Lottery season reminder: your kids don't need to hear about DCUM stuff

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Admissions at top colleges has become extremely competitive. Most students nowadays would be wise to consider a broader range of possible schools that might work for them. Something that has changed in recent years is that taking 14 AP classes and being heavily accelerated in math is actually no longer considered to be especially beneficial in the admissions process.

This. The people obsessing over ensuring their elementary-age kid can take 4-5 AP math classes in high school are simply focusing on the wrong things.

To the parent early who said they don't want their kid cruising through easy classes in middle school: agreed! That doesn't mean that the only way to challenge your kid or prepare them for high school and college is to accelerate them as much as possible. For me, ensuring my kid is challenged means having high expectations for mastery of fundamental concepts (math facts down cold, excellent spelling and grammar, strong reading comprehension skills with both literary and technical texts). It also means they are expanding horizons with music, foreign language, science, and social studies. I want to see lab science in middle school, and project-based history and civics learning that requires kids to go deep, work with a variety of sources, and practice using critical thinking to examine what they are learning. I want see kids reading entire books, and I want to see continue evolution of writing skills across multiple metrics.

But I don't need my kid to take Geometry in middle school. I'm not opposed to it, but it's not important to me.

Nobody is saying accelerate for the sake of acceleration. What people are saying is that some kids need to be challenged in math and why can’t DCPS provide this when it is so basic among all other schools in the DMV?

In the most educated city in the country and with lots of smart kids who can easily, easily handle it. DCPS doesn’t even provide this basic standard and you think it will actually provide all those other things you want for your kid to be challenged.

Sorry but that is a huge disconnect you don’t seem to understand.

[Anonymous]

This is so unbelievably hilarious and surreal.

Are DC parents on here arguing that you don’t need geometry math class in middle school?? In 2026?

My god, you people have unbelievably low standards and low expectations for your kids.

Please get out if your bubble of low standards and across the DC line and see what are neighbors are offering. It will blow you away then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is so unbelievably hilarious and surreal.

Are DC parents on here arguing that you don’t need geometry math class in middle school?? In 2026?

My god, you people have unbelievably low standards and low expectations for your kids.

Please get out if your bubble of low standards and across the DC line and see what are neighbors are offering. It will blow you away then.

RSM teaches algebra to elementary school students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is so unbelievably hilarious and surreal.

Are DC parents on here arguing that you don’t need geometry math class in middle school?? In 2026?

My god, you people have unbelievably low standards and low expectations for your kids.

Please get out if your bubble of low standards and across the DC line and see what are neighbors are offering. It will blow you away then.

I also think we need to stop judging each other for our (limited) choices and instead start putting pressure on DCPS to meet the needs of college bound kids. Not even "advanced," just taking seriously the aim to support kids who want to be well prepared and competitive with their peers for college.

It's OK and important to acknowledge reality here, that the curriculum is really really easy compared to almost any other school district.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is so unbelievably hilarious and surreal.

Are DC parents on here arguing that you don’t need geometry math class in middle school?? In 2026?

My god, you people have unbelievably low standards and low expectations for your kids.

Please get out if your bubble of low standards and across the DC line and see what are neighbors are offering. It will blow you away then.

I also think we need to stop judging each other for our (limited) choices and instead start putting pressure on DCPS to meet the needs of college bound kids. Not even "advanced," just taking seriously the aim to support kids who want to be well prepared and competitive with their peers for college.

It's OK and important to acknowledge reality here, that the curriculum is really really easy compared to almost any other school district.

You've voting for the wrong people if you think they're going to raise education standards or focus on college bound students. That's never going to happen with people like JLG.

[Anonymous]

Stuart Hobson and John Francis should probably add Geometry. That would bring the number of DCPS middle schools with at least some students taking Geometry up from 7 to 9. SH previously had Geometry but then decided that the added acceleration was not necessarily helping its students. They were learning algebra better with another year of pre-algebra. There are lots of areas where DCPS might warrant criticism but math is tracked at every middle school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stuart Hobson and John Francis should probably add Geometry. That would bring the number of DCPS middle schools with at least some students taking Geometry up from 7 to 9. SH previously had Geometry but then decided that the added acceleration was not necessarily helping its students. They were learning algebra better with another year of pre-algebra. There are lots of areas where DCPS might warrant criticism but math is tracked at every middle school.

