Since Kriston suggested I do a waiting thread I thought I'd break out of my shy self to start one. So if anyone else is waiting this month like myself, please speak up so we can share the experience.
Thanks,
moni

Good luck! Keeping all fingers crossed!

I'm glad you did!

Do be warned, though: we tend to get a little silly on waiting threads. It's all an effort to keep the waiting person distracted, so it's relevant to the thread. (Or at least that's what we tell ourselves...) But it is very, very silly!

So how are you doing with the wait, moni? Are you doing okay, or is it killing you?

Thanks for that dazed& confused.
I don't mind things getting silly Kriston.
I've been doing pretty good with the wait...but after reading your "is it killing you bit" I'm a little nervous.

Are you just getting started? As in the June 15th cycle? Or are you still waiting from the May cycle? One of course has results right around the corner, while the other a good month or so. Pull up a chair, if that's the case! If the answer's yes, you just might bump up to "closest family" on my personal map!

Oh! Sorry! I just meant that some people get really wound up and some are calm about it. I wondered which you were.

FWIW, I did well until the very end. I didn't think about it too much, just came here to joke around. So you certainly don't have to be nervous! In fact, I wouldn't recommend it!

Company is good....we applied "in secret", so the waiting was harder. I only found this board after DS was in. We also made the mistake of sending everything off two weeks early, making the wait that much longer. Who was it that applied on the 16th? That's a glutton for punishment, LOL!

Joking and chatting are great, but the wait goes faster if you try to put it out of your mind for a few weeks. It's VERY rare that they send out letters any faster than 2 weeks, and it's been closer to 4 weeks these past few cycles.

Dottie- Our application got there for the June 16th cutoff. I got a nice e-mail from the application review guy to say they received everything and we would hear from them in 3-4 weeks. So we have a bit of a wait. It would be nice to meet you all Dottie.
Kriston- I'm fine really Not very nervous at all. I'm sure I will be a little more though when the time gets closer.
Thanks again for your support...and have a fine day!

Good Luck, Moni!

I was the glutton for punishment that Dottie refers to...it was a very long but rewarding wait.

Good luck!

Thanks elh and crisc.

Does anyone know approximately how many people apply to DSY on any given month? And how many are accepted? I was also curious if anyone had a rough guess as to how many kids of a certain age there are in this program? (How many 5-year olds or 8-year olds?)

I'm still trying to wrap my mind around basic numbers... How rare is it to have a kid accepted for the DYS program? I noticed on their main web site that they boast over 1300 kids are in the program. That's over a wide age range. I also didn't know if that included kids who had graduated from the program past the 18-year old mark? (provided that the program is old enough to have had any significant number graduate?)

Once kids graduate, they leave the program, so the > 1300 number reflects those kids currently in the program. From their published annual reports they accept about 150-250 kids per year (recent years). Those numbers are probably fairly distributed throughout the year. I have no idea how many applications they get! They don't publicly post the age breakdowns, but the numbers increase somewhat with age during those early years, as more families learn about the program.

The very basic 145 score is statistically about 1:1000. The Davidsons have quoted their kids as rarer than that, and as they do require consistent scores at that level, perhaps that does make them closer to their estimated 1:10,000. I suspect DS lands somewhere in between those two rarities!

It's about that time again, folks should hear about June applications any day now. Best wishes to those waiting.

If you have DYS numbers for both IQ and achievement, do you still have to send portfolio information in? I seem to recall it was IQ and portfolio, if you couldn't afford/obtain further testing but I wasn't sure if you need portfolio if you had DYS numbers for both IQ and achievement. Do they turn down applicants even though they have 145+ on both IQ and achievement tests?

With IQ/achievement numbers, you only need to fill out the lengthy application form. I do know of a few cases where qualifying scores were turned down. This seems (from my very limited peek) more likely with younger applicants and very borderline scores. If the scores are close, and you have other evidence, I'd send that in as well.

