Best public school in DC itself (not DMV)

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:no, i didnt mean what is EOTP--- i see how it reads like that

i just asked, if you live EOTP, what is best MS ?

Personally I think it's Inspired Teaching, but if you're looking for a bigger school check out Stuart-Hobson. And some of the Friendship charter schools are solid.

ITS is too small, doesn’t offer large variety classes, and lacking in sports and extracurriculars.

What exactly is your definition of best overall to say ITS?

I think the extracurriculars are reasonable given the size of the school, and there are plenty of other opportunities to do sports. In pre-pandemic times, my kids did pottery, Lego robotics, choir, dance, and various other things.

Best overall doesn't mean best for every child. If your DC would enjoy a larger school and wants to do sports through the school system, by all means choose a bigger school. If you like a small, nurturing, progressive school and get your extracurriculars elsewhere, I believe ITS is the best one in the DC public system. My DCs' passion activities are not things they would be able to do at really any big middle school anyway.

Here's what I find impressive about ITS:

*Personalized approach where every child is well-known to the faculty. No kid can slide by or fall through the cracks. Things like portfolio defense in 8th grade are really valuable experiences. Opportunity to pursue more individualized projects.

*Friendly to special needs and non-NT kids. Progressive approach makes it a welcoming place for LGBTQIA+ kids as well.

*Strong elementary academics produces a well-prepared cohort for middle school. To be sure, some of the incoming kids are from lovely schools like Seaton and Ludlow-Taylor, others have not been well-served by their elementary schools.

*ITS middle school has pretty good test scores overall DESPITE taking a lot of new kids in 5th and 6th and being more economically diverse in the middle school. Schools such as Latin and DCI have good scores too, but they don't take on very many new kids after the entry year-- in the case of Latin almost zero. To have good results while also folding in new students who may be less prepared is impressive.

*Behavior isn't perfect, but it's not as bad as at some schools.

*Admissions to selective high schools have been strong-- I believe 7 to Walls this year out of 40-ish kids total.

*Other perks: Nice rec center adjacent, building is pretty good, the ability to have your preschool, elementary, and middle school children together in one school.

*If the goal is to identify a middle school *where your child might actually be admitted*, ITS is a strong contender. Latin and DCI are very good schools, to be sure, but they (like ITS) are not a good fit for every child and if you're looking to place a 7th or 8th grader or have a bad lottery number, it's simply not going to happen.

ITS loses a lot of kids after elementary. Most families don’t stay. That is not good and why there are spots.

For sure, it's not for everyone. But many families who come in, come in because they very much want what ITS is offering.

What EOTP middle school that has more than a slight chance of admission would you recommend?

You are right, families choose it because they don’t have options and want to stay in the city. It’s unlikely they want very much what ITS offers.

We toured ITS and talked to the teachers. Facilities is bare bone. 40 kids is way too small for graduating class. We specifically asked how a high performing kid will be challenged. Answer was harder questions, problems. Extracurriculars is minimum. We passed.

If you don’t have options and want to stay in the city, you can look at ITS. If things don’t work out for MS for us, we would rather move to the burbs for a good known middle and high school track with a large selection of academic classes that comprises of a large peer group of high performing kids.

Families value different things. We have an elementary kid at a Hill elementary and ITS might be our first choice for middle. This kid has been at a large, traditional elementary and down well academically, but is still pretty shy and sometimes feels a bit lost. I know ITS is small but we increasingly think that could be beneficial for DD. She's also very artistic and a sensitive kid, so the artsy, progressive bent of the school would suit her personality. I LOVE what the PP said about about all the teachers getting to know all the kids. And DD's main activities are dance, piano, and art -- she's not looking for a volleyball team or marching band. In other words, ITS could be a perfect fit.

Literally the only thing that would make us choose another school would be if we got into a MS we also liked but had a locked in HS option we liked (so basically -- Latin). Her feeder is Stuart-Hobson, which I actually like a lot, but I think could be too similar to elementary.

Not everyone is looking for the exact same things you are in a MS. The whole point is that different kids need different things. That's why charters exist.

Your kid sounds like the artsy, creative type. If so, I would not send to a very small school. Higher chance she won’t find her niche of friends in such a small class.

ITS attracts that kind of kid so there are plenty. If your kid is not that type, then I'd think twice about ITS.

Does ITS actually teach math & writing, or do they just let the kids be “artsy”?

They very much do teach it. Eureka math plus math enrichment with a special math teacher who uses a separate gifted curriculum. Writing is emphasized and they do have spelling and grammar as separate topics as well. It isn't some woo woo artsy school, it's a school with very solid core academics plus a lot of art specials. I would say weak points are Spanish (they don't get much) and science.

Do the MS kids all have to do art or do they get a choice?

Also looks like math tops out at Algebra …

It does say that, but I know of kids who needed more and they had sort of an independent study arrangement. The math enrichment teacher is great, super knowledgeable and responsive. ITS has truly awakened my daughter's love of math.

Are they still requiring masks?

Also no child “needs” more math. My question is more about whether ITS is ambitious about the students’ capabilities. Very few will choose to do more math on their own, but plenty of kids can do Algebra in 7th. The loosey-goosey child led thing is ok for PK but not MS. That’s why I’m skeptical about a MS appended to an elementary school.

Yes they are ambitious, that's why they employ math speciist who uses a gifted curriculum. My child absolutely does choose to do more math, and she's not the only one, and it is not loosey-goosey. That's what people like about it! Solid academics, no skating by like you could do at a bigger school.

I agree an ES-MS risks not being age-appropriate for MS, but I think ITS does a good job with the setup that they have. Given the other MS options in the area, ITS is my pick for sure. I'm not saying it's perfect but what do you see that's better EOTP?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:no, i didnt mean what is EOTP--- i see how it reads like that

i just asked, if you live EOTP, what is best MS ?

Personally I think it's Inspired Teaching, but if you're looking for a bigger school check out Stuart-Hobson. And some of the Friendship charter schools are solid.

ITS is too small, doesn’t offer large variety classes, and lacking in sports and extracurriculars.

What exactly is your definition of best overall to say ITS?

I think the extracurriculars are reasonable given the size of the school, and there are plenty of other opportunities to do sports. In pre-pandemic times, my kids did pottery, Lego robotics, choir, dance, and various other things.

Best overall doesn't mean best for every child. If your DC would enjoy a larger school and wants to do sports through the school system, by all means choose a bigger school. If you like a small, nurturing, progressive school and get your extracurriculars elsewhere, I believe ITS is the best one in the DC public system. My DCs' passion activities are not things they would be able to do at really any big middle school anyway.

Here's what I find impressive about ITS:

*Personalized approach where every child is well-known to the faculty. No kid can slide by or fall through the cracks. Things like portfolio defense in 8th grade are really valuable experiences. Opportunity to pursue more individualized projects.

*Friendly to special needs and non-NT kids. Progressive approach makes it a welcoming place for LGBTQIA+ kids as well.

*Strong elementary academics produces a well-prepared cohort for middle school. To be sure, some of the incoming kids are from lovely schools like Seaton and Ludlow-Taylor, others have not been well-served by their elementary schools.

*ITS middle school has pretty good test scores overall DESPITE taking a lot of new kids in 5th and 6th and being more economically diverse in the middle school. Schools such as Latin and DCI have good scores too, but they don't take on very many new kids after the entry year-- in the case of Latin almost zero. To have good results while also folding in new students who may be less prepared is impressive.

*Behavior isn't perfect, but it's not as bad as at some schools.

*Admissions to selective high schools have been strong-- I believe 7 to Walls this year out of 40-ish kids total.

*Other perks: Nice rec center adjacent, building is pretty good, the ability to have your preschool, elementary, and middle school children together in one school.

*If the goal is to identify a middle school *where your child might actually be admitted*, ITS is a strong contender. Latin and DCI are very good schools, to be sure, but they (like ITS) are not a good fit for every child and if you're looking to place a 7th or 8th grader or have a bad lottery number, it's simply not going to happen.

ITS loses a lot of kids after elementary. Most families don’t stay. That is not good and why there are spots.

For sure, it's not for everyone. But many families who come in, come in because they very much want what ITS is offering.

What EOTP middle school that has more than a slight chance of admission would you recommend?

You are right, families choose it because they don’t have options and want to stay in the city. It’s unlikely they want very much what ITS offers.

We toured ITS and talked to the teachers. Facilities is bare bone. 40 kids is way too small for graduating class. We specifically asked how a high performing kid will be challenged. Answer was harder questions, problems. Extracurriculars is minimum. We passed.

If you don’t have options and want to stay in the city, you can look at ITS. If things don’t work out for MS for us, we would rather move to the burbs for a good known middle and high school track with a large selection of academic classes that comprises of a large peer group of high performing kids.

Families value different things. We have an elementary kid at a Hill elementary and ITS might be our first choice for middle. This kid has been at a large, traditional elementary and down well academically, but is still pretty shy and sometimes feels a bit lost. I know ITS is small but we increasingly think that could be beneficial for DD. She's also very artistic and a sensitive kid, so the artsy, progressive bent of the school would suit her personality. I LOVE what the PP said about about all the teachers getting to know all the kids. And DD's main activities are dance, piano, and art -- she's not looking for a volleyball team or marching band. In other words, ITS could be a perfect fit.

Literally the only thing that would make us choose another school would be if we got into a MS we also liked but had a locked in HS option we liked (so basically -- Latin). Her feeder is Stuart-Hobson, which I actually like a lot, but I think could be too similar to elementary.

Not everyone is looking for the exact same things you are in a MS. The whole point is that different kids need different things. That's why charters exist.

Your kid sounds like the artsy, creative type. If so, I would not send to a very small school. Higher chance she won’t find her niche of friends in such a small class.

ITS attracts that kind of kid so there are plenty. If your kid is not that type, then I'd think twice about ITS.

Does ITS actually teach math & writing, or do they just let the kids be “artsy”?

They very much do teach it. Eureka math plus math enrichment with a special math teacher who uses a separate gifted curriculum. Writing is emphasized and they do have spelling and grammar as separate topics as well. It isn't some woo woo artsy school, it's a school with very solid core academics plus a lot of art specials. I would say weak points are Spanish (they don't get much) and science.

Do the MS kids all have to do art or do they get a choice?

Also looks like math tops out at Algebra …

It does say that, but I know of kids who needed more and they had sort of an independent study arrangement. The math enrichment teacher is great, super knowledgeable and responsive. ITS has truly awakened my daughter's love of math.

Are they still requiring masks?

Also no child “needs” more math. My question is more about whether ITS is ambitious about the students’ capabilities. Very few will choose to do more math on their own, but plenty of kids can do Algebra in 7th. The loosey-goosey child led thing is ok for PK but not MS. That’s why I’m skeptical about a MS appended to an elementary school.

Yes they are ambitious, that's why they employ math speciist who uses a gifted curriculum. My child absolutely does choose to do more math, and she's not the only one, and it is not loosey-goosey. That's what people like about it! Solid academics, no skating by like you could do at a bigger school.

I agree an ES-MS risks not being age-appropriate for MS, but I think ITS does a good job with the setup that they have. Given the other MS options in the area, ITS is my pick for sure. I'm not saying it's perfect but what do you see that's better EOTP?

I prefer a MS that presents a strong, required curriculum and doesn’t just wait for kids to ask for “more math please” (seriously no kids are doing that.)

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:no, i didnt mean what is EOTP--- i see how it reads like that

i just asked, if you live EOTP, what is best MS ?

Personally I think it's Inspired Teaching, but if you're looking for a bigger school check out Stuart-Hobson. And some of the Friendship charter schools are solid.

ITS is too small, doesn’t offer large variety classes, and lacking in sports and extracurriculars.

What exactly is your definition of best overall to say ITS?

