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Looks like we’ve been here before with similar threads, so I thought I’d start one for this year! After our testing experience, I’m officially in need of therapy (anyone else??) especially with the long wait until Spring 2025!
How are all of you holding up?
How long were your kids in there? My child tested for an hour but everyone in my group seemed to be in for over 30 minutes! Are they secretly handing out coloring pages to troll us anxious parents pacing outside? I’d love to hear how long it took for your little ones.
Let’s also keep it fair by avoiding specific details our kids may have shared, so we don’t spoil it for others still going through testing.
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It took us about an hour
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My child was in for 80 minutes. The other children that went in around the same time were also in for at least an hour. The coordinator announced that testing could be anywhere from 20-90 min.
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By the way, did you apply for classical schools/rgc only? Regardless, they will give both tests to kids anyway.
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Hi,
I don’t think that’s true. Only children who have gifted schools on their list take that test. I could be wrong.
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“Only children who have gifted schools on their list take that test.” – this is true if you’re applying to 1st grade or above, but if you’re applying to K they give both tests — no matter what schools are on your application — in just one session.
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I had no idea. It’s our second time taking this test. Seems like a waste of resources if you aren’t applying to a gifted school. I wish they would release results early so we can review our school ranking.
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I think such a high percentage of kindergarten applicants apply to both types of programs that it’s more efficient if they administer both tests to everyone. Test sessions are limited enough as it is, and it makes sense to limit the youngest testers to as few sessions as possible.
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@FriendlyMckinley – Thanks for sharing! There wasn’t any announcement for us but it does seem like time spent in testing is no longer an indicator of how things went, as everyone seems to be held in there longer.
@254ever – When ranking the schools, we chose a mix of RGCs and Classical options to increase our chances since I’m unsure if my child will test better for Classical or RGC.
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@Maryan
I hear you. What I meant was regardless of ranking classical schools or regional gifted centers, children will be given both tests.
If you’re applying for choice schools, there will be no tests at all.
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How did you all rank your schools and why? Did anyone attend open houses? What did you think about the schools that you attended the open house for?
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I ranked the schools based on my own research and what I saw at the open houses. It says in the training workshop that we should all rank based on our preferences and how the schools fit our kids.
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Sorry.. reframing the question. What schools did everyone like best based on school tours?
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Skinner North is exceptionally phenomenal to us for their administrators are really caring for the families as well as students’ well being. They have regular social emotional learning sessions to upkeep students’ social emotional needs.
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Unfortunately SN was really great before, but not with the current administration that changed a few years ago. We keep hearing from current K-1 students that the school is doing the absolute minimum and many students have to have extra curriculars outside the school as the school does not offer much, it is all about parents doing the work, helping kids, etc. The budget has also been cut and there is not much in terms of extra support for those who need it. If you look at Keller, Lenart and Bronzeville, those schools still get much more funding and there are many more curriculum related classes and extras that the schools offer.
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Like I commented that “we should all rank schools based on our preferences and how the schools fit our kids”. There are many factors contributing to our ranking, such as bell time, commute, class population etc.
@Ager
What/how do you rank yours?
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We chose as follows based on the funds provided per child by school/city and the ways how programs are structured to help kids and also develop them beyond just academically; also number of kids per teacher was our factor, and also popularity (we do not want to compete for schools in the city because many will rank them high just because of location, not the quality of the program):
1. Keller
2. Lenart
3. Bronzeville
4. Bell
5. SN
6. SW-
Are you applying to 1st?
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Here’s our ranking:
1.SN
2.Edison
3.Lenart
4.Bronzeville
5.Bell
6.SW -
Keep in mind that a school like Bell raises A LOT of money though fundraising. The district is funding the appropriate amount of teachers, admin, and specials teachers. Principal is happy with what district is giving them. However they are funding additional bells at whistles and would close any necessary funding gaps with lottery seats and fundraising. You are not going to see this looking at district numbers.
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Yes, a lot the numbers are not shown in the district because of the fundraising activities. I believe SN also has huge fundings from various fundraising events.