And if you're asking if you have to worry about not getting in during a given month with lots of applicants, ebeth, I don't think that's a concern.

They say something to the effect (my words, not literally theirs) that they take applicants who can demonstrate that they meet the qualifications. Period. The qualifications aren't sliding. It's pretty much a fixed bar, so some months they might have no one get over it, while other months they might have dozens get in. It shouldn't matter which month you apply. There's no monthly quota. I think that approach is rather unusual in nonprofits, and it might seem confusing.

Please forgive me if I read between the lines there too much. It just sounded to me as if that was what you were really wondering about.

Thanks, Kriston. I was wondering about that myself.

I'm one of those people waiting to hear from them. I hope my mailman gives me the letter today. I've been so anxious this past week.
Thanks Dottie for the best wishes again.

If they are true to past form, something really should come this week, but keep in mind that their big annual trip was late last month, and it may slow the responses somewhat.

Moni, I'm not sure how close you are to Baltimore, but a friend is trying to round up HG/PG families for an outdoor get together in a few weeks. PM me if you are interested in that. (Anyone else too, but I know Moni is at least reasonably close!)

Actually Kriston, that wasn't my concern. We aren't anywhere near being able to apply. Probably not until December at least, since we aren't going to have achievement testing done until fall with the school.

I was more interested in how large a group of age appropriate peers my DS8 might find if or when he joins. I was scoping out the support network that he might get socially.

Could anyone expound on this?

Good morning Ebeth! I can assure there are quite a few 8 year olds, but.... (Always that but!)

These kids are typically scattered everywhere, and finding a true age/gender peer locally is really hit or miss. No doubt he'd fine quite a few appropriate peers in the program, but he might only see some of these kids once a year.

At the moment, DYS is more about helping ME cope than DS, but he has made a few friends in the program. Most are "long distance" though, .

I do hope this long distance support will be more meaningful to him in the future, than it is now at just 9.

Good morning, Dottie!

Right now I'm very, very happy with the support that I'm getting from this group!! (Thanks, and double thanks, everyone!!)

I'm just still processing what DYS is all about. I guess I have several months to let this sink in. I like Catherine's post about the stages of acceptance for giftedness. (see Gifted Traits as Toddlers) It is very, very true and very insightful. I think I went back to square one when I got DS8's WISC-IV results.

So this is me stuck simultaneously in stages 1, 2, and 3.
(like a cartoon character with its head spinning round and round and round!)

And best wishes from me as well, Moni. It just seemed a little bit strange that only one person was posting that they were waiting this month for an answer. It seems like there should be 20 or so people who are anxiously posting here. Where are the rest of them?

I'll add my perceptions to what Dottie said.

This is unofficial, but I feel like there are definitely more kids as they get older. Very few 5yos, not many more 6-7yos, a significant jump in 8yos, etc. That testing in 3rd grade seems to help get kids IDd, or at least that's my theory.

But where they are is very hit-or-miss. There are quite a number of DYS kids in our town. But most are teens and all are at least 3 years older than DS7, so there is no ready-made social network for us. At least not yet. The closest child in terms of both geography and age is the next state over, a couple of hours away, not far from my parents' home. They ski at the same place we ski, so we may get to see that family for ski outings. But for now, there's no one else around who wouldn't require an overnight stay to visit.

People in big cities obviously have better luck, but there are no weekly playdates for most of us. We are attending an informal get-together later in the summer, and that will include kids from the region, some of whom are in the same ballpark age-range as my son. That will be nice.

My hope is that DYS will get some more kids close to DS7 in both age and proximity once our state's mandatory GT testing happens in 3rd grade (if not before that). But it's worth being in the DYS group even if that doesn't happen. We at least have contact with like-minded peers. We have access to counselors and experts. We have parents who have BTDT we can ask about things. And we get the informal get-togethers and the Summit to see people.

It's well worth the cost of admission: free! Can't beat that price!

