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Sorry for this really long post. I do realize that there have been a few posts earlier on the same topic, but my questions are perhaps more specific).
I would like to learn about the experiences and/or observations from any parent(s) on this forum who are either “actually” sending their kids to any kind of either gifted or advanced programs at elementary schools in NJ or have attempted to do so. I am interested in a commutable distance to New York City, i.e. Middlesex, Essex, Mercer, Morris, Union, etc. We are based in Jersey City and need to move in mid-2013 to send our kid to an elementary school. We are open to both interior NJ as well as New York City, but my post here is primarily to ask about NJ options.
My kid goes to a daycare where they run an advanced curriculum. At age 4 (Pre-K-3), she is able to do easy additions/subtractions, something that is typically taught at Grade 1-2; she can read/write easy sentences, is somewhat ok with phonetics, etc., which is another Grade 1-2 thing. We have barely put any effort with her, and entirely credit her daycare’s curriculum for this.
I don't know if my daughter is really gifted, but what I can see is that she can easily handle stuff that is typically taught to kids who are 2-3 years older.
My main dilemma is that I don't want my kid to waste a few years repeating the same stuff with kids who never went to a daycare and need to learn ABC's or numbers all fresh.
As a part of my current research, I met up with many friends who send their kids to schools in Edison, West Windsor Plainsboro, Summit, etc., and a few who go to private schools like Pringy and Kent. Almost all of my friends invariably claim that their kids are also gifted and also are in some special program at their schools. But then, perhaps due to my limited sample set, to me it looks like that most of my friends’ kids particularly in the public schools aren't really doing anything advanced or extraordinary in their curriculum (even if their parents claim so).
I am in fact confused by the NJ options and alternatives. (
I am addressing this post on this forum hoping that it reaches a wider set of parents – and I would be sincerely thankful to all those who can offer experiences and insights.)
Specifics of my dilemmas are as follows:
1. My biggest concern is many folks tell me that gifted or advanced programs in Public schools in NJ are usually only a few hours per week of advanced curriculum rather than a dedicated curriculum and separation of kids. Now I wouldn’t like my kid to spend most of the week learning basics of ABCs again in Kindergarten, when she can already read basic sentences.
2. A friend's kid goes to a North Edison (NE) elementary school and is probably in grade 3 and he does phonetics at the same level as my kid is now doing in Pre-K-3 in her daycare. This friend proudly claims that their kid is in the gifted or advanced curriculum section of that school. After I digged deeper, I learnt that the teacher told him not to force his kids to memorize math multiplication tables (and there are many other such examples), but this is quite the opposite of what some of New York City gifted / advanced elementary schools do.
3. Another relative’s kid goes to the West Windsor Plainsboro (WWP) school district and is also apparently placed in their advanced / gifted curriculum sections, but the parents say they know this by only their own inference. They further say that the elementary school and/or the teachers never reveal whether their kid is in an advanced curriculum because other parents will have an issue if their kids aren’t. My thought about this is: if I don’t even know that my kid does an advanced curriculum, how will I ever infer whether she has really been placed with weaker kids and wasting a few years of her life learning nothing new.
4. I read Edison school district's criteria to distinguish Bright versus Gifted children:
http://www.edison.k12.nj.us/cms/lib2...0Grade%205.pdf ; Prima-facie it seems to rely more on teacher's observations. Since all I is really want is to see my kid retain her initial daycare advantages, i am a bit concerned with this approach, i.e. what if she is merely classified by a teacher as “bright” instead of “gifted” (which can even the truth), but then because she is merely “bright”, she may be made to spend a whole year of learning ABCs when she has already been taught to trace ABCs by age 3 at her current daycare. (
As a comparison, in some of the New York City’s gifted or advanced curriculum elementary programs, the admission processes are quite clearly stated and include rounds of proper testing and evaluation and generally as per their websites seem more robust.)
5. A few friends high recommended non-sectarian private schools like Kent Place, Pringy etc and swear by them. I haven’t yet attended their open houses although I plan to. Most of my friends who sent their kids there say that the private schools are much better than the public ones. The websites of these schools too seem to have in their mission to “challenge and stretch intellectual capacities”, but the websites themselves do not delve much into their curriculums. (
As a comparison, some of New York City’s gifted or advanced curriculum elementary schools describe their curriculum in more specific terms, e.g. in one of them they clearly state that their objectives (in Grade 1) is to make a strong memory, advanced vocabulary, etc.). I would be really thankful, if there are any parent(s) on this forum who sends their kids to these private schools, and if they can provide examples or comparisons of the school’s curriculum (at elementary school level) with regular public schools. Any other thoughts or observations on these private schools versus public ones would also be very helpful.
I would really love to hear from parents who have truly explored options for advanced elementary schools (and their experiences), rather than from those who just ended up sending their kids to public schools at WWP, NE, Sumit, Pricenton, etc., because that’s the usual and typical accepted wisdom.
Thank you (
and apologies to all those who ended up reading this long post and realized it wasn’t pertinent to them).
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