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Oldest is at Edison (and we’ve been very happy there!), so that’s our #1. Still workshopping the rest of our rankings, but sharing some general impressions if it’s helpful:
I liked Bell a lot when we toured (virtually, because covid) a few years back, but they have a new principal now, so I don’t really have a feel for if/how that’s impacted their program. Without busing (and their new 8:05 start time) it’s probably not an option for us. I was underwhelmed by SN’s virtual open house when we applied for our oldest, and I feel like feedback about the school is all over the place. I’ve heard it’s amazing, I’ve heard it’s on the decline, I’ve heard there’s bullying, I’ve heard it has the best SEHS representation of any SEES…I don’t really know what to believe, but my sense is that it’s a solid program that, for whatever reason, doesn’t really excite me. I liked Decatur a lot (I think a big part of it is that I think learning Latin would be super cool.. are they still offering it? Heard a rumor it was being cut), but it no longer works for us logistically.
I toured Morton this year and liked it quite a bit. Their Gifted Coordinator previously taught at SN, and their principal is great too. Lots of new furniture and nice spaces, one of their specials is “genius hour,” and their playground is beautiful. Going to check out Pritzker and McPherson later this week. I have some experience with Pritzker admin from PreK and haven’t been impressed, but willing to look past it if the program otherwise seems solid. I like that McPherson is wall-to-wall IB. Probably won’t tour SW but might rank it near the bottom…haven’t heard great things about the principal and get the vibe that both the neighborhood and Classical parent communities can get pushy when unhappy (and if they feel like they have to be pushy to get their children’s needs met, that’s not a good sign, either).
Unless I’m forgetting something, the rest of the programs don’t work for us due to location.
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Decatur classical appears to no longer offer Latin but spanish instead. Click on Classroom pages, Latin is no longer mentioned.
https://www.decaturclassical.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=2754174&type=u&pREC_ID=2611572
And in the FAQ, they mention Spanish:
https://www.decaturclassical.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=1421115&type=d&pREC_ID=1589555
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We prioritized schools based on proximity to keep our commute manageable, and both Bell and SN meet that need and offer great programs. We also chose not to complete all six as we may stick with our current private school if these options don’t pan out. The open houses were great for getting a real sense of each school’s environment and approach. I was generally impressed with the principals and administration at Hawthorne, Bell, and Edison. SN’s open house felt a bit rushed and touch-and-go. It didn’t offer much insight into the school compared to say, Edison, where I was pleasantly surprised by the well-organized administration and the depth of insights shared. I also appreciate the gated community feel they’re fostering within the school. That said, Edison’s early 7:45 a.m. start and the longer commute could be challenging for us so it wasn’t our #1. Also this is purely my subjective observation, but it did appear that the older students there were under a lot of pressure.
We also toured McPherson, but I don’t think that the IB program would be the right fit for my child, especially since I went through it myself for a few years in middle school. It just felt okay.
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Newly released from SN
Math – Kinder and second have 100% meet or
above grade level (math). First grade 98% at or above grade level.Don’t have enough information for reading
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Edison is recently ranked #1 in Illinois; looks like Keller, Bell, Hawthorne, and SW are no where to be found.
Even SN for some reason is ranked significantly lower at #11 by usnews.
Not trying to say anything bad about the schools, but something doesn’t add up and the rankings seem lacking enough evident details to support the rank#
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I agree on the US News rankings not adding up. I personally think the rankings on schooldigger.com are a better representation of schools’ true test scores. The methodology behind the rankings on schooldigger seem to be on a more granular level than US News, since it looks like individual grades’ scores are taken into consideration. Also on that site, 5 of the top 10 elementary schools in Illinois are in Chicago (Keller, Edison, Skinner North, Hawthorne, and Decatur).
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I second this. Didn’t U.S. News face several controversies over their law school rankings a few years back? I recall several Ivies withdrawing due to their flawed methodology.
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My son completed the test today. He was in there for a little over an hour. The admins stated that both test are given at once not in any particular order. Another parent that child was in there for about 30 minutes I spoke with, and she stated that her child was only taking one test. My son was not able to share much of what was on the test, but he did say that there was reading writing and math. At least 4 children while i was there was given options to reschedule because child was asking for parent or under distress. The admin would Call the parent out in the hallway and let them know that their child was either not focused or under distress and they were given options to reschedule. I’m ready for Spring 2025!
