"Gifted" schools in North/central Jersey / NYC area?
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I have an interesting tidbit-- I know with certainty that Tenafly had to stop it's pull-out gifted program because too many parents were complaining that their kids weren't in it. (And by "complaining" I mean harassing the staff, requesting meetings, etc.) They now have "differentiated instruction" which is really just extra work for your bright child within the classroom.
It's pathetic. I remember reading an article that described a similar situation in one of the Rockland County towns a few years ago. Parents swearing their little Johnny or Jeanie was gifted and should be placed in the class. The TEACHER actually sees the children in relation to the others.
It's pathetic. I remember reading an article that described a similar situation in one of the Rockland County towns a few years ago. Parents swearing their little Johnny or Jeanie was gifted and should be placed in the class. The TEACHER actually sees the children in relation to the others.
I wonder why they stop then it comes to sports... any school has teams, the selection process, and parents view its results as binding... as it comes to G&T, it is elitism and should be shared or just die...
I wonder why they stop then it comes to sports... any school has teams, the selection process, and parents view its results as binding... as it comes to G&T, it is elitism and should be shared or just die...
If you're talking about the parents, believe me, they don't stop when it comes to sports....They are often much worse.
There is so much favoritism in sports, especially rec and club sports outside of the actual schools. So much bickering, parents become coaches just to get their kids a good spot on the team, cliques, politics, gossip, yelling at the refs or coaches or the other kids!, on and on.
As someone who once was a drat smart kid growing up in Bergen county, I would suggest combining one of the top publics (Tenafly, Cresskill, Ridgewood, Glen Rock, the other northeastern towns, etc.) with after-school classes (or alternatively just leave books/textbooks around the house; if your kid is curious and bored he/she will pick up the material from them independently). A lot of students will be bored pretty much everywhere until highschool, but, their friends of choice are going to be the other similar students if there are enough of them for a decent-sized clique, and they will have a better time socially at a school with more similar people.
I don't think dedicated gifted programs are a terribly good idea before highschool and college (but a very good idea at that point!) because it prevents people from learning how to interact with less intelligent people -- there is a gap at which "what would I do/think/feel" utterly fails, and the only way your kid is going to learn how to socialize facing that issue is to do so -- the presence of at least a few other kids who are, to be blunt, outright stupid early on thus provides useful development opportunities.
I have boy/girl twins. I am pretty sure my son is gifted. Reading the sites, he fits almost all the criteria, also I was put in gifted classes (asked my mom to take me out) and so was husband (didn't enjoy them). He is bored at school, though he is only in pre-K (K in the fall). How do I find out for sure if he would be considered gifted? Did you get them tested? My daughter is smart also, but he is meeting all of these characteristics starting as infant (like being a very hard to keep happy baby, needing new stimulation all the time, etc, i remember when he was 3 falling apart in tears because I had to take my microbiology text book with me to class and he wanted to keep it for himself and look at each bacteria and virus)
I have boy/girl twins. I am pretty sure my son is gifted. Reading the sites, he fits almost all the criteria, also I was put in gifted classes (asked my mom to take me out) and so was husband (didn't enjoy them). He is bored at school, though he is only in pre-K (K in the fall). How do I find out for sure if he would be considered gifted? Did you get them tested? My daughter is smart also, but he is meeting all of these characteristics starting as infant (like being a very hard to keep happy baby, needing new stimulation all the time, etc, i remember when he was 3 falling apart in tears because I had to take my microbiology text book with me to class and he wanted to keep it for himself and look at each bacteria and virus)
You have to get his IQ tested at a educational psychologist to find out. Otherwise, they won't test for it til second grade or so.
I have boy/girl twins. I am pretty sure my son is gifted. Reading the sites, he fits almost all the criteria, also I was put in gifted classes (asked my mom to take me out) and so was husband (didn't enjoy them). He is bored at school, though he is only in pre-K (K in the fall). How do I find out for sure if he would be considered gifted? Did you get them tested? My daughter is smart also, but he is meeting all of these characteristics starting as infant (like being a very hard to keep happy baby, needing new stimulation all the time, etc, i remember when he was 3 falling apart in tears because I had to take my microbiology text book with me to class and he wanted to keep it for himself and look at each bacteria and virus)
Public schools evaluate kids nominated for testing by teachers or parents in the spring before the school G&T program starts in the fall. Though the NJ Education Code requires to provide G&T services to K-12 grades, many programs start only in Grade 3/4, but you can find districts with G&T programs in Grade 1 or 2 (never heard of the district with the G&T program starting in K, but maybe there are some in NJ)
in earlier grades a child can be identified by the teacher through classroom observation - that's how my son was identified in Pre-K... it wouldn't go beyond identification, but you can negotiate some differentiation in classroom with a teacher... and he would be tested as everyone else nominated before the official program started
school evaluation's goal is to determine if your child is eligible for the school services for G&T kids based on their criteria.... you can get your child tested outside of school by the licensed psychologist (usually, he'd administer WISC-4) and get your answers regarding his giftedness, but in most cases schools don't accept the results of the outside testing for their G&T programs, they administer their own (it can be the same WISC)
I've also heard of peers' evaluation as a way to get nominated into school's G&T, but that's just all I know about it...
My son is currently in 3rd grade NJ public schools, and although we're in a fairly decent school district (Seacaucus), he's just not being challenged. So far, he's staying focused in class & getting good grades, and socially he has no problems, but the work is stuff he's known for years and he's bored to tears with it. They don't do any in-class differentiation. He's in a 1-hour-per week gifted pullout program that doesn't do much to resolve the lack of challenge.
We're looking at gifted school options but not seeing much choices... and we're willing to move within the NYC/north Jersey area. Does anyone have recommendations? Some of the pricier private schools would be a challenge, but we could probably make schools in the $6-15K price range work if it will provide a better learning environment for him.
Anyone know anything about SciCore Academy in Hightstown, or Long Island School for the Gifted (yes, I know that's not in NJ...)? Any other schools that do a really good job for highly gifted kids that may be academically one or two grade levels or more ahead of their age peers? Maturity-wise he's very much an average third-grader.
J
hello,
my daughter is 6 1/2...she has been attending the TALENTED AND GIFTED (TAG) SCHOOL FOR YOUNG SCHOLARS located in NYC for the past 2 yrs and i am BEYOND happy with her grades and development. she is in the first grade now and is being taught at a 3rd-5th grade level. she plays the violin, chess, and tennis all as part of the curriculum...i would recommend any parent to prep they're child for the entrance exam. i recently moved from the bronx, ny to lodi, nj and am also looking for a school in nj that might be somewhat equivilant to what she is getting now.
SciCore Academy is a For-Profit school in Hightstown. Do not enroll in it if you are a foreign student with ESL needs. While they will support an I-20 visa, they do not have an ESL (English as a second language) program, and do not test reading, understanding, speaking or listening skills on admission so they can place you in an appropriate language class. They do not have teachers trained in ESL. You'll be in a regular English class, reading articles way too hard, and memorizing vocabulary which is way too hard. This can be overwhelming for someone who finds out when they get to the US that their English isn't as strong as they thought it was.
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