Well then it sounds like to me that having Geometry was not the issue. The issue was that students were being put in the class who should not have been in it at all. They did not master Algebra and so likely struggled and couldn’t hack it.

What you need to do is gatekeep entrance to advance math. You can’t just let anybody in. That helps no one because not only will the kids struggle but you drag the whole class down and slows it way down. You also can’t go deep if the kids can’t grasp basic concepts.

DCI does a good job of gatekeeping all their levels of advance math, because one of the criteria’s that they use is standardized test scores in addition to grades and teachers rec.
Basis uses comps as a way of advancing or not.

The issue is that DCPS won’t use objective data like standardized tests or any entrance testing due to “equity”. I mean look at the fiasco with Wall admissions now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stuart Hobson and John Francis should probably add Geometry. That would bring the number of DCPS middle schools with at least some students taking Geometry up from 7 to 9. SH previously had Geometry but then decided that the added acceleration was not necessarily helping its students. They were learning algebra better with another year of pre-algebra. There are lots of areas where DCPS might warrant criticism but math is tracked at every middle school.

Well then it sounds like to me that having Geometry was not the issue. The issue was that students were being put in the class who should not have been in it at all. They did not master Algebra and so likely struggled and couldn’t hack it.

What you need to do is gatekeep entrance to advance math. You can’t just let anybody in. That helps no one because not only will the kids struggle but you drag the whole class down and slows it way down. You also can’t go deep if the kids can’t grasp basic concepts.

DCI does a good job of gatekeeping all their levels of advance math, because one of the criteria’s that they use is standardized test scores in addition to grades and teachers rec.
Basis uses comps as a way of advancing or not.

The issue is that DCPS won’t use objective data like standardized tests or any entrance testing due to “equity”. I mean look at the fiasco with Wall admissions now.

Yes, DCI does a good job tracking kids in math. It also offers better foreign language options than any other public MS/HS in the city. However, DCI also has a major Chromebook issue (as in kids are on them like 90% of the day) and has staffing and organizational issues that can drive parents crazy and alienate kids. Writing curriculum in MS is weak (I assume it's better in HS). Turns out no school is perfect.

S-H likely will add Geometry back in coming years as they are getting a larger portion of the high-achieving kids from feeders than they used to. I also think the issue with getting rid of Geometry may have been a temporary blip due to Covid, and you don't see the same problems with kids now in upper grades in elementary, who didn't spend 3rd or 4th at home (very critical years for preparing for MS math). S-H has other advantages that you don't get at BASIS or DCI, like the performing arts and music programs, and is strong in social studies with high participation rates in National History Day. Downside is weak in languages, has to use amplify science which sucks.

None of these schools are doing well enough with reading comp. or writing IMO. Privates beat publics on that metric every day of the week, it's very frustrating.

No matter where your kid does MS in DC, if it's a public school, you will likely be making some compromises and supplementing somewhere. It's a matter of deciding what matters most to you, where you are best able or willing to supplement, and also hammering out logistics (it also matters where your kid will be happiest, because a miserable kid is unlikely to excel academically no matter how good the school is).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stuart Hobson and John Francis should probably add Geometry. That would bring the number of DCPS middle schools with at least some students taking Geometry up from 7 to 9. SH previously had Geometry but then decided that the added acceleration was not necessarily helping its students. They were learning algebra better with another year of pre-algebra. There are lots of areas where DCPS might warrant criticism but math is tracked at every middle school.

Well then it sounds like to me that having Geometry was not the issue. The issue was that students were being put in the class who should not have been in it at all. They did not master Algebra and so likely struggled and couldn’t hack it.