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@GiftedParent25 – Is your child testing for Kindergarten? I’m surprised another parent had the option to only take one test, as I thought Kindergarten testing covered both classical and RGC. I also didn’t expect writing to be evaluated at this age.
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It may sound weird but it also happened to the year where mine took the tests that some other kids were claiming to take one of the tests only.
Those kids usually took 10-20min on average to finish the test; while mine took an hour (mine took both classical and rgc tests).
Even it’s mentioned that, at kindergarten level, both tests would be given on the same date when kids were applying for either SEES, I did witness many families who were only given one test (at least from what they said on the site when we talked)
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Yes, Kindergarten. I was a bit confused by her stating that as well. I believe if you only selected one type of school one test is given if you select both it’s just administered at the same time. Im unsure.
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They give both tests for kindergarten no matter what. My guess is that either this parent was confused (in a reasonably way, because it makes sense to assume that 1 test session = 1 test) or that their child tested on an earlier date, only completed one test, and was rescheduled to complete the second test on the day that you encountered them.
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Mine was there on 1/6 too. I was pleasantly surprised to see the staff being accommodating for the kids who were having a hard time.
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I was told by another parent that although they were offering them to call to reschedule that they were just letting them down gentle. If the kid was unable to test at the time selected due to not focusing on wanting their parents that they do not get the option to test again. Im not sure how true that is.
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Hi parents,
My son took the Kindergarten test yesterday. It was pretty chaotic there – seemed every kid had to wait at least an hr. I didn’t note the time he was in there, and now that I’ve done my research I see that it might be very relevant to his score. I’d guess he was in there about 45 min.
Anyway, I can’t seem to find the answers to these questions anywhere:
1. At what level should he be reading to score well?
2. What kind of math should he be capable of doing to be considered “gifted”?
3. And are most moms prepping their kids for these exams?My child is bright but I’m questioning if we should even have had him tested bc I’m getting the sense he’s nowhere near eligible. I’ve heard some pre-K kids are reading chapter books? Mine is only able to read 3-4 letter words. He can only do simple math like 2+2 using his fingers. And we did zero prep.
Some signs from him that led me to believe he was precocious were that he knew all his colors and letters before he could even speak, around age 15 months. We figured it out bc he was able to point to the correct ones. Once speaking, he had an extensive vocabulary almost immediately. One of his first words was “otherwise”. 😂 He was able to memorize and recite long Dr. Suess books easily. For example, he could recite every word of “The Lorax” with very minimal prompting at age 3 and then “read” it to his class on his 4th birthday. I think it’s around 1000 words?
Anyway, my question is – can anyone tell me if I’m just a stereotypical mom who believes her child to be a genius? Or, based on this info – if my lil guy actually has a shot at one of these schools? And if the latter, have I let him down by not prepping him for the test at all? I’m feeling such a strange mix of guilt, anxiety, and shame!
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Ok – I just checked. “The Lorax” is 1800 words. Not sure if that’s helpful but just thought I’d throw it out there! 😂
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My both kids got into one of those top schools by getting tested when they were at pre-K. I can tell you that your kid is right on track!
The tests are all verbally conducted, so if your kid can interact at a high functioning level, he probably is able to demonstrate good understanding of the questions presented by the tester.
As for reading and math levels, they made kids to read books from lower levels to higher levels until your kid cannot keep up with it; that applies to math that they started with simple counting to double digits math.
Hope it helps alleviate your anxiety. I know how stressful it can be as I personally have gone through it.
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My 5 yo (October bday) tested two years ago and was doing books like pug diaries, owl diaries etc. she ended up scoring 99.8 in reading which now in hindsight is very high. I don’t think that’s normal. The classical schools all teach one grade ahead. So if they’re reading at all I think that’s good. All the kindergarteners come in reading (my daughter is now in 1st grade in a classical SES). The reading levels all differ though! The classroom does differentiate readers by level so that they’re all being challenged appropriately.
My son tested this cycle and I am stressed too. He is nowhere near where my daughter was but I know now that she was exceptional and not all the kids she started with were near that level! Don’t stress. It’s over now and we all get to suffer together while we wait for answers 😂 solidarity
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Sorry this is confusing. My THEN 5 yo. She’s 7 now. Tested 2 years ago
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Are you saying the longer the test took the better the child did or the opposite?
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