Lee Montessori upper elementary

[Anonymous]

What do the upper elementary classes at Lee look like? Is there a good ratio between all three grades or is it biased to the lower end?
Where do kids end up going to middle school? Do any apply out to private if shut out of schools like Truth, Latin/Latin Cooper?

Trying to evaluate if we should take a 4th grade offer if it comes as we’re low in the waitlist.

[Anonymous]

Way biased towards the lower end. Kids leave for 5th at Latin and 6th at Truth. This year Truth offered very few 6th grade seats so Lee will probably have more 6th graders than usual. But that's probably a one-year fluke while Truth gets it's new building ready.

I know a few people from Lee who switched to ITDS. Yes, private. It seems like there's the people who want to get settled for middle and high school (Latin, Truth, Ward 3 schools) and then there's people who want out of Lee because Montessori, or Lee specifically, isn't working for their kid. Lee does not have good PARCC scores relative to its income demographics, they will tell you they don't "teach to the text" but it's up to you whether you think that excuses so many kids scoring a 1 in math.

[Anonymous]

Since there’s a post on Lee, we’re trying to choose between a seat at Lee Montessori Brookland and Inspired Teaching for Pre-K3. Any insight?
Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Since there’s a post on Lee, we’re trying to choose between a seat at Lee Montessori Brookland and Inspired Teaching for Pre-K3. Any insight?
Thank you!

Both are good, but take a hard look at yourself and your kid and see if Montessori really is what you want and if you're willing to make the tradeoff of Lee's test scores, and remember there is no actual feeder right to Truth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Way biased towards the lower end. Kids leave for 5th at Latin and 6th at Truth. This year Truth offered very few 6th grade seats so Lee will probably have more 6th graders than usual. But that's probably a one-year fluke while Truth gets it's new building ready.

I know a few people from Lee who switched to ITDS. Yes, private. It seems like there's the people who want to get settled for middle and high school (Latin, Truth, Ward 3 schools) and then there's people who want out of Lee because Montessori, or Lee specifically, isn't working for their kid. Lee does not have good PARCC scores relative to its income demographics, they will tell you they don't "teach to the text" but it's up to you whether you think that excuses so many kids scoring a 1 in math.

Does the unbalanced classroom truly have a negative effect? How does it compare to other private Montessori upper elementary programs (such as Aiden)? We are fine with low test scores as long as the kids are actually learning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Way biased towards the lower end. Kids leave for 5th at Latin and 6th at Truth. This year Truth offered very few 6th grade seats so Lee will probably have more 6th graders than usual. But that's probably a one-year fluke while Truth gets it's new building ready.

I know a few people from Lee who switched to ITDS. Yes, private. It seems like there's the people who want to get settled for middle and high school (Latin, Truth, Ward 3 schools) and then there's people who want out of Lee because Montessori, or Lee specifically, isn't working for their kid. Lee does not have good PARCC scores relative to its income demographics, they will tell you they don't "teach to the text" but it's up to you whether you think that excuses so many kids scoring a 1 in math.

Does the unbalanced classroom truly have a negative effect? How does it compare to other private Montessori upper elementary programs (such as Aiden)? We are fine with low test scores as long as the kids are actually learning.

I dunno, I guess it depends on your kid. But if your kid is academically gifted, they might be the only one at their level in 6th. The school will tell you some yada yada about learning by teaching others, but it won't be the math acceleration that DCPS and some charters can offer starting in 6th.

As for the actual learning, I'm not sure how you would assess that, but the high attrition indicates parents aren't happy with it. You can look at sample PARCC tests online and decide if you're okay believing kids are "actually learning" yet somehow scoring 1s and 2s anyway.

Be mindful that wherever you go after Lee, there may be a placement test for math, so having a kid who is sort of okay at testing and on grade level in standard math curriculum is nice.

[Anonymous]

There are a lot of great things about Lee, but do most Montessori schools do well with middle school kids? Or do public Montessoris that don't draw from families with highly educated adults?

Can you get a tour? can you see what they are learning and compare it to what you see at another school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are a lot of great things about Lee, but do most Montessori schools do well with middle school kids? Or do public Montessoris that don't draw from families with highly educated adults?

Can you get a tour? can you see what they are learning and compare it to what you see at another school?

Yes maybe that’s what I’m wondering. I think my kid would do well with Montessori (went to private primary class before transitioning to traditional IB), but I’m really trying to evaluate the classroom experience if it’s not realistically possible for the school to balance the classroom. I’ll have to see if Lee allows observations like other Montessori’s. Then again, I’m not sure what we would do after Lee since we’ve never had great lottery numbers even though we were “satisfied” with the IB until this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are a lot of great things about Lee, but do most Montessori schools do well with middle school kids? Or do public Montessoris that don't draw from families with highly educated adults?

Can you get a tour? can you see what they are learning and compare it to what you see at another school?

There isn’t enough research about secondary Montessori to answer your first question. I think the model works really well since students get work at their level because individualized lessons have to occur in a multi-age classroom. This is different from the traditional classroom where everyone is learning the same thing at the same time. The transition could be challenging for a student who has never had a Montessori experience before, but not impossible. Truth is doing well based on their waitlist and most of their students aren’t coming from a Montessori background.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Way biased towards the lower end. Kids leave for 5th at Latin and 6th at Truth. This year Truth offered very few 6th grade seats so Lee will probably have more 6th graders than usual. But that's probably a one-year fluke while Truth gets it's new building ready.

I know a few people from Lee who switched to ITDS. Yes, private. It seems like there's the people who want to get settled for middle and high school (Latin, Truth, Ward 3 schools) and then there's people who want out of Lee because Montessori, or Lee specifically, isn't working for their kid. Lee does not have good PARCC scores relative to its income demographics, they will tell you they don't "teach to the text" but it's up to you whether you think that excuses so many kids scoring a 1 in math.

Does the unbalanced classroom truly have a negative effect? How does it compare to other private Montessori upper elementary programs (such as Aiden)? We are fine with low test scores as long as the kids are actually learning.

I dunno, I guess it depends on your kid. But if your kid is academically gifted, they might be the only one at their level in 6th. The school will tell you some yada yada about learning by teaching others, but it won't be the math acceleration that DCPS and some charters can offer starting in 6th.

As for the actual learning, I'm not sure how you would assess that, but the high attrition indicates parents aren't happy with it. You can look at sample PARCC tests online and decide if you're okay believing kids are "actually learning" yet somehow scoring 1s and 2s anyway.

Be mindful that wherever you go after Lee, there may be a placement test for math, so having a kid who is sort of okay at testing and on grade level in standard math curriculum is nice.

This really is key. Low test scores are one thing in early elementary, but if kids don't learn how to take traditional tests by middle school placements, then their options will be limited regardless of their actual abilities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Since there’s a post on Lee, we’re trying to choose between a seat at Lee Montessori Brookland and Inspired Teaching for Pre-K3. Any insight?
Thank you!

Both are good, but take a hard look at yourself and your kid and see if Montessori really is what you want and if you're willing to make the tradeoff of Lee's test scores, and remember there is no actual feeder right to Truth.

We have loved Inspired Teaching. PreK levels are especially excellent.