I think the extracurriculars are reasonable given the size of the school, and there are plenty of other opportunities to do sports. In pre-pandemic times, my kids did pottery, Lego robotics, choir, dance, and various other things.

Best overall doesn't mean best for every child. If your DC would enjoy a larger school and wants to do sports through the school system, by all means choose a bigger school. If you like a small, nurturing, progressive school and get your extracurriculars elsewhere, I believe ITS is the best one in the DC public system. My DCs' passion activities are not things they would be able to do at really any big middle school anyway.

Here's what I find impressive about ITS:

*Personalized approach where every child is well-known to the faculty. No kid can slide by or fall through the cracks. Things like portfolio defense in 8th grade are really valuable experiences. Opportunity to pursue more individualized projects.

*Friendly to special needs and non-NT kids. Progressive approach makes it a welcoming place for LGBTQIA+ kids as well.

*Strong elementary academics produces a well-prepared cohort for middle school. To be sure, some of the incoming kids are from lovely schools like Seaton and Ludlow-Taylor, others have not been well-served by their elementary schools.

*ITS middle school has pretty good test scores overall DESPITE taking a lot of new kids in 5th and 6th and being more economically diverse in the middle school. Schools such as Latin and DCI have good scores too, but they don't take on very many new kids after the entry year-- in the case of Latin almost zero. To have good results while also folding in new students who may be less prepared is impressive.

*Behavior isn't perfect, but it's not as bad as at some schools.

*Admissions to selective high schools have been strong-- I believe 7 to Walls this year out of 40-ish kids total.

*Other perks: Nice rec center adjacent, building is pretty good, the ability to have your preschool, elementary, and middle school children together in one school.

*If the goal is to identify a middle school *where your child might actually be admitted*, ITS is a strong contender. Latin and DCI are very good schools, to be sure, but they (like ITS) are not a good fit for every child and if you're looking to place a 7th or 8th grader or have a bad lottery number, it's simply not going to happen.

ITS loses a lot of kids after elementary. Most families don’t stay. That is not good and why there are spots.

For sure, it's not for everyone. But many families who come in, come in because they very much want what ITS is offering.

What EOTP middle school that has more than a slight chance of admission would you recommend?

You are right, families choose it because they don’t have options and want to stay in the city. It’s unlikely they want very much what ITS offers.

We toured ITS and talked to the teachers. Facilities is bare bone. 40 kids is way too small for graduating class. We specifically asked how a high performing kid will be challenged. Answer was harder questions, problems. Extracurriculars is minimum. We passed.

If you don’t have options and want to stay in the city, you can look at ITS. If things don’t work out for MS for us, we would rather move to the burbs for a good known middle and high school track with a large selection of academic classes that comprises of a large peer group of high performing kids.

Families value different things. We have an elementary kid at a Hill elementary and ITS might be our first choice for middle. This kid has been at a large, traditional elementary and down well academically, but is still pretty shy and sometimes feels a bit lost. I know ITS is small but we increasingly think that could be beneficial for DD. She's also very artistic and a sensitive kid, so the artsy, progressive bent of the school would suit her personality. I LOVE what the PP said about about all the teachers getting to know all the kids. And DD's main activities are dance, piano, and art -- she's not looking for a volleyball team or marching band. In other words, ITS could be a perfect fit.

Literally the only thing that would make us choose another school would be if we got into a MS we also liked but had a locked in HS option we liked (so basically -- Latin). Her feeder is Stuart-Hobson, which I actually like a lot, but I think could be too similar to elementary.

Not everyone is looking for the exact same things you are in a MS. The whole point is that different kids need different things. That's why charters exist.

Your kid sounds like the artsy, creative type. If so, I would not send to a very small school. Higher chance she won’t find her niche of friends in such a small class.

ITS attracts that kind of kid so there are plenty. If your kid is not that type, then I'd think twice about ITS.

Does ITS actually teach math & writing, or do they just let the kids be “artsy”?

They very much do teach it. Eureka math plus math enrichment with a special math teacher who uses a separate gifted curriculum. Writing is emphasized and they do have spelling and grammar as separate topics as well. It isn't some woo woo artsy school, it's a school with very solid core academics plus a lot of art specials. I would say weak points are Spanish (they don't get much) and science.

Do the MS kids all have to do art or do they get a choice?

Also looks like math tops out at Algebra …

It does say that, but I know of kids who needed more and they had sort of an independent study arrangement. The math enrichment teacher is great, super knowledgeable and responsive. ITS has truly awakened my daughter's love of math.

Are they still requiring masks?

Also no child “needs” more math. My question is more about whether ITS is ambitious about the students’ capabilities. Very few will choose to do more math on their own, but plenty of kids can do Algebra in 7th. The loosey-goosey child led thing is ok for PK but not MS. That’s why I’m skeptical about a MS appended to an elementary school.

Yes they are ambitious, that's why they employ math speciist who uses a gifted curriculum. My child absolutely does choose to do more math, and she's not the only one, and it is not loosey-goosey. That's what people like about it! Solid academics, no skating by like you could do at a bigger school.

I agree an ES-MS risks not being age-appropriate for MS, but I think ITS does a good job with the setup that they have. Given the other MS options in the area, ITS is my pick for sure. I'm not saying it's perfect but what do you see that's better EOTP?

I prefer a MS that presents a strong, required curriculum and doesn’t just wait for kids to ask for “more math please” (seriously no kids are doing that.)

And FWIW - at Deal or Stuart Hobson, my kid would be placed in 7th grade algebra and 8th grade geometry with 30 other kids most likely. Not at the whim of a “math specialist” who what, comes to the classroom a few times a week for pullouts?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:no, i didnt mean what is EOTP--- i see how it reads like that

i just asked, if you live EOTP, what is best MS ?

Personally I think it's Inspired Teaching, but if you're looking for a bigger school check out Stuart-Hobson. And some of the Friendship charter schools are solid.

ITS is too small, doesn’t offer large variety classes, and lacking in sports and extracurriculars.

What exactly is your definition of best overall to say ITS?

I think the extracurriculars are reasonable given the size of the school, and there are plenty of other opportunities to do sports. In pre-pandemic times, my kids did pottery, Lego robotics, choir, dance, and various other things.

Best overall doesn't mean best for every child. If your DC would enjoy a larger school and wants to do sports through the school system, by all means choose a bigger school. If you like a small, nurturing, progressive school and get your extracurriculars elsewhere, I believe ITS is the best one in the DC public system. My DCs' passion activities are not things they would be able to do at really any big middle school anyway.

Here's what I find impressive about ITS:

*Personalized approach where every child is well-known to the faculty. No kid can slide by or fall through the cracks. Things like portfolio defense in 8th grade are really valuable experiences. Opportunity to pursue more individualized projects.

*Friendly to special needs and non-NT kids. Progressive approach makes it a welcoming place for LGBTQIA+ kids as well.

*Strong elementary academics produces a well-prepared cohort for middle school. To be sure, some of the incoming kids are from lovely schools like Seaton and Ludlow-Taylor, others have not been well-served by their elementary schools.

*ITS middle school has pretty good test scores overall DESPITE taking a lot of new kids in 5th and 6th and being more economically diverse in the middle school. Schools such as Latin and DCI have good scores too, but they don't take on very many new kids after the entry year-- in the case of Latin almost zero. To have good results while also folding in new students who may be less prepared is impressive.

*Behavior isn't perfect, but it's not as bad as at some schools.

*Admissions to selective high schools have been strong-- I believe 7 to Walls this year out of 40-ish kids total.

*Other perks: Nice rec center adjacent, building is pretty good, the ability to have your preschool, elementary, and middle school children together in one school.

*If the goal is to identify a middle school *where your child might actually be admitted*, ITS is a strong contender. Latin and DCI are very good schools, to be sure, but they (like ITS) are not a good fit for every child and if you're looking to place a 7th or 8th grader or have a bad lottery number, it's simply not going to happen.

ITS loses a lot of kids after elementary. Most families don’t stay. That is not good and why there are spots.

For sure, it's not for everyone. But many families who come in, come in because they very much want what ITS is offering.

What EOTP middle school that has more than a slight chance of admission would you recommend?

You are right, families choose it because they don’t have options and want to stay in the city. It’s unlikely they want very much what ITS offers.

We toured ITS and talked to the teachers. Facilities is bare bone. 40 kids is way too small for graduating class. We specifically asked how a high performing kid will be challenged. Answer was harder questions, problems. Extracurriculars is minimum. We passed.

If you don’t have options and want to stay in the city, you can look at ITS. If things don’t work out for MS for us, we would rather move to the burbs for a good known middle and high school track with a large selection of academic classes that comprises of a large peer group of high performing kids.

Families value different things. We have an elementary kid at a Hill elementary and ITS might be our first choice for middle. This kid has been at a large, traditional elementary and down well academically, but is still pretty shy and sometimes feels a bit lost. I know ITS is small but we increasingly think that could be beneficial for DD. She's also very artistic and a sensitive kid, so the artsy, progressive bent of the school would suit her personality. I LOVE what the PP said about about all the teachers getting to know all the kids. And DD's main activities are dance, piano, and art -- she's not looking for a volleyball team or marching band. In other words, ITS could be a perfect fit.

Literally the only thing that would make us choose another school would be if we got into a MS we also liked but had a locked in HS option we liked (so basically -- Latin). Her feeder is Stuart-Hobson, which I actually like a lot, but I think could be too similar to elementary.

Not everyone is looking for the exact same things you are in a MS. The whole point is that different kids need different things. That's why charters exist.

Your kid sounds like the artsy, creative type. If so, I would not send to a very small school. Higher chance she won’t find her niche of friends in such a small class.

ITS attracts that kind of kid so there are plenty. If your kid is not that type, then I'd think twice about ITS.

Does ITS actually teach math & writing, or do they just let the kids be “artsy”?

They very much do teach it. Eureka math plus math enrichment with a special math teacher who uses a separate gifted curriculum. Writing is emphasized and they do have spelling and grammar as separate topics as well. It isn't some woo woo artsy school, it's a school with very solid core academics plus a lot of art specials. I would say weak points are Spanish (they don't get much) and science.

Do the MS kids all have to do art or do they get a choice?

Also looks like math tops out at Algebra …

It does say that, but I know of kids who needed more and they had sort of an independent study arrangement. The math enrichment teacher is great, super knowledgeable and responsive. ITS has truly awakened my daughter's love of math.

Are they still requiring masks?

Also no child “needs” more math. My question is more about whether ITS is ambitious about the students’ capabilities. Very few will choose to do more math on their own, but plenty of kids can do Algebra in 7th. The loosey-goosey child led thing is ok for PK but not MS. That’s why I’m skeptical about a MS appended to an elementary school.

Yes they are ambitious, that's why they employ math speciist who uses a gifted curriculum. My child absolutely does choose to do more math, and she's not the only one, and it is not loosey-goosey. That's what people like about it! Solid academics, no skating by like you could do at a bigger school.

I agree an ES-MS risks not being age-appropriate for MS, but I think ITS does a good job with the setup that they have. Given the other MS options in the area, ITS is my pick for sure. I'm not saying it's perfect but what do you see that's better EOTP?

I prefer a MS that presents a strong, required curriculum and doesn’t just wait for kids to ask for “more math please” (seriously no kids are doing that.)

And FWIW - at Deal or Stuart Hobson, my kid would be placed in 7th grade algebra and 8th grade geometry with 30 other kids most likely. Not at the whim of a “math specialist” who what, comes to the classroom a few times a week for pullouts?

Okey dokey. Look, small schools have pros and cons, nobody is denying that. I hope your DC enjoys their crowded math class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:no, i didnt mean what is EOTP--- i see how it reads like that

i just asked, if you live EOTP, what is best MS ?

