MS/HS recommendations for artsy kid

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So on one side there's all this hand-wringing about STEM classes not being minutely represented in the various course catalogs and on the other hand people don't think Einstein is serving STEM kids as well as it could anyway? So what's the end desire here? To advocate for more STEM on an arts and humanities thread?

The principal is the one who decides course offerings and he’s made it clear that isn’t going to happen. They are also making the new theater teacher a half time position which makes no sense. They don’t have a huge amount of arts offering either compared to other schools. We got our second child into a different school because of this. They are losing the smarter kids which sucks not being able to go to your local school. His focus is on the lowest preforming kids vs a nice blend for all.

The posted theater teacher position is .6 and choral position is .4, so they replace Smeallie's position.

The theater program draws in a lot of students. It would be great if it was a full time position.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So on one side there's all this hand-wringing about STEM classes not being minutely represented in the various course catalogs and on the other hand people don't think Einstein is serving STEM kids as well as it could anyway? So what's the end desire here? To advocate for more STEM on an arts and humanities thread?

The principal is the one who decides course offerings and he’s made it clear that isn’t going to happen. They are also making the new theater teacher a half time position which makes no sense. They don’t have a huge amount of arts offering either compared to other schools. We got our second child into a different school because of this. They are losing the smarter kids which sucks not being able to go to your local school. His focus is on the lowest preforming kids vs a nice blend for all.

Smealie was a theatre/chorus combo position so it’s smart to post them separately. Principal has said he would bundle them, but not every chorus teacher wants to teach drama and not every drama teacher wants to teach chorus.

It’s interesting to me to see how the staffing at Einstein is different than Blake, which is the NEC arts school. The biggest difference seems to be that Einstein has more guitar, piano and music technology.

It looks a bit different but very similar. Blair is the one that really stands out for DCC schools. For the VAC/drawing, Einstein is the best option.

Blair theatre has been great, but the longtime director / drama teacher is retiring this year, so it’s hard to say what will happen next year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So on one side there's all this hand-wringing about STEM classes not being minutely represented in the various course catalogs and on the other hand people don't think Einstein is serving STEM kids as well as it could anyway? So what's the end desire here? To advocate for more STEM on an arts and humanities thread?

The principal is the one who decides course offerings and he’s made it clear that isn’t going to happen. They are also making the new theater teacher a half time position which makes no sense. They don’t have a huge amount of arts offering either compared to other schools. We got our second child into a different school because of this. They are losing the smarter kids which sucks not being able to go to your local school. His focus is on the lowest preforming kids vs a nice blend for all.

Smealie was a theatre/chorus combo position so it’s smart to post them separately. Principal has said he would bundle them, but not every chorus teacher wants to teach drama and not every drama teacher wants to teach chorus.

It’s interesting to me to see how the staffing at Einstein is different than Blake, which is the NEC arts school. The biggest difference seems to be that Einstein has more guitar, piano and music technology.

It looks a bit different but very similar. Blair is the one that really stands out for DCC schools. For the VAC/drawing, Einstein is the best option.

Blair theatre has been great, but the longtime director / drama teacher is retiring this year, so it’s hard to say what will happen next year.

That will be interesting with both retiring this year.

[Anonymous]

Kids can be smart and academic and be into arts.

+1
Wondering about Loiederman MS rigor?

Every school depends more on the actual teachers. Loiederman is one school that starts algebra in 6th.

My Loiederman DC was in compacted math in elementary and has received excellent math instruction at Loiederman. HIGH has also been really impressive. Science isn't tracked in MS and while the English _teachers_ have been good, I'm not a fan of the curriculum (doesn't require much of the students at all). But that's not Loiederman, that's across all MS. A particular strength of Loiederman is the commitment of the faculty - they're terrific.

Thank you PP, this is reassuring!

[Anonymous]

Kids can be smart and academic and be into arts.

+1
Wondering about Loiederman MS rigor?

Every school depends more on the actual teachers. Loiederman is one school that starts algebra in 6th.

My Loiederman DC was in compacted math in elementary and has received excellent math instruction at Loiederman. HIGH has also been really impressive. Science isn't tracked in MS and while the English _teachers_ have been good, I'm not a fan of the curriculum (doesn't require much of the students at all). But that's not Loiederman, that's across all MS. A particular strength of Loiederman is the commitment of the faculty - they're terrific.

Thank you PP, this is reassuring!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kids can be smart and academic and be into arts.

+1
Wondering about Loiederman MS rigor?

Every school depends more on the actual teachers. Loiederman is one school that starts algebra in 6th.

