[radraja]

I haven't read all the pages, but I'd personally choose Summerlin.

Henderson does have better public schools, but the privates on the the west side, such as Faith, Gorman, LVDS, and Dawson, are equally good, if not better. One thing that gives private schools a huge competitive edge: funding.

I can't speak for all private schools, but Faith, for example, puts up new buildings and facilities every year, has classroom sets of laptops for the students to use, and can sponser major out-of-state field trips (even at the middle school level). That's a major bonus.

The one school I would avoid though, is Meadows. It has a good academic reputation, but it's also known as one of the biggest drug schools in the valley.

[Lola Granola]

Originally Posted by ou812girl

Lola-- I'm confused about the IQ testing. Federal law recognizes the discrepancy method of identification and response to intervention (which is very new). In order to accurately use the discrepancy method, you must have an achievement test (such as the Woodcock Johnson) and compare it to an ability test (the IQ test). Schools are only looking for a number for IQ and they analyze the achievement tests to see where the skills are breaking down. I don't think I've ever seen a breakdown on the IQ, but I've never worked with very enthusiastic school psychs lol.

There are detailed breakdowns on all the tests mentioned. The reason the detailed subscores are critically important is that an IQ test showing a composite score of 130, say, which would be bright but not gifted, may be composed of a math subscore of 160 and a verbal subscore of 90. This is a pattern not uncommon with children diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome (an autism spectrum disorder), or with dislexia or other learning disabilities. Going just on the composite score, this child would be denied entrance into gifted programs, and would miss remediation on any learning disabilities. Not to mention being criticized for being "smart but lazy". With most children, the subscores cluster close to the composite, which is why the subscores are often ignored. With children who have special issues (giftedness, autism spectrum, any learning disability), the subscores provide a lot of necessary information.

[Lola Granola]

Originally Posted by jfkIII

Wow...this thread has really gone off-topic! I apologize to OP for taking it this way back on page 3. But now that we're here, and I've got "the people in the know"...I've also been reading a thread on autism in the parenting section. I am curious as to why people keep using the "gifted" tag...is it to negate the autism tag?

I see nothing about a "gift" in this. I know that these kids to be super smart and maybe talented (so was Van Gogh)....but doesn't the autism part so outweigh the gifted part? It seems people on that other thread throw the word 'gifted' around like it's a good thing? In a perfect world, if they had their choice, would they want an ungifted kid without autism, rather than the other way around?

I agree with the other comments already posted about this, but I'd like to add a few comments of my own.

Autism is not a single syndrome anymore. Doctors refer to the "autism spectrum", with many children who are diagnosed now being very "high functioning" with the only symptoms being a lack of social skills. There is some controversy that goes along with this... I've heard Asperger's Syndrome criticized as "smart boy's syndrome", since the "symptoms" of Asperger's are similar to what we typically attribute to extremely intelligent males. But autism does not equate to giftedness, and the majority of autistic children are not gifted.

While autism-spectrum disorders are distinct and separate from giftedness, when you have something "atypical" in one section of the brain, often there are "atypical" things going on in other parts of the brain. Thus, we have children referred to as "twice-exceptional"; gifted with a social or learning disorder. Many parents don't dig for answers and accept one label or the other as being indicative of the whole child; others see things that don't fit and continue to search for answers and ways to better raise their unique child.

I would be doing my child a disservice if I focussed on him as being only one or the other. Because he IS Asperger's, and has social skills issues, I have to teach him things my other children simply know. But he is also highly intelligent, and I would not be doing my job as a parent if I ignored this part of him and kept him at grade level.

[ParkTwain]

Originally Posted by radraja

The one school I would avoid though, is Meadows. It has a good academic reputation, but it's also known as one of the biggest drug schools in the valley.

Oh! That's the school that the mayor's wife founded!

The Meadows School Online - About Us
The Meadows School Online - History of The Meadows