If you had a very gifted child and wanted the best school system

[bookworm2768]

Originally Posted by maconahey

According to Newsweek, Dallas has 3 of the top 15 high schools in the nation. America's Top Public High Schools | Newsweek Best High Schools | Newsweek.com

That is wonderful! But most schools are not necessarily set up to help with profoundly gifted children who often have very different emotional and academic needs.

[sonshinelife]

Originally Posted by bookworm2768

That is wonderful! But most schools are not necessarily set up to help with profoundly gifted children who often have very different emotional and academic needs.

totally agree with you bookworm2768...
I think we have to look at the whole picture and what the schools can offer these children.

[MaryS80]

I would also recommend private school. There are many good public schools, but so much valuable time is wasted teaching test taking skills, and taking practice TAKS tests. The endless drills can be mind numbingly dull for a gifted child.

[pepper131]

I was surprised that the TAG High School in DISD does not require a non-verbal test such as the Naglieri for admission.
Houston's TAG high school, Carnegie does require testing...as do the rest of their TAG programs (called Vanguard) starting with elementary.

[loves2read]

in Sarasota Co in FL--my daughter teaches at the magnet school (2-12) for the G/T students in the county--in the short time she has found that many of the children (she has 3rd and next year 4th grade) are not truly giften students---
the Sarasota policy allows for private testing to determine IQ and many parents are just shopping for a psychologist who will "test" their child until the magic number is reached--
the kids come into class and really don't have the capability to learn the material (much less master it)

and it is my understanding that a non-verbal test is often the saving for a student who is giften and lacks verbal skills--like students with ESL difficult--but some of the disadvantage of the Naglieri is that it does not reflect IQ as well in students over 12 or so---maybe that is why DISD does not include it for hs testing

[houstoner]

Originally Posted by pepper131

In HISD, they have many T-G programs starting at elementary school. They call it Vanguard. The best one being TH Rogers.

In addition to T.H. Rogers, the best all-Vanguard magnets in HISD are River Oaks, Oak Forest, Travis, and perhaps Herod. HISD's Vanguard program has two models - the neighborhood Vanguard (SWAS, or school within a school) and the all-Vanguard magnet (SWP, or schoolwide program). In the neighborhood Vanguards the children are team-taught by two or more teachers. They are in separate classrooms from the general student population all day; it is not a pull-out program. My child attends an excellent neighborhood Vanguard program and we know families at a couple of different all-Vanguard magnet schools. The models only differ based on the further focus of that magnet. For example, River Oaks is also an IB PYP school. For more information, see HISD | Gifted and Talented Home. Of course, this is only HISD. You would have more options in the suburban school districts. If your child is profoundly gifted, you may want to look into private options, such as Rainard.org. (See There's Gifted, and Then There's Profoundly Gifted - washingtonpost.com)