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School choice season is now
Metro Atlanta’s school systems include a decent choice of magnet, theme and charter schools. If you want your child to attend one next year, it’s time to gather information and submit applications.
Here’s a quick round-up of some of the school choices and their admissions procedures. Note: Please don’t consider this to be a complete list. I’ve tracked down what information I could, but there are other schools not on this list that deserve consideration. If you’re seriously considering school choice, I recommend that you visit your school system’s page under the “Gifted Ed in Local Schools” tab on this site. From there, you can explore the web sites for the specific school(s) that interest you and contact them for more information.
DeKalb County Schools will hold its School Choice Expo this Saturday, Jan. 21, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Mall at Stonecrest in Lithonia. Registration for a few DeKalb schools opens later this month, but for most schools, lottery registration will begin in March.
I had a hard time finding information on the Clayton County Schools web site, but in poking around I found that Fine Arts Magnet High School is taking applications now. Rex Mill Middle School also is accepting applications from current 5th graders — their deadline is Feb. 24.
In Fulton County, you have until Jan. 23 to apply to Riverwood International Charter School. Once again this year, Riverwood is accepting applications only from Fulton County residents — the non-resident, tuition paying option won’t be available for 2012-13. The deadline for North Springs Charter High School is Jan. 30. A staff member at North Springs said residents of Fulton, DeKalb and Cobb can apply, although there may not be spaces available for students from outside Fulton. Applications for the lottery are being taken now for Ridgeview Charter School, Fulton’s IB middle school. Their deadline is Feb. 16, 2012. Applications to the math and science magnet at Westlake High School are due Feb. 9. The visual and performing arts magnet at Tri-Cities High School is holding auditions this Saturday, and also on Feb. 25.
Magnet schools in Cobb County are no longer taking applications, which were due in early December.
(I was starting to feel guilty about not being timely with information on Cobb and Fulton schools, until I realized I published this post back in October 2011. Whew.)
Gwinnett County students can apply to the Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology (GSMST) through Feb. 3, 2012.
The City of Atlanta Public Schools system doesn’t offer school choice via a magnet or charter structure, but it does allow student transfers. Applications for transfers are generally allowed in the spring, toward the end of the school year.
Open house and application season has begun for area magnet schools
We’ve got plenty of the 2011-12 school year left, but it’s already time to start thinking about 2012-13, especially if you’d like your child to attend one of the charter schools around the metro Atlanta area. Here’s a round-up of application deadlines and open houses, county by county.
Note that some magnet schools will open a certain number of spaces for people who live outside the county. Check with the individual schools to see if they expect to have openings for non-residents next year.
Clayton County
Fine Arts Magnet School in Morrow is taking applications for auditions. Application deadline is Dec. 16, 2011 for the first round of auditions. There is also a later deadline in March 2012 for the second round of auditions.
Cobb County
Cobb County has developed a common application for all magnet schools, so you can apply for any and all magnets at once. The deadline for all magnet applications is Dec. 9, 2011.
International Baccalaureate (IB) program at Campbell High School. Open house Nov. 16, 2011 at 7 p.m.
Academy of Math, Science and Technology at Kennesaw Mountain High School. Open house Nov. 17, 2011 at 6:30 p.m.
South Cobb High School Academy of Research and Medical Sciences. Open house Nov. 9, 2011 at 7 p.m.
Center for Advanced Studies in Science, Math and Technology at Wheeler High School. Open house Nov. 8, 2011 at 7 p.m.
DeKalb County
DeKalb’s magnet programs are filled by a lottery that takes place each spring. I didn’t find any fall events. The county has typically held a centralized open house for all magnet programs during the winter.
Fulton County
International Studies magnet at Riverwood International Charter School (an IB Diploma Programme school). Information sessions at 9 a.m. on Nov. 4 and Dec. 2, 2011 and on Jan. 6, 2012. Prospective students open house Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012 at 3:00 p.m. Application is not online yet. Application deadline will likely be in January.
North Springs High School, offering magnet programs in math/science and visual / performing arts. Application deadline Jan. 30, 2012. Open house Nov. 13, 2011 at 2 p.m.
Westlake High School math and science magnet. Open house Nov. 17 at 6:30 p.m. Application will be available in Jan. 2012.
Tri-Cities High School has a magnet program in visual and performing arts. I’ve contacted them and am awaiting a response.
Gwinnett County
Gwinnett School for Math, Science and Technology. Couldn’t find any open house information. Registration will be open in November.
City of Atlanta
The City of Atlanta no longer uses a magnet model; however, the school system has many theme schools, and often more than one theme community within a school. School choice in Atlanta Public Schools is handled via a student transfer process that takes place in spring.
Could conversion to charter system affect gifted services in Fulton County?
A reader recently wrote to me with concerns about Fulton County Schools potentially becoming a charter system. The Charter System Concept Summary presented by the school system shows that under a charter model, local schools could “restructure” the current Talented and Gifted (TAG) model. This reader wondered whether eligibility criteria would change, whether TAG would continue to be offered as a full-day, pull-out class, and even whether schools could opt out of TAG altogether.
I checked in with my sources, and I’m told that state law requires all school systems — even charter systems — to provide gifted education, and the state sets the eligibility criteria for gifted services. However, local schools within a charter system could change the delivery model for gifted services, if they applied for and were granted the flexibility to do so. What exactly they could do in terms of “restructuring” isn’t clear.
Bottom line, if you’re concerned about the TAG program under a charter model, consider attending one of FCS’s three Charter System Town Hall Meetings being held this week:
- Monday, Oct. 3, at Milton Center
- Wednesday, Oct. 5, at Lake Forrest Elementary School
- Thursday, Oct. 6, at Westlake High School
All meetings begin at 6:30 p.m.