What you need to do is gatekeep entrance to advance math. You can’t just let anybody in. That helps no one because not only will the kids struggle but you drag the whole class down and slows it way down. You also can’t go deep if the kids can’t grasp basic concepts.

DCI does a good job of gatekeeping all their levels of advance math, because one of the criteria’s that they use is standardized test scores in addition to grades and teachers rec.
Basis uses comps as a way of advancing or not.

The issue is that DCPS won’t use objective data like standardized tests or any entrance testing due to “equity”. I mean look at the fiasco with Wall admissions now.

Not true -- your example, Francis, uses standardized math scores to let kids onto the Algebra track. The math class is the one thing that is actually pretty good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stuart Hobson and John Francis should probably add Geometry. That would bring the number of DCPS middle schools with at least some students taking Geometry up from 7 to 9. SH previously had Geometry but then decided that the added acceleration was not necessarily helping its students. They were learning algebra better with another year of pre-algebra. There are lots of areas where DCPS might warrant criticism but math is tracked at every middle school.

Well then it sounds like to me that having Geometry was not the issue. The issue was that students were being put in the class who should not have been in it at all. They did not master Algebra and so likely struggled and couldn’t hack it.

What you need to do is gatekeep entrance to advance math. You can’t just let anybody in. That helps no one because not only will the kids struggle but you drag the whole class down and slows it way down. You also can’t go deep if the kids can’t grasp basic concepts.

DCI does a good job of gatekeeping all their levels of advance math, because one of the criteria’s that they use is standardized test scores in addition to grades and teachers rec.
Basis uses comps as a way of advancing or not.

The issue is that DCPS won’t use objective data like standardized tests or any entrance testing due to “equity”. I mean look at the fiasco with Wall admissions now.

Yes, DCI does a good job tracking kids in math. It also offers better foreign language options than any other public MS/HS in the city. However, DCI also has a major Chromebook issue (as in kids are on them like 90% of the day) and has staffing and organizational issues that can drive parents crazy and alienate kids. Writing curriculum in MS is weak (I assume it's better in HS). Turns out no school is perfect.

S-H likely will add Geometry back in coming years as they are getting a larger portion of the high-achieving kids from feeders than they used to. I also think the issue with getting rid of Geometry may have been a temporary blip due to Covid, and you don't see the same problems with kids now in upper grades in elementary, who didn't spend 3rd or 4th at home (very critical years for preparing for MS math). S-H has other advantages that you don't get at BASIS or DCI, like the performing arts and music programs, and is strong in social studies with high participation rates in National History Day. Downside is weak in languages, has to use amplify science which sucks.

None of these schools are doing well enough with reading comp. or writing IMO. Privates beat publics on that metric every day of the week, it's very frustrating.

No matter where your kid does MS in DC, if it's a public school, you will likely be making some compromises and supplementing somewhere. It's a matter of deciding what matters most to you, where you are best able or willing to supplement, and also hammering out logistics (it also matters where your kid will be happiest, because a miserable kid is unlikely to excel academically no matter how good the school is).

DCI does have a good theater and performing arts and puts on plays a few times a year with live music band in their auditorium that is pretty decent. They also now have an orchestra that you have to try out for. Besides being strong in math, their science dept is also pretty good. They have actual lab classrooms for science and their robotics team just beat out area DC private and public schools and are advancing to regional competition. It is a good fit if you have a STEM kid. Deal and JR are also good fit for STEM. Basis also but their curriculum offerings are narrow and limited.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stuart Hobson and John Francis should probably add Geometry. That would bring the number of DCPS middle schools with at least some students taking Geometry up from 7 to 9. SH previously had Geometry but then decided that the added acceleration was not necessarily helping its students. They were learning algebra better with another year of pre-algebra. There are lots of areas where DCPS might warrant criticism but math is tracked at every middle school.

Well then it sounds like to me that having Geometry was not the issue. The issue was that students were being put in the class who should not have been in it at all. They did not master Algebra and so likely struggled and couldn’t hack it.

