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carli
ParticipantWow, since I left the discussion, it’s gotten all the way down the road to thinking about college! Yikes…our family is in the throes of college applications/acceptances with our 2nd, and fortunately, we’ve found that local schools (DMUSD and SDUHSD) have prepared them well for college (not to take any credit away from our kids’ hard work and persistence)!
A few years ago, SDUHSD was pursuing an IB program but recently elected not to implement it. Some (I would not say “many” as previously stated) local high schools do offer IB programs, and it’s reputed to be an outstanding program. SDUHSD does offer AP courses, which are extremely demanding and difficult for most students and (contrary to previous statements here) DO involve extra work and a faster pace (and not just an extra exam for college credit, which is optional).
Anyway, for ssr123, back to the original issue regarding elementary districts: To answer your question about DMUSD and accuracy of school assignments – it’s not that the DMUSD website page isn’t accurate with the description of which schools tie in with which neighborhoods, it’s just that there are NO guarantees at this point regarding matching the student with his/her neighborhood school due to the growth in Carmel Valley (mainly Torrey Hills area) in the past 5-10 yrs.
From the DMUSD website: “Please note: Every effort is made to place students at the school in their attendance area, however, due to the explosive growth within DMUSD in the last several years and the District’s commitment to maintain balanced, low class sizes at all school sites, we must inform you that students are placed at a school on a space available basis. If you have specific questions regarding streets in the area or have a question about whether or not a prospective house may be in DMUSD please contact the District Office at (858) 755-9301.”
That’s why I recommended visiting the district office and trying to figure out the chances of being placed in your school of choice. Again, I know this topic was on last night’s DMUSD board meeting agenda so perhaps some new guidelines were instituted that you’ll want to know about. I’m sure they’re trying to prepare for the upcoming school registration period starting in March.
As flu suggested, I would also encourage you to attend the March open houses at various DMUSD schools. This is a perfect opportunity to hear the principal talk about what makes his/her school unique and try to find the best fit for your child (and then you can tackle the question about whether or not that school has room for you).
Regarding your question about Solana Beach elementary district overlapping into Carmel Valley – yes, this is true. It’s VERY confusing and difficult to figure out, but in a nutshell, in the area east of I-5, neighborhoods north of Del Mar Heights Rd in Carmel Valley are actually part of the Solana Beach elementary school district. Once the kids enter 7th grade, it all becomes part of SDUHSD.
Hope this helps. Good luck continuing your search!
ParticipantWow, since I left the discussion, it’s gotten all the way down the road to thinking about college! Yikes…our family is in the throes of college applications/acceptances with our 2nd, and fortunately, we’ve found that local schools (DMUSD and SDUHSD) have prepared them well for college (not to take any credit away from our kids’ hard work and persistence)!
A few years ago, SDUHSD was pursuing an IB program but recently elected not to implement it. Some (I would not say “many” as previously stated) local high schools do offer IB programs, and it’s reputed to be an outstanding program. SDUHSD does offer AP courses, which are extremely demanding and difficult for most students and (contrary to previous statements here) DO involve extra work and a faster pace (and not just an extra exam for college credit, which is optional).
Anyway, for ssr123, back to the original issue regarding elementary districts: To answer your question about DMUSD and accuracy of school assignments – it’s not that the DMUSD website page isn’t accurate with the description of which schools tie in with which neighborhoods, it’s just that there are NO guarantees at this point regarding matching the student with his/her neighborhood school due to the growth in Carmel Valley (mainly Torrey Hills area) in the past 5-10 yrs.
From the DMUSD website: “Please note: Every effort is made to place students at the school in their attendance area, however, due to the explosive growth within DMUSD in the last several years and the District’s commitment to maintain balanced, low class sizes at all school sites, we must inform you that students are placed at a school on a space available basis. If you have specific questions regarding streets in the area or have a question about whether or not a prospective house may be in DMUSD please contact the District Office at (858) 755-9301.”
