Submitted by Louise Epstein, Nov 6, 2006 19:51

Hilary Kitasel's comment described the GT Centers in Fairfax County, Virginia 15+ years ago. But parents of gifted children would be better off looking at the NYC Hunter College Elementary School or the University of Chicago Lab School today, if their goal is to find a public school program that really challenges highly gifted students. Today, Fairfax County is creating so-called GTC classes in more and more elementary and middle schools. Today, the average GTC student has CogAT test scores of about 120. The selection process has changed to identify children with "promise" who aren't necessarily achieving above grade level. And, school district's staff are intent on making further changes to include even more children with less-than-stellar scores in these GT classes. Within 5 years, the average test score of elementary school students in the so-called GT Center classes may be closer to 110 or 115. These changes are prompted by equity concerns. And as in the Bronx, Fairfax County staff try to locate GT Centers in schools with relatively low test scores, rather than in schools where most gifted kids live.

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