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Hi All,
We live in the Boston area and are considering a relocation this summer to RTP area (we are running out of time! :-). One of my sons is intellectually gifted so we are looking forward to the statewide support for this (sadly, there is NONE in MA public schools and he has been bored stiff in public school here). I was wondering if you can help me out with some questions I have.
Is single subject acceleration (for instance in math) standard in all NC schools? Is SSA in addition to a gifted program/break-out? Do you need to apply for both, or usually wait until you've been in the public school for awhile (we have IQ test results and recommendation of advanced grade curriculum)?
I had been considering private schools in the area, but the local Catholic schools (which are affordable to us, I have more than 1 child) do not seem to have the same rigorous "reach" type of program that they offer up north (where kids can take several grades ahead in math, etc), so I am wondering if our best bet is public school given that it offers these programs. It seems like a great public school system.
Thanks in advance for input and any thoughts! Trying to determine where they should go to school from afar and given all of the options in the area is very challenging! :-)
For SSA the kids actually go to the classroom one grade up - at least in elementary school. It may mean missing recess or a special - i.e., if you have a 3rd grader and they have recess at 11:00 and the 4th graders have math at 11:00 a.m., that's that. This is different from the AIG program where the kids may or may not go to the grade level classroom that they are working in. I think that is school dependent. Sometimes they just get pulled out in a breakout group for more intense study. A lot of this is school specific. SSA requires application within a window of time and taking a test. I'm not sure how they deal with transfers. The AIG thing has a little more wiggle room, I believe - my DD didn't test into it in second grade but her standardized test scores and her classroom work have gotten her into it (zero input from me by the way....they just did it).
I tend to agree with you on the Catholic schools although that was true when we lived in NY too - they simply don't have the special ed resources, regardless of which end of the special ed spectrum you are talking about.
You are definitely running short on time....not that it matters, kids can start anytime...but school starts here in 7 weeks.
Location: Chapel Hill, NC, formerly NoVA and Phila
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KitKat211
Hi All,
Is single subject acceleration (for instance in math) standard in all NC schools? Is SSA in addition to a gifted program/break-out? Do you need to apply for both, or usually wait until you've been in the public school for awhile (we have IQ test results and recommendation of advanced grade curriculum)?
No, SSA is not standard in all NC schools. Chapel Hill-Carrboro schools do not have SSA at the elementary level. There is some gifted pull-out, but it really isn't much - maybe once per week or so. The only other option is to test into the "very highly gifted" LEAP program (4th-8th grade), but they most likely won't use test scores that you bring with you unless they are the exact same tests that CH-C uses, and they most likely aren't. Recommendations mean absolutely nothing in CH-C.
And it really is the top of the top as far as gifted kids go that get into LEAP. My son who just finished 4th grade is considered "highly gifted" in both language arts and math according to the test results CH-C gave us (their words, not mine), but the language arts scores still weren't quite high enough to go into LEAP. In general, in a grade of about 100 kids, maybe 2-3 will get into LEAP. This year, 1 kid got in from my son's grade of ~100.
In middle school in CH-C, there is acceleration for math (1 year ahead, algebra 1 in 8th grade). There might be possible acceleration for language arts, but I'm not 100% on that. Foreign language can start in 7th grade in CH-C (Spanish 1, French 1) if you wihs, which is generally a year earlier than many school districts.
I can't help you for elementary. My son who was in the gifted and talented in Texas (AIM) was a freshman when we moved to NC. He has just doubled up on the subjects that he specifically wants to be ahead in. Has worked out quite well for him.
Just FYI this is really driven by the county, not state. And we have several counties in the Triangle.
There is only SSA in our elementary school (Wake county) and testing for that was done in spring. You need to test the whole grade ahead to get in, as explained above. We tried with our kid but gave up as it just didn't seem realistic or practical. We just do more work with him outside of school.
My kids are at St. Raphael Catholic School (we LOVE it!) and they have accelerated math for 6,7,8th grades only. It is assigned by invitation by their teacher, Iowa testing and EOG test scores. However, the school will supplement in 4-5th grade if the child looks to need more of a challenge (this was the case for my son). My daughter was in advanced math for 6th grade and in 7th grade they have 3 tiers (7.0, 7.1. and 7.2). They also coordinate heavily with Cardinal Gibbons HS so that the kids that choose to go there are better prepared. This is not the case as I have learned with some of the other Catholic grade schools. Good luck with your move and welcome to NC. Feel free to reach out with any other questions too.
My kids are in Wake County Public Schools. The SSA program is in addition to the AIG program. SSA is open to anybody who can pass the test; kids do not have to be AIG identified. The testing window for SSA is in the spring, though, so you are too late for the upcoming school year. I don't know how they handle AIG for transfer students, but all WCPSS students are given the CogAt as the initial screening for AIG in the fall of 3rd grade, so is likely they'd just have your younger child test along with all the other kids.
In elementary school, the AIG tag meant twice per week pull-outs for each identified subject (math and/or ELA). My oldest child skipped 4th grade math through the SSA program; she still participated in math AIG pull outs. In 4th grade, she just went down the hall to a 5th grade Claxton for math. In 5th grade, she took "Math 6 Plus" through WCPSS's online class, as there weren't enough kids for a separate in-person teacher (this will vary by school). She sat in the back of a room with headphones and a computer and did her thing. The course had been around for a few years now and is presented well, IMO.
There have been a lot more opportunities for advancement in middle school.
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