Should I take my kid out of public school?

[Calliope]

Hello everyone,
My son in a 2nd grade in a decent Far Northwest Side School (great school rating 7 & 8 in last two years), and while I thought that the school was decent enough for my kids, I am starting to think that it might not be a good fit for him. It looks like he is not being challenged enough. Lately we have been having problems with teacher complaining that he is not paying attention at all, is not concentrated at work and distracts other kids. She is almost expecting me to punish him in some way, but I don't think it would be right. He has all A's, he is always eager to learn new things with me at home, and the homework is a total bore. For example, every week he has spelling words that he needs to write in 3 different ways and hand the papers in on Friday. I can see that he is so bored with doing that, and I almost feel like I should not push him to do it, since he already knows the meaning, spelling and everything about these words. No wonder he is bored with doing it. Almost all homework is like that. He should be spending 20-40 minutes a night doing things that he already mastered, and if he does not do it, we are in trouble. I am at the point where I am thinking of telling him to stop doing the homework and give him our own homework to do every night. I also think that his discipline problem is a consequence of the fact that he is not being challenged. He is well behaved kid, he is not rude to teacher or other kids, he does what he is expected to do, the problem is just that he cannot stay concentrated for 7 hours. Also, the new problem I see that he started being proud of himself being the smartest kid, and knowing everything without even having to do the work like other kids. I don't like that new attitude.
All being said, do I have a better option for him within CPS system or somewhere else? We never tried to test into gifted and classical schools, because he started learning English when he was in pre k, so he would not be able to perform well. We could afford private school, even though it would not be easy, but we are not catholic, and all options around here are Catholic schools. We respect everyones religion, but I am not sure how these schools function. Do you have to be catholic, do kids attend masses etc? I am not sure if you can apply to magnet schools once you are past kindergarten. As for gifted schools, would he be able to get in at this point. My guess is that they are testing the already gained knowledge, not ability to learn, and being from public school he is probably not at their level. Finally, do magnets and private schools have advanced curriculum, or are they simply better in some other aspects? Is there an option for him that would provide advanced curriculum and more challenge?

Calliope

[CPSObsessed]

Hi - you should definitely sign him up for the gifted and classical tests this year. A few spots open in each class each year as kids leave the city etc. Also, around 3rd grade, the class sizes can increase to around 31 kids so some additional spots open up.
YOu can also see what happens with the magnet and open enrollment lottery.

There is probably a school that could challenge him more. If you're open to moving during this school year, you could call around to some of the neigbhrohood schools with good reputations to see about a transfer.

My understanding about Catholic schools is that religion is rather integrated throughout everything (well, maybe not math, but it's not like there is 45 min of religion a few times a week. You have to be fairly open to ongoing religious references. But my understanding is also that plenty of non-Catholic kids attend them. Probably more of a stretch if your family isn't christian or religious at all. But they can certainly be a great education value compared to other privates.

[Eric Fall K Dad]

Calliope,

Welcome to the forums!

I agree, you should sign up for the gifted and classical tests. The selective enrollment schools (gifted and classical) are definitely more challenging. I don't know if a catholic or private school is going to be any more challenging.

Students have to perform fairly high on the test to get into a selective enrollment school. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think of the entering K-level kids who apply and take the tests, only the top 5% or 10% get any offers from an SE school. For higher grades it really depends on the specific school and how much turnover there is, but as the previous poster mentioned, entering 3rd grade is a great time to apply as there are spots added at I think all the schools.

I would recommend to apply for the tests right away, the application period for next year (fall 2014) is open now. http://www.cpsoae.org/ Then start looking at open houses of SE schools near you. I don't know the whole system that well, but some schools to definitely consider include Edison RGC, Decatur Classical, Skinner North Classical, etc. http://www.cpsoae.org/apps/pages/ind...D=72695&type=d

Actually I think you might have to pick your schools when applying for the tests, and you might have missed some open houses (Skinner North's was yesterday), but I wouldn't worry too much about it. You'd probably do fine just to select the ones closest to you and then see if you get any offers.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en...5,0.88028&z=10

https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=e...e11082761&z=10

The classical test is more "what you have learned" i.e. math & reading questions. The gifted test is more of an IQ/logic test. I don't really understand the rationale of having two separate types of programs & schools, I believe that in practice the curriculum ends up being pretty much the same, i.e. accelerated and your kid would be surrounded by a lot of other smart kids.

[WRP Mom]

Calliope,

If you live on the NW side, Beaubien RGC may be a good location to also look into. Other schools not mentioned above are Bell & Coonley, although maybe not quite as close to you.

[JefferyKi]

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