Personally I think it's Inspired Teaching, but if you're looking for a bigger school check out Stuart-Hobson. And some of the Friendship charter schools are solid.

ITS is too small, doesn’t offer large variety classes, and lacking in sports and extracurriculars.

What exactly is your definition of best overall to say ITS?

I think the extracurriculars are reasonable given the size of the school, and there are plenty of other opportunities to do sports. In pre-pandemic times, my kids did pottery, Lego robotics, choir, dance, and various other things.

Best overall doesn't mean best for every child. If your DC would enjoy a larger school and wants to do sports through the school system, by all means choose a bigger school. If you like a small, nurturing, progressive school and get your extracurriculars elsewhere, I believe ITS is the best one in the DC public system. My DCs' passion activities are not things they would be able to do at really any big middle school anyway.

Here's what I find impressive about ITS:

*Personalized approach where every child is well-known to the faculty. No kid can slide by or fall through the cracks. Things like portfolio defense in 8th grade are really valuable experiences. Opportunity to pursue more individualized projects.

*Friendly to special needs and non-NT kids. Progressive approach makes it a welcoming place for LGBTQIA+ kids as well.

*Strong elementary academics produces a well-prepared cohort for middle school. To be sure, some of the incoming kids are from lovely schools like Seaton and Ludlow-Taylor, others have not been well-served by their elementary schools.

*ITS middle school has pretty good test scores overall DESPITE taking a lot of new kids in 5th and 6th and being more economically diverse in the middle school. Schools such as Latin and DCI have good scores too, but they don't take on very many new kids after the entry year-- in the case of Latin almost zero. To have good results while also folding in new students who may be less prepared is impressive.

*Behavior isn't perfect, but it's not as bad as at some schools.

*Admissions to selective high schools have been strong-- I believe 7 to Walls this year out of 40-ish kids total.

*Other perks: Nice rec center adjacent, building is pretty good, the ability to have your preschool, elementary, and middle school children together in one school.

*If the goal is to identify a middle school *where your child might actually be admitted*, ITS is a strong contender. Latin and DCI are very good schools, to be sure, but they (like ITS) are not a good fit for every child and if you're looking to place a 7th or 8th grader or have a bad lottery number, it's simply not going to happen.

ITS loses a lot of kids after elementary. Most families don’t stay. That is not good and why there are spots.

For sure, it's not for everyone. But many families who come in, come in because they very much want what ITS is offering.

What EOTP middle school that has more than a slight chance of admission would you recommend?

You are right, families choose it because they don’t have options and want to stay in the city. It’s unlikely they want very much what ITS offers.

We toured ITS and talked to the teachers. Facilities is bare bone. 40 kids is way too small for graduating class. We specifically asked how a high performing kid will be challenged. Answer was harder questions, problems. Extracurriculars is minimum. We passed.

If you don’t have options and want to stay in the city, you can look at ITS. If things don’t work out for MS for us, we would rather move to the burbs for a good known middle and high school track with a large selection of academic classes that comprises of a large peer group of high performing kids.

Families value different things. We have an elementary kid at a Hill elementary and ITS might be our first choice for middle. This kid has been at a large, traditional elementary and down well academically, but is still pretty shy and sometimes feels a bit lost. I know ITS is small but we increasingly think that could be beneficial for DD. She's also very artistic and a sensitive kid, so the artsy, progressive bent of the school would suit her personality. I LOVE what the PP said about about all the teachers getting to know all the kids. And DD's main activities are dance, piano, and art -- she's not looking for a volleyball team or marching band. In other words, ITS could be a perfect fit.

Literally the only thing that would make us choose another school would be if we got into a MS we also liked but had a locked in HS option we liked (so basically -- Latin). Her feeder is Stuart-Hobson, which I actually like a lot, but I think could be too similar to elementary.

Not everyone is looking for the exact same things you are in a MS. The whole point is that different kids need different things. That's why charters exist.

Your kid sounds like the artsy, creative type. If so, I would not send to a very small school. Higher chance she won’t find her niche of friends in such a small class.

ITS attracts that kind of kid so there are plenty. If your kid is not that type, then I'd think twice about ITS.

Does ITS actually teach math & writing, or do they just let the kids be “artsy”?

They very much do teach it. Eureka math plus math enrichment with a special math teacher who uses a separate gifted curriculum. Writing is emphasized and they do have spelling and grammar as separate topics as well. It isn't some woo woo artsy school, it's a school with very solid core academics plus a lot of art specials. I would say weak points are Spanish (they don't get much) and science.

Do the MS kids all have to do art or do they get a choice?

Also looks like math tops out at Algebra …

It does say that, but I know of kids who needed more and they had sort of an independent study arrangement. The math enrichment teacher is great, super knowledgeable and responsive. ITS has truly awakened my daughter's love of math.

Are they still requiring masks?

Also no child “needs” more math. My question is more about whether ITS is ambitious about the students’ capabilities. Very few will choose to do more math on their own, but plenty of kids can do Algebra in 7th. The loosey-goosey child led thing is ok for PK but not MS. That’s why I’m skeptical about a MS appended to an elementary school.

Yes they are ambitious, that's why they employ math speciist who uses a gifted curriculum. My child absolutely does choose to do more math, and she's not the only one, and it is not loosey-goosey. That's what people like about it! Solid academics, no skating by like you could do at a bigger school.

I agree an ES-MS risks not being age-appropriate for MS, but I think ITS does a good job with the setup that they have. Given the other MS options in the area, ITS is my pick for sure. I'm not saying it's perfect but what do you see that's better EOTP?

I prefer a MS that presents a strong, required curriculum and doesn’t just wait for kids to ask for “more math please” (seriously no kids are doing that.)

And FWIW - at Deal or Stuart Hobson, my kid would be placed in 7th grade algebra and 8th grade geometry with 30 other kids most likely. Not at the whim of a “math specialist” who what, comes to the classroom a few times a week for pullouts?

Okey dokey. Look, small schools have pros and cons, nobody is denying that. I hope your DC enjoys their crowded math class.

My point is - a small school doesn’t by definition need to be unambitious.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:no, i didnt mean what is EOTP--- i see how it reads like that

i just asked, if you live EOTP, what is best MS ?

Personally I think it's Inspired Teaching, but if you're looking for a bigger school check out Stuart-Hobson. And some of the Friendship charter schools are solid.

ITS is too small, doesn’t offer large variety classes, and lacking in sports and extracurriculars.

What exactly is your definition of best overall to say ITS?

I think the extracurriculars are reasonable given the size of the school, and there are plenty of other opportunities to do sports. In pre-pandemic times, my kids did pottery, Lego robotics, choir, dance, and various other things.

Best overall doesn't mean best for every child. If your DC would enjoy a larger school and wants to do sports through the school system, by all means choose a bigger school. If you like a small, nurturing, progressive school and get your extracurriculars elsewhere, I believe ITS is the best one in the DC public system. My DCs' passion activities are not things they would be able to do at really any big middle school anyway.

Here's what I find impressive about ITS:

*Personalized approach where every child is well-known to the faculty. No kid can slide by or fall through the cracks. Things like portfolio defense in 8th grade are really valuable experiences. Opportunity to pursue more individualized projects.

*Friendly to special needs and non-NT kids. Progressive approach makes it a welcoming place for LGBTQIA+ kids as well.

*Strong elementary academics produces a well-prepared cohort for middle school. To be sure, some of the incoming kids are from lovely schools like Seaton and Ludlow-Taylor, others have not been well-served by their elementary schools.

*ITS middle school has pretty good test scores overall DESPITE taking a lot of new kids in 5th and 6th and being more economically diverse in the middle school. Schools such as Latin and DCI have good scores too, but they don't take on very many new kids after the entry year-- in the case of Latin almost zero. To have good results while also folding in new students who may be less prepared is impressive.

*Behavior isn't perfect, but it's not as bad as at some schools.

*Admissions to selective high schools have been strong-- I believe 7 to Walls this year out of 40-ish kids total.

*Other perks: Nice rec center adjacent, building is pretty good, the ability to have your preschool, elementary, and middle school children together in one school.

*If the goal is to identify a middle school *where your child might actually be admitted*, ITS is a strong contender. Latin and DCI are very good schools, to be sure, but they (like ITS) are not a good fit for every child and if you're looking to place a 7th or 8th grader or have a bad lottery number, it's simply not going to happen.

ITS loses a lot of kids after elementary. Most families don’t stay. That is not good and why there are spots.

For sure, it's not for everyone. But many families who come in, come in because they very much want what ITS is offering.

What EOTP middle school that has more than a slight chance of admission would you recommend?

You are right, families choose it because they don’t have options and want to stay in the city. It’s unlikely they want very much what ITS offers.

We toured ITS and talked to the teachers. Facilities is bare bone. 40 kids is way too small for graduating class. We specifically asked how a high performing kid will be challenged. Answer was harder questions, problems. Extracurriculars is minimum. We passed.

If you don’t have options and want to stay in the city, you can look at ITS. If things don’t work out for MS for us, we would rather move to the burbs for a good known middle and high school track with a large selection of academic classes that comprises of a large peer group of high performing kids.

Families value different things. We have an elementary kid at a Hill elementary and ITS might be our first choice for middle. This kid has been at a large, traditional elementary and down well academically, but is still pretty shy and sometimes feels a bit lost. I know ITS is small but we increasingly think that could be beneficial for DD. She's also very artistic and a sensitive kid, so the artsy, progressive bent of the school would suit her personality. I LOVE what the PP said about about all the teachers getting to know all the kids. And DD's main activities are dance, piano, and art -- she's not looking for a volleyball team or marching band. In other words, ITS could be a perfect fit.

Literally the only thing that would make us choose another school would be if we got into a MS we also liked but had a locked in HS option we liked (so basically -- Latin). Her feeder is Stuart-Hobson, which I actually like a lot, but I think could be too similar to elementary.

Not everyone is looking for the exact same things you are in a MS. The whole point is that different kids need different things. That's why charters exist.

Your kid sounds like the artsy, creative type. If so, I would not send to a very small school. Higher chance she won’t find her niche of friends in such a small class.

ITS attracts that kind of kid so there are plenty. If your kid is not that type, then I'd think twice about ITS.

Does ITS actually teach math & writing, or do they just let the kids be “artsy”?

They very much do teach it. Eureka math plus math enrichment with a special math teacher who uses a separate gifted curriculum. Writing is emphasized and they do have spelling and grammar as separate topics as well. It isn't some woo woo artsy school, it's a school with very solid core academics plus a lot of art specials. I would say weak points are Spanish (they don't get much) and science.

Do the MS kids all have to do art or do they get a choice?

Also looks like math tops out at Algebra …

It does say that, but I know of kids who needed more and they had sort of an independent study arrangement. The math enrichment teacher is great, super knowledgeable and responsive. ITS has truly awakened my daughter's love of math.

Are they still requiring masks?

Also no child “needs” more math. My question is more about whether ITS is ambitious about the students’ capabilities. Very few will choose to do more math on their own, but plenty of kids can do Algebra in 7th. The loosey-goosey child led thing is ok for PK but not MS. That’s why I’m skeptical about a MS appended to an elementary school.

Yes they are ambitious, that's why they employ math speciist who uses a gifted curriculum. My child absolutely does choose to do more math, and she's not the only one, and it is not loosey-goosey. That's what people like about it! Solid academics, no skating by like you could do at a bigger school.

I agree an ES-MS risks not being age-appropriate for MS, but I think ITS does a good job with the setup that they have. Given the other MS options in the area, ITS is my pick for sure. I'm not saying it's perfect but what do you see that's better EOTP?

I prefer a MS that presents a strong, required curriculum and doesn’t just wait for kids to ask for “more math please” (seriously no kids are doing that.)

