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

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.