CMIT vs. College Park Academy
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Anonymous
| Does anyone have any input on CMIT vs. College Park Academy PG charter schools? |
Anonymous
| If your kid is really into STEM, go to CMIT. If your kid is very independent and self directed go to CPA. |
Anonymous
| I agree with the above assessment in a nutshell for CPA. As for CMIT, make sure your child tests very well and can perform well above grade level in math. Otherwise he or she will be placed in the lowest level classes with the not-so-great teachers. Also, really study the quality of that STEM education. Take a tour, if you are allowed to do so. |
Anonymous
|
I have a daughter in 9th grade and she has been there since 6th grade. Her experience has been positive with the exception of this year. The math teacher either quit or was fired in November. Everyone's grade took a nose dive. The English teacher also left. The new math teacher is trying to catch the students up, but they are so far behind where they should be at this time of the year.
Regarding poor teachers, the school can't get around this. The teachers are screened by PGCPS as are all teachers in the county. There is no litmus test for good and bad teachers. You can put whatever you want on your resume and talk a real good game, but once you are in the classroom your true teaching abilities are exposed. The teachers are protected by the PGCEA (union). There has to be due process before replacing a bad teacher. The bad teachers at CMIT can end up ANYWHERE in PGCPS - even CPA, Greenbelt, and the Immersion school. Charter schools in DC can hire and fire at will. They also control their own pay scales. CMIT teachers are PGCPS teachers. The school can only get prospective teachers from the pool of people hired by the system. My son will be attending CMIT North in the fall. He is TAG identified. I have read about the teaching disparities in classes with low performing students on this site. I have no first hand knowledge of this. Low performing students are in every school. I would hope that the classes are top heavy and the classes where students need the most intervention are in smaller, close-knit environments. As a teacher in a school where we ability group, the lower group is challenging, especially at the end of the day. However, they come with a variety of service providers and resources. These perks help to make learning more interesting to them and individualization can be achieved (in most cases). Hope this information helps. |
Anonymous
| Had a horrible experience at CPA. Pulled my daughter in the 3rd quarter and put her in the neighborhood school. She is just one of MANY 6th graders who left. Communication is awful. Support is not there. Kids are failing. |
Anonymous
Tell us more! |
Anonymous
And yet people in other threads are screaming about pg needing more charter schools like DC. PS. The scores at CPA are pretty good. In what way are the kids failing? Is it the computer non teacher focus of the school? |
Anonymous
The model just isn't suited for all kids. There is PLENTY of student-teacher interaction btw. Most of the teachers are great. |
Anonymous
| My daughter is in the 6th grade at CPA. She is doing excellent and loves the school. It is important that your child possess good time-managment skills and be self motivated. Love the school thus far, love the staff, the PTA and the diversity. Most important to us is the college credits at the end of high-school. Issues experienced, I believe are that of growing pains - new concept for a new type of school and for kids to get used to. #TeamCPA |
Anonymous
| Yes. CPA has been pretty great for my 7th grader. |
Anonymous
Hi so do you still like the school ? what did you do about the transporation? |
Anonymous
| We live in the Bowie area and utilize a private bus transportation company which serves CPA at a cost of $200/month or roughly $2000/school year. The pick-ups/drop offs are at various points in the County e.g. Bowie South Library, Largo-Kettering Library, Amish Market etc. Other options include car pooling and public transportation depending on where you live. The school has a Transportation Committee which has a website where you can see the various options available. You can call the school to get more information. |
Anonymous
| My child is at this school, but I can't imagine paying $2000/year to get him there. Your local school is really that bad? Because CPA is NOT worth $2000/year. |
Anonymous
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I do believe that $2000/year is not a bad price to pay for what we are getting, and to answer your question, yes our neighborhood school is that bad and has been slotted for closure in past. Some parents spend thousands to get their kids through to high school years for what I believe is the same value offered by CPA. I think that the test scores are a good measure of the value that is being received as well as what and how my kid is learning. She is as comfortable with powerpoint and word and excel as some of the college interns that come to work for with us in the Summers.
The hope is also that the college credits earned while in high school will reduce the cost of college by about 2 years (approx. $25K/year=$50K at an instate school like Maryland or $45K/year=R$90K out of state). Also, I feel that the chances of getting scholarships/grants may be greater, if CPA is as successful as the middle college where 100% of the graduates in June 2015 were afforded scholarships and grants for higher education. Finally, it is hard to find a diverse non-private school environment in Prince George's County if one does not live in certain areas of the County. |