly is "study hall"?

 

What was actually happening when "12th grade was five study halls"?

 

[eternalsummer]

study hall is an hour where a teacher or adult is present in the classroom, but does no teaching of any subject.  Kids just sit at a desk and read or study or do nothing (mostly they do nothing).

[Library Momma]

We didn't want our dc home all day with the computer either,but the district othered all the honors/AP students and made them choose between study hall or fee based fully included options once they had taken all the reqd for the diploma classes. We were happy with the courses where the teachers did teach all the content, but some did teach for the pass. 12th grade was five study halls as the district had dropped college prep classes so we had to bring the kid home and do online courses, as the school doesn't have online access available and both courses the kid needed were offered at the same time at the CC (an hour away door to door, and kid was too young for unrestricted drivers license).Agree that course offerings are a good first pass when choosing, but they will vary annually. We stayed for IB, and the whole program was cut when ds1 entered 9th.

 

 

Come on, the OP is talking about a good school system.  A good school system has a multitude of tracks and options for kids with college prep often being one of the lower tracks.  Advanced students don't often even have a study hall, let alone 5.  I know people that teach in what is considered the worst high school in our state.  The lowest test scores, high drop out rates, poverty, gang activity, and even those schools have AP level classes and ECE opportunities.  I am often fascinated by your posts and I do understand that things are different all over, but I think your school experiences are by far the exception to the rule.

[Guest]

Come on, the OP is talking about a good school system. A good school system has a multitude of tracks and options for kids with college prep often being one of the lower tracks. Advanced students don't often even have a study hall, let alone 5. I know people that teach in what is considered the worst high school in our state. The lowest test scores, high drop out rates, poverty, gang activity, and even those schools have AP level classes and ECE opportunities. I am often fascinated by your posts and I do understand that things are different all over, but I think your school experiences are by far the exception to the rule.

The point of my post is that over the summer, a good school can change. Anytime an area is experiencing a population shift,expect change. I stayed for IB. My kid signed up for IB courses in the spring of 8th grade. When he received his schedule in late August, our call to the gc confirmed the dropping of the program...this was the only notice to the public. Do not assume that what is offered one year will be offered the next.

 

You can believe my district is the exception. I am finding they are early implementers of changes from the top in a certain political frame. Schools with tracks simp,y dont exist in certain zip codes. nice to know zip code doesn't matter in your area..ALL schools offer college prep, eh? Lol..I think we can all name numerous systems where college prep students have no access, or where the school eliminated the top tracks. But you keep.believing zip code doesn't matter and enjoy your pony ride.

Edited March 22, 2017 by Heigh Ho

[Library Momma]

I'm not saying zip code doesn't matter and I'm not saying things can't change.  I do believe that some states are better at at making sure a variety of opportunities are available for schools across the board than others, but I really find it hard to believe that schools offering no other option than 5 study halls to high achieving kids is commonplace.

[MamaSprout]

Commonplace, probably not, but I know families in a nearby district encountered the same thing with successful magnets either dropping programs or changing focus (big changes such as a middle school switched from Montessori to Technology over the summer after all of the enrollment for fall was done.)

 

We don't have that scenario, but we homeschool because our district superintendent told us honestly that they didn't grade skip gifted students because it affects their school performance to have top performers working in a grade level where they are challenged (ie- not maxing out the texts). The neighboring district has an advanced track, but is an all or none scenario, and is very inflexible about allowing dual credit, although they do have some AP classes.

[Guest]

I'm not saying zip code doesn't matter and I'm not saying things can't change. I do believe that some states are better at at making sure a variety of opportunities are available for schools across the board than others, but I really find it hard to believe that schools offering no other option than 5 study halls to high achieving kids is commonplace.

 

No one made the claim that five study halls is commonplace. The point is that things change without warning, and such scenarios do happen as a consequence. Buyer beware if moving just for a particular district.

 

What you find more commonly is high achievers without access to meaningful courses...ie nothing but gen ed and remedial, with gen ed being so little that a prep year is needed before a four year U. Roughly half of this nation's public high schools offer Physics or Calc. In times of financial stress and political change,you find districts offering twelfth graders only the courses they need to graduate...which for a high achiever is usually english, ss, and pe.

Edited March 22, 2017 by Heigh Ho

[Library Momma]

Understood but the OP is weighing the merits of what she is saying are good schools in good districts.  She says that they have GT/AP/IB tracks.  She is asking for experiences with those types of schools.

[Laura Corin]

For reference, it's common to have several free periods over the course of a week in an IB programme if there is a high expectation of the ability to work independently.

 

Students are often scheduled into blocks for particular subject choices, but if they are studying standard rather than higher level in that subject, they may have one or more free periods in that block. It's not necessarily a sign of neglect.

Edited March 22, 2017 by Laura Corin

[Guest]

Understood but the OP is weighing the merits of what she is saying are good schools in good districts. She says that they have GT/AP/IB tracks. She is asking for experiences with those types of schools.

