Eliot-Hine

[Anonymous]

I wanted to start a thread on Eliot-Hine because I know a lot of parents may be making decisions right now, and there’s a lot of misinformation. Here’s my full list of good and bad. But overall I want to say that the experience has been FAR better than I thought and I am confident it was the right choice for us.

The bad.
- too much time on computer apps! would much prefer textbooks and paper. but I think this is true everywhere
- not enough homework. again, probably true everywhere.
- school communications. for better or for worse, kids are expected to be independent wrt activities and clubs, so we don’t always get information about it. this may be normal for MS, not sure.
- HS preparation. I’m not sure if the school really prepares kids for application HS the way other MS do. But I know kids have gone from EH to Banneker, privates, Walls
- language. the language teachers are lovely, but apparently the IB intro classes don’t actually try to teach any grammar etc in 6th grade. I think they could be more ambitious. (This is the curriculum, not the teachers.)
- inferiority complex. yes, I admit I always wonder if I should be reaching for “the best” for my kid.

the good
- walking to school! just so nice for the kids
- friendships. my kid has developed really nice friendships with kids from his ES and also new kids
- the teachers. of course it’s not 100%, but on the whole the teachers have been wonderful - very caring and communicative.
- safety and organization. they run a TIGHT ship. based on what I hear about other middle schools, it seems safer and calmer than even very affluent ones.
- the academics. again not 100% but my child regularly tells me about interesting things they learned and has gotten invested in subjects they were never interested in before.
- ELA. The ELA has been strong, actual books & writing.
- after school. lots to choose from and my kid was able to slot into something that he has a ton of fun doing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wanted to start a thread on Eliot-Hine because I know a lot of parents may be making decisions right now, and there’s a lot of misinformation. Here’s my full list of good and bad. But overall I want to say that the experience has been FAR better than I thought and I am confident it was the right choice for us.

The bad.
- too much time on computer apps! would much prefer textbooks and paper. but I think this is true everywhere
- not enough homework. again, probably true everywhere.
- school communications. for better or for worse, kids are expected to be independent wrt activities and clubs, so we don’t always get information about it. this may be normal for MS, not sure.
- HS preparation. I’m not sure if the school really prepares kids for application HS the way other MS do. But I know kids have gone from EH to Banneker, privates, Walls
- language. the language teachers are lovely, but apparently the IB intro classes don’t actually try to teach any grammar etc in 6th grade. I think they could be more ambitious. (This is the curriculum, not the teachers.)
- inferiority complex. yes, I admit I always wonder if I should be reaching for “the best” for my kid.

the good
- walking to school! just so nice for the kids
- friendships. my kid has developed really nice friendships with kids from his ES and also new kids
- the teachers. of course it’s not 100%, but on the whole the teachers have been wonderful - very caring and communicative.
- safety and organization. they run a TIGHT ship. based on what I hear about other middle schools, it seems safer and calmer than even very affluent ones.
- the academics. again not 100% but my child regularly tells me about interesting things they learned and has gotten invested in subjects they were never interested in before.
- ELA. The ELA has been strong, actual books & writing.
- after school. lots to choose from and my kid was able to slot into something that he has a ton of fun doing.

The principal addressed the lack of homework at a recent event. She said it was the school's philosophy based on data that homework at this age doesn't improve outcomes. However, she said that families have reached out regarding how this affects HS preparedness, so they are making changes to address that. One of the things that seems good about E-H is that the principal is responding to the needs of its students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wanted to start a thread on Eliot-Hine because I know a lot of parents may be making decisions right now, and there’s a lot of misinformation. Here’s my full list of good and bad. But overall I want to say that the experience has been FAR better than I thought and I am confident it was the right choice for us.

The bad.
- too much time on computer apps! would much prefer textbooks and paper. but I think this is true everywhere
- not enough homework. again, probably true everywhere.
- school communications. for better or for worse, kids are expected to be independent wrt activities and clubs, so we don’t always get information about it. this may be normal for MS, not sure.
- HS preparation. I’m not sure if the school really prepares kids for application HS the way other MS do. But I know kids have gone from EH to Banneker, privates, Walls
- language. the language teachers are lovely, but apparently the IB intro classes don’t actually try to teach any grammar etc in 6th grade. I think they could be more ambitious. (This is the curriculum, not the teachers.)
- inferiority complex. yes, I admit I always wonder if I should be reaching for “the best” for my kid.

the good
- walking to school! just so nice for the kids
- friendships. my kid has developed really nice friendships with kids from his ES and also new kids
- the teachers. of course it’s not 100%, but on the whole the teachers have been wonderful - very caring and communicative.
- safety and organization. they run a TIGHT ship. based on what I hear about other middle schools, it seems safer and calmer than even very affluent ones.
- the academics. again not 100% but my child regularly tells me about interesting things they learned and has gotten invested in subjects they were never interested in before.
- ELA. The ELA has been strong, actual books & writing.
- after school. lots to choose from and my kid was able to slot into something that he has a ton of fun doing.