Oh, and as for where all the people waiting are...I suspect a lot fewer people apply during the summer. School and testing and such just aren't on the radar of most people right now, so the group is smaller. I could be wrong, but that's my guess.

Yeah...what Kriston said. Thanks for pointing out about the city advantage. We of course are in the middle of nowhere. We have a similar situation though in that the closest "locals" are teen girls. We've been to several quasi-local events though, and are slowly getting to know some of the regulars. It's like having long distance cousins that you only see over the holidays. There are actually two potential qualifiers in our local district, but both are girls, and both are "highly verbal", . Their ages straddle DS on both extremes.

I still say the benefits are HUGE though if that was ever in question!!!

I like the cousin comparison. That's just how it feels! But cousins with HG+ kids who give good advice.

Dottie- thanks for the info. on that trip which might slow my letter down. I wish my mailman came earlier in the day....have to wait until 3 or 4.
ebeth- thanks for the best wishes. I was one of those people trying to get the application done and get recommendation letters at the end of school in early June. I was thinking of waiting until July when I had more time, but the teachers were on the ball with their forms and I had a sudden get'r done moment.

I hope your wait will be over soon.

Finding local DYS is a hit of miss. It really depends where you live. It can go from "weekly math classes with other DYS homeschoolers" (I didn't make this one up, I heard this comment at the gathering) to not having anybody around.

I think we are really lucky. We found a couple of local YS boys similar age like DS5. I felt like we won the lottery! I cannot describe the difference it made for me and DS5 as well! Live PG kids!

BTW Does anybody else check the DYS database every month to see if there are any new "local" kids?

Where's the DOK smiley when you need him? Weekly math classes????

I do check pretty regularly, for my entire tri-state area, but haven't found one close enough yet for weekly visits. Maybe someday.....

Our city probably has one of the largest concentrations of DYSs in the country and we rarely have more than half a dozen children in any particular age group. We are an extremely active group so our kids have many opportunities to spend time with their peers but that is probably the exception more than the rule for most areas. Being a DYS at least opens the door to more opportunties for social interaction with peers.

Good luck, Moni! I hope you hear from them soon. I've justed started my wait with the July 15th cut-off. I just recently found this board and you guys have so much information- it's been helpful to read about all of your experiences!

Good luck to you, too, Ruby, and welcome. And good luck to Moni and everyone else.

Thanks for the best wishes Ruby and questions. Good luck to you too Ruby.

Does the DYS letter fall into the "thick" verses "thin" category, like college acceptance letters? I thought there would be years to go until I had to worry about that kind of thing!!
LOL!!

Here is hoping for a "thick" envelope for both of you, Moni and Ruby!

Just don't expect a big manilla envelope, like I did. The acceptance letter is just a business envelope! You might be disappointed with what you see at the mailbox when what's inside is actually happy news!

Now now Kriston, you are taking away half the fun, ! They could change that policy any day now, and turn to big envelopes. There's something to be said for being caught totally off guard. We initially had the "unable to determine" letter, and when I faxed in WIAT scores a few months later I heard literally nothing. None of their typical email communication or even a confirmation of score receipt. I've had fax "failures" before.

A few weeks later, there was the yes letter! I thought it was some sort of routine mailing for their "not quites", LOL. But if you must know, the yes envelope does have some extra padding.

(See? I just can't stay away! But I love good news!!! *fingers crossed*)

Thanks for that ebeth. There hasn't been any envelope yet I'm afraid. I too would have expected a big envelope Kriston...thanks for the heads up.
I hope I get something by Friday...I'm going on vacation Sat.

Still no news?

Probably still on vacation!

Finally some news to share. Good news...DS7 was accepted into the DYS program! The letter was sent on the 16th of July and I went on vacation on the 19th-27th and got my mail yesterday. Had to wait the extra week but it was worth it.
Yippppeee!

Congratulations, Moni! So happy to hear the good news.

Yay! Congrats on the happy news.

Great news for your DS7, Moni! My son started with DYS at 7 also.

What is your son’s school situation for next year? Is the Charter School of Wilmington a target high school for him?