And FWIW - at Deal or Stuart Hobson, my kid would be placed in 7th grade algebra and 8th grade geometry with 30 other kids most likely. Not at the whim of a “math specialist” who what, comes to the classroom a few times a week for pullouts?

Okey dokey. Look, small schools have pros and cons, nobody is denying that. I hope your DC enjoys their crowded math class.

My point is - a small school doesn’t by definition need to be unambitious.

It's not unambitious. Some years there are enough kids for an Algebra II group, some not, so they are flexible and adjust each year. That's why you don't see a firm commitment on the website. It just depends. Small schools have to be flexible.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:no, i didnt mean what is EOTP--- i see how it reads like that

i just asked, if you live EOTP, what is best MS ?

Personally I think it's Inspired Teaching, but if you're looking for a bigger school check out Stuart-Hobson. And some of the Friendship charter schools are solid.

ITS is too small, doesn’t offer large variety classes, and lacking in sports and extracurriculars.

What exactly is your definition of best overall to say ITS?

I think the extracurriculars are reasonable given the size of the school, and there are plenty of other opportunities to do sports. In pre-pandemic times, my kids did pottery, Lego robotics, choir, dance, and various other things.

Best overall doesn't mean best for every child. If your DC would enjoy a larger school and wants to do sports through the school system, by all means choose a bigger school. If you like a small, nurturing, progressive school and get your extracurriculars elsewhere, I believe ITS is the best one in the DC public system. My DCs' passion activities are not things they would be able to do at really any big middle school anyway.

Here's what I find impressive about ITS:

*Personalized approach where every child is well-known to the faculty. No kid can slide by or fall through the cracks. Things like portfolio defense in 8th grade are really valuable experiences. Opportunity to pursue more individualized projects.

*Friendly to special needs and non-NT kids. Progressive approach makes it a welcoming place for LGBTQIA+ kids as well.

*Strong elementary academics produces a well-prepared cohort for middle school. To be sure, some of the incoming kids are from lovely schools like Seaton and Ludlow-Taylor, others have not been well-served by their elementary schools.

*ITS middle school has pretty good test scores overall DESPITE taking a lot of new kids in 5th and 6th and being more economically diverse in the middle school. Schools such as Latin and DCI have good scores too, but they don't take on very many new kids after the entry year-- in the case of Latin almost zero. To have good results while also folding in new students who may be less prepared is impressive.

*Behavior isn't perfect, but it's not as bad as at some schools.

*Admissions to selective high schools have been strong-- I believe 7 to Walls this year out of 40-ish kids total.

*Other perks: Nice rec center adjacent, building is pretty good, the ability to have your preschool, elementary, and middle school children together in one school.

*If the goal is to identify a middle school *where your child might actually be admitted*, ITS is a strong contender. Latin and DCI are very good schools, to be sure, but they (like ITS) are not a good fit for every child and if you're looking to place a 7th or 8th grader or have a bad lottery number, it's simply not going to happen.

ITS loses a lot of kids after elementary. Most families don’t stay. That is not good and why there are spots.

For sure, it's not for everyone. But many families who come in, come in because they very much want what ITS is offering.

What EOTP middle school that has more than a slight chance of admission would you recommend?

You are right, families choose it because they don’t have options and want to stay in the city. It’s unlikely they want very much what ITS offers.

We toured ITS and talked to the teachers. Facilities is bare bone. 40 kids is way too small for graduating class. We specifically asked how a high performing kid will be challenged. Answer was harder questions, problems. Extracurriculars is minimum. We passed.

If you don’t have options and want to stay in the city, you can look at ITS. If things don’t work out for MS for us, we would rather move to the burbs for a good known middle and high school track with a large selection of academic classes that comprises of a large peer group of high performing kids.

Families value different things. We have an elementary kid at a Hill elementary and ITS might be our first choice for middle. This kid has been at a large, traditional elementary and down well academically, but is still pretty shy and sometimes feels a bit lost. I know ITS is small but we increasingly think that could be beneficial for DD. She's also very artistic and a sensitive kid, so the artsy, progressive bent of the school would suit her personality. I LOVE what the PP said about about all the teachers getting to know all the kids. And DD's main activities are dance, piano, and art -- she's not looking for a volleyball team or marching band. In other words, ITS could be a perfect fit.

Literally the only thing that would make us choose another school would be if we got into a MS we also liked but had a locked in HS option we liked (so basically -- Latin). Her feeder is Stuart-Hobson, which I actually like a lot, but I think could be too similar to elementary.

Not everyone is looking for the exact same things you are in a MS. The whole point is that different kids need different things. That's why charters exist.

Your kid sounds like the artsy, creative type. If so, I would not send to a very small school. Higher chance she won’t find her niche of friends in such a small class.

ITS attracts that kind of kid so there are plenty. If your kid is not that type, then I'd think twice about ITS.

Does ITS actually teach math & writing, or do they just let the kids be “artsy”?

They very much do teach it. Eureka math plus math enrichment with a special math teacher who uses a separate gifted curriculum. Writing is emphasized and they do have spelling and grammar as separate topics as well. It isn't some woo woo artsy school, it's a school with very solid core academics plus a lot of art specials. I would say weak points are Spanish (they don't get much) and science.

Do the MS kids all have to do art or do they get a choice?

Also looks like math tops out at Algebra …

It does say that, but I know of kids who needed more and they had sort of an independent study arrangement. The math enrichment teacher is great, super knowledgeable and responsive. ITS has truly awakened my daughter's love of math.

Are they still requiring masks?

Also no child “needs” more math. My question is more about whether ITS is ambitious about the students’ capabilities. Very few will choose to do more math on their own, but plenty of kids can do Algebra in 7th. The loosey-goosey child led thing is ok for PK but not MS. That’s why I’m skeptical about a MS appended to an elementary school.

Yes they are ambitious, that's why they employ math speciist who uses a gifted curriculum. My child absolutely does choose to do more math, and she's not the only one, and it is not loosey-goosey. That's what people like about it! Solid academics, no skating by like you could do at a bigger school.

I agree an ES-MS risks not being age-appropriate for MS, but I think ITS does a good job with the setup that they have. Given the other MS options in the area, ITS is my pick for sure. I'm not saying it's perfect but what do you see that's better EOTP?

I prefer a MS that presents a strong, required curriculum and doesn’t just wait for kids to ask for “more math please” (seriously no kids are doing that.)

And FWIW - at Deal or Stuart Hobson, my kid would be placed in 7th grade algebra and 8th grade geometry with 30 other kids most likely. Not at the whim of a “math specialist” who what, comes to the classroom a few times a week for pullouts?

Okey dokey. Look, small schools have pros and cons, nobody is denying that. I hope your DC enjoys their crowded math class.

My point is - a small school doesn’t by definition need to be unambitious.

It's not unambitious. Some years there are enough kids for an Algebra II group, some not, so they are flexible and adjust each year. That's why you don't see a firm commitment on the website. It just depends. Small schools have to be flexible.

so the small size does compromise the curriculum.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:no, i didnt mean what is EOTP--- i see how it reads like that

i just asked, if you live EOTP, what is best MS ?

Personally I think it's Inspired Teaching, but if you're looking for a bigger school check out Stuart-Hobson. And some of the Friendship charter schools are solid.

ITS is too small, doesn’t offer large variety classes, and lacking in sports and extracurriculars.

What exactly is your definition of best overall to say ITS?

I think the extracurriculars are reasonable given the size of the school, and there are plenty of other opportunities to do sports. In pre-pandemic times, my kids did pottery, Lego robotics, choir, dance, and various other things.

Best overall doesn't mean best for every child. If your DC would enjoy a larger school and wants to do sports through the school system, by all means choose a bigger school. If you like a small, nurturing, progressive school and get your extracurriculars elsewhere, I believe ITS is the best one in the DC public system. My DCs' passion activities are not things they would be able to do at really any big middle school anyway.

Here's what I find impressive about ITS:

*Personalized approach where every child is well-known to the faculty. No kid can slide by or fall through the cracks. Things like portfolio defense in 8th grade are really valuable experiences. Opportunity to pursue more individualized projects.

*Friendly to special needs and non-NT kids. Progressive approach makes it a welcoming place for LGBTQIA+ kids as well.

*Strong elementary academics produces a well-prepared cohort for middle school. To be sure, some of the incoming kids are from lovely schools like Seaton and Ludlow-Taylor, others have not been well-served by their elementary schools.

*ITS middle school has pretty good test scores overall DESPITE taking a lot of new kids in 5th and 6th and being more economically diverse in the middle school. Schools such as Latin and DCI have good scores too, but they don't take on very many new kids after the entry year-- in the case of Latin almost zero. To have good results while also folding in new students who may be less prepared is impressive.

*Behavior isn't perfect, but it's not as bad as at some schools.

*Admissions to selective high schools have been strong-- I believe 7 to Walls this year out of 40-ish kids total.

*Other perks: Nice rec center adjacent, building is pretty good, the ability to have your preschool, elementary, and middle school children together in one school.

*If the goal is to identify a middle school *where your child might actually be admitted*, ITS is a strong contender. Latin and DCI are very good schools, to be sure, but they (like ITS) are not a good fit for every child and if you're looking to place a 7th or 8th grader or have a bad lottery number, it's simply not going to happen.

ITS loses a lot of kids after elementary. Most families don’t stay. That is not good and why there are spots.

For sure, it's not for everyone. But many families who come in, come in because they very much want what ITS is offering.

What EOTP middle school that has more than a slight chance of admission would you recommend?

You are right, families choose it because they don’t have options and want to stay in the city. It’s unlikely they want very much what ITS offers.

We toured ITS and talked to the teachers. Facilities is bare bone. 40 kids is way too small for graduating class. We specifically asked how a high performing kid will be challenged. Answer was harder questions, problems. Extracurriculars is minimum. We passed.

If you don’t have options and want to stay in the city, you can look at ITS. If things don’t work out for MS for us, we would rather move to the burbs for a good known middle and high school track with a large selection of academic classes that comprises of a large peer group of high performing kids.

Families value different things. We have an elementary kid at a Hill elementary and ITS might be our first choice for middle. This kid has been at a large, traditional elementary and down well academically, but is still pretty shy and sometimes feels a bit lost. I know ITS is small but we increasingly think that could be beneficial for DD. She's also very artistic and a sensitive kid, so the artsy, progressive bent of the school would suit her personality. I LOVE what the PP said about about all the teachers getting to know all the kids. And DD's main activities are dance, piano, and art -- she's not looking for a volleyball team or marching band. In other words, ITS could be a perfect fit.

Literally the only thing that would make us choose another school would be if we got into a MS we also liked but had a locked in HS option we liked (so basically -- Latin). Her feeder is Stuart-Hobson, which I actually like a lot, but I think could be too similar to elementary.

Not everyone is looking for the exact same things you are in a MS. The whole point is that different kids need different things. That's why charters exist.

Your kid sounds like the artsy, creative type. If so, I would not send to a very small school. Higher chance she won’t find her niche of friends in such a small class.

ITS attracts that kind of kid so there are plenty. If your kid is not that type, then I'd think twice about ITS.

Does ITS actually teach math & writing, or do they just let the kids be “artsy”?

They very much do teach it. Eureka math plus math enrichment with a special math teacher who uses a separate gifted curriculum. Writing is emphasized and they do have spelling and grammar as separate topics as well. It isn't some woo woo artsy school, it's a school with very solid core academics plus a lot of art specials. I would say weak points are Spanish (they don't get much) and science.

Do the MS kids all have to do art or do they get a choice?

Also looks like math tops out at Algebra …

It does say that, but I know of kids who needed more and they had sort of an independent study arrangement. The math enrichment teacher is great, super knowledgeable and responsive. ITS has truly awakened my daughter's love of math.

Are they still requiring masks?