The principal addressed the lack of homework at a recent event. She said it was the school's philosophy based on data that homework at this age doesn't improve outcomes. However, she said that families have reached out regarding how this affects HS preparedness, so they are making changes to address that. One of the things that seems good about E-H is that the principal is responding to the needs of its students.

They are very responsive. And the no-homework philosophy certainly is not limited to EH - I heard the Deal principal say the exact same thing.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for this post. We recently struck out in the 5th grade lottery and I had been feeling very uneasy about the DCPS options.

[Anonymous]

Percentage of kids below grade level in math: 84%.

[Anonymous]

The percentage of kids below/at grade level really is not a function of how effective the school is. SO many students arrive at middle school incredibly far behind where they should be. This is a function of so many factors, including quality of elementary school education, pandemic, socioeconomic status, etc. While there is still a lot of progress to be made, the school was recognized earlier this school year for math and reading growth that exceeds other middle schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The percentage of kids below/at grade level really is not a function of how effective the school is. SO many students arrive at middle school incredibly far behind where they should be. This is a function of so many factors, including quality of elementary school education, pandemic, socioeconomic status, etc. While there is still a lot of progress to be made, the school was recognized earlier this school year for math and reading growth that exceeds other middle schools.

This. Middle school PARCC scores are just not a very informative metric. A middle school only has three years with each kid, best case scenario, to make up for them being many years behind when they come in. Look to growth metrics and other quality indicators such as retention and published student work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The percentage of kids below/at grade level really is not a function of how effective the school is. SO many students arrive at middle school incredibly far behind where they should be. This is a function of so many factors, including quality of elementary school education, pandemic, socioeconomic status, etc. While there is still a lot of progress to be made, the school was recognized earlier this school year for math and reading growth that exceeds other middle schools.

This. Middle school PARCC scores are just not a very informative metric. A middle school only has three years with each kid, best case scenario, to make up for them being many years behind when they come in. Look to growth metrics and other quality indicators such as retention and published student work.

My concern would be about the energy/resources that need to be spent on the very large majority of remedial students. Does the school end up so focused on their needs that it isn't able to give adequate attention to kids who are on- and above-grade level. What does the tracking look like? In my public middle school we had honors classes for all four core subjects, but my impression has been that EH does not. Would be delighted to be wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The percentage of kids below/at grade level really is not a function of how effective the school is. SO many students arrive at middle school incredibly far behind where they should be. This is a function of so many factors, including quality of elementary school education, pandemic, socioeconomic status, etc. While there is still a lot of progress to be made, the school was recognized earlier this school year for math and reading growth that exceeds other middle schools.

This. Middle school PARCC scores are just not a very informative metric. A middle school only has three years with each kid, best case scenario, to make up for them being many years behind when they come in. Look to growth metrics and other quality indicators such as retention and published student work.

When, after three years, the data looks like this, you are not doing an effective job:

Proficiency rates for 8th grade at EH:
ELA: 15 of 75 (20%)
Math (8th grade): data suppressed (<5%)
Math (Algebra 1): data suppressed

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The percentage of kids below/at grade level really is not a function of how effective the school is. SO many students arrive at middle school incredibly far behind where they should be. This is a function of so many factors, including quality of elementary school education, pandemic, socioeconomic status, etc. While there is still a lot of progress to be made, the school was recognized earlier this school year for math and reading growth that exceeds other middle schools.

This. Middle school PARCC scores are just not a very informative metric. A middle school only has three years with each kid, best case scenario, to make up for them being many years behind when they come in. Look to growth metrics and other quality indicators such as retention and published student work.

PARCC scores are, however, the only proxy for determining whether or not the school will have a cohort of students working at or above grade level.

A school's success in bringing students from 1s to 2s doesn't really indicate anything for prospective students who are currently scoring 4s and 5s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The percentage of kids below/at grade level really is not a function of how effective the school is. SO many students arrive at middle school incredibly far behind where they should be. This is a function of so many factors, including quality of elementary school education, pandemic, socioeconomic status, etc. While there is still a lot of progress to be made, the school was recognized earlier this school year for math and reading growth that exceeds other middle schools.

This. Middle school PARCC scores are just not a very informative metric. A middle school only has three years with each kid, best case scenario, to make up for them being many years behind when they come in. Look to growth metrics and other quality indicators such as retention and published student work.

My concern would be about the energy/resources that need to be spent on the very large majority of remedial students. Does the school end up so focused on their needs that it isn't able to give adequate attention to kids who are on- and above-grade level. What does the tracking look like? In my public middle school we had honors classes for all four core subjects, but my impression has been that EH does not. Would be delighted to be wrong.

DCPS in general does not offer honors in all subjects, but it does in math. EH may not have been in the past , but currently has tracks for kids to get to geometry or algebra in 8th grade.