My Loiederman DC was in compacted math in elementary and has received excellent math instruction at Loiederman. HIGH has also been really impressive. Science isn't tracked in MS and while the English _teachers_ have been good, I'm not a fan of the curriculum (doesn't require much of the students at all). But that's not Loiederman, that's across all MS. A particular strength of Loiederman is the commitment of the faculty - they're terrific.

Thank you PP, this is reassuring!

The problem with algebra in 6th is you then need to go to Wheaton, Blair or another school that has more advanced math classes or come hs you have to slow things down. Everywhere really depends on the luck of the teacher you get and are they a good fit for your child. We’ve had teachers others loved and we could not figure out why and ones others did not like we thought were great so it’s very subjective.

Hopefully Loiederman has improved. We thought most of the academics were good but not the arts.

[Anonymous]

Chorus and Theatre are especially strong at Loiederman, by any standard. The new choral director just finished his 2nd year and the ensembles just keep getting better and better. More and more kids seeking out additional opportunities, too - the school even has an a cappella group now. And the drama productions are terrific. Anyone thinking about sending a kid there should attend a show and see. Spoken-word productions are in the fall, musicals in the spring, and even an academic course on technical theatre. We're actually concerned about HS having enough opportunities for DC to live up to MS, and I think that's a pretty wonderful problem to have.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A thread on schools with strong performing arts devolved into snobby parents arguing about MVC.

Stay classy, DCUM

Our kids deserve the same strong academics as your kids get. Kids can be smart and academic and be into arts.

+1
Wondering about Loiederman MS rigor?

Every school depends more on the actual teachers. Loiederman is one school that starts algebra in 6th.

How do they assign 6th graders to that? Do they use a MAP-M cutoff? Is there a feeder elementary regularly providing acceleration beyond Math 5/6 (e.g., a Loiederman math teacher walking over to Weller Road) that completes the preAlgebra curriculum in 5th? Does Wheaton send someone to Loiederman to teach Algebra 2 in 8th, or do the kids get bussed the other way for that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A thread on schools with strong performing arts devolved into snobby parents arguing about MVC.

Stay classy, DCUM

Our kids deserve the same strong academics as your kids get. Kids can be smart and academic and be into arts.

+1
Wondering about Loiederman MS rigor?

Every school depends more on the actual teachers. Loiederman is one school that starts algebra in 6th.

How do they assign 6th graders to that? Do they use a MAP-M cutoff? Is there a feeder elementary regularly providing acceleration beyond Math 5/6 (e.g., a Loiederman math teacher walking over to Weller Road) that completes the preAlgebra curriculum in 5th? Does Wheaton send someone to Loiederman to teach Algebra 2 in 8th, or do the kids get bussed the other way for that?

Either they bus the kids or have a teacher teach. It depends on the year how many.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A thread on schools with strong performing arts devolved into snobby parents arguing about MVC.

Stay classy, DCUM

Our kids deserve the same strong academics as your kids get. Kids can be smart and academic and be into arts.

+1
Wondering about Loiederman MS rigor?

Every school depends more on the actual teachers. Loiederman is one school that starts algebra in 6th.

How do they assign 6th graders to that? Do they use a MAP-M cutoff? Is there a feeder elementary regularly providing acceleration beyond Math 5/6 (e.g., a Loiederman math teacher walking over to Weller Road) that completes the preAlgebra curriculum in 5th? Does Wheaton send someone to Loiederman to teach Algebra 2 in 8th, or do the kids get bussed the other way for that?

Either they bus the kids or have a teacher teach. It depends on the year how many.

OK, that may be how they teach the class (either preAlgebra in ES or Algebra 2 in MS).

How do they identify 6th graders for Algebra 1? Do they use a MAP-M cutoff? Alternately, is there a feeder ES regularly offering acceleration beyond Math 5/6 that completes the lead-up to Algebra 1? If so, which ES?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A thread on schools with strong performing arts devolved into snobby parents arguing about MVC.

Stay classy, DCUM

Our kids deserve the same strong academics as your kids get. Kids can be smart and academic and be into arts.

+1
Wondering about Loiederman MS rigor?

Every school depends more on the actual teachers. Loiederman is one school that starts algebra in 6th.

How do they assign 6th graders to that? Do they use a MAP-M cutoff? Is there a feeder elementary regularly providing acceleration beyond Math 5/6 (e.g., a Loiederman math teacher walking over to Weller Road) that completes the preAlgebra curriculum in 5th? Does Wheaton send someone to Loiederman to teach Algebra 2 in 8th, or do the kids get bussed the other way for that?

Either they bus the kids or have a teacher teach. It depends on the year how many.

OK, that may be how they teach the class (either preAlgebra in ES or Algebra 2 in MS).

How do they identify 6th graders for Algebra 1? Do they use a MAP-M cutoff? Alternately, is there a feeder ES regularly offering acceleration beyond Math 5/6 that completes the lead-up to Algebra 1? If so, which ES?

