Yay for Amy!

We got the news last week that Amy was accepted into the gifted program, which begins in fourth grade. How fantastic for her!

In Loudoun the program - called Futura - is only one day per week, unlike in nearby Fairfax, where the entire week's class is gifted. We don't know a lot about the program yet, but we do know it means that one day per week she'll ride a bus to another school and participate in specialized classes designed to encourage thinking in new ways. She'll be responsible for whatever class work she misses in her "home" class.

This is a terrific opportunity and really opens a door for her which will remain open throughout her next few school years. Since she'll be in Futura for fourth and fifth grade, that will automatically allow her to continue in the Spectrum program in sixth through eighth grades.

We are so proud of this achievement! Especially so since we've been told that her third grade teacher historically hasn't supported kids going into Futura - so we don't know if Amy got in the program based on her testing scores and her "portfolio" of work with the gifted teacher, or whether her teacher actually recommended her. However she got there, it's fantastic.

Two years ago Reed was initially identified as a candidate for the gifted program, but didn't get in. I think that's largely due to the score he got on one of the tests they use, the Naglieri. He scored in the 79th percentile, which just really is not at all reflective of his abilities (just for reference, Amy scored in the 98th percentile). I don't know what happened the day he took that test - did he zone out, rush through, skip a question toward the end and get a bunch of questions wrong because of it? Who knows. When we had our first meeting with his fourth grade teacher Ms. Coughlin, one of the first things she asked us was why Reed wasn't in Futura. His other fourth grade teacher Ms. Sgroi always mentioned that he asks interesting questions and has an interesting perspective on things. His fifth grade teacher Mrs. Bedrowsky says the same things. Clearly he's a really smart kid, it's a shame he didn't get into Futura too. We were a little concerned that he'd be upset that Amy got in, but he took it in stride...first comment was "I guess they lowered their standards from two years ago." What a typical big brother thing to say!

The school year is winding down and the kids are ready for summer. I think I am too. It's nice to have a break from Thursday folders and school fund raisers and taking time every evening for homework.