.

 

Correct, and I gave my experience with a good school in a good neighborhood with AP/IB/honors that experienced an overnight shift and became a below average school in a good neighborhood with no IB and few honors/AP classes. My district now achieves at the bottom when compared with districts nationwide with similar demographics ...1.5 grade levels below average, per the Stanford study that came out last summer and the NYTimes reported on. I wouldn't want anyone to buy into a good neighborhood assuming next year will bring no changes.

 

As far as poor schools having AP etc while middle class do not, yes I live this. There is funding for poverty schools that middle class cannot access. People here voted with their feet, and some went to adjacent poor districts because they have AP science opportunities, math club, science fair, orchestra, etc and one can have a college prep schedule in twelfth. Housing prices here tanked of course, so those that bought in solely for the school sold at a loss.

 

Note: here AP students that struggle do have a study hall for each of their two 12 th grade APs (english and ss), so they can go to tutoring.

Edited March 22, 2017 by Heigh Ho

[Arcadia]

As a parent, be prepared to advocate and know more than the high school guidance counselor. The further your child is from the norm in the school, the more you have to advocate. Reading up the state education laws would be beneficial if putting your child in public high school.

 

We could afford two kids in pricier private high schools but that would mean nothing left to add to our savings so we won't qualify for financial aid. I am less worried about humanities actually because my oldest is happy to take French as a third world language and won't mind Japanese as a fourth world language. French and Japanese classes and exams are offered at AP level in my public high schools.

 

If you can reasonably expect 50% new content, then you should be able to expect a more favorable experience. Also, if clubs and athletics are a draw, those will be abundant.

  

 

My DS11 would easily fit even into my school district's average high school as long as we after school math and physics which are his favorite subjects. He wants to design cars and planes as his top choice occupation.

 

My DS12 is the one that is hard to get a good fit for but he wants B&M high school too.

 

.

As far as poor schools having AP etc while middle class do not, yes I live this. There is funding for poverty schools that middle class cannot access. People here voted with their feet, and some went to adjacent poor districts because they have AP science opportunities, math club, science fair, orchestra, etc and one can have a college prep schedule in twelfth.

My district's high school offers AP Physics C on paper (in their course catalog) for the past few years but has never offered an AP Physics C exam. They had offered an AP Physics 1 exam but not the AP Physics 2 exam. With kids taking AP Calculus BC exam in 11th, the lack of an AP Physics C exam is weird. I miss the high school orientation talk this year, anyone in district can attend even if their child is younger.

The IB program in the neighboring poorer school district doesn't have good results so we aren't interested. None of the public IB schools did well actually compared to private IB schools.

[MinivanMom]

We are in the midst of making this transition, and I will say that I'm very glad we started looking at schools early. There is a wealth of information available on each school's website, but I've also found that following the school's twitter-feed, attending random school events (not just the formal "let's sell the school"-type stuff), and talking-talking-talking to current parents has given me the most important information about each school's culture and their flexibility when it comes to accommodating individual gifted students. How it works out remains to be seen, but this particular child will probably thrive since she is accelerated across the board without being too accelerated. But we were also fortunate to have several good options to choose from.

 

I wouldn't worry about a program suddenly disappearing or being dropped without warning. Think of the national coverage that SFUSD got last year when they dropped tracking for math. Something like that doesn't happen without lots of people knowing and lots of news coverage. With the way most school boards operate and pass motions, it would be impossible for a program to simply disappear in the dark of night with no warning. If you follow the school board meetings (minutes are usually posted online and big changes are always covered in the local paper), then you won't be caught off guard. 

[Arcadia]

I wouldn't worry about a program suddenly disappearing or being dropped without warning. Think of the national coverage that SFUSD got last year when they dropped tracking for math. Something like that doesn't happen without lots of people knowing and lots of news coverage. With the way most school boards operate and pass motions, it would be impossible for a program to simply disappear in the dark of night with no warning.

My school district and some others has pass motions with a few town hall meetings. The bulk of the noise is after the motion has already passed and school board elections are years away. Some programs aren't even voted on. We have a local STEM 7th-12th grade program that is corporate sponsored. If the corporate sponsorship dissolve, the program goes away.

 

What has happened in the past is that renters broke their lease and immediately moved to another district. Homeowners who could rent out their home, and rent or buy elsewhere did. Those who don't wish to move but can afford private schools move their kids into private schools.

 

Our local papers hardly cover education other than school sports, the Intel (now Regeneron) science talent search and National Merit Scholars.

[madteaparty]

.How it works out remains to be seen, but this particular child will probably thrive since she is accelerated across the board without being too accelerated. But we were also fortunate to have several good options to choose from.