Also no child “needs” more math. My question is more about whether ITS is ambitious about the students’ capabilities. Very few will choose to do more math on their own, but plenty of kids can do Algebra in 7th. The loosey-goosey child led thing is ok for PK but not MS. That’s why I’m skeptical about a MS appended to an elementary school.

Yes they are ambitious, that's why they employ math speciist who uses a gifted curriculum. My child absolutely does choose to do more math, and she's not the only one, and it is not loosey-goosey. That's what people like about it! Solid academics, no skating by like you could do at a bigger school.

I agree an ES-MS risks not being age-appropriate for MS, but I think ITS does a good job with the setup that they have. Given the other MS options in the area, ITS is my pick for sure. I'm not saying it's perfect but what do you see that's better EOTP?

I prefer a MS that presents a strong, required curriculum and doesn’t just wait for kids to ask for “more math please” (seriously no kids are doing that.)

And FWIW - at Deal or Stuart Hobson, my kid would be placed in 7th grade algebra and 8th grade geometry with 30 other kids most likely. Not at the whim of a “math specialist” who what, comes to the classroom a few times a week for pullouts?

Okey dokey. Look, small schools have pros and cons, nobody is denying that. I hope your DC enjoys their crowded math class.

My point is - a small school doesn’t by definition need to be unambitious.

It's not unambitious. Some years there are enough kids for an Algebra II group, some not, so they are flexible and adjust each year. That's why you don't see a firm commitment on the website. It just depends. Small schools have to be flexible.

so the small size does compromise the curriculum.

Obviously. Nobody has said otherwise. Nevertheless I find it to be a good school and a good fit for my kids.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:best MS :. Deal?

DCI ?

any others?

DCI only if you live EOTP and have average kids and are willing to settle to avoid moving. Deal only for DC proper.

So EOTP is not DC Proper? Interesting..

Deal for DC as a whole, DCI if you’re not in a Wilson/JR feeder. That feels correct to me. Deal > Hardy/OA (if bilingual) > DCI/ITDS, etc.

OA is definitely better than Deal if you’re bilingual and value a true dual immersion education. People who don’t know any better are just writing nonsense on this thread.

But it’s small and offers fewer options; if a very strong immersion program. We’re an immersion family and would choose OA over Deal, but that’s because of our priorities, which aren’t solely “what’s the best school possible.”

It offers fewer options for what, exactly? Unlike you, I expect my children's school to provide things that I cannot. In this case, it's a small-ish dual immersion program with ALL native speaking teachers. It's a student body that's 54% Hispanic and represents every Spanish speaking country in the world (including Equatorial Guinea). It's a school that offers all 8th graders the opportunity to take an AP Spanish exam (which the majority of students have passed--many with 4s and 5s). I can provide outside math enrichment (AoPS, Kumon, CTY, summer classes at local privates, etc.) or other specialized classes, if necessary. My children can play on travel teams if OA doesn't offer their preferred sport. What more do your children need that you can't provide on your own?

DP you do you. Supplementing is costly and time consuming. Dealing with transportation and logistics for extracurriculars and sports outside of school is time consuming. Both things are also exhausting to juggle.

I’ll take a school that provides most of the things my kid needs at the school so all I have to do is pick up after their extracurriculars or sports or they can easily take public transportation home.

Exactly. I don’t want to have to supplement things a school could/should offer. And some kids just do better in a bigger environment. A quirky kid may not find their tribe in a small school.

If you expect any school (public or private) to fully educate your child, without any outside work from you—the parent, your child will not be well educated. No one should care more about your children’s education than you.

Perhaps I’m just an outlier in that I don’t consider CTY, a private tutor, and one outside travel team sport to be an undue burden. I guess I just have different standards than most parents posting here [shrug].

No, lots of schools adequately prepare kids and middle and high school sports, clubs, and extracurriculars are enough.

You just don’t realize it and have not found it for your child. Try again.

Poster above is just a helicopter parent who will spend probably at least 150-200k in MS/HS for their kid with CTY (very expensive), private tutoring (even more expensive), and get sucked into travel sports (most expensive).

Nope, try again. My children currently attend/have graduated from OA. One currently attends one of the top 2 DCPS public magnet schools. Our children played sports at OA, and currently play a sport in high school. They are each limited to one outside (local) travel sports team…because they are working towards attending college based on academic achievement, not playing a sport. All in, we spend about $12-$15K per year total on both children (CTY, travel sports, Spanish tutor to stay ahead, etc). That’s a fraction of the cost for 2 independent school educations. We can and would spend more if necessary, and we’re grateful to be in a position to do so.

P.S. Our children haven’t attended CTY camps (which are overpriced compared to similar programs at UVA, UMD, Vanderbilt). They have mostly attended the one-day CTY family programs, and the online classes. Tip: You get a discount on online CTY classes if your child is also a Mensa member.

If this PP is representative of OA parents, I think I'd prefer Bancroft/Deal. Goodness gracious.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:no, i didnt mean what is EOTP--- i see how it reads like that

i just asked, if you live EOTP, what is best MS ?

Personally I think it's Inspired Teaching, but if you're looking for a bigger school check out Stuart-Hobson. And some of the Friendship charter schools are solid.

ITS is too small, doesn’t offer large variety classes, and lacking in sports and extracurriculars.

What exactly is your definition of best overall to say ITS?

I think the extracurriculars are reasonable given the size of the school, and there are plenty of other opportunities to do sports. In pre-pandemic times, my kids did pottery, Lego robotics, choir, dance, and various other things.

Best overall doesn't mean best for every child. If your DC would enjoy a larger school and wants to do sports through the school system, by all means choose a bigger school. If you like a small, nurturing, progressive school and get your extracurriculars elsewhere, I believe ITS is the best one in the DC public system. My DCs' passion activities are not things they would be able to do at really any big middle school anyway.

Here's what I find impressive about ITS:

*Personalized approach where every child is well-known to the faculty. No kid can slide by or fall through the cracks. Things like portfolio defense in 8th grade are really valuable experiences. Opportunity to pursue more individualized projects.

*Friendly to special needs and non-NT kids. Progressive approach makes it a welcoming place for LGBTQIA+ kids as well.

*Strong elementary academics produces a well-prepared cohort for middle school. To be sure, some of the incoming kids are from lovely schools like Seaton and Ludlow-Taylor, others have not been well-served by their elementary schools.

*ITS middle school has pretty good test scores overall DESPITE taking a lot of new kids in 5th and 6th and being more economically diverse in the middle school. Schools such as Latin and DCI have good scores too, but they don't take on very many new kids after the entry year-- in the case of Latin almost zero. To have good results while also folding in new students who may be less prepared is impressive.

*Behavior isn't perfect, but it's not as bad as at some schools.

*Admissions to selective high schools have been strong-- I believe 7 to Walls this year out of 40-ish kids total.

*Other perks: Nice rec center adjacent, building is pretty good, the ability to have your preschool, elementary, and middle school children together in one school.

*If the goal is to identify a middle school *where your child might actually be admitted*, ITS is a strong contender. Latin and DCI are very good schools, to be sure, but they (like ITS) are not a good fit for every child and if you're looking to place a 7th or 8th grader or have a bad lottery number, it's simply not going to happen.

ITS loses a lot of kids after elementary. Most families don’t stay. That is not good and why there are spots.

For sure, it's not for everyone. But many families who come in, come in because they very much want what ITS is offering.

What EOTP middle school that has more than a slight chance of admission would you recommend?

You are right, families choose it because they don’t have options and want to stay in the city. It’s unlikely they want very much what ITS offers.

We toured ITS and talked to the teachers. Facilities is bare bone. 40 kids is way too small for graduating class. We specifically asked how a high performing kid will be challenged. Answer was harder questions, problems. Extracurriculars is minimum. We passed.

If you don’t have options and want to stay in the city, you can look at ITS. If things don’t work out for MS for us, we would rather move to the burbs for a good known middle and high school track with a large selection of academic classes that comprises of a large peer group of high performing kids.

Families value different things. We have an elementary kid at a Hill elementary and ITS might be our first choice for middle. This kid has been at a large, traditional elementary and down well academically, but is still pretty shy and sometimes feels a bit lost. I know ITS is small but we increasingly think that could be beneficial for DD. She's also very artistic and a sensitive kid, so the artsy, progressive bent of the school would suit her personality. I LOVE what the PP said about about all the teachers getting to know all the kids. And DD's main activities are dance, piano, and art -- she's not looking for a volleyball team or marching band. In other words, ITS could be a perfect fit.

Literally the only thing that would make us choose another school would be if we got into a MS we also liked but had a locked in HS option we liked (so basically -- Latin). Her feeder is Stuart-Hobson, which I actually like a lot, but I think could be too similar to elementary.

Not everyone is looking for the exact same things you are in a MS. The whole point is that different kids need different things. That's why charters exist.

Your kid sounds like the artsy, creative type. If so, I would not send to a very small school. Higher chance she won’t find her niche of friends in such a small class.

ITS attracts that kind of kid so there are plenty. If your kid is not that type, then I'd think twice about ITS.

Does ITS actually teach math & writing, or do they just let the kids be “artsy”?

They very much do teach it. Eureka math plus math enrichment with a special math teacher who uses a separate gifted curriculum. Writing is emphasized and they do have spelling and grammar as separate topics as well. It isn't some woo woo artsy school, it's a school with very solid core academics plus a lot of art specials. I would say weak points are Spanish (they don't get much) and science.

Do the MS kids all have to do art or do they get a choice?

Also looks like math tops out at Algebra …

It does say that, but I know of kids who needed more and they had sort of an independent study arrangement. The math enrichment teacher is great, super knowledgeable and responsive. ITS has truly awakened my daughter's love of math.

Are they still requiring masks?

Also no child “needs” more math. My question is more about whether ITS is ambitious about the students’ capabilities. Very few will choose to do more math on their own, but plenty of kids can do Algebra in 7th. The loosey-goosey child led thing is ok for PK but not MS. That’s why I’m skeptical about a MS appended to an elementary school.

Yes they are ambitious, that's why they employ math speciist who uses a gifted curriculum. My child absolutely does choose to do more math, and she's not the only one, and it is not loosey-goosey. That's what people like about it! Solid academics, no skating by like you could do at a bigger school.

I agree an ES-MS risks not being age-appropriate for MS, but I think ITS does a good job with the setup that they have. Given the other MS options in the area, ITS is my pick for sure. I'm not saying it's perfect but what do you see that's better EOTP?

I prefer a MS that presents a strong, required curriculum and doesn’t just wait for kids to ask for “more math please” (seriously no kids are doing that.)

And FWIW - at Deal or Stuart Hobson, my kid would be placed in 7th grade algebra and 8th grade geometry with 30 other kids most likely. Not at the whim of a “math specialist” who what, comes to the classroom a few times a week for pullouts?

Okey dokey. Look, small schools have pros and cons, nobody is denying that. I hope your DC enjoys their crowded math class.

My point is - a small school doesn’t by definition need to be unambitious.

It's not unambitious. Some years there are enough kids for an Algebra II group, some not, so they are flexible and adjust each year. That's why you don't see a firm commitment on the website. It just depends. Small schools have to be flexible.

so the small size does compromise the curriculum.

ITS MS is too small and does not have the high performing cohort of kids as a whole. The ones in elementary leave the school. The majority of new kids that come in as a whole are not high performing.

You don’t have a high performing cohort of kids. That for my kid is a negative, because he performs best with similar peers and not just doing some difficult problems. Plus the curriculum can move much faster and with more depth when you have a whole class that is high performing. Not so much if it’s just 1 or 2 kids.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:no, i didnt mean what is EOTP--- i see how it reads like that

i just asked, if you live EOTP, what is best MS ?

Personally I think it's Inspired Teaching, but if you're looking for a bigger school check out Stuart-Hobson. And some of the Friendship charter schools are solid.

