Question

Does anyone know if District 62 has a special program for gifted students?  

Answer 1

Look into Science & Arts Academy. It’s a school in Des Plaines for gifted students. Both my kids go there and love it. For us it just provided more than the district did.  

Comments

@agitprop91 it's very expensive tho.  

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@singular they have financial aid. Most families there get aid. But yes, it’s not cheap.  

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@agitprop91 That school is not for gifted kids. That school is for parents who has money. I took my not gifted kids there to do tests see if they qualify. Of course they did great , they gifted! Unfortunately I couldn't afford that school. Oh well. This is America. Everything is about money.  

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@singular I think you are thinking of a different school. There is one with a similar name off of Elmhurst. Where is the one you went? Not sure why you are so angry either but I think you are mistaking the school I am talking about.  

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I don't know which School @singular is thinking of. But the school you're thinking of is quite expensive, no? My wife and I actually went there for an open house. It seemed like a good school but no one was able to provide us with any hard data to back up their claims that their students outperform students at free neighborhood schools. So I'm kinda skeptical.  

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@jadda Are you sure you are thinking of the school that is on Miner Street near the Pancake House in DP? There is a similar school called the Science Academy of Chicago that people get SAA confused with. As far as data goes, what are you looking for? With every MAP score we get a comparison that shows the average state, average district and individual school & student scores and the SAA students all rank higher than the local and state averages. The school is a top competitor with various groups such as its Latin, Math, and Science Olympiad. They went to Nationals for SO and are regularly in the top tier. All of the graduates have gone on to advanced programs in high school and college. I'm happy to give you the name of someone to contact to get more info. I don't know any administrator at the school that would refuse to give you data. Also, the thing we love about SAA is not just the academics but the focus on other activities. Kids start taking languages in Kindergarten that goes until 8th grade. My son in 6th grade is active in cross country, the fall and spring plays, he plays the upright bass in the orchestra and takes both Spanish & Latin. We like them to be pushed academically but we also want them to pursue things they enjoy. My husband is a public school teacher and I was a public school teacher for many years. We love public schools but our kids needed something different. After registering my son at the local public school, we ended up switching after realizing that it wasn't what he needed. He needed to be challenged daily. Not just once a week for 30 minutes. Also, their gifted program doesn't start until 3rd grade and when he was young, he needed something right away. SAA individualizes their learning so they can be in advanced classes where needed or just at their regular grade level as well. That wasn't going to happen in D62 and having a kid who is bored out of the skull isn't doing anyone any good. For us it was a huge investment and we are grateful that they have financial aid. But for us, their happiness is worth it and we are lucky that we can find a way to afford it. We know not everyone is as lucky. I will say that the school has been working really hard to provide even more aid for families to ensure that there is diversity in the population.  

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Thanks for taking the time to answer. Our oldest is still in Pre-K so we know very little about what to look for in a school and what questions to ask. I've been trying to find data that allows us to compare different schools against each other and all I've found are the ISBE report cards. But private schools like SAA don't seem to report data to the ISBE so I have no idea how SAA students score on standardized tests compared to students at public schools.  

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@jadda I get it. Happy to answer any questions you have on SAA. It’s not a perfect school (none are) but it is the best option we found. Our kids love it and are thriving so for us it’s a win.  

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@agitprop91 I am talking about SAA by Mistic water. Kids there are not gifted , they are regular kids who have parents with money. That's it.  

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@singular well that’s not true and pretty insulting. Considering you don’t attend there you really have no experience. Where did you take your kids to get their IQ testing?  

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@singular sounds like you are maybe just bitter your kids didn’t get in? Or your just rude. Maybe both.  

Answer 2

Scroll down on this page.  
https://instruction.d62.org

Comments

Thanks. Do you (or anyone else) have any direct experience with the program?  

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My daughter was in the program many years ago. I'm sure a lot has changed. I suggest you contact your child's principal (if currently attending a district School) or call the Instructional Services dept. I worked for 62 for 33 years before retiring in June.  

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Thanks. My child is still in pre-K but he'll be starting Kindergarden in the Fall. Honestly, I have no idea if he'd even qualify for a gifted program. I'm just curious about the opportunities. I'll call Instructional Services tomorrow.  

Answer 3

It looks like the D62 philosophy hasn't changed in decades. Their 90 minutes per week as a pull-out program is ridiculous. Many, many years ago when my son was young I knew that D62 wasn't going to work. As @agitprop91 said, gifted children need to be challenged and stimulated on a daily basis, not sporadic. I had put my son in a Montessori school for several years, then transferred him to SAA. SAA has changed a bit since my son was there, but it is still IMHO one of the best options available for gifted children. And we're especially lucky because it's right here in Des Plaines.