That’s why I recommended visiting the district office and trying to figure out the chances of being placed in your school of choice. Again, I know this topic was on last night’s DMUSD board meeting agenda so perhaps some new guidelines were instituted that you’ll want to know about. I’m sure they’re trying to prepare for the upcoming school registration period starting in March.
As flu suggested, I would also encourage you to attend the March open houses at various DMUSD schools. This is a perfect opportunity to hear the principal talk about what makes his/her school unique and try to find the best fit for your child (and then you can tackle the question about whether or not that school has room for you).
Regarding your question about Solana Beach elementary district overlapping into Carmel Valley – yes, this is true. It’s VERY confusing and difficult to figure out, but in a nutshell, in the area east of I-5, neighborhoods north of Del Mar Heights Rd in Carmel Valley are actually part of the Solana Beach elementary school district. Once the kids enter 7th grade, it all becomes part of SDUHSD.
Hope this helps. Good luck continuing your search!
ParticipantWow, since I left the discussion, it’s gotten all the way down the road to thinking about college! Yikes…our family is in the throes of college applications/acceptances with our 2nd, and fortunately, we’ve found that local schools (DMUSD and SDUHSD) have prepared them well for college (not to take any credit away from our kids’ hard work and persistence)!
A few years ago, SDUHSD was pursuing an IB program but recently elected not to implement it. Some (I would not say “many” as previously stated) local high schools do offer IB programs, and it’s reputed to be an outstanding program. SDUHSD does offer AP courses, which are extremely demanding and difficult for most students and (contrary to previous statements here) DO involve extra work and a faster pace (and not just an extra exam for college credit, which is optional).
Anyway, for ssr123, back to the original issue regarding elementary districts: To answer your question about DMUSD and accuracy of school assignments – it’s not that the DMUSD website page isn’t accurate with the description of which schools tie in with which neighborhoods, it’s just that there are NO guarantees at this point regarding matching the student with his/her neighborhood school due to the growth in Carmel Valley (mainly Torrey Hills area) in the past 5-10 yrs.
From the DMUSD website: “Please note: Every effort is made to place students at the school in their attendance area, however, due to the explosive growth within DMUSD in the last several years and the District’s commitment to maintain balanced, low class sizes at all school sites, we must inform you that students are placed at a school on a space available basis. If you have specific questions regarding streets in the area or have a question about whether or not a prospective house may be in DMUSD please contact the District Office at (858) 755-9301.”
That’s why I recommended visiting the district office and trying to figure out the chances of being placed in your school of choice. Again, I know this topic was on last night’s DMUSD board meeting agenda so perhaps some new guidelines were instituted that you’ll want to know about. I’m sure they’re trying to prepare for the upcoming school registration period starting in March.
As flu suggested, I would also encourage you to attend the March open houses at various DMUSD schools. This is a perfect opportunity to hear the principal talk about what makes his/her school unique and try to find the best fit for your child (and then you can tackle the question about whether or not that school has room for you).
Regarding your question about Solana Beach elementary district overlapping into Carmel Valley – yes, this is true. It’s VERY confusing and difficult to figure out, but in a nutshell, in the area east of I-5, neighborhoods north of Del Mar Heights Rd in Carmel Valley are actually part of the Solana Beach elementary school district. Once the kids enter 7th grade, it all becomes part of SDUHSD.
Hope this helps. Good luck continuing your search!
ParticipantWow, since I left the discussion, it’s gotten all the way down the road to thinking about college! Yikes…our family is in the throes of college applications/acceptances with our 2nd, and fortunately, we’ve found that local schools (DMUSD and SDUHSD) have prepared them well for college (not to take any credit away from our kids’ hard work and persistence)!
A few years ago, SDUHSD was pursuing an IB program but recently elected not to implement it. Some (I would not say “many” as previously stated) local high schools do offer IB programs, and it’s reputed to be an outstanding program. SDUHSD does offer AP courses, which are extremely demanding and difficult for most students and (contrary to previous statements here) DO involve extra work and a faster pace (and not just an extra exam for college credit, which is optional).