ITS is too small, doesn’t offer large variety classes, and lacking in sports and extracurriculars.

What exactly is your definition of best overall to say ITS?

I think the extracurriculars are reasonable given the size of the school, and there are plenty of other opportunities to do sports. In pre-pandemic times, my kids did pottery, Lego robotics, choir, dance, and various other things.

Best overall doesn't mean best for every child. If your DC would enjoy a larger school and wants to do sports through the school system, by all means choose a bigger school. If you like a small, nurturing, progressive school and get your extracurriculars elsewhere, I believe ITS is the best one in the DC public system. My DCs' passion activities are not things they would be able to do at really any big middle school anyway.

Here's what I find impressive about ITS:

*Personalized approach where every child is well-known to the faculty. No kid can slide by or fall through the cracks. Things like portfolio defense in 8th grade are really valuable experiences. Opportunity to pursue more individualized projects.

*Friendly to special needs and non-NT kids. Progressive approach makes it a welcoming place for LGBTQIA+ kids as well.

*Strong elementary academics produces a well-prepared cohort for middle school. To be sure, some of the incoming kids are from lovely schools like Seaton and Ludlow-Taylor, others have not been well-served by their elementary schools.

*ITS middle school has pretty good test scores overall DESPITE taking a lot of new kids in 5th and 6th and being more economically diverse in the middle school. Schools such as Latin and DCI have good scores too, but they don't take on very many new kids after the entry year-- in the case of Latin almost zero. To have good results while also folding in new students who may be less prepared is impressive.

*Behavior isn't perfect, but it's not as bad as at some schools.

*Admissions to selective high schools have been strong-- I believe 7 to Walls this year out of 40-ish kids total.

*Other perks: Nice rec center adjacent, building is pretty good, the ability to have your preschool, elementary, and middle school children together in one school.

*If the goal is to identify a middle school *where your child might actually be admitted*, ITS is a strong contender. Latin and DCI are very good schools, to be sure, but they (like ITS) are not a good fit for every child and if you're looking to place a 7th or 8th grader or have a bad lottery number, it's simply not going to happen.

ITS loses a lot of kids after elementary. Most families don’t stay. That is not good and why there are spots.

For sure, it's not for everyone. But many families who come in, come in because they very much want what ITS is offering.

What EOTP middle school that has more than a slight chance of admission would you recommend?

You are right, families choose it because they don’t have options and want to stay in the city. It’s unlikely they want very much what ITS offers.

We toured ITS and talked to the teachers. Facilities is bare bone. 40 kids is way too small for graduating class. We specifically asked how a high performing kid will be challenged. Answer was harder questions, problems. Extracurriculars is minimum. We passed.

If you don’t have options and want to stay in the city, you can look at ITS. If things don’t work out for MS for us, we would rather move to the burbs for a good known middle and high school track with a large selection of academic classes that comprises of a large peer group of high performing kids.

Families value different things. We have an elementary kid at a Hill elementary and ITS might be our first choice for middle. This kid has been at a large, traditional elementary and down well academically, but is still pretty shy and sometimes feels a bit lost. I know ITS is small but we increasingly think that could be beneficial for DD. She's also very artistic and a sensitive kid, so the artsy, progressive bent of the school would suit her personality. I LOVE what the PP said about about all the teachers getting to know all the kids. And DD's main activities are dance, piano, and art -- she's not looking for a volleyball team or marching band. In other words, ITS could be a perfect fit.

Literally the only thing that would make us choose another school would be if we got into a MS we also liked but had a locked in HS option we liked (so basically -- Latin). Her feeder is Stuart-Hobson, which I actually like a lot, but I think could be too similar to elementary.

Not everyone is looking for the exact same things you are in a MS. The whole point is that different kids need different things. That's why charters exist.

Your kid sounds like the artsy, creative type. If so, I would not send to a very small school. Higher chance she won’t find her niche of friends in such a small class.

ITS attracts that kind of kid so there are plenty. If your kid is not that type, then I'd think twice about ITS.

Does ITS actually teach math & writing, or do they just let the kids be “artsy”?

They very much do teach it. Eureka math plus math enrichment with a special math teacher who uses a separate gifted curriculum. Writing is emphasized and they do have spelling and grammar as separate topics as well. It isn't some woo woo artsy school, it's a school with very solid core academics plus a lot of art specials. I would say weak points are Spanish (they don't get much) and science.

Do the MS kids all have to do art or do they get a choice?

Also looks like math tops out at Algebra …

It does say that, but I know of kids who needed more and they had sort of an independent study arrangement. The math enrichment teacher is great, super knowledgeable and responsive. ITS has truly awakened my daughter's love of math.

Are they still requiring masks?

Also no child “needs” more math. My question is more about whether ITS is ambitious about the students’ capabilities. Very few will choose to do more math on their own, but plenty of kids can do Algebra in 7th. The loosey-goosey child led thing is ok for PK but not MS. That’s why I’m skeptical about a MS appended to an elementary school.

Yes they are ambitious, that's why they employ math speciist who uses a gifted curriculum. My child absolutely does choose to do more math, and she's not the only one, and it is not loosey-goosey. That's what people like about it! Solid academics, no skating by like you could do at a bigger school.

I agree an ES-MS risks not being age-appropriate for MS, but I think ITS does a good job with the setup that they have. Given the other MS options in the area, ITS is my pick for sure. I'm not saying it's perfect but what do you see that's better EOTP?

I prefer a MS that presents a strong, required curriculum and doesn’t just wait for kids to ask for “more math please” (seriously no kids are doing that.)

And FWIW - at Deal or Stuart Hobson, my kid would be placed in 7th grade algebra and 8th grade geometry with 30 other kids most likely. Not at the whim of a “math specialist” who what, comes to the classroom a few times a week for pullouts?

Okey dokey. Look, small schools have pros and cons, nobody is denying that. I hope your DC enjoys their crowded math class.

My point is - a small school doesn’t by definition need to be unambitious.

It's not unambitious. Some years there are enough kids for an Algebra II group, some not, so they are flexible and adjust each year. That's why you don't see a firm commitment on the website. It just depends. Small schools have to be flexible.

so the small size does compromise the curriculum.

ITS MS is too small and does not have the high performing cohort of kids as a whole. The ones in elementary leave the school. The majority of new kids that come in as a whole are not high performing.

You don’t have a high performing cohort of kids. That for my kid is a negative, because he performs best with similar peers and not just doing some difficult problems. Plus the curriculum can move much faster and with more depth when you have a whole class that is high performing. Not so much if it’s just 1 or 2 kids.

omg, do you know the kids who are in the middle school? My kid is definitely high performing, and gets more advanced content pushed to them, and has a strong cohort of similar peers. They were a 7th grader in the 8th grade level math class last year, and I know the teacher will continue to add that advanced track for this coming year. They also get to know kids who are from different backgrounds and form friendships with them too. That's valuable to us.

And yes, I was annoyed that masks were required indoors. But, I also saw my kid staying in school all year long instead of having to be out for 7 days because they got covid. We did not leave because we did not want to. I know it isn't right for everyone, but it's right for a lot of people.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:no, i didnt mean what is EOTP--- i see how it reads like that

i just asked, if you live EOTP, what is best MS ?

Personally I think it's Inspired Teaching, but if you're looking for a bigger school check out Stuart-Hobson. And some of the Friendship charter schools are solid.

ITS is too small, doesn’t offer large variety classes, and lacking in sports and extracurriculars.

What exactly is your definition of best overall to say ITS?

I think the extracurriculars are reasonable given the size of the school, and there are plenty of other opportunities to do sports. In pre-pandemic times, my kids did pottery, Lego robotics, choir, dance, and various other things.

Best overall doesn't mean best for every child. If your DC would enjoy a larger school and wants to do sports through the school system, by all means choose a bigger school. If you like a small, nurturing, progressive school and get your extracurriculars elsewhere, I believe ITS is the best one in the DC public system. My DCs' passion activities are not things they would be able to do at really any big middle school anyway.

Here's what I find impressive about ITS:

*Personalized approach where every child is well-known to the faculty. No kid can slide by or fall through the cracks. Things like portfolio defense in 8th grade are really valuable experiences. Opportunity to pursue more individualized projects.

*Friendly to special needs and non-NT kids. Progressive approach makes it a welcoming place for LGBTQIA+ kids as well.

*Strong elementary academics produces a well-prepared cohort for middle school. To be sure, some of the incoming kids are from lovely schools like Seaton and Ludlow-Taylor, others have not been well-served by their elementary schools.

*ITS middle school has pretty good test scores overall DESPITE taking a lot of new kids in 5th and 6th and being more economically diverse in the middle school. Schools such as Latin and DCI have good scores too, but they don't take on very many new kids after the entry year-- in the case of Latin almost zero. To have good results while also folding in new students who may be less prepared is impressive.

*Behavior isn't perfect, but it's not as bad as at some schools.

*Admissions to selective high schools have been strong-- I believe 7 to Walls this year out of 40-ish kids total.

*Other perks: Nice rec center adjacent, building is pretty good, the ability to have your preschool, elementary, and middle school children together in one school.

*If the goal is to identify a middle school *where your child might actually be admitted*, ITS is a strong contender. Latin and DCI are very good schools, to be sure, but they (like ITS) are not a good fit for every child and if you're looking to place a 7th or 8th grader or have a bad lottery number, it's simply not going to happen.

ITS loses a lot of kids after elementary. Most families don’t stay. That is not good and why there are spots.

For sure, it's not for everyone. But many families who come in, come in because they very much want what ITS is offering.

What EOTP middle school that has more than a slight chance of admission would you recommend?

You are right, families choose it because they don’t have options and want to stay in the city. It’s unlikely they want very much what ITS offers.

We toured ITS and talked to the teachers. Facilities is bare bone. 40 kids is way too small for graduating class. We specifically asked how a high performing kid will be challenged. Answer was harder questions, problems. Extracurriculars is minimum. We passed.

If you don’t have options and want to stay in the city, you can look at ITS. If things don’t work out for MS for us, we would rather move to the burbs for a good known middle and high school track with a large selection of academic classes that comprises of a large peer group of high performing kids.

Families value different things. We have an elementary kid at a Hill elementary and ITS might be our first choice for middle. This kid has been at a large, traditional elementary and down well academically, but is still pretty shy and sometimes feels a bit lost. I know ITS is small but we increasingly think that could be beneficial for DD. She's also very artistic and a sensitive kid, so the artsy, progressive bent of the school would suit her personality. I LOVE what the PP said about about all the teachers getting to know all the kids. And DD's main activities are dance, piano, and art -- she's not looking for a volleyball team or marching band. In other words, ITS could be a perfect fit.

Literally the only thing that would make us choose another school would be if we got into a MS we also liked but had a locked in HS option we liked (so basically -- Latin). Her feeder is Stuart-Hobson, which I actually like a lot, but I think could be too similar to elementary.

Not everyone is looking for the exact same things you are in a MS. The whole point is that different kids need different things. That's why charters exist.

Your kid sounds like the artsy, creative type. If so, I would not send to a very small school. Higher chance she won’t find her niche of friends in such a small class.

ITS attracts that kind of kid so there are plenty. If your kid is not that type, then I'd think twice about ITS.

Does ITS actually teach math & writing, or do they just let the kids be “artsy”?

They very much do teach it. Eureka math plus math enrichment with a special math teacher who uses a separate gifted curriculum. Writing is emphasized and they do have spelling and grammar as separate topics as well. It isn't some woo woo artsy school, it's a school with very solid core academics plus a lot of art specials. I would say weak points are Spanish (they don't get much) and science.

Do the MS kids all have to do art or do they get a choice?