What you need to do is gatekeep entrance to advance math. You can’t just let anybody in. That helps no one because not only will the kids struggle but you drag the whole class down and slows it way down. You also can’t go deep if the kids can’t grasp basic concepts.

DCI does a good job of gatekeeping all their levels of advance math, because one of the criteria’s that they use is standardized test scores in addition to grades and teachers rec.
Basis uses comps as a way of advancing or not.

The issue is that DCPS won’t use objective data like standardized tests or any entrance testing due to “equity”. I mean look at the fiasco with Wall admissions now.

Not true -- your example, Francis, uses standardized math scores to let kids onto the Algebra track. The math class is the one thing that is actually pretty good.

What test do they use and what is the criteria for entrance? Why don’t they offer Geometry?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stuart Hobson and John Francis should probably add Geometry. That would bring the number of DCPS middle schools with at least some students taking Geometry up from 7 to 9. SH previously had Geometry but then decided that the added acceleration was not necessarily helping its students. They were learning algebra better with another year of pre-algebra. There are lots of areas where DCPS might warrant criticism but math is tracked at every middle school.

Well then it sounds like to me that having Geometry was not the issue. The issue was that students were being put in the class who should not have been in it at all. They did not master Algebra and so likely struggled and couldn’t hack it.

What you need to do is gatekeep entrance to advance math. You can’t just let anybody in. That helps no one because not only will the kids struggle but you drag the whole class down and slows it way down. You also can’t go deep if the kids can’t grasp basic concepts.

DCI does a good job of gatekeeping all their levels of advance math, because one of the criteria’s that they use is standardized test scores in addition to grades and teachers rec.
Basis uses comps as a way of advancing or not.

The issue is that DCPS won’t use objective data like standardized tests or any entrance testing due to “equity”. I mean look at the fiasco with Wall admissions now.

Not true -- your example, Francis, uses standardized math scores to let kids onto the Algebra track. The math class is the one thing that is actually pretty good.

What test do they use and what is the criteria for entrance? Why don’t they offer Geometry?

DCPS schools use iReady. They have a percentile cutoff of math classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stuart Hobson and John Francis should probably add Geometry. That would bring the number of DCPS middle schools with at least some students taking Geometry up from 7 to 9. SH previously had Geometry but then decided that the added acceleration was not necessarily helping its students. They were learning algebra better with another year of pre-algebra. There are lots of areas where DCPS might warrant criticism but math is tracked at every middle school.

Well then it sounds like to me that having Geometry was not the issue. The issue was that students were being put in the class who should not have been in it at all. They did not master Algebra and so likely struggled and couldn’t hack it.

What you need to do is gatekeep entrance to advance math. You can’t just let anybody in. That helps no one because not only will the kids struggle but you drag the whole class down and slows it way down. You also can’t go deep if the kids can’t grasp basic concepts.

DCI does a good job of gatekeeping all their levels of advance math, because one of the criteria’s that they use is standardized test scores in addition to grades and teachers rec.
Basis uses comps as a way of advancing or not.

The issue is that DCPS won’t use objective data like standardized tests or any entrance testing due to “equity”. I mean look at the fiasco with Wall admissions now.

Not true -- your example, Francis, uses standardized math scores to let kids onto the Algebra track. The math class is the one thing that is actually pretty good.

What test do they use and what is the criteria for entrance? Why don’t they offer Geometry?

DCPS schools use iReady. They have a percentile cutoff of math classes.

What is the percentile cut off and is this iready score based on kids across the country taking it or only DC kids?

Is above the only criteria to be in the class? Is there fluidity and kids are moved down after school starts who can’t handle it?

Why don’t they offer any advance math like geometry?

If you are a parent there, you should have transparency about above and answers to above.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stuart Hobson and John Francis should probably add Geometry. That would bring the number of DCPS middle schools with at least some students taking Geometry up from 7 to 9. SH previously had Geometry but then decided that the added acceleration was not necessarily helping its students. They were learning algebra better with another year of pre-algebra. There are lots of areas where DCPS might warrant criticism but math is tracked at every middle school.