Anyway, for ssr123, back to the original issue regarding elementary districts: To answer your question about DMUSD and accuracy of school assignments – it’s not that the DMUSD website page isn’t accurate with the description of which schools tie in with which neighborhoods, it’s just that there are NO guarantees at this point regarding matching the student with his/her neighborhood school due to the growth in Carmel Valley (mainly Torrey Hills area) in the past 5-10 yrs.
From the DMUSD website: “Please note: Every effort is made to place students at the school in their attendance area, however, due to the explosive growth within DMUSD in the last several years and the District’s commitment to maintain balanced, low class sizes at all school sites, we must inform you that students are placed at a school on a space available basis. If you have specific questions regarding streets in the area or have a question about whether or not a prospective house may be in DMUSD please contact the District Office at (858) 755-9301.”
That’s why I recommended visiting the district office and trying to figure out the chances of being placed in your school of choice. Again, I know this topic was on last night’s DMUSD board meeting agenda so perhaps some new guidelines were instituted that you’ll want to know about. I’m sure they’re trying to prepare for the upcoming school registration period starting in March.
As flu suggested, I would also encourage you to attend the March open houses at various DMUSD schools. This is a perfect opportunity to hear the principal talk about what makes his/her school unique and try to find the best fit for your child (and then you can tackle the question about whether or not that school has room for you).
Regarding your question about Solana Beach elementary district overlapping into Carmel Valley – yes, this is true. It’s VERY confusing and difficult to figure out, but in a nutshell, in the area east of I-5, neighborhoods north of Del Mar Heights Rd in Carmel Valley are actually part of the Solana Beach elementary school district. Once the kids enter 7th grade, it all becomes part of SDUHSD.
Hope this helps. Good luck continuing your search!
ParticipantWow, since I left the discussion, it’s gotten all the way down the road to thinking about college! Yikes…our family is in the throes of college applications/acceptances with our 2nd, and fortunately, we’ve found that local schools (DMUSD and SDUHSD) have prepared them well for college (not to take any credit away from our kids’ hard work and persistence)!
A few years ago, SDUHSD was pursuing an IB program but recently elected not to implement it. Some (I would not say “many” as previously stated) local high schools do offer IB programs, and it’s reputed to be an outstanding program. SDUHSD does offer AP courses, which are extremely demanding and difficult for most students and (contrary to previous statements here) DO involve extra work and a faster pace (and not just an extra exam for college credit, which is optional).
Anyway, for ssr123, back to the original issue regarding elementary districts: To answer your question about DMUSD and accuracy of school assignments – it’s not that the DMUSD website page isn’t accurate with the description of which schools tie in with which neighborhoods, it’s just that there are NO guarantees at this point regarding matching the student with his/her neighborhood school due to the growth in Carmel Valley (mainly Torrey Hills area) in the past 5-10 yrs.
From the DMUSD website: “Please note: Every effort is made to place students at the school in their attendance area, however, due to the explosive growth within DMUSD in the last several years and the District’s commitment to maintain balanced, low class sizes at all school sites, we must inform you that students are placed at a school on a space available basis. If you have specific questions regarding streets in the area or have a question about whether or not a prospective house may be in DMUSD please contact the District Office at (858) 755-9301.”
That’s why I recommended visiting the district office and trying to figure out the chances of being placed in your school of choice. Again, I know this topic was on last night’s DMUSD board meeting agenda so perhaps some new guidelines were instituted that you’ll want to know about. I’m sure they’re trying to prepare for the upcoming school registration period starting in March.
As flu suggested, I would also encourage you to attend the March open houses at various DMUSD schools. This is a perfect opportunity to hear the principal talk about what makes his/her school unique and try to find the best fit for your child (and then you can tackle the question about whether or not that school has room for you).
