Advanced Students in DCPS Upper Elementary

[Anonymous]

If you have a student who is working above grade level in a few areas, how does DCPS differentiate and accommodate their learning needs in upper elementary, if at all? For example, if a 3rd grader is currently doing 5th grade math, what would they do when they get to 4th and 5th grade? Would they be able to continue learning new math that is typically taught in middle school and how is this done - through small groups, pull outs, computer programs, or something else?

[Anonymous]

DCPS follow the school-wide enrichment model, so something like tracking into a different class is not officially allowed. This is something I would expect a student’s teacher to be able to accommodate through small group instruction. DCPS is shifting to a big push for a focus on math, so math instruction will likely look different in the coming years.

[Anonymous]

It depends a lot on the school, in my experience.

[Anonymous]

Don't go up, go wide. Just ran into my child's teacher, who I had never met, and they said they were going to do it for my child.
I got the feeling they think DC should be challenged even more and they want to do it. So, yes, it depends on school and/or the teacher.

[Anonymous]

Which schools have been accommodating?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DCPS follow the school-wide enrichment model, so something like tracking into a different class is not officially allowed. This is something I would expect a student’s teacher to be able to accommodate through small group instruction. DCPS is shifting to a big push for a focus on math, so math instruction will likely look different in the coming years.

It may be that different schools accommodate differently, but at my kid's school there are definitely some kids who get special pullouts for advanced study and even some who attend classes with a different grade level. My kid is in K at LT. The large majority of instruction is group-based for both math and ELA and there is a huge gulf between what the top group is doing and the bottom group. But, on top of that, I know that sometimes kids in the top reading group get pulled by the school's reading coach for instruction outside the classroom. Then there is also one student who goes to 2nd grade for math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you have a student who is working above grade level in a few areas, how does DCPS differentiate and accommodate their learning needs in upper elementary, if at all? For example, if a 3rd grader is currently doing 5th grade math, what would they do when they get to 4th and 5th grade? Would they be able to continue learning new math that is typically taught in middle school and how is this done - through small groups, pull outs, computer programs, or something else?

Depends on the school, at a Title 1 school you are not going to get much advanced work since the majority of the class will likely be working at a lower level.

[Anonymous]

those of you who are expecting small group differentiation, are you super new to DCPS? We are now in 4th grade at Title 1. All of kids teachers tell me kid is top of the glass, scores 5s on PARCC, reading and math way above grade level. They all agree there are new ways they can challenge her. but NONE of it ever happens. They are drowning trying to get the other kids who may be 1 or 2 grade levels BELOW, up to speed and ready for PARCC testing coming up again in May. My kid does need more help with organization, writing and accountability. The teachers do not care if homework is turned in (we do, beleive me we expect accountability) but there are no real repurcussions for not getting assignments done. the excuse is that too many kids have "barriers to participation" at home. That may be true but that means no one is preparing these kids for actual real workloads, homework and responsibility and consequences.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you have a student who is working above grade level in a few areas, how does DCPS differentiate and accommodate their learning needs in upper elementary, if at all? For example, if a 3rd grader is currently doing 5th grade math, what would they do when they get to 4th and 5th grade? Would they be able to continue learning new math that is typically taught in middle school and how is this done - through small groups, pull outs, computer programs, or something else?

Depends on the school, at a Title 1 school you are not going to get much advanced work since the majority of the class will likely be working at a lower level.

We had the opposite experience. Title 1 had smaller class sizes and we're more willing to accommodate. Transferred to a Ward 3 school later thinking it would be even better, but all the advanced they got was "here's a challenge worksheet".

[Anonymous]

We have a DC in K who is currently more than a year above grade level. The teacher has done a pretty good job of recognizing this and finding ways to challenge and engage. When the lesson calls for kids to write individual words, the teacher floats around the classroom observing and asks DC to write out whole sentences. When it's time for reading, she groups the advanced readers together, and then helps each kid pick books at their current level. I don't know where are kid will be in a few years, nor how sustainable this approach is, but so far we've been happy, and our kid feels challenged and happy too.

[Anonymous]

While there may be some differentiation possible at lower grades, depending on the school, are elementary teachers able to teach middle school level curriculum for the upper grades?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:those of you who are expecting small group differentiation, are you super new to DCPS? We are now in 4th grade at Title 1. All of kids teachers tell me kid is top of the glass, scores 5s on PARCC, reading and math way above grade level. They all agree there are new ways they can challenge her. but NONE of it ever happens. They are drowning trying to get the other kids who may be 1 or 2 grade levels BELOW, up to speed and ready for PARCC testing coming up again in May. My kid does need more help with organization, writing and accountability. The teachers do not care if homework is turned in (we do, beleive me we expect accountability) but there are no real repurcussions for not getting assignments done. the excuse is that too many kids have "barriers to participation" at home. That may be true but that means no one is preparing these kids for actual real workloads, homework and responsibility and consequences.

Ok, you need to stop confusing what you want for your child with what you want for the school. They're not going to change their approach to all the kids because of your preferred approach or your policy opinions. If you want more accountability for your child, ask for it, *for your child*.

We found our Title I teachers very eager to differentiate and to make a plan for our advanced DD. I'm sorry yours are not doing the same. Perhaps there's someone else in the school you could meet with, such as an instructional coach or the AP in charge of instruction.

[Anonymous]

I have a very advanced 5th grader. He scored in the 95-98 percentile in both ELA and math for his school, and he is at a ward 3 school with some of the best test scores in the city. (So I’m other words, city-wide and nation-wide he is 99+}. Plenty of kids at his school scoring 5s on ELA and math. He receives advanced writing instruction and attends math competitions (these are outside activities that we pay for). No teacher has ever offered to put him into any sort of advanced group at school. What they are teaching is well below his level but no one has ever offered him more. He is actually fine with it- he gets his work done quickly and can spend the rest of his time doing fun free time stuff at school. We don’t complain because he is happy at school and being educated elsewhere. He has tons of friends and the teachers like him. We know some kids who are behind get pulled out but if they were pulling anyone out for being advanced it would be my kid and i can attest that it is not happening.

Bottom line. If your kid is advanced don’t expect dcps to meet them there. They are vehemently against gifted programs. That is no secret. So don’t expect teachers to create mini gifted programs in their own classrooms. It is not happening. Also 100 percent agree that if you want to advocate for something, advocate for your kid and his specific needs, not a general policy change. Because the latter isn’t happening either. You might have success with the former if you are lucky. Title 1 might be different - don’t have first hand experience with that. But I wonder whether the “normal” education in ward 3 is still better than “accelerated” (which is possibly/likely nothing more than grade level) at title 1.

[Anonymous]

I'm so sorry to hear all of this! Our Title I had been pulling my DD out for advanced reading, either 1:1 or small group, since PK4. Never heard anything about it not being allowed. They seem happy to do it, and I've always thought the teachers were good and cared about her engagement. They clearly cannot just teach to the middle-- the ability range is vast so that would never work. I wish she had more of a peer group but that's not something they can control in the short term.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm so sorry to hear all of this! Our Title I had been pulling my DD out for advanced reading, either 1:1 or small group, since PK4. Never heard anything about it not being allowed. They seem happy to do it, and I've always thought the teachers were good and cared about her engagement. They clearly cannot just teach to the middle-- the ability range is vast so that would never work. I wish she had more of a peer group but that's not something they can control in the short term.

The ability range will be an ocean by the time your kid gets to the upper grades. She won’t be pulled out for anything and will be stuck on a computer if she is lucky. If not, she will be asked to be the helper and help the rest of the class who are below grade level.