Comments on: Be patient, this is just the begining

By: RL Julia

RL Julia — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:26:04 +0000

Ultimately doing that is gaming the system. Its a personal decision.

By: Firewire Adapter

Firewire Adapter — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:45:27 +0000

Strikingly well written piece!!!

By: klm

klm — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 14:23:24 +0000

Lots of the kids that don’t get in SE high schools end up at private (usually Catholic) ones. I know that lots of middle class City kids (i.e.,from the “wrong” socioecomic neighborhoods) that don’t get into Payton or Northside end up at Loyola (in Wilmette) according to somebody I know that works there, or at other schools (St. Ben’s, etc.). I friend of mine whose daughter didn’t get into any “good” SE high school put her house on the market and is planning on moving to Oak Park (like lots of her fellow African-American middle class parents that want her kid to get a good education). She’s mad because her own daughter was penalised by living in the “wrong” (i.e. middle-class) kind of neighborhood, while some of her daughter’s classmates with significantly lower grades and scores got in. If any working-class parent thinks that it’s a good idea to live in the cheapest place in a “good” (i.e. relatively safe and thug-and-gangbanger-free) neighborhood for the benefit of their kids, well, they’re mistaken when it come to SE admissions. Maybe people should temporarily move into the ghetto for their kid’s 8th grade year in order to get into the “right” (according to SE admissions) neighborhood. You’d be risking your safety, but your kid’s chances of getting into a good high school will increase several-fold, in many cases. Just check out which CPS neighborhood schools are the worst and rent the cheapest apartment in one of those school’s boundaries and “move” there. It can seem frustrating sometimes that people who make the “right” decisions in life (e.g. finish school, go to college and get student loan debt , work hard and save for a decent home, have kids only when they are financially able, etc. ) sometimes have to pay for not making more of the “wrong” decisons –it seems kinda’ topsy turvy.

By: South side Dad

South side Dad — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 17:37:04 +0000

My daughter got a score of 122 which, after reading this blog, I am a bit surprised. She was an early speaker and has frequently received high praise from her teachers in her preschool and daycare for having a very advanced vocabulary and for asking very insightful questions. And I can’t say what the test they gave her was looking for. They asked her what a car was made and while I can appreciate using more concrete examples for children it seems like a rather arbitrary diagnostic approach. Overall, I am not entirely thrilled with the CPS process.

By: sarah

sarah — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 00:15:54 +0000

My little guy got a 132-he was not accepted to Coonley or Edison. It didn’t occur to me to apply to other schools, because they don’t bus to wherre we live. It looks like we don’t even have a second round chance this year because people with scores as high as 144 and upper 130′s didn’t get in either.
I’m sad because both my son’s pre-k teacher and sunday school teacher are convinced that he is a gifted thinker.
I’m not sure if he is really a great test taker, however. I hope he won’t be bored in a so-so neighborhood school……….

Thnaks for hte blog. CPS is so tightlipped about info.

By: Mari B

Mari B — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 01:11:48 +0000

If only I would have discovered this blog before… and I (for the life of me) can’t imagine why I didn’t. All the nights I spent awake googling, ANY and EVERYTHING about CPS and it’s Gifted Program… I could have been here and had a comrade and some relief that I wasn’t the only person obsessing over his Kindergarten career.

My son who is now 5 and attending a pre-school (CPS) on the South Side will be attending a Regional Gifted Center not too far away.

We received our letter from teh Office of Academic Enhancement this Saturday (the 21st). It is dated 3/19/2009 and was delivered FAST! My husband ran upstairs with the letter in hand, as if it was a winning Mega Millions ticket, saying “he got in!” I knew the day was coming, for weeks, when we’d be receiving this letter but I was surprised as to how quickly it actually did arrive.

A week before, we received a letter from another school (lottery based) letting us know he wasn’t selected and we were kind of bummed but then focused on “the 20th”.

… I hold the memory of his testing day fresh in my mind. It was over Winter Break (’08) and he had been sick for days. His test was on a Thursday in the late afternoon and it was so cold and gloomy out. This was not an ideal testing date (as far as I was concerned), because I was so worried he would be stubborn and not respond.