Regarding your question about Solana Beach elementary district overlapping into Carmel Valley – yes, this is true. It’s VERY confusing and difficult to figure out, but in a nutshell, in the area east of I-5, neighborhoods north of Del Mar Heights Rd in Carmel Valley are actually part of the Solana Beach elementary school district. Once the kids enter 7th grade, it all becomes part of SDUHSD.
Hope this helps. Good luck continuing your search!
ParticipantOne more factor to consider while comparing school districts/home locations is high schools…even if your child is only in elementary now, it’s scary how fast they get there!
You should know that if you choose to live in Carmel Valley or Del Mar, your child will attend a school in the Del Mar Union School District through 6th grade, but will transition to San Dieguito Union High School District (www.sduhsd.net) for middle (7th-8th grade) and then high school. When the student hits high school, he/she will have two area high schools to choose from, both in Carmel Valley – Torrey Pines High School and Canyon Crest Academy. Both have extremely high API scores and excellent programs with slightly different focuses.
We’ve had kids in both and have been very impressed (much more so than with the DMUSD elementary school experience). Especially at Canyon Crest, we feel the high school education is on par with private schools in many ways.
Not trying to “sell” you on the Carmel Valley/Del Mar area over 4s or RP, as Poway Union School District also has a great reputation, just sharing our experience.
ParticipantOne more factor to consider while comparing school districts/home locations is high schools…even if your child is only in elementary now, it’s scary how fast they get there!
You should know that if you choose to live in Carmel Valley or Del Mar, your child will attend a school in the Del Mar Union School District through 6th grade, but will transition to San Dieguito Union High School District (www.sduhsd.net) for middle (7th-8th grade) and then high school. When the student hits high school, he/she will have two area high schools to choose from, both in Carmel Valley – Torrey Pines High School and Canyon Crest Academy. Both have extremely high API scores and excellent programs with slightly different focuses.
We’ve had kids in both and have been very impressed (much more so than with the DMUSD elementary school experience). Especially at Canyon Crest, we feel the high school education is on par with private schools in many ways.
Not trying to “sell” you on the Carmel Valley/Del Mar area over 4s or RP, as Poway Union School District also has a great reputation, just sharing our experience.
ParticipantOne more factor to consider while comparing school districts/home locations is high schools…even if your child is only in elementary now, it’s scary how fast they get there!
You should know that if you choose to live in Carmel Valley or Del Mar, your child will attend a school in the Del Mar Union School District through 6th grade, but will transition to San Dieguito Union High School District (www.sduhsd.net) for middle (7th-8th grade) and then high school. When the student hits high school, he/she will have two area high schools to choose from, both in Carmel Valley – Torrey Pines High School and Canyon Crest Academy. Both have extremely high API scores and excellent programs with slightly different focuses.
We’ve had kids in both and have been very impressed (much more so than with the DMUSD elementary school experience). Especially at Canyon Crest, we feel the high school education is on par with private schools in many ways.
Not trying to “sell” you on the Carmel Valley/Del Mar area over 4s or RP, as Poway Union School District also has a great reputation, just sharing our experience.
ParticipantOne more factor to consider while comparing school districts/home locations is high schools…even if your child is only in elementary now, it’s scary how fast they get there!
You should know that if you choose to live in Carmel Valley or Del Mar, your child will attend a school in the Del Mar Union School District through 6th grade, but will transition to San Dieguito Union High School District (www.sduhsd.net) for middle (7th-8th grade) and then high school. When the student hits high school, he/she will have two area high schools to choose from, both in Carmel Valley – Torrey Pines High School and Canyon Crest Academy. Both have extremely high API scores and excellent programs with slightly different focuses.
We’ve had kids in both and have been very impressed (much more so than with the DMUSD elementary school experience). Especially at Canyon Crest, we feel the high school education is on par with private schools in many ways.
Not trying to “sell” you on the Carmel Valley/Del Mar area over 4s or RP, as Poway Union School District also has a great reputation, just sharing our experience.
