Pa. to get its first private school for gifted students

There are private schools for autism, attention deficit, dyslexia and other learning differences, but none in all of Pennsylvania for gifted students.

That's about to change.

The state Department of Education on Friday awarded a license to the Grayson School, which plans to open in the fall at a Greek Orthodox school in Broomall and begin by serving students from kindergarten through sixth grade.

"There are a lot of schools that do phenomenal things, but there is not one that is specifically for gifted students in the state," said Melissa Bilash, Grayson's founding codirector and executive board chair.

Bilash, who has an educational advocacy practice in Wayne and has been involved with state and national associations for gifted children, said it became clear from her work that there was need for a school such as Grayson. School districts in the seven counties of Southeastern Pennsylvania have identified 31,500 gifted students.

Grayson's founders say that as a result of the current emphasis on making sure all students in public schools meet state academic standards, many gifted students are being shortchanged: They already know the material being taught in regular classrooms. Little money is available for gifted students, Bilash said, and many students' needs are not met by programs that pull them out of class for extra learning opportunities once or twice a week.

Bilash said that even successful private schools that are awash in resources cannot provide the individual attention that gifted students need.

The nearest private institutions for gifted children are Primoris Academy in Westwood in Bergen County, N.J., and the Feynman School in Bethesda, Md.

Bilash has been working with parents and volunteer educators for the past two years to make Grayson a reality.

"It's parents driving us to it get it up and running," she said.

About 45 students participated in Saturday enrichment programs that Grayson began offering in January at St. Luke Greek Orthodox Church's school at 35 N. Malin Rd. Some families drove 90 minutes to get there.

"The need for this is striking," Bilash said.

The Grayson School, which will charge $21,800 tuition its first year, will offer individualized, accelerated instruction. It hopes to add grades in later years and ultimately serve students from K-12.

The school aims to be funded primarily through tuition, grants, and donations and will not rely on tax dollars.

"Fund-raising will be a goal for us for the rest of our lives," Bilash said.

So far, 19 students have signed up in anticipation that Grayson's application for a private academic license would be approved.

Stella Berger, of Wayne, who just turned 10, is one of them.

"I'm really excited for the projects class at Grayson because it's very free, and you can choose from things like going to Hershey and studying rollercoaster design or going to a tea house and learning how to make tea."

Said her mother, Liz Berger: "She needs what she needs."

Berger took her daughter out of what she said was a terrific private school on the Main Line because she was not being challenged. She homeschooled her daughter this year in hopes Stella would attend Grayson in September.

Her son Caleb, 7, will remain at the private school he attends.

"What I think is so unique about Grayson is they can look at each child," said Berger, who joined the school's executive board.

As a homeschooled student, Stella was able to pursue an accelerated program, including reading books far above grade level. She recently began studying Hebrew.

"She is a person who is stuck in a body that is younger than her mind," Berger said.

"Homeschooling was great for buying us time. But she really missed being in school. She is very social and very outgoing and loves being with other children."

Instead of entering fifth grade, Stella will be placed in classes at Grayson based on her instructional level rather than her age.

The school plans to have a student-teacher ratio of 8 to 1 in core academic subjects, with smaller groups for specialized instruction.

The curriculum, which is based on research in gifted education, will focus on projects. The languages offered will include Spanish, Mandarin, and computer coding.

"There will be coding from kindergarten on, but coding everyday with meaning," Bilash said. "We want them to be fluent in the language."

The school day will include "flex time" for electives, and allow students to study independently or get additional support from teachers.

Although an IQ of 130 and above typically is used to define "gifted," Grayson's admission process will consider essay responses, work samples, transcripts, recommendations, and interviews of prospective students and their parents.

Applying is free, and Bilash said the school will offer some scholarships so that the program is available to gifted children whose families cannot afford tuition.

"IQ doesn't care if you're living on the Main Line or West Philadelphia," she said. "It doesn't care about race or background or a parent's education."

martha.woodall@phillynews.com215-854-2789@marwooda