He was brought back into the waiting room about 25 minutes later and I was surprised. Of course, I figured the test was a farce and held my questioning until as long as I could. As soon as we stepped outside I asked him, “soooo… was she nice to you?” “yes, she was” he answered.

… ohhhh-kaaaay…

“did they show you pictures and ask you questions?”
“mm”
“did you know what they were talking about?”
“mm”
— OH MY GOODNESS! what’s this silence all about?!?!?!?!?! —-
“ok, so… were there any questions you didn’t know answers for?”
“yes. she wanted to know what’s the game that has a ball, a board and a rope? I didn’t know that one. I still don’t know that one Mommy.”

After that I haven’t heard anything else about the “test”.

But whatever it was that happened in there and I BEG TO KNOW… He earned a score of 139, and was accepted to our #1 choice where we will attend an informal Open House for those parents who weren’t able to attend last year’s. At that point we will arrange a date of Registration.

The Vice Principal called me earlier and was very nice… so far so good! I look forward to this journey with him.

Now… back to focusing on my twin 3 year old’s pre-k career.

THANK YOU FOR CREATING AND MAINTAINING THIS BLOG!!!!

By: cpsobsessed

cpsobsessed — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 22:09:36 +0000

Thanks, that is very helpful!
I believe the Cogat is the test that the NYC school system uses.
I am doubtful that you can get the detailed info for your child, but it can’t hurt to ask! I’d be all over that, of course.

By: H's Mom

H's Mom — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 21:30:41 +0000

For what it’s worth…more unsubstantiated info!

My son’s current (K) and new school (1st grade), Beaubien, called us on Monday to invite us to an Options progam meeting on THIS Friday at the school. Take a tour, meet the teachers, etc. Basically, I think this is an opportunity for us to decide if we are definitely taking the spot, so they can move down the list. Unless they have students chained in the basement, we are happily taking the spot. Even then, we STILL might take the spot.

She would NOT tell us what kind of test the kids took but did say that the three-digit score is a composite score of three numbers teased out of the test results: verbal, non-verbal and math. Don’t know if this helps anyone figure out which test was given, but from what I have found online and what my kid told me, makes me think it WAS the Cogat. The following link to some random Georgia school’s Powerpoint presentation on Cogat (see p 25) might help:

http://hayeselementaryptsa.com/Parent%20Workshop%20Hayes.ppt#256,1,Interpreting Your Child’s CRCT, ITBS, & CogAT Scores: It’s About Improving Achievement!

When we expressed concern that he got a 126 NOT a 130+ “significantly above average” score…would he really be successful in an accelerated environment, etc.?? She said not to worry, the test measures aptitude. And they only took kids in the second standard deviation (top 5%) and that the three-digit number could mean that he actually got much higher in one of the three categories and that could trigger an invite to the school, no matter the composite score.

I dunno. All bells and whistles to me, despite me being in gifted classes all through elementary and high schools, ha, ha. Makes you wonder why we go though all this!

Question…Our letter told us that we could call and ask info on the test on March 28. Does anyone know that if in that call can we get more detailed info on our kid’s specific scores, etc.???

FYI, we applied to three schools for him: Bell, Beaubien and Edison. Only got into Beaubien.

Hope this helps anyone else puzzling through this!

Thanks to all who have shared their info.

By: cpsobsessed

cpsobsessed — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 18:41:50 +0000

Thanks for reading! I am all about information-sharing to help people make decisions…

By: SW Mom

SW Mom — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 18:39:43 +0000

PART V: Lastly, I asked her if my son ends up going to our neighborhood school next year, as currently planned for K, what, if anything my husband and I should do to help him being that he might be “gifted.” She did encourage me to inform his teacher that he tested well for GEAP and to please challenge him and let us know which areas he seems to excel in. She said some schools will make accomodations for students who really excel in certain areas.

Sorry so long…I hope this information is helpful to other parents out there who were as confused as I was when I got my son’s score on Saturday and found out he wasn’t selected for the school we applied for. Take care. :Thanks again CPDOBSESSED for your blog/creating a place we other CPS parents can communicate and share info.