ParticipantOne more factor to consider while comparing school districts/home locations is high schools…even if your child is only in elementary now, it’s scary how fast they get there!
You should know that if you choose to live in Carmel Valley or Del Mar, your child will attend a school in the Del Mar Union School District through 6th grade, but will transition to San Dieguito Union High School District (www.sduhsd.net) for middle (7th-8th grade) and then high school. When the student hits high school, he/she will have two area high schools to choose from, both in Carmel Valley – Torrey Pines High School and Canyon Crest Academy. Both have extremely high API scores and excellent programs with slightly different focuses.
We’ve had kids in both and have been very impressed (much more so than with the DMUSD elementary school experience). Especially at Canyon Crest, we feel the high school education is on par with private schools in many ways.
Not trying to “sell” you on the Carmel Valley/Del Mar area over 4s or RP, as Poway Union School District also has a great reputation, just sharing our experience.
ParticipantThe lack of a defined, robust program for gifted children has been raised as a concern among parents in Del Mar Union School District (DMUSD) for several years. The district has a new superintendent (as of last spring) and a new board majority (voted in last Nov), and they seem committed to addressing it. The topic is actually on tonight’s monthly DMUSD Board meeting agenda (agenda and backup info found here: http://www.dmusd.org/district/files/openFile.aspx?fileID=10598). Based on the line item detail from the agenda, it looks like significant improvements to the gifted program are slated for approval at tonight’s meeting.
Since you’re looking at a couple different locations/districts, you’ll probably want to visit both district offices and chat with the staff. Ask them each to discuss how they meet the particular needs of gifted students, especially if you feel your child qualifies for such a program. At DMUSD, they’ll probably insist that not only do they have a new and improved gifted program but they’ll emphasize that, most importantly, they’ve always met the needs of all students on an individual basis, and they’ll point to the district’s leading API scores as proof…blah, blah, blah. So, you’ll probably need to press for specifics.
If possible, and if you have the time, at DMUSD, you should ask to meet with Holly McClurg, Ass’t Superintendent of Curriculum and Instructional Services to discuss the curriculum, policies and/or guidelines of the gifted program so you can get real specifics. She’s a bright, dynamic person who’s also relatively new to the district and seems to keep up w/the latest in the world of education, and cares a lot about what she does.
In reading briefly through the description of the proposed changes to the gifted program on tonight’s board meeting agenda, I noticed that it states that no more than 1% of the school population is expected to qualify for the program so they must have measurement tools planned or in place already. You’ll probably want to inquire about this to get a sense for whether or not your child will qualify. Might also be a good idea to ask Poway district for the same details from their curriculum documents so you know how each school identifies those who participate in their gifted programs.
FWIW, we’ve had a good experience with our kids at DMUSD, but it’s far from perfect, and several times I’ve felt we were being stonewalled while trying to get answers from the district (not on gifted programs but other issues). I imagine this is an issue with most districts, but it does end up feeling like a push-pull between district families and administration. Of course, budget cuts make tensions rise, but it would be nice to see a more positive climate of collaboration with district families, and hopefully, that’s changing with our new superintendent, who seems like a good guy.
Each individual DMUSD school varies slightly in approach, environment and personality so you’ll want to also visit the school you think your kids will be attending. Beware that the intradistrict transfer policy is currently up for discussion (also on the agenda at tonight’s board meeting) and district boundary issues go along with that…there are very few, if any, “guarantees” at this point about which school within DMUSD your child will attend if you buy a house almost anywhere within the district right now. Not that it much matters since they’re all good, but distance could be an issue, or you may feel more aligned with one principal or school community over another.
Best wishes!
ParticipantThe lack of a defined, robust program for gifted children has been raised as a concern among parents in Del Mar Union School District (DMUSD) for several years. The district has a new superintendent (as of last spring) and a new board majority (voted in last Nov), and they seem committed to addressing it. The topic is actually on tonight’s monthly DMUSD Board meeting agenda (agenda and backup info found here: http://www.dmusd.org/district/files/openFile.aspx?fileID=10598). Based on the line item detail from the agenda, it looks like significant improvements to the gifted program are slated for approval at tonight’s meeting.