DeKalb County Schools seeks community input on the future
DeKalb County Schools is hosting what it’s calling a “community engagement session” on Tuesday, Sept. 20, from 6-9 p.m. at the school system’s headquarters in Stone Mountain.
My source tells me the meeting will begin with remarks from the newly hired superintendent, Dr. Cheryl L. H. Atkinson. Then, those attending the meeting will be broken out into smaller groups to discuss what they think the future should look like in DeKalb County Schools.
The school system hosted similar meetings last year, but those were focused on infrastructure and facilities. This week’s session promises to focus on curriculum and learning.
Whether you think your school is doing a great, mediocre or lousy job in gifted education, I believe it’s worth coming to this meeting so that the gifted community is represented. If you can’t attend the meeting, you will be able to complete a survey on the school district’s web site Sept. 21-30.
Atlanta Public Schools Xanadu application is live!
NOTE: This is information from 2011. For 2012 information, see the Xanadu / Summer Academy 2012 post on this blog.
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Atlanta Public Schools has now posted the brochure and application for the 2011 Xanadu summer program.
The camp will be held June 6 – July 1 at Parkside Elementary School in Southeast Atlanta. Xanadu is open to children in rising K-5. Children do not have to attend APS schools to attend Xanadu; however, the fee for non-APS students is double — $500 for four weeks, as compared with $250 for APS students.
The Xanadu program is run by the Office of Gifted and Talented Services and is billed as an enrichment camp for scholars, leaders and high achievers, but children do not have to be gifted identified to attend.
The deadline to register is May 27 (or postmarked by May 25). Some class choices are bound to fill up ahead of that deadline, though.
Robotics camp for rising middle schoolers at Walton High School in Marietta
From today’s Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Marietta’s Walton High School is now accepting applications for its 4-day Robotics Camp scheduled to be held June 13 through June 16 at the school’s campus at 1590 Bill Murdock Rd., Marietta. The camp is open to kids entering grades 6-8. Students will have a chance to build their own robots and compete with others to find out whose is best. The cost is $125. For an application and more information go to www.waltonrobotics.org.
The time is now to request transfers in Atlanta Public Schools
Tomorrow will be the first of several days when parents can apply to Atlanta Public Schools for “general administrative transfers.” APS allows students to attend any school in the system, provided the school has spaces available.
Unfortunately, it looks like slim pickings at the elementary school level. None of the six elementary schools that use the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum are accepting transfers, and only one of the APS elementary schools that employs a full-time gifted instructor – Fickett Elementary – has spaces available.
Brown Middle School, which is home to an academy for gifted identified students, is accepting transfer applications.
There are also spaces available at North Atlanta High School, which offers the IB Diploma Programme. Students who earn an IB diploma will be given a year’s worth of college credit by many universities.
Also open for transfers is the early college program at Washington High School.
The school system has posted a complete list of schools that are accepting transfer requests.
You don’t need to break your neck trying to get to the school offices tomorrow. The system no longer grants spaces on a first-come, first-served basis. Instead, they will take applications between May 7 and June 4, and in any cases where the number of applications exceeds the number of open spaces, a lottery will be held to assign spaces.
Students from outside APS can apply to schools that have space available. If enrolled, they must pay tuition. For 2010-11, tuition was just over $10,000.
For complete information, see the APS Student Transfers page.
Atlanta Public Schools taking applications for gifted Summer Academy
NOTE: This is information from 2011. For 2012 information, see the Xanadu / Summer Academy 2012 post on this blog.
May 5 has come and gone and the Atlanta Public Schools gifted office hasn’t yet posted its application for the Xanadu summer program for elementary school kids, which I know people are looking for.
On the bright side, APS has posted the brochure and application for its Summer Academy for middle- and high-school students. This program offers courses in a variety of disciplines, including photography, film making, engineering, history, fine arts and lots more.
The camp is held at the Woodruff Arts Center in midtown. Students can attend a two-week or four-week program, and the cost for APS students is very reasonable. (Students who don’t attend APS schools can also attend, but the fees are doubled.)
APS recommends you apply between May 10 and May 26. Courses are filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
Registration now open for DeKalb’s Serendipity summer program
This information is from 2011. See the 2012 Serendipity information.
DeKalb County has opened registration for the 2011 Serendipity summer program for gifted children. The camp serves children in grades 1-7 who were in their school’s gifted program during the 2010-11 school year. Programming includes science, art and writing courses.
This summer, the program is being held at Midvale Elementary School. Kids in 1st – 3rd grades will attend June 13-17; students in 4th – 7th grades have camp June 20-24. Registration is $100 per student. The deadline to register is May 13.
I still haven’t found any information about the program on the county web site. If your child is eligible to attend, he or she should bring home a brochure from school which describes the program in full detail. If you don’t receive one this week, ask your school’s gifted teacher or principal, or call the county office at (678) 676-0238.
Advance information about Atlanta Public Schools’ Xanadu summer program
NOTE: This is information from 2011. For 2012 information, see the Xanadu / Summer Academy 2012 post on this blog.
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Atlanta Public Schools has released basic information about Xanadu, its annual summer program for gifted and high-achieving elementary school students.
The 2011 program will be built on the theme, “Adventures in Antarctica.” It will run from June 5 to July 1 and will be held at Parkside Elementary School. Cost for APS students is $250. The camp is open to students from outside APS, but the cost is double.
A simple flyer is posted on the APS web site now, but you can’t apply yet. The Office of Gifted and Talented Education promises to post the application by May 5.
Gifted Atlanta 