Oakland Terrace elementary

[Anonymous]

I am interested to know if people on this board with experience at this school enjoy sending their children to Oakland Terrace...what complaints, if any, do you have? If you have a child that is generally at or above age level in their class work, do you feel they are challenged? How does the school being Title 1 translate into the classroom? What I mean is...what impact does this have on the classroom, particularly the early grades? Could you compare this school with Kensington Parkwood (and I know Oakland Terrace feeds into less desirable middle and high schools, but I'm really just interested in the elementary schools).

I am interested in personal anecdotes...I have looked at the numbers on the MCPS site and have a hard time connecting what they report with what that means for a child in an actual classroom, on an actual day.

thanks

[Anonymous]

Oakland Terrace is NOT a Title 1 school

[Anonymous]

We are very happy. The class sizes are smaller than KP (my child had 17 students in his K class) but KP has arts integration. OTES is much more diverse. I've never had a child at KP so beyond that I can't compare. Everyone I know is happy with KP (but everyone I know is also happy with OTES).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oakland Terrace is NOT a Title 1 school

This is interesting, because this has been told to me by several families who send their children to OT. Why do they thing that? Is there another program similar to Title 1 that OT might qualify for? I am new to MCPS and do not have children in a school yet. I have had parents explain to me that the school being Title 1 is why the class sizes are small. Could you explain why the class size is required to be under a certain number, since the school is not Title 1?

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I think a lot of people confuse focus schools with Title 1 schools (at least that's been my experience). Focus schools simply mean that they have a higher FARMS rate and thus, have lower class sizes in grades K-2. I've found that to be a plus at our "red zone" school (not OTES).

I've got friends w/accelerated kids who have been very happy with OTES. I also know someone w/an extremely accelerated child who felt the need to move her child.

[Anonymous]

Agree that it's not Title I.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of people confuse focus schools with Title 1 schools (at least that's been my experience). Focus schools simply mean that they have a higher FARMS rate and thus, have lower class sizes in grades K-2. I've found that to be a plus at our "red zone" school (not OTES).

I've got friends w/accelerated kids who have been very happy with OTES. I also know someone w/an extremely accelerated child who felt the need to move her child.

Did they move their child to a private school, or another MCPS? Do you know why they felt the child was not challenged enough? Did it have to do with the teachers having to help students who were behind catch up? I guess this is a worry of mine, not because I think my child is a genius or anything, but is very bright. Even bright kids who have not been read to, or who don't speak english, will take more time to get up to speed. How does the school handle children of different learning abilities, or at different levels? Also, since of course my child may also have trouble learning at some point, how does the school handle that?

[Anonymous]

MCPS in general does a pretty poor job with kids who are very bright, particularly if they are bright in the verbal area. It's easier to get math acceleration, although these days so many kids are "accelerated" that it might not mean as much.

I guess what I'm saying is that, if your kid is bright enough for it to be an issue, it will be an issue anywhere.

There are limited magnet program opportunities but not enough spaces.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCPS in general does a pretty poor job with kids who are very bright, particularly if they are bright in the verbal area. It's easier to get math acceleration, although these days so many kids are "accelerated" that it might not mean as much.

I guess what I'm saying is that, if your kid is bright enough for it to be an issue, it will be an issue anywhere.

There are limited magnet program opportunities but not enough spaces.

Do you have a chid at MCPS? Could you expand upon why MCPS in general is not good for a very bright child, particularly in the verbal area? My child does excel in this area BUT my little one is still little (pre-K). I do not know yet if my child is bright enough for this things to be an issue (or perhaps if she was I'd already know?). I guess time will tell.

[Anonymous]

Because the mandate of the county school system is to educate every child to proficient levels, not to an individual child's potential. So if you are in a school where there are a large number of children who need extra time and resources to reach proficiency, they are going to need extra time and resources. If your child is bright and doing fine, the school is not going to devote extra time and resources to bring him up to his potential, unless you are fortunate enough to get into a magnet or GT program. Yes, there is some acceleration, but not enough in my mind. If you live in the western part of the county, there are fewer kids who need the extra support, so the most children are pushed harder and work at a more accelerated level.

This was our experience at Oakland Terrace, and we ended up moving to private after a year. That being said, the kids, teachers, and families were very nice and we enjoyed the community. But our DD just wasn't learning anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because the mandate of the county school system is to educate every child to proficient levels, not to an individual child's potential. So if you are in a school where there are a large number of children who need extra time and resources to reach proficiency, they are going to need extra time and resources. If your child is bright and doing fine, the school is not going to devote extra time and resources to bring him up to his potential, unless you are fortunate enough to get into a magnet or GT program. Yes, there is some acceleration, but not enough in my mind. If you live in the western part of the county, there are fewer kids who need the extra support, so the most children are pushed harder and work at a more accelerated level.

This was our experience at Oakland Terrace, and we ended up moving to private after a year. That being said, the kids, teachers, and families were very nice and we enjoyed the community. But our DD just wasn't learning anything.

Was your child in a primary grade? I ask because I believe you would have had a different experience in the upper grades. In 3rd - 5th grades, kids who are reading above-grade-level (and perform well on a pre-assessment) receive instruction through the William and Mary Program. In math, there is most definitely acceleration in the upper grades. (Example - There are 4th grade students who are instructed with both the 5th grade and 6th grade curriculums)

[Anonymous]

Our DD was in the William and Mary program, and it definitely wasn't challenging enough for her. She was also in accelerated math, but was bored and would whip through her homework on the bus. She didn't get into any of the MS magnets, so we decided on private and feel like we made a great choice. She is working really hard, and is very challenged.

[Anonymous]

There is some outdated information on this thread.

Oakland Terrace now does start accellerating in math and reading from K. By first grade, the differentiation is more pronounced.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our DD was in the William and Mary program, and it definitely wasn't challenging enough for her. She was also in accelerated math, but was bored and would whip through her homework on the bus. She didn't get into any of the MS magnets, so we decided on private and feel like we made a great choice. She is working really hard, and is very challenged.

\
Really? Was this recently? I'm guessing your DD completed 3rd grade at Oakland Terrace and then you moved her to another school. I've had experience with a 4th grade student doing the 6th grade math curriculum, and then as a 5th grade student moving on to the 7th grade curriculum. It seemed pretty challenging. Also, with regards to the Wm & Mary program, again our experience was that it was quite challenging. The content matter of the texts that were read combined with the heavy emphasis on writing, really seemed to push the kids.

[Anonymous]

If you call BCR's writing.