Since you’re looking at a couple different locations/districts, you’ll probably want to visit both district offices and chat with the staff. Ask them each to discuss how they meet the particular needs of gifted students, especially if you feel your child qualifies for such a program. At DMUSD, they’ll probably insist that not only do they have a new and improved gifted program but they’ll emphasize that, most importantly, they’ve always met the needs of all students on an individual basis, and they’ll point to the district’s leading API scores as proof…blah, blah, blah. So, you’ll probably need to press for specifics.
If possible, and if you have the time, at DMUSD, you should ask to meet with Holly McClurg, Ass’t Superintendent of Curriculum and Instructional Services to discuss the curriculum, policies and/or guidelines of the gifted program so you can get real specifics. She’s a bright, dynamic person who’s also relatively new to the district and seems to keep up w/the latest in the world of education, and cares a lot about what she does.
In reading briefly through the description of the proposed changes to the gifted program on tonight’s board meeting agenda, I noticed that it states that no more than 1% of the school population is expected to qualify for the program so they must have measurement tools planned or in place already. You’ll probably want to inquire about this to get a sense for whether or not your child will qualify. Might also be a good idea to ask Poway district for the same details from their curriculum documents so you know how each school identifies those who participate in their gifted programs.
FWIW, we’ve had a good experience with our kids at DMUSD, but it’s far from perfect, and several times I’ve felt we were being stonewalled while trying to get answers from the district (not on gifted programs but other issues). I imagine this is an issue with most districts, but it does end up feeling like a push-pull between district families and administration. Of course, budget cuts make tensions rise, but it would be nice to see a more positive climate of collaboration with district families, and hopefully, that’s changing with our new superintendent, who seems like a good guy.
Each individual DMUSD school varies slightly in approach, environment and personality so you’ll want to also visit the school you think your kids will be attending. Beware that the intradistrict transfer policy is currently up for discussion (also on the agenda at tonight’s board meeting) and district boundary issues go along with that…there are very few, if any, “guarantees” at this point about which school within DMUSD your child will attend if you buy a house almost anywhere within the district right now. Not that it much matters since they’re all good, but distance could be an issue, or you may feel more aligned with one principal or school community over another.
Best wishes!
ParticipantThe lack of a defined, robust program for gifted children has been raised as a concern among parents in Del Mar Union School District (DMUSD) for several years. The district has a new superintendent (as of last spring) and a new board majority (voted in last Nov), and they seem committed to addressing it. The topic is actually on tonight’s monthly DMUSD Board meeting agenda (agenda and backup info found here: http://www.dmusd.org/district/files/openFile.aspx?fileID=10598). Based on the line item detail from the agenda, it looks like significant improvements to the gifted program are slated for approval at tonight’s meeting.
Since you’re looking at a couple different locations/districts, you’ll probably want to visit both district offices and chat with the staff. Ask them each to discuss how they meet the particular needs of gifted students, especially if you feel your child qualifies for such a program. At DMUSD, they’ll probably insist that not only do they have a new and improved gifted program but they’ll emphasize that, most importantly, they’ve always met the needs of all students on an individual basis, and they’ll point to the district’s leading API scores as proof…blah, blah, blah. So, you’ll probably need to press for specifics.
If possible, and if you have the time, at DMUSD, you should ask to meet with Holly McClurg, Ass’t Superintendent of Curriculum and Instructional Services to discuss the curriculum, policies and/or guidelines of the gifted program so you can get real specifics. She’s a bright, dynamic person who’s also relatively new to the district and seems to keep up w/the latest in the world of education, and cares a lot about what she does.
