Last year's Third Grade at Janney. 30 kids in a class = only 53% proficient in English.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This isn't the answer folks - the girls at Janney did fine. They had the same exposure to keyboarding as the boys.

Let it go. Next year will probably be different - and if not you have plenty of time to get into private schools.

+1. It could just be one of those things, a random fluctuation. Only time will tell if there's a pattern, but in the meantime, I wouldn't get too bent out of shape about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This isn't the answer folks - the girls at Janney did fine. They had the same exposure to keyboarding as the boys.

Let it go. Next year will probably be different - and if not you have plenty of time to get into private schools.

+1. It could just be one of those things, a random fluctuation. Only time will tell if there's a pattern, but in the meantime, I wouldn't get too bent out of shape about it.

The girls did not do fine. They did better than the boys, but still not great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This isn't the answer folks - the girls at Janney did fine. They had the same exposure to keyboarding as the boys.

Let it go. Next year will probably be different - and if not you have plenty of time to get into private schools.

+1. It could just be one of those things, a random fluctuation. Only time will tell if there's a pattern, but in the meantime, I wouldn't get too bent out of shape about it.

The girls did not do fine. They did better than the boys, but still not great.

People seem very torqued up about a test that everyoneone I know in Ward 3 says is flawed or that they don't pay attention to.

[Anonymous]

But what exactly makes Janney worth the overcrowding anymore? Certainly not the housing stock.

[Anonymous]

I can't believe the number of excuses (excusing Janney) on this thread.
Maybe, just maybe they did a crappy job of educating last years's third grade.
Its' not rocket science to imagine that outcomes would not be as good with 32 kids in a class as they were at Mann (with 18 in a class).

[Anonymous]

30 schools in this city where the percentage of students scoring proficient was in the single digits (and in many cases 0) and we're well on our way to 10 pages debating why one grade at Janney dropped on half of a test.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:30 schools in this city where the percentage of students scoring proficient was in the single digits (and in many cases 0) and we're well on our way to 10 pages debating why one grade at Janney dropped on half of a test.

Amen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But what exactly makes Janney worth the overcrowding anymore? Certainly not the housing stock.

You're right, I'd rather own a Victorian rowhouse in Bloomingdale than my little 1920s bungalow here in AU Park. But then I'd have to deal with much more crime, driving to the grocery store, and a school that may not be overcrowded but whose proficiency scores are a fraction of Janney's. So for now, Janney is still worth it for us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:do you take your child to a kumon center or do workbooks at home? what age did you start?

we did them at home starting in 2nd grade. we are now switching to khan academy.

[Anonymous]

"Why isn't it natural to draw a connection with the 3rd grade mega class and the lower test scores? I have also heard a lot of very negative reports from parents."

Well, until the individual scores are released, we can't really say which kids didn't do well, can we?

Plus, all the kids did well on the majority of the ELA tests. It was the one day of testing on writing where the 3rd grades didn't do well for some reason. Given that a majority of the Janney 4th graders got 5s in ELA, I'd venture to get there was a problem with either the computers, the scoring, or the grading, not with the education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I suspect you are not going to get much sympathy here, OP, when lots of other schools aren't anywhere near 53%.

yep, but these classrooms are pretty much 100% wealthy, "bright" white kids with super educated parents and almost ZERO social issues.
53% is inexcusable. A monkey should be able to get these kids to "proficient".

When you have "100% wealthy" classrooms, you have a whole different set of social issues, hate to tell ya.

Boy. Do you ever. Enjoy your eating disorders, drunk driving, and cocaine!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Why isn't it natural to draw a connection with the 3rd grade mega class and the lower test scores? I have also heard a lot of very negative reports from parents."

Well, until the individual scores are released, we can't really say which kids didn't do well, can we?

Plus, all the kids did well on the majority of the ELA tests. It was the one day of testing on writing where the 3rd grades didn't do well for some reason. Given that a majority of the Janney 4th graders got 5s in ELA, I'd venture to get there was a problem with either the computers, the scoring, or the grading, not with the education.

puzzling how everyone gives PARCC software and DCPS administration of it the benefit of the doubt. There are SO many problems with the tests nationally that I'm skeptical that the results are consistently valid across the board.