Well then it sounds like to me that having Geometry was not the issue. The issue was that students were being put in the class who should not have been in it at all. They did not master Algebra and so likely struggled and couldn’t hack it.

What you need to do is gatekeep entrance to advance math. You can’t just let anybody in. That helps no one because not only will the kids struggle but you drag the whole class down and slows it way down. You also can’t go deep if the kids can’t grasp basic concepts.

DCI does a good job of gatekeeping all their levels of advance math, because one of the criteria’s that they use is standardized test scores in addition to grades and teachers rec.
Basis uses comps as a way of advancing or not.

The issue is that DCPS won’t use objective data like standardized tests or any entrance testing due to “equity”. I mean look at the fiasco with Wall admissions now.

Not true -- your example, Francis, uses standardized math scores to let kids onto the Algebra track. The math class is the one thing that is actually pretty good.

What test do they use and what is the criteria for entrance? Why don’t they offer Geometry?

DCPS schools use iReady. They have a percentile cutoff of math classes.

What is the percentile cut off and is this iready score based on kids across the country taking it or only DC kids?

Is above the only criteria to be in the class? Is there fluidity and kids are moved down after school starts who can’t handle it?

Why don’t they offer any advance math like geometry?

If you are a parent there, you should have transparency about above and answers to above.

This feels very aggressive.

Yes, iReady is a really common standardized test that is used across the country, including in Fairfax County, to determine math placement.

We are not a parent at Francis because my kid got a spot at a high quality charter middle school, but we looked very closely at the school bc it's our feeder.

The math was not the problem there, the math teachers are excellent and they are tracked using teat scores. The other classes were actually more worrying bc the school can't create tracks so all the rest of them are gen ed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stuart Hobson and John Francis should probably add Geometry. That would bring the number of DCPS middle schools with at least some students taking Geometry up from 7 to 9. SH previously had Geometry but then decided that the added acceleration was not necessarily helping its students. They were learning algebra better with another year of pre-algebra. There are lots of areas where DCPS might warrant criticism but math is tracked at every middle school.

Well then it sounds like to me that having Geometry was not the issue. The issue was that students were being put in the class who should not have been in it at all. They did not master Algebra and so likely struggled and couldn’t hack it.

What you need to do is gatekeep entrance to advance math. You can’t just let anybody in. That helps no one because not only will the kids struggle but you drag the whole class down and slows it way down. You also can’t go deep if the kids can’t grasp basic concepts.

DCI does a good job of gatekeeping all their levels of advance math, because one of the criteria’s that they use is standardized test scores in addition to grades and teachers rec.
Basis uses comps as a way of advancing or not.

The issue is that DCPS won’t use objective data like standardized tests or any entrance testing due to “equity”. I mean look at the fiasco with Wall admissions now.

Not true -- your example, Francis, uses standardized math scores to let kids onto the Algebra track. The math class is the one thing that is actually pretty good.

What test do they use and what is the criteria for entrance? Why don’t they offer Geometry?

DCPS schools use iReady. They have a percentile cutoff of math classes.

What is the percentile cut off and is this iready score based on kids across the country taking it or only DC kids?

Is above the only criteria to be in the class? Is there fluidity and kids are moved down after school starts who can’t handle it?

Why don’t they offer any advance math like geometry?

If you are a parent there, you should have transparency about above and answers to above.

This feels very aggressive.

Yes, iReady is a really common standardized test that is used across the country, including in Fairfax County, to determine math placement.

We are not a parent at Francis because my kid got a spot at a high quality charter middle school, but we looked very closely at the school bc it's our feeder.

The math was not the problem there, the math teachers are excellent and they are tracked using teat scores. The other classes were actually more worrying bc the school can't create tracks so all the rest of them are gen ed.

Why would you say it is aggressive? Wouldn’t you as a parent want to know exactly what is the criteria for entrance? What happens if the kids are struggling? Why is there no advance math class?

Above are reasonable questions and schools should be transparent about it. How else can you gauge if kids are appropriately placed in the right classes?