Also looks like math tops out at Algebra …

It does say that, but I know of kids who needed more and they had sort of an independent study arrangement. The math enrichment teacher is great, super knowledgeable and responsive. ITS has truly awakened my daughter's love of math.

Are they still requiring masks?

They were inside but not outside. Not sure about the coming year.

Ugh that’s terrible. If they are requiring masks by school lottery time next year, definitely off my list. Just casts doubt on their entire operation.

You and I are in agreement on masks but we're at a DCPS and even after the district removed the mask mandate, there was a kind of unofficial mandate at our school for the rest of the year. Some students and teachers removed masks and the school couldn't do anything about it, but via pressure from admins, influential teachers, and most of the PTA, most of the school remained masked (many even continued to mask outdoors). It was incredibly frustrating but because "officially" you could have your kid remove their mask (which we did, with anxiety because we didn't want teachers or other kids to get upset with him), there was not really a policy to argue against. It was part of the culture of the school.

We are hopeful it will be better in the coming year as people start to accept that full time masking of children is a thing of the past. We will send masks with our kid if there is another omicron-like wave, but otherwise no.

All this to say that I will be watching what charters do around masking this year closely. I know many of them kept their mask mandate through the end of the 2021-2022 school year, but if they lift it for this year and adopt more effective/reasonable Covid measures, and our DCPS continues to with this weird unofficial policy, we will be lotterying in the spring.

One advantage of a smaller school is that it should make it easier to effect policy change, like moving from a culture of masking to one without, assuming the administration is on board. Our school is large and it's really only about 10% of the school that is super Covid-anxious, but they have outsized influence on the rest of the school. We're actually pretty Covid cautious too but it's out of hand here and based more on fears and virtue signaling instead of science and why is best for the kids. I'm so tired.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:no, i didnt mean what is EOTP--- i see how it reads like that

i just asked, if you live EOTP, what is best MS ?

Personally I think it's Inspired Teaching, but if you're looking for a bigger school check out Stuart-Hobson. And some of the Friendship charter schools are solid.

ITS is too small, doesn’t offer large variety classes, and lacking in sports and extracurriculars.

What exactly is your definition of best overall to say ITS?

I think the extracurriculars are reasonable given the size of the school, and there are plenty of other opportunities to do sports. In pre-pandemic times, my kids did pottery, Lego robotics, choir, dance, and various other things.

Best overall doesn't mean best for every child. If your DC would enjoy a larger school and wants to do sports through the school system, by all means choose a bigger school. If you like a small, nurturing, progressive school and get your extracurriculars elsewhere, I believe ITS is the best one in the DC public system. My DCs' passion activities are not things they would be able to do at really any big middle school anyway.

Here's what I find impressive about ITS:

*Personalized approach where every child is well-known to the faculty. No kid can slide by or fall through the cracks. Things like portfolio defense in 8th grade are really valuable experiences. Opportunity to pursue more individualized projects.

*Friendly to special needs and non-NT kids. Progressive approach makes it a welcoming place for LGBTQIA+ kids as well.

*Strong elementary academics produces a well-prepared cohort for middle school. To be sure, some of the incoming kids are from lovely schools like Seaton and Ludlow-Taylor, others have not been well-served by their elementary schools.

*ITS middle school has pretty good test scores overall DESPITE taking a lot of new kids in 5th and 6th and being more economically diverse in the middle school. Schools such as Latin and DCI have good scores too, but they don't take on very many new kids after the entry year-- in the case of Latin almost zero. To have good results while also folding in new students who may be less prepared is impressive.

*Behavior isn't perfect, but it's not as bad as at some schools.

*Admissions to selective high schools have been strong-- I believe 7 to Walls this year out of 40-ish kids total.

*Other perks: Nice rec center adjacent, building is pretty good, the ability to have your preschool, elementary, and middle school children together in one school.

*If the goal is to identify a middle school *where your child might actually be admitted*, ITS is a strong contender. Latin and DCI are very good schools, to be sure, but they (like ITS) are not a good fit for every child and if you're looking to place a 7th or 8th grader or have a bad lottery number, it's simply not going to happen.

ITS loses a lot of kids after elementary. Most families don’t stay. That is not good and why there are spots.

For sure, it's not for everyone. But many families who come in, come in because they very much want what ITS is offering.

What EOTP middle school that has more than a slight chance of admission would you recommend?

You are right, families choose it because they don’t have options and want to stay in the city. It’s unlikely they want very much what ITS offers.

We toured ITS and talked to the teachers. Facilities is bare bone. 40 kids is way too small for graduating class. We specifically asked how a high performing kid will be challenged. Answer was harder questions, problems. Extracurriculars is minimum. We passed.

If you don’t have options and want to stay in the city, you can look at ITS. If things don’t work out for MS for us, we would rather move to the burbs for a good known middle and high school track with a large selection of academic classes that comprises of a large peer group of high performing kids.

Families value different things. We have an elementary kid at a Hill elementary and ITS might be our first choice for middle. This kid has been at a large, traditional elementary and down well academically, but is still pretty shy and sometimes feels a bit lost. I know ITS is small but we increasingly think that could be beneficial for DD. She's also very artistic and a sensitive kid, so the artsy, progressive bent of the school would suit her personality. I LOVE what the PP said about about all the teachers getting to know all the kids. And DD's main activities are dance, piano, and art -- she's not looking for a volleyball team or marching band. In other words, ITS could be a perfect fit.

Literally the only thing that would make us choose another school would be if we got into a MS we also liked but had a locked in HS option we liked (so basically -- Latin). Her feeder is Stuart-Hobson, which I actually like a lot, but I think could be too similar to elementary.

Not everyone is looking for the exact same things you are in a MS. The whole point is that different kids need different things. That's why charters exist.

Your kid sounds like the artsy, creative type. If so, I would not send to a very small school. Higher chance she won’t find her niche of friends in such a small class.

ITS attracts that kind of kid so there are plenty. If your kid is not that type, then I'd think twice about ITS.

Does ITS actually teach math & writing, or do they just let the kids be “artsy”?

They very much do teach it. Eureka math plus math enrichment with a special math teacher who uses a separate gifted curriculum. Writing is emphasized and they do have spelling and grammar as separate topics as well. It isn't some woo woo artsy school, it's a school with very solid core academics plus a lot of art specials. I would say weak points are Spanish (they don't get much) and science.

Do the MS kids all have to do art or do they get a choice?

Also looks like math tops out at Algebra …

It does say that, but I know of kids who needed more and they had sort of an independent study arrangement. The math enrichment teacher is great, super knowledgeable and responsive. ITS has truly awakened my daughter's love of math.

Are they still requiring masks?

Also no child “needs” more math. My question is more about whether ITS is ambitious about the students’ capabilities. Very few will choose to do more math on their own, but plenty of kids can do Algebra in 7th. The loosey-goosey child led thing is ok for PK but not MS. That’s why I’m skeptical about a MS appended to an elementary school.

Yes they are ambitious, that's why they employ math speciist who uses a gifted curriculum. My child absolutely does choose to do more math, and she's not the only one, and it is not loosey-goosey. That's what people like about it! Solid academics, no skating by like you could do at a bigger school.

I agree an ES-MS risks not being age-appropriate for MS, but I think ITS does a good job with the setup that they have. Given the other MS options in the area, ITS is my pick for sure. I'm not saying it's perfect but what do you see that's better EOTP?

I prefer a MS that presents a strong, required curriculum and doesn’t just wait for kids to ask for “more math please” (seriously no kids are doing that.)

And FWIW - at Deal or Stuart Hobson, my kid would be placed in 7th grade algebra and 8th grade geometry with 30 other kids most likely. Not at the whim of a “math specialist” who what, comes to the classroom a few times a week for pullouts?

Okey dokey. Look, small schools have pros and cons, nobody is denying that. I hope your DC enjoys their crowded math class.

My point is - a small school doesn’t by definition need to be unambitious.

It's not unambitious. Some years there are enough kids for an Algebra II group, some not, so they are flexible and adjust each year. That's why you don't see a firm commitment on the website. It just depends. Small schools have to be flexible.

so the small size does compromise the curriculum.

ITS MS is too small and does not have the high performing cohort of kids as a whole. The ones in elementary leave the school. The majority of new kids that come in as a whole are not high performing.

You don’t have a high performing cohort of kids. That for my kid is a negative, because he performs best with similar peers and not just doing some difficult problems. Plus the curriculum can move much faster and with more depth when you have a whole class that is high performing. Not so much if it’s just 1 or 2 kids.

Then don't send your kid there! I don't understand why you are obsessed with a charter MS that no one is forced to attend, and that you do not need to use. Some people like it and given that there are a number of literally failing MSs EOTP, it's nice that ITS exists as an option. Not everyone can afford to move to NW, spots at Latin are hard to get, BASIS is very much not for everyone (and also hard to get a spot at), schools like Wheatley and EH have major issues with academics, socialization, even just getting kids to attend the school, and on and on.

ITS is a solid option for some kids who want/need a small school environment, are attracted to the arts and social justice focus, and are perhaps more self-motivated that kids who need to be pushed harder (or have parents who want them to be). You are actually wrong that NO middle school student says "more math please" by the way. Kids who loooooove math absolutely do this. I was a teenager who used to ask for geometry proofs to do "for fun". It depends on the kid.

No one is making your kid go there. If other kids go there, that's more spots at a school you might be interested in for your kid. This seems like a win-win.

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Anonymous wrote:no, i didnt mean what is EOTP--- i see how it reads like that

i just asked, if you live EOTP, what is best MS ?

Personally I think it's Inspired Teaching, but if you're looking for a bigger school check out Stuart-Hobson. And some of the Friendship charter schools are solid.

ITS is too small, doesn’t offer large variety classes, and lacking in sports and extracurriculars.

What exactly is your definition of best overall to say ITS?

I think the extracurriculars are reasonable given the size of the school, and there are plenty of other opportunities to do sports. In pre-pandemic times, my kids did pottery, Lego robotics, choir, dance, and various other things.

Best overall doesn't mean best for every child. If your DC would enjoy a larger school and wants to do sports through the school system, by all means choose a bigger school. If you like a small, nurturing, progressive school and get your extracurriculars elsewhere, I believe ITS is the best one in the DC public system. My DCs' passion activities are not things they would be able to do at really any big middle school anyway.

Here's what I find impressive about ITS:

*Personalized approach where every child is well-known to the faculty. No kid can slide by or fall through the cracks. Things like portfolio defense in 8th grade are really valuable experiences. Opportunity to pursue more individualized projects.

*Friendly to special needs and non-NT kids. Progressive approach makes it a welcoming place for LGBTQIA+ kids as well.

*Strong elementary academics produces a well-prepared cohort for middle school. To be sure, some of the incoming kids are from lovely schools like Seaton and Ludlow-Taylor, others have not been well-served by their elementary schools.

*ITS middle school has pretty good test scores overall DESPITE taking a lot of new kids in 5th and 6th and being more economically diverse in the middle school. Schools such as Latin and DCI have good scores too, but they don't take on very many new kids after the entry year-- in the case of Latin almost zero. To have good results while also folding in new students who may be less prepared is impressive.

*Behavior isn't perfect, but it's not as bad as at some schools.

*Admissions to selective high schools have been strong-- I believe 7 to Walls this year out of 40-ish kids total.

*Other perks: Nice rec center adjacent, building is pretty good, the ability to have your preschool, elementary, and middle school children together in one school.

*If the goal is to identify a middle school *where your child might actually be admitted*, ITS is a strong contender. Latin and DCI are very good schools, to be sure, but they (like ITS) are not a good fit for every child and if you're looking to place a 7th or 8th grader or have a bad lottery number, it's simply not going to happen.

ITS loses a lot of kids after elementary. Most families don’t stay. That is not good and why there are spots.

For sure, it's not for everyone. But many families who come in, come in because they very much want what ITS is offering.