You go from compacted mat to algebra. Nothing more in es.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A thread on schools with strong performing arts devolved into snobby parents arguing about MVC.

Stay classy, DCUM

Our kids deserve the same strong academics as your kids get. Kids can be smart and academic and be into arts.

+1
Wondering about Loiederman MS rigor?

Every school depends more on the actual teachers. Loiederman is one school that starts algebra in 6th.

How do they assign 6th graders to that? Do they use a MAP-M cutoff? Is there a feeder elementary regularly providing acceleration beyond Math 5/6 (e.g., a Loiederman math teacher walking over to Weller Road) that completes the preAlgebra curriculum in 5th? Does Wheaton send someone to Loiederman to teach Algebra 2 in 8th, or do the kids get bussed the other way for that?

Either they bus the kids or have a teacher teach. It depends on the year how many.

OK, that may be how they teach the class (either preAlgebra in ES or Algebra 2 in MS).

How do they identify 6th graders for Algebra 1? Do they use a MAP-M cutoff? Alternately, is there a feeder ES regularly offering acceleration beyond Math 5/6 that completes the lead-up to Algebra 1? If so, which ES?

You go from compacted mat to algebra. Nothing more in es.

Thanks. How do they determine eligibility for Algebra 1, then, vs. placement in AIM/AMP7+/PreAlgebra in 6th? MAP-M score? Separate Loiederman-administered assessment? Choice for any who complete Math 5/6 with an A? Combo?

[Anonymous]

If you want to know what a given school does, ultimately your best source is to contact that school directly. Presumably your DC is not headed directly to Loiederman this fall or you'd already have their math placement. You can call and ask to speak to the counselor who is assigned to rising 6th graders in order to find out what they are doing right now and how it works.

The catch is that what is available next year may vary according to everything from student needs to teacher availability. Anything you learn now will only be possible for next year, not guaranteed. And that is still likely to be true when school requests are placed in November and when school assignments are posted in the spring.

My DC was placed in something with an acronym in 6th (AMP, maybe?) and is in algebra in 7th. More than enough for DC and for us. What was important for us is that DC's 6th grade course contained 6th graders who were willing to work, not 8th graders (for example) who had fallen behind. For us the social cohort was more important than the mathematical content.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you want to know what a given school does, ultimately your best source is to contact that school directly. Presumably your DC is not headed directly to Loiederman this fall or you'd already have their math placement. You can call and ask to speak to the counselor who is assigned to rising 6th graders in order to find out what they are doing right now and how it works.

The catch is that what is available next year may vary according to everything from student needs to teacher availability. Anything you learn now will only be possible for next year, not guaranteed. And that is still likely to be true when school requests are placed in November and when school assignments are posted in the spring.

My DC was placed in something with an acronym in 6th (AMP, maybe?) and is in algebra in 7th. More than enough for DC and for us. What was important for us is that DC's 6th grade course contained 6th graders who were willing to work, not 8th graders (for example) who had fallen behind. For us the social cohort was more important than the mathematical content.

Or one might ask here, since the poster who noted Algebra in 6th at Loiederman presumably has exposure to the topic and MCPS, both local-school and central, is rather reticent about it. Non-Loiederman families have an advocacy interest in the practices employed there, but not at their home school, that better would meet the academic needs of their DCs.

A common understanding of specifics helps with that. Keeping the information occult facilitates opportunity hoarding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you want to know what a given school does, ultimately your best source is to contact that school directly. Presumably your DC is not headed directly to Loiederman this fall or you'd already have their math placement. You can call and ask to speak to the counselor who is assigned to rising 6th graders in order to find out what they are doing right now and how it works.

The catch is that what is available next year may vary according to everything from student needs to teacher availability. Anything you learn now will only be possible for next year, not guaranteed. And that is still likely to be true when school requests are placed in November and when school assignments are posted in the spring.

My DC was placed in something with an acronym in 6th (AMP, maybe?) and is in algebra in 7th. More than enough for DC and for us. What was important for us is that DC's 6th grade course contained 6th graders who were willing to work, not 8th graders (for example) who had fallen behind. For us the social cohort was more important than the mathematical content.

Or one might ask here, since the poster who noted Algebra in 6th at Loiederman presumably has exposure to the topic and MCPS, both local-school and central, is rather reticent about it. Non-Loiederman families have an advocacy interest in the practices employed there, but not at their home school, that better would meet the academic needs of their DCs.

A common understanding of specifics helps with that. Keeping the information occult facilitates opportunity hoarding.

You are exhausting. This is a low income school that uses the arts to draw students for higher test scores. It’s hit or miss. Our year multiple parents pulled out and sent kids to their home school, including us.