All-

I'm a new member, and am writing to the group for advice. We live in Montgomery County and are seriously considering moving across the river to Fairfax, mainly because FCPS seems to do a much better job with gifted education at the ES/MS level than Montgomery (grades 3-8, 23 centers + local, vs. grades 4-5 only and 7 schools with clusters, not centers.) Our situation is as follows:

--We have a gifted 6-year-old girl (tested last year on WPPSI-IV and Woodcock-Johnson) - born 10/20/09, ready to enter 2nd grade this fall but would be on the younger end of a 2nd grade class;

--Finishing 1st grade at a lovely, small, blue-ribbon Catholic school in Bethesda with a warm and supportive culture- she gets enrichment 2-3 hours a week but we feel that is not enough. She is reading at a 6th-grade level (and reads voraciously) and recently taught herself basic multiplication and division from books;

--admitted to MCPS to enter second grade (after a long fight and appeal last year for 1st, which we lost; cutoff in MoCo is 9/1, not 9/30);

--we are afraid she might get lost in Bethesda ES because of the large (and growing) class sizes, plus we met with the principal there who basically told us there would be no enrichment or special attention for gifted kids;

--We rent in Bethesda and need to move anyway, having outgrown our place; so we have full freedom to rent anywhere in Fairfax (geographically; price and availability permitting) and would do so based on the schools;

--We think one of the AAS Level IV ES centers is exactly what she needs. (Plus her younger sister, almost 4 now, is likely to be in the same boat in a few years.);

--The information on the various FCPS ES websites is very general and official, and the information on the Yelp reviews of individual schools often seems incomplete, biased or extreme-- hence, this forum is the one with the parents whose experience and judgement we would trust the most;

--The quality of the overall experience for a gifted child depends on a strong, stable pool of teachers used to working with gifted kids and the leadership and priorities of the principal- both of which can change over time (i.e., reputations lag).

Therefore, with all this in mind, our question is: which AAS Level IV ES center is the best in this way now, and for the next 5+ years- which school is "firing on all cylinders", as it were.- Or, in the negative, which does not have notable problems with leadership, staff, physical plant or overcrowding/bussing, conflict with or among parent groups, or other issues. (You can see I've been reading too many Yelp reviews of some of these schools.) Recognizing that "best" is a subjective term and perhaps impossible to answer- where have kids done the best or been happiest? Including social/clubs/atmosphere/spirit/PTA, and all the other aspects of school outside class that enhance life for kids at these schools. Again this changes over time so I suspect this group of highly committed parents of gifted kids will have your fingers on the pulse of this more than anyone else would.

I initially was focused on Haycock/Longfellow, because it has long had a great reputation. But also people seem to rave about Mosby Woods, Louise Archer, Churchill Road, or any number of others. all things being equal, we'd prefer to be closer in, but a few stops/miles further out in Vienna would be ok.
Are these the right questions? Am I overthinking this-? Are all AAS Level IV ES center schools equally good to the point of being interchangeable? Or do their personalities matter- if so, how? Also, am I overthinking the move across the river, and am I wrong in thinking a AAS Level IV ES center in FCPS would be so much better than Bethesda ES (where there is not even enrichment or clusters)? Does anyone here have any insights into comparing MCPS and FCPS in general? I think MCPS does at least as well at the HS level at its best schools, but I'm not sure these days.

We might not move this summer, as it's late in the season for it, but then the gifted curriculum does not start until 3rd grade. (Are there any differences at the AAS Level IV centers for 2nd grade?) So we might move next summer, or even mid year, if we decide to do it. Testing for gifted kids starts in 2nd grade, but the FCPS website says that kids who move into the district before 3rd grade can test separately from the system-wide tests, so they can be placed properly.

Thanks to any and all who have bothered to read so far. Any insights or advice would be greatly, greatly appreciated.

I don't know enough about the actual schools but as the mother of two highly gifted children I will tell you that these programs are essential to their development. My daughter was reading at the second grade level+ at age 3 or 4 and it never stopped. She tested out with IQ of almost 150.

Fairfax tried to talk me out of a direct transfer into the fifth grade gifted curriculum when we were moving to Fairfax that summer. She had been in a program for two years in another city. We had had problems in the general classroom with bullying, etc. I had to push and insist on information for the summer testing, which we did. I had also obtained a private testing. She transferred straight in and it was a great fit.

She went on to double major at UVA. She made some of the best friends of her life in this program, and they are still her best friends.

Many gifted kids don't show up on group tests and need an individual test to ascertain their level of ability and development.

These kids do not develop properly if not given the chance to grow and learn at a level appropriate for them. They do not feel safe, secure, and supported in a general classroom as they are so very different. Why even bother going to school when you already know all the material? They can't participate in class because it stifles the other kids when one kid has all the answers. The teachers are overwhelmed and all too happy to have a child they really don't have to teach anything.

You will have people tell you "let your child be a child" and "why are you pushing them?" and all kinds of other nonsense. They don't understand that many parents of gifted children have to encourage their children to slow down a little and let their body catch up with their mind, and to strike a balance between schoolwork and friends/activities. They will try to tell you that these programs are elitist and that you are a stuck up snob. Nobody would ever tell the parents of a Down's syndrome child that their child didn't deserve to be appropriately educated, but they will ridicule the parent of a gifted child to no end for their decision to seek a gifted program.

Good luck in your search. It is well worth it.

I think this depends in part on what school your child will be attending if the child is not in Level IV. There are schools especially in the northern and western parts of the county where your child can obtain a very good education in the regular school. Several of the elementary schools you mentioned fall into this catagory.

If you are one of those who have an excellent regular school you will need to decide whether your child is better off being the "big fish in a small pond" or whether your child really does need Level IV. Many assume that their kid is going to be better off just by being in Level IV, and then are surprised when the kids get beyond elementary school and find kids who attended the regular school are outperforming many of those who were in Level IV.

If your regular school is one of the more marginal ones, it becomes more important that you get your child into Level IV. Teachers and schools only have so many resources. If your child is in a class or school that is overloaded with difficult children, children with disabilities and/or children with limited English, there is a greater chance that your child's needs will be ignored. If you have one of these marginal regular schools and cannot get your kid into Level IV, push to have your kid included in the school based gifted program.

Can you be a little more specific about your housing budget? If you can afford, say, $2k per month and want to rent a TH or SFH, you're going to be a lot more limited than if you can afford more and/or would be okay with renting an apartment. Also, is there a work commute to consider? If so, I'm sure you know traffic is hideous througout Fairfax Co, so you definitely need to take this into account when choosing a place to live.

Go to Basis in McLean.