What EOTP middle school that has more than a slight chance of admission would you recommend?

You are right, families choose it because they don’t have options and want to stay in the city. It’s unlikely they want very much what ITS offers.

We toured ITS and talked to the teachers. Facilities is bare bone. 40 kids is way too small for graduating class. We specifically asked how a high performing kid will be challenged. Answer was harder questions, problems. Extracurriculars is minimum. We passed.

If you don’t have options and want to stay in the city, you can look at ITS. If things don’t work out for MS for us, we would rather move to the burbs for a good known middle and high school track with a large selection of academic classes that comprises of a large peer group of high performing kids.

Families value different things. We have an elementary kid at a Hill elementary and ITS might be our first choice for middle. This kid has been at a large, traditional elementary and down well academically, but is still pretty shy and sometimes feels a bit lost. I know ITS is small but we increasingly think that could be beneficial for DD. She's also very artistic and a sensitive kid, so the artsy, progressive bent of the school would suit her personality. I LOVE what the PP said about about all the teachers getting to know all the kids. And DD's main activities are dance, piano, and art -- she's not looking for a volleyball team or marching band. In other words, ITS could be a perfect fit.

Literally the only thing that would make us choose another school would be if we got into a MS we also liked but had a locked in HS option we liked (so basically -- Latin). Her feeder is Stuart-Hobson, which I actually like a lot, but I think could be too similar to elementary.

Not everyone is looking for the exact same things you are in a MS. The whole point is that different kids need different things. That's why charters exist.

Your kid sounds like the artsy, creative type. If so, I would not send to a very small school. Higher chance she won’t find her niche of friends in such a small class.

ITS attracts that kind of kid so there are plenty. If your kid is not that type, then I'd think twice about ITS.

Does ITS actually teach math & writing, or do they just let the kids be “artsy”?

They very much do teach it. Eureka math plus math enrichment with a special math teacher who uses a separate gifted curriculum. Writing is emphasized and they do have spelling and grammar as separate topics as well. It isn't some woo woo artsy school, it's a school with very solid core academics plus a lot of art specials. I would say weak points are Spanish (they don't get much) and science.

Do the MS kids all have to do art or do they get a choice?

Also looks like math tops out at Algebra …

It does say that, but I know of kids who needed more and they had sort of an independent study arrangement. The math enrichment teacher is great, super knowledgeable and responsive. ITS has truly awakened my daughter's love of math.

Are they still requiring masks?

Also no child “needs” more math. My question is more about whether ITS is ambitious about the students’ capabilities. Very few will choose to do more math on their own, but plenty of kids can do Algebra in 7th. The loosey-goosey child led thing is ok for PK but not MS. That’s why I’m skeptical about a MS appended to an elementary school.

Yes they are ambitious, that's why they employ math speciist who uses a gifted curriculum. My child absolutely does choose to do more math, and she's not the only one, and it is not loosey-goosey. That's what people like about it! Solid academics, no skating by like you could do at a bigger school.

I agree an ES-MS risks not being age-appropriate for MS, but I think ITS does a good job with the setup that they have. Given the other MS options in the area, ITS is my pick for sure. I'm not saying it's perfect but what do you see that's better EOTP?

I prefer a MS that presents a strong, required curriculum and doesn’t just wait for kids to ask for “more math please” (seriously no kids are doing that.)

And FWIW - at Deal or Stuart Hobson, my kid would be placed in 7th grade algebra and 8th grade geometry with 30 other kids most likely. Not at the whim of a “math specialist” who what, comes to the classroom a few times a week for pullouts?

Okey dokey. Look, small schools have pros and cons, nobody is denying that. I hope your DC enjoys their crowded math class.

My point is - a small school doesn’t by definition need to be unambitious.

It's not unambitious. Some years there are enough kids for an Algebra II group, some not, so they are flexible and adjust each year. That's why you don't see a firm commitment on the website. It just depends. Small schools have to be flexible.

so the small size does compromise the curriculum.

ITS MS is too small and does not have the high performing cohort of kids as a whole. The ones in elementary leave the school. The majority of new kids that come in as a whole are not high performing.

You don’t have a high performing cohort of kids. That for my kid is a negative, because he performs best with similar peers and not just doing some difficult problems. Plus the curriculum can move much faster and with more depth when you have a whole class that is high performing. Not so much if it’s just 1 or 2 kids.

omg, do you know the kids who are in the middle school? My kid is definitely high performing, and gets more advanced content pushed to them, and has a strong cohort of similar peers. They were a 7th grader in the 8th grade level math class last year, and I know the teacher will continue to add that advanced track for this coming year. They also get to know kids who are from different backgrounds and form friendships with them too. That's valuable to us.

And yes, I was annoyed that masks were required indoors. But, I also saw my kid staying in school all year long instead of having to be out for 7 days because they got covid. We did not leave because we did not want to. I know it isn't right for everyone, but it's right for a lot of people.

If the middle school is that bad, they wouldn't have as good middle school placement stats. 24 kids applied through the DCPS system and six got into Walls, two to Banneker, three to Ellington, three to McKinley. Now, you can say that those schools don't have *that* high a bar, and that's true, but these aren't the stats of a school where there's no high performing cohort at all.

Some people like diversity and are willing to be a bit flexible, especially if it means avoiding the overcrowding of Deal or the behavior issues of Stuart-Hobson.

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Anonymous wrote:no, i didnt mean what is EOTP--- i see how it reads like that

i just asked, if you live EOTP, what is best MS ?

Personally I think it's Inspired Teaching, but if you're looking for a bigger school check out Stuart-Hobson. And some of the Friendship charter schools are solid.

ITS is too small, doesn’t offer large variety classes, and lacking in sports and extracurriculars.

What exactly is your definition of best overall to say ITS?

I think the extracurriculars are reasonable given the size of the school, and there are plenty of other opportunities to do sports. In pre-pandemic times, my kids did pottery, Lego robotics, choir, dance, and various other things.

Best overall doesn't mean best for every child. If your DC would enjoy a larger school and wants to do sports through the school system, by all means choose a bigger school. If you like a small, nurturing, progressive school and get your extracurriculars elsewhere, I believe ITS is the best one in the DC public system. My DCs' passion activities are not things they would be able to do at really any big middle school anyway.

Here's what I find impressive about ITS:

*Personalized approach where every child is well-known to the faculty. No kid can slide by or fall through the cracks. Things like portfolio defense in 8th grade are really valuable experiences. Opportunity to pursue more individualized projects.

*Friendly to special needs and non-NT kids. Progressive approach makes it a welcoming place for LGBTQIA+ kids as well.

*Strong elementary academics produces a well-prepared cohort for middle school. To be sure, some of the incoming kids are from lovely schools like Seaton and Ludlow-Taylor, others have not been well-served by their elementary schools.

*ITS middle school has pretty good test scores overall DESPITE taking a lot of new kids in 5th and 6th and being more economically diverse in the middle school. Schools such as Latin and DCI have good scores too, but they don't take on very many new kids after the entry year-- in the case of Latin almost zero. To have good results while also folding in new students who may be less prepared is impressive.

*Behavior isn't perfect, but it's not as bad as at some schools.

*Admissions to selective high schools have been strong-- I believe 7 to Walls this year out of 40-ish kids total.

*Other perks: Nice rec center adjacent, building is pretty good, the ability to have your preschool, elementary, and middle school children together in one school.

*If the goal is to identify a middle school *where your child might actually be admitted*, ITS is a strong contender. Latin and DCI are very good schools, to be sure, but they (like ITS) are not a good fit for every child and if you're looking to place a 7th or 8th grader or have a bad lottery number, it's simply not going to happen.

ITS loses a lot of kids after elementary. Most families don’t stay. That is not good and why there are spots.

For sure, it's not for everyone. But many families who come in, come in because they very much want what ITS is offering.

What EOTP middle school that has more than a slight chance of admission would you recommend?

You are right, families choose it because they don’t have options and want to stay in the city. It’s unlikely they want very much what ITS offers.

We toured ITS and talked to the teachers. Facilities is bare bone. 40 kids is way too small for graduating class. We specifically asked how a high performing kid will be challenged. Answer was harder questions, problems. Extracurriculars is minimum. We passed.

If you don’t have options and want to stay in the city, you can look at ITS. If things don’t work out for MS for us, we would rather move to the burbs for a good known middle and high school track with a large selection of academic classes that comprises of a large peer group of high performing kids.

Families value different things. We have an elementary kid at a Hill elementary and ITS might be our first choice for middle. This kid has been at a large, traditional elementary and down well academically, but is still pretty shy and sometimes feels a bit lost. I know ITS is small but we increasingly think that could be beneficial for DD. She's also very artistic and a sensitive kid, so the artsy, progressive bent of the school would suit her personality. I LOVE what the PP said about about all the teachers getting to know all the kids. And DD's main activities are dance, piano, and art -- she's not looking for a volleyball team or marching band. In other words, ITS could be a perfect fit.

Literally the only thing that would make us choose another school would be if we got into a MS we also liked but had a locked in HS option we liked (so basically -- Latin). Her feeder is Stuart-Hobson, which I actually like a lot, but I think could be too similar to elementary.

Not everyone is looking for the exact same things you are in a MS. The whole point is that different kids need different things. That's why charters exist.

Your kid sounds like the artsy, creative type. If so, I would not send to a very small school. Higher chance she won’t find her niche of friends in such a small class.

ITS attracts that kind of kid so there are plenty. If your kid is not that type, then I'd think twice about ITS.

Does ITS actually teach math & writing, or do they just let the kids be “artsy”?

They very much do teach it. Eureka math plus math enrichment with a special math teacher who uses a separate gifted curriculum. Writing is emphasized and they do have spelling and grammar as separate topics as well. It isn't some woo woo artsy school, it's a school with very solid core academics plus a lot of art specials. I would say weak points are Spanish (they don't get much) and science.

Do the MS kids all have to do art or do they get a choice?

Also looks like math tops out at Algebra …

It does say that, but I know of kids who needed more and they had sort of an independent study arrangement. The math enrichment teacher is great, super knowledgeable and responsive. ITS has truly awakened my daughter's love of math.

Are they still requiring masks?

They were inside but not outside. Not sure about the coming year.

Ugh that’s terrible. If they are requiring masks by school lottery time next year, definitely off my list. Just casts doubt on their entire operation.

You and I are in agreement on masks but we're at a DCPS and even after the district removed the mask mandate, there was a kind of unofficial mandate at our school for the rest of the year. Some students and teachers removed masks and the school couldn't do anything about it, but via pressure from admins, influential teachers, and most of the PTA, most of the school remained masked (many even continued to mask outdoors). It was incredibly frustrating but because "officially" you could have your kid remove their mask (which we did, with anxiety because we didn't want teachers or other kids to get upset with him), there was not really a policy to argue against. It was part of the culture of the school.

We are hopeful it will be better in the coming year as people start to accept that full time masking of children is a thing of the past. We will send masks with our kid if there is another omicron-like wave, but otherwise no.

All this to say that I will be watching what charters do around masking this year closely. I know many of them kept their mask mandate through the end of the 2021-2022 school year, but if they lift it for this year and adopt more effective/reasonable Covid measures, and our DCPS continues to with this weird unofficial policy, we will be lotterying in the spring.

One advantage of a smaller school is that it should make it easier to effect policy change, like moving from a culture of masking to one without, assuming the administration is on board. Our school is large and it's really only about 10% of the school that is super Covid-anxious, but they have outsized influence on the rest of the school. We're actually pretty Covid cautious too but it's out of hand here and based more on fears and virtue signaling instead of science and why is best for the kids. I'm so tired.

Ha ha, the PTA moms wish they could have done that at our school. I sent my kid without a mask on day 1. protip: ignore the PTA.