Sugarland schools vs Vanguard program (Sugar Land: 2014, how much, transfer)

[Meyerland]

Originally Posted by swopoe

Yes. Here is an anecdote. Last spring, before the STAAR test, the gifted and talented dept in FBISD introduced this gifted and talented elementary showcase where GT elem kids could do a science or other project and then present to the community. It was held in May and well attended. However, at our exemplary school, no one did anything for it and no teacher ever mentioned it. My GT 3rd grader was busy with 18 math worksheets of homework at night (no joke) and we were were pulling our hair out simply trying to finish, have dinner, and get to bed. And my son and I love math. There was no time for any project of any kind, let alone time to do anything else. Of course, my son scored commended on both STAAR tests he took, but he would have rather done a project, and I think the project would have been more beneficial than a standardized test.

I think this is CRAZY! I am a teacher and I think this is horrible! I didn't know any teachers would do this anymore. Homework should not be this tedious and long. I now take back my complaint about the homework my child does. It is more project based, long term, and graded with a rubric. Yikes!

[Lbjen]

Every day I'm more glad I didn't put my kids in FBISD.

[dosto]

Originally Posted by swopoe

. My GT 3rd grader was busy with 18 math worksheets of homework at night (no joke)

Some teachers forget that it's about quality not quantity.
I personally (as a former teacher) think that in general public schools are a huge lottery. Winning is difficult, but possible. It all depends not only on the school, but a specific teacher as well. You can get into GT or Vanguard and get a bad teacher and you are screwed. It's a lot easier with private, I think.

[Meyerland]

You can get a bad teacher anywhere. If you get a bad teacher in a small private school, there is no other classes to transfer to. One of the worst teachers I have ever seen went to a good private secular school in Houston. The district I worked in told her that she would be fired if she didn't resign. (This is crazy hard to do.) They gave her a recommendation so she would resign. I feel so bad for her students....

[RoughRider]

Be careful and look hard before assuming Sugar Land / FBISD schools are worth it. There are some good ones but they are increasingly harder to find. The anecdote told about the Elementary GT program matches a lot of what I have seen.

[houstonsuburbs]

How reliable are the schooldigger rating system ?
Commonwealth Elementary Rank / Texas State Elementary Schools - TX School Rankings
Sugarland and Katy schools rank very high in there?

[Meyerland]

They are fairly accurate. They don't take into account separate programs like magnets. Sugar land and Katy are ranked highly, but it is still specific schools. No district has all excellent campuses. No school will be perfect for every child, but generally if they are rated highly and your child is average or above average they will do great.

[KatieKennedy]

HISD has now announced that it will introduce an online magnet application option for parents. Finally! Magnet applications for the 2014-2015 school year will be accepted from Nov.4 to Dec. 20 for guaranteed consideration in the first round of applicants.

[Mehmeh]

Hello, I'm in Sugar Land, not entirely happy with the quality of education my older one (in 2nd grade) is getting. Heard about HISD vanguard program and want to give it a shot with my second kid, who will start KG in 2015. We are even willing to move to HISD area. Is there a requirement that he need to be in a HISD school for applying into vanguard? Please help!

[Meyerland]

You can apply if you are out of district, but it's rare to actually get in a good vanguard program that way. He will have to qualify first by taking a test.