Congrats Moni!

Congrats!!!!!!

Congratulations! What a great news. You sure did your share of waiting for it

Thank you all for your congratulations.
delbows- my DS7 goes to a local public elementary school and will be skipping 2nd grade. He will be in a regular 3rd grade class despite the district having a self contained gifted 3/4th grade program in another school. They were concerned that the 3rd grade gifted class would be too advanced (they said it would be like skipping two grades and they were concerned about all the writing which DS7 isn't too keen on...and of course it would be the first testing year for the writing portion of the state tests, which have since been cancelled due to budget tightening by the DOE). The powers that be in our district did say that DS7 could enter the self contained 3/4th grade the following year, but my main concern is will they be confortable moving him to that school since it will be his last year in the current elementary building? All that said I do like the 3rd grade teacher who will be working with DS7 this coming year. We met her and she seems very keen, approachable, and willing to challenge DS so I'm hoping for the best.
The Charter School of Wilmington isn't near us; however, I think if my son got in I'd make the commute.

That's great news, Moni. Congratulations to your DS. And I hope the new school year is a wonderful fit. A good teacher can make a world of difference!

Hooray! That's wonderful news! I hope your family benefits greatly from the help and resources of DYS.

Perhaps if another acceleration is needed, the school would be ammenable to moving him to the self contained class after the tests. Are the in the fall or the spring?

Neato

Yay! Another 7yo boy! That makes me especially happy!!!

Congratulations!

The 3rd grade teacher sounds flexible and strong which is certainly a great indicator.

It seems as if your choices for next year will be to keep him with the current peer group for one more remaining year (before they disperse to different schools ?) or introducing him to a new (similar ability) peer group which he may continue to be grouped with past 4th grade. I guess it will be a tougher decision if he meshes really well with his third grade class this year. Neato has offered a good possible third choice too!

I have found that having a strong peer group has helped keep my daughter academically motivated, so I have sought out the most advanced peer group and most rigorous learning environment available to each of my kids for this next school year. This plan requires a long and complicated commute each day, so it better be worth it!

If math and science are particular strengths for your son, you may want to look into the residential rules pertaining to acceptance to The Charter School of Wilmington sooner rather than later. The book Genius Denied has at least one chapter concerning that school and it sounds like entrance there would be an absolute windfall (for my DS, anyways)!

That's wonderful news, Moni. Congratulations!

Another "local" boy, yippee! Congratulations Moni!!!

This is an elementary question, but I'm new to this forum so I'll use that as my excuse: what does DYS stand for? It's not on the Hoagie's acronym page, so I'm confused.

Davidson Young Scholar Program, serving the needs of profoundly gifted kids, defined as those that test consistently beyond the 99.9th percentile...

http://www.davidsongifted.org/youngscholars/

They are another outreach (including this website) of the Davidson Institute for Talent Development (DITD).

Thanks, Dottie. That clears it up.

Neato- thanks for that. The writing tests are in the spring (well they would have been if the ed. budget wasn't cut...DOE decided to drop them to save money according to local newspaper I read. Not really sure if I should address this to the principal since I'm sure they can fall back on the idea of it like skipping two grades and more writing in the GT 3/4 self contained class. We'll just have to see how DS7 does in the reg. 3rd grade class...his teacher seems to be on the ball and I'm sure would recommend moving him if he suffers in her class.
Delbows- Yep the school now goes up to 4th grade then they all move to the middle school for 5-6th grades. They separate the kids into color teams and it seems like the gt kids are in two different teams then they have kids who were in just the gt pullout go to different teams, then the average, etc. Guess I'll just have to see how the year goes...I'm just hoping it is better than this year.
All the best to your DD on the new school and to you on your commute. Thanks for the advice on checking out rules for the Charter school.

Wahoo!! Congratulations to DS7! Sorry you had to wait the extra time, but at least it was worth the wait!

Congrats! What a nice surprise to come home to on vacation!