Separately, they do a block schedule, not sure if all middle schools do that, so they have four periods per day, for a longer amount of time. Regarding homework, I have been told some of the writing assignments and other work that would be homework is done in class because of those longer blocks.

They have ABABA weeks, then the next week BABAB schedules.

They have band during the day, as well as art and the Eliot Hine network. Also lots of clubs (debate, theatre, book clubs, writing, cooking etc). Lots of sports options as well.

Higher Achievement is run out of the school during after school hours if kids are interested.

I know the topic of computers has come up, and while there are pros and cons, I will say as somebody who was advanced as a kid and often finished assignments early and forced do some not engaging busy work or flash cards, etc - having an option to do an activity on a computer if they finish early that is tailored to their level is not a bad thing IMO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wanted to start a thread on Eliot-Hine because I know a lot of parents may be making decisions right now, and there’s a lot of misinformation. Here’s my full list of good and bad. But overall I want to say that the experience has been FAR better than I thought and I am confident it was the right choice for us.

The bad.
- too much time on computer apps! would much prefer textbooks and paper. but I think this is true everywhere
- not enough homework. again, probably true everywhere.
- school communications. for better or for worse, kids are expected to be independent wrt activities and clubs, so we don’t always get information about it. this may be normal for MS, not sure.
- HS preparation. I’m not sure if the school really prepares kids for application HS the way other MS do. But I know kids have gone from EH to Banneker, privates, Walls
- language. the language teachers are lovely, but apparently the IB intro classes don’t actually try to teach any grammar etc in 6th grade. I think they could be more ambitious. (This is the curriculum, not the teachers.)
- inferiority complex. yes, I admit I always wonder if I should be reaching for “the best” for my kid.

the good
- walking to school! just so nice for the kids
- friendships. my kid has developed really nice friendships with kids from his ES and also new kids
- the teachers. of course it’s not 100%, but on the whole the teachers have been wonderful - very caring and communicative.
- safety and organization. they run a TIGHT ship. based on what I hear about other middle schools, it seems safer and calmer than even very affluent ones.
- the academics. again not 100% but my child regularly tells me about interesting things they learned and has gotten invested in subjects they were never interested in before.
- ELA. The ELA has been strong, actual books & writing.
- after school. lots to choose from and my kid was able to slot into something that he has a ton of fun doing.

I second the safety and tight ship comment.

Also, it was a learning curve for our middle schooler to reach out to teachers for missed work if he is out for a field trip or sporting events, or to get info on clubs and teams. I think these are good life skills and from my perspective EH let's them learn these skills. If they forget to ask about a missed assignment , as long as it is caught up before progress reports they count it. At one of the open houses before we started, the principal explained that middle school is the time for kids to try new things, stumble, learn, etc

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The percentage of kids below/at grade level really is not a function of how effective the school is. SO many students arrive at middle school incredibly far behind where they should be. This is a function of so many factors, including quality of elementary school education, pandemic, socioeconomic status, etc. While there is still a lot of progress to be made, the school was recognized earlier this school year for math and reading growth that exceeds other middle schools.

This. Middle school PARCC scores are just not a very informative metric. A middle school only has three years with each kid, best case scenario, to make up for them being many years behind when they come in. Look to growth metrics and other quality indicators such as retention and published student work.

But the EH scores drop precipitously from 6th to 8th... so either the high achieving kids are leaving (not great) or they are actually losing ground while at EH (very bad). Hopefully that was just 2 classes of blip and things will look better this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The percentage of kids below/at grade level really is not a function of how effective the school is. SO many students arrive at middle school incredibly far behind where they should be. This is a function of so many factors, including quality of elementary school education, pandemic, socioeconomic status, etc. While there is still a lot of progress to be made, the school was recognized earlier this school year for math and reading growth that exceeds other middle schools.

Yes especially since a big chunk of those kids are 3s and not extended behind, and the school tracks for math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The percentage of kids below/at grade level really is not a function of how effective the school is. SO many students arrive at middle school incredibly far behind where they should be. This is a function of so many factors, including quality of elementary school education, pandemic, socioeconomic status, etc. While there is still a lot of progress to be made, the school was recognized earlier this school year for math and reading growth that exceeds other middle schools.

This. Middle school PARCC scores are just not a very informative metric. A middle school only has three years with each kid, best case scenario, to make up for them being many years behind when they come in. Look to growth metrics and other quality indicators such as retention and published student work.

OP here. I was really focused on the PARCC scores before we started, and they seem MUCH less important now. I can see my kid is learning. Maybe not the level of “rigor” available elsewhere but now that he is well into tweenhood I can see that academic rigor is one piece of the puzzle. Also, and this is maybe more pessimistic, I’m not sure whether the things I don’t like are different anywhere else. I certainly don’t think the difference would be massive in any of the other options I was considering.