Changing schools in the middle of the school year (Fort Mill: transfer, school district)

[salatheel]

Does anyone know how it works when you change schools in the middle of the school year? Our son is 8 and we were wondering. Do they give him a placement test? I wonder if they teach differently coming from Connecticut to South Carolina? Thanks for all your help!

[lovethecarolinas]

Originally Posted by salatheel

Does anyone know how it works when you change schools in the middle of the school year? Our son is 8 and we were wondering. Do they give him a placement test? I wonder if they teach differently coming from Connecticut to South Carolina? Thanks for all your help!

hey there salatheel, - we moved to SC (FMSD) when are children were in 2nd grade and 4th grade (mid-year). From what I remember they received their grades and other information from their old school and placed them in the appropriate grades. Now once my children started their new classes they did give them a test to see if they needed to be in the GT classes (gifted and talented).

Now I don't know how they teach in CT, or where exactly you are looking in SC...but I can tell you that my children had to pick up their game (from their CA schools) once they started in Fort Mill School District. I have helped in the class room quite a bit...and I am amazed on how they teach here.

[salatheel]

Amazed in a good way?

[lovethecarolinas]

Originally Posted by salatheel

Amazed in a good way?

Yes, I am sorry (I sometimes forget...that just because I can type it...doesn't mean that you have entered into my train of thought )

But yes, I am amazed in a good way. The only thing I can compare it to...is their schools in CA....so with that in mind...

In CA my oldest child had entered 4th grade. The class consisted of 45 children and one teacher (no assistants). In addition my child was also in the excellerated program (similar to what we have here that's called GT...gifted and talented)....so now that one lone teacher had to teach 45 pupils with different levels of performance.

Now switch to 4th grade within the FMSD. There's apx. 20 to 23 children, one main teacher...but also included into the mix are various specialist (math specialist, reading specialist, etc.) that float between the classrooms and assist the children/or child if needed). In addition if your child is in the GT program they have teachers that specialize in just GT, and these certain students will leave their main class room when it is time for science and math and go to their GT teacher's classroom). Most times these GT classes will only have anywhere from 4 to 10 students in them. While if the student is not within the GT program they will stay with the rest of their class with their main teacher for their math and science studies. There just seems to be alot more hands on approach for the children...so they are not as apt to fall throught the cracks.

Add on to that...their computer (technology) classes, art, spanish, p.e., etc.

Hopefully I have explained it where it does not sound to confusing. But the first couple of times I volunteered in the classroom I could not believe how well this systems works...it is like a well greased machine that works without a hitch.

just for reference the GT program does change a bit in upper grades.

[salatheel]

Thanks for your help. Did your kids adjust well? My wife is worried about it being too stressful mid-year.

[anonymous]

http://www.hoover.org/publications/ednext/3219636.html

An interesting article that I read on another message board;
Basically, SC has very high standards on standardized testing, which makes our education stats look worse than they really are.

[lovethecarolinas]

Originally Posted by salatheel

Thanks for your help. Did your kids adjust well? My wife is worried about it being too stressful mid-year.

My children adjusted very well. Our mistake was keeping them out of school for 2 weeks so they could get use to the new area (hah!). When my husband and I first took a tour of the school the VP told us that they have so many new children coming in...that alot of them have all been a new student at one time or another...so it goes pretty well. I walked my children to their classrooms the first day where many of the children who get there early sit outside the classrooms and quietly read. As soon as we reached each of their new classrooms many of the children greeted my kids by name (several days before a new student arrives...the teacher tells the classroom a little about the new student..like their name and where they are moving from...so by the time the new student arrives they are all pretty excited and waiting for their arrival). My kids were ecstactic when I picked them up from their first day of school and were a little upset that they didn't start sooner!

So if you are moving into an area where there is alot of new growth I think your child/children will be just fine. All in all...the quilt we felt as parents for uprooting them....lasted far longer than anything my kids went through.

Good luck to you!

[icelady]

Originally Posted by lovethecarolinas

My children adjusted very well. Our mistake was keeping them out of school for 2 weeks so they could get use to the new area (hah!). When my husband and I first took a tour of the school the VP told us that they have so many new children coming in...that alot of them have all been a new student at one time or another...so it goes pretty well. I walked my children to their classrooms the first day where many of the children who get there early sit outside the classrooms and quietly read. As soon as we reached each of their new classrooms many of the children greeted my kids by name (several days before a new student arrives...the teacher tells the classroom a little about the new student..like their name and where they are moving from...so by the time the new student arrives they are all pretty excited and waiting for their arrival). My kids were ecstactic when I picked them up from their first day of school and were a little upset that they didn't start sooner!

So if you are moving into an area where there is alot of new growth I think your child/children will be just fine. All in all...the quilt we felt as parents for uprooting them....lasted far longer than anything my kids went through.

Good luck to you!

Hi its icelady,
Thank you for posting about schools in FM. Wondering if you know about their special ed class. My 11 year old has problems with attention span. It is mild and does not have a behavior problem. He was tested in fl. and gets pulled out of reg. class to go in a different class foe math and reading. This class is suppose to have less children to get indiv. help. The program is not great.

[carolinajack]

teach differently? How do you mean? We probably dont do liberal social engineering like they do in CT and the Northeast(ie promoting gay marriage), but I dont think we teach the subjects(what school is for) any differently than any other place in America.

You gather your childs records and transfer them to the new school is all and you enroll him/her in school.

I grew up a Navy brat so we moved in middle of school years alot, no probs.

[sixinthefamily]

Carolinajack.

I was really enjoying this thread and getting alot out of it as we are also moving mid year with four kids. I am not sure if you intended to gay bash and put down kids and parents from the north but you did. I would assume that as a parent she was probably referring to how classes are taught i.e. the teacher upfront giving lectures or walking around the room, possibly if they do worksheets as a group and grade each others or turn them into the teacher. I have twins as part of my four and I would like to know what the school does with them - are they in the same class or not, is it the parents choice etc.. I have a daughter who is just learning cursive and she is worried that she will go to the new school and others will be far ahead of her. Stuff like what grade do they teach multiplication and how well do they expect 1 st graders to read.

I can tell you in all my years in our PA school district I have never had myself or my kids taught anything but acceptance of everyone. You are free to believe in GOD or Not among other things. My kids have never been encouraged to be gay or marry gay they just know that some people are born gay and we should not judge them for how they or their parents live but give them our support and friendship, they learned this from me not from their school. Personal morals are the parents responsibility not any schools.