 

I wouldn't worry about a program suddenly disappearing or being dropped without warning. Think of the national coverage that SFUSD got last year when they dropped tracking for math. Something like that doesn't happen without lots of people knowing and lots of news coverage. With the way most school boards operate and pass motions, it would be impossible for a program to simply disappear in the dark of night with no warning. If you follow the school board meetings (minutes are usually posted online and big changes are always covered in the local paper), then you won't be caught off guard. 

 

I have a similar child (well, the math acceleration depends on where you stand, I guess), and what he wants to do is skip one year.

The thing to know is that access to AP classes and honor tracks, etc are all fully controlled by the school. Our original plan did not work out because the intended school told us, you can "place" wherever, the AP classes are full and dedicated to juniors and seniors. They similarly told us we could arrange and pay for all the DE we wanted, a foreign language had to be taken in the school to count.

We opted instead for a decent enough, very socio-economically mixed (this is important to us), rural/small town school district which also, on paper at least, offers so many APs and also DE. But, I have independent ways of accessing those DE classes (if you breathe and you can pay, you can do DE here, and the breathing seems subjective :lol: ), so that if the school does a bait-and-switch, there's another option.  I would not be happy if the school plays games, as my child wants to be in brick and mortar school two years ago, but we will not be stuck.

Edited March 22, 2017 by madteaparty

[MinivanMom]

I have a similar child (well, the math acceleration depends on where you stand, I guess), and what he wants to do is skip one year.

The thing to know is that access to AP classes and honor tracks, etc are all fully controlled by the school. Our original plan did not work out because the intended school told us, you can "place" wherever, the AP classes are full and dedicated to juniors and seniors. They similarly told us we could arrange and pay for all the DE we wanted, a foreign language had to be taken in the school to count.

We opted instead for a decent enough, very socio-economically mixed (this is important to us), rural/small town school district which also, on paper at least, offers so many APs and also DE. But, I have independent ways of accessing those DE classes (if you breathe and you can pay, you can do DE here, and the breathing seems subjective :lol: ), so that if the school does a bait-and-switch, there's another option.  I would not be happy if the school plays games, as my child wants to be in brick and mortar school two years ago, but we will not be stuck.

 

This is why it's so important to dig deep when researching schools. The school's website and written policies are a good place to start (our district publishes a very thorough "high school program planning guide" each year), but there can be lots of little details that aren't included. Some classes are only offered in alternate years or are only open to jr & sr's. Some schools will make exceptions for kids who place into those courses, some schools won't, and some will make an exception only in certain circumstances. Some schools have a set number of spots in AP, while other schools offer sufficient sections to meet demand. There will always be hoops to jump through, so you need to be aware of what those hoops are and whether your child is willing or able to do that.

 

We started out looking at our suburban high school, the gifted magnet high school, and a high-achieving charter (other schools were too expensive or too far away). We've found that our suburban school offers fewer really advanced options, but offers far more flexibility with placement for the options it has. It has its little quirks, but they will allow students to place into appropriate math and foreign language. It's a good match for our dd who isn't too accelerated and is a color-within-the-lines kind of kid.

[lizbusby]

Most good, relatively urban districts should easily be able to deal with a kid who finishes Geometry in 8th grade. My personal experience was this sequence (I was all public schooled):

7 - Algebra I

8 - Geometry 

9 - Algebra II

10 - Pre-Calc

11 - AP Calc BC

12 - IB Maths HL

 

Currently, I believe many schools are integrating the algebra/geometry split, so you may see some sort of generic math course instead. In that case, it might be important to check on exactly what is taught in each grade. They may have distributed geometry and algebra II over those two years, so if you only covered one or the other, that could be a place to catch up. Our currently local school district has the following math progression for gifted students: http://www.bsd405.org/programs/gifted/gifted-math-placement/
It's also possible to accelerate a year or two and fill in with college level math. But we do have a district that really values gifted programs.

 

The rest of their gifted curriculum sequence may also give you ideas of what to look for: http://www.bsd405.org/programs/gifted/gifted-curriculum/

 

Unless community college classes are specifically designed for high achieving kids, they will be really boring. I took a bunch with summer after my senior year so that I could complete an associate's degree and get a scholarship. They were way below the level of my AP classes. Seek out real colleges for dual enrollment if possible. 

[4KookieKids]

So I don't have a kid there yet, but my own experience with IB is this: good program, a few good friends, most of us got a year or more of college credit, but still not very challenging for very accelerated students. It was a great track for hard workers and bright students, but definitely not for *very* bright students. I can look at my kids right now (oldest is only 7, and certainly not as advanced as many of the kids discussed on this forum) and already see that it wouldn't be a good fit for them academically (at least the way my school did it, but I think the nature of the program is to have a lot of structure so that the educations can be relatively uniform), though the bonding with hard-working peers (some of them, at any rate) was good for me. Most of the IBers I knew also took 2-3 AP classes on top of the IB load each year or were involved with a sport or music that required practice an additional 3-5 hours a day.