Education
Local homeschoolers achieve top results
EDMOND — Connie Hong couldn’t get her children, whom she home schools, to pay attention to her in their studies because they were bored and did not feel challenged.
She tested Ian, 7-years-old, and Grace, 10-years-old, through the Center for Talented Youth at John Hopkins University in Baltimore in the hopes they would be approved to take online courses.
“I wanted to home school so I wanted to supplement the curriculum,” Hong said.
Grace, who would be a fourth-grader in public schools, tested in the 94-95 percentile at the sixth-grade level. Ian, who would be a first-grader, tested in the 73-82 at a fourth-grade level.
The children received State Award for High Honors certificates and earned the right to take courses and programs through CTY.
“Now I can challenge them more appropriately,” Hong said.
She said her intent is not to rush her children through high school graduation but to find material that makes them work for their As. Hong said she wants her children to learn to work through a challenging curriculum instead of coasting through without any effort.
Grace is taking a creative writing course through CTY.
“At home school I can study at my own pace and I have more freedom to study what I want,” Grace said.
Hong said the courses her daughter takes through CTY range from sixth- to eighth-grade levels.
Grace’s favorite subjects are reading and language arts. According to the Woodcock Johnson III Test of Achievement administered by the University of Central Oklahoma, Grace tested at a college level for language arts.
“She reads an average of three to five hours a day,” Hong said.
While Grace excels in writing and reading, Ian excels at science.
Ian said his favorite thing to do is invent things. He recently attended summer camp at Camp Invention.
“I use a CD ROM called Incredible Machine,” he said.
Ian tested between third- and seventh-grade levels for reading, math, writing and oral language on the Woodcock Johnson III Test of Achievement.
Hong said the Davidson Institute for Talent Development, a program for gifted children, further advises her on what to include in the children’s curriculum. Ian and Grace are two among less than 1,500 Davidson Young Scholars in the world.
Hong also incorporates private art and music lessons, Chinese and sports into her children’s curriculum.
- Education
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Summit puts finishing touches on new construction
Summit Middle School students settled into their new surroundings the first day of school in the fall, and this week finishing touches are being added to the Fine Arts classrooms of the new wing.
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Schools set makeup dates for snow days
Edmond Public Schools will make up the two additional snow days taken this week by eliminating a teacher in-service day scheduled for Feb. 15, and tacking on one extra day to the end of the school year.
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School nutrition pilot program to expand
The scorecard is in and Edmond Public Schools Child Nutrition pilot program earned high marks.
- 2-6 School calendars
- 2-6 School menus
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Edmond joins ‘Race to the Top’
The Edmond Public School District is joining other districts across the state in pursuing a Race to the Top federal discretionary grant.
The U.S. Department of Education’s voluntary grant competition between the states is designed to foster education, innovation and reform that will lead to dramatic gains in student achievement. Nationally there is $4.5 billion available for this program, according to the National Council on Teacher Quality 2009 State Teacher Policy Yearbook. -
UCO Educators’ Leadership Academy set to begin
The University of Central Oklahoma-based Educators’ Leadership Academy is accepting applications for it’s 2010-11 academies designed for education professionals in Oklahoma.
ELA customizes each academy for the specialized needs of education professionals, and currently offers a Combination Academy for K-12, CareerTech and Higher Education Administrators, a Professors Academy, a Principals Academy, a Teachers Academy and a Higher Education Department Chair Academy. -
1-30 Calendar: Edmond schools
Memorial High School
Sunday
5-8 p.m.: Baseball Banquet, commons/cafe
Monday
8-9 a.m.: National FCCLA Week, Rooms 225 & 227
9:30-10 a.m.: Freshman Winter Sports Assembly, gym
9:40-10:10 a.m.: Key Club meeting, Room 283 -
1-30 Education: in brief
OSSM recognizes students of the month
Several students from Edmond made the Oklahoma School of Science and Math’s Students of the Month list in recent months.
Junior Grant Schleifer was recognized in October.
Matthew Stewart and Jing Zhang were recognized in November. -
North basketball clinic to benefit BALTO Week
Seventeen years ago, the Edmond North High School Student Council Leadership Class wanted to begin a charity week.
Swine Week at Edmond Memorial High School was already established, and some would argue that North copied their tradition, but the students began BALTO week, a week all their own.
“The name ‘BALTO Week’ is an acronym quite fitting to our school,” said North student Callie Heerwagen. - More Education Headlines
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