In reading briefly through the description of the proposed changes to the gifted program on tonight’s board meeting agenda, I noticed that it states that no more than 1% of the school population is expected to qualify for the program so they must have measurement tools planned or in place already. You’ll probably want to inquire about this to get a sense for whether or not your child will qualify. Might also be a good idea to ask Poway district for the same details from their curriculum documents so you know how each school identifies those who participate in their gifted programs.
FWIW, we’ve had a good experience with our kids at DMUSD, but it’s far from perfect, and several times I’ve felt we were being stonewalled while trying to get answers from the district (not on gifted programs but other issues). I imagine this is an issue with most districts, but it does end up feeling like a push-pull between district families and administration. Of course, budget cuts make tensions rise, but it would be nice to see a more positive climate of collaboration with district families, and hopefully, that’s changing with our new superintendent, who seems like a good guy.
Each individual DMUSD school varies slightly in approach, environment and personality so you’ll want to also visit the school you think your kids will be attending. Beware that the intradistrict transfer policy is currently up for discussion (also on the agenda at tonight’s board meeting) and district boundary issues go along with that…there are very few, if any, “guarantees” at this point about which school within DMUSD your child will attend if you buy a house almost anywhere within the district right now. Not that it much matters since they’re all good, but distance could be an issue, or you may feel more aligned with one principal or school community over another.
Best wishes!
ParticipantThe lack of a defined, robust program for gifted children has been raised as a concern among parents in Del Mar Union School District (DMUSD) for several years. The district has a new superintendent (as of last spring) and a new board majority (voted in last Nov), and they seem committed to addressing it. The topic is actually on tonight’s monthly DMUSD Board meeting agenda (agenda and backup info found here: http://www.dmusd.org/district/files/openFile.aspx?fileID=10598). Based on the line item detail from the agenda, it looks like significant improvements to the gifted program are slated for approval at tonight’s meeting.
Since you’re looking at a couple different locations/districts, you’ll probably want to visit both district offices and chat with the staff. Ask them each to discuss how they meet the particular needs of gifted students, especially if you feel your child qualifies for such a program. At DMUSD, they’ll probably insist that not only do they have a new and improved gifted program but they’ll emphasize that, most importantly, they’ve always met the needs of all students on an individual basis, and they’ll point to the district’s leading API scores as proof…blah, blah, blah. So, you’ll probably need to press for specifics.
If possible, and if you have the time, at DMUSD, you should ask to meet with Holly McClurg, Ass’t Superintendent of Curriculum and Instructional Services to discuss the curriculum, policies and/or guidelines of the gifted program so you can get real specifics. She’s a bright, dynamic person who’s also relatively new to the district and seems to keep up w/the latest in the world of education, and cares a lot about what she does.
In reading briefly through the description of the proposed changes to the gifted program on tonight’s board meeting agenda, I noticed that it states that no more than 1% of the school population is expected to qualify for the program so they must have measurement tools planned or in place already. You’ll probably want to inquire about this to get a sense for whether or not your child will qualify. Might also be a good idea to ask Poway district for the same details from their curriculum documents so you know how each school identifies those who participate in their gifted programs.
FWIW, we’ve had a good experience with our kids at DMUSD, but it’s far from perfect, and several times I’ve felt we were being stonewalled while trying to get answers from the district (not on gifted programs but other issues). I imagine this is an issue with most districts, but it does end up feeling like a push-pull between district families and administration. Of course, budget cuts make tensions rise, but it would be nice to see a more positive climate of collaboration with district families, and hopefully, that’s changing with our new superintendent, who seems like a good guy.
Each individual DMUSD school varies slightly in approach, environment and personality so you’ll want to also visit the school you think your kids will be attending. Beware that the intradistrict transfer policy is currently up for discussion (also on the agenda at tonight’s board meeting) and district boundary issues go along with that…there are very few, if any, “guarantees” at this point about which school within DMUSD your child will attend if you buy a house almost anywhere within the district right now. Not that it much matters since they’re all good, but distance could be an issue, or you may feel more aligned with one principal or school community over another.
Best wishes!
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