Eliot-Hine Experiences?

[Anonymous]

My DC is bright and a good student. Plays sports but does better in other extracurriculars, especially the more nerdy ones. We are taking a serious look at E-H and want to make sure we understand the good and the bad.

What’s the experience like for the above grade level kids? How have the high school outcomes been? Socially, how is it? Is there enough of a peer group?

[Anonymous]

For how you describe your kid, it is a solid choice. There will be peers and issues at the school that are not what your suburban friends are dealing with, but there are also fantastic teachers and admins, and lots of opportunities for arts and clubs. Because the school is smaller there may be fewer niche clubs (chess, etc) but the upside is that your kid can do the school play and sports much more easily.

The only academic qualm I have is math instruction. EH tracks like all DCPS MS (your kid can do algebra in 7th or possibly 6th) but the computer based instruction is just awful. But I think these growing pains are the same everywhere so unless your alternative is a gifted school of some sort, you need to stay on top of math.

High school results are strong albeit the issue is that no matter how good your kid is they may get rejected. So you need a backup plan that is either Eastern or something else. (despite what people say it is not super easy to get into a private at 9th either.)

[Anonymous]

Re math, at the open house they said 6th grade math is not tracked and the point is for equity, to give the below grade kids a chance to catch up before they start tracking in 7th. This worried me and, to your point, made me concerned my DC will be spending all day on Ed Tech while other kids get actual instruction. This is not that different to what is happening in 5th now and I’m not happy about it.

[Anonymous]

6th grade math placement is ability grouped using iready scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Re math, at the open house they said 6th grade math is not tracked and the point is for equity, to give the below grade kids a chance to catch up before they start tracking in 7th. This worried me and, to your point, made me concerned my DC will be spending all day on Ed Tech while other kids get actual instruction. This is not that different to what is happening in 5th now and I’m not happy about it.

They are stuck on this and will figure out they need to track in 6th too eventually. I find this very misguided but I think it is the same everywhere so not a dealbreaker. Starting in 7th there is tracking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:6th grade math placement is ability grouped using iready scores.

What is the difference between tracking and ability groups?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Re math, at the open house they said 6th grade math is not tracked and the point is for equity, to give the below grade kids a chance to catch up before they start tracking in 7th. This worried me and, to your point, made me concerned my DC will be spending all day on Ed Tech while other kids get actual instruction. This is not that different to what is happening in 5th now and I’m not happy about it.

They are stuck on this and will figure out they need to track in 6th too eventually. I find this very misguided but I think it is the same everywhere so not a dealbreaker. Starting in 7th there is tracking.

SH does not do this. They bump up 6th graders into 7th grade math immediately based on certain criteria (I believe iready scores). Deal also does something similar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:6th grade math placement is ability grouped using iready scores.

What is the difference between tracking and ability groups?

When grouping by I-ready scores, all kids in a grade level are still in the same class, but will be assigned to small groups based on scores. The all-class instruction will be the same.

Tracking places kids in different classes with different all-class content.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Re math, at the open house they said 6th grade math is not tracked and the point is for equity, to give the below grade kids a chance to catch up before they start tracking in 7th. This worried me and, to your point, made me concerned my DC will be spending all day on Ed Tech while other kids get actual instruction. This is not that different to what is happening in 5th now and I’m not happy about it.

They are stuck on this and will figure out they need to track in 6th too eventually. I find this very misguided but I think it is the same everywhere so not a dealbreaker. Starting in 7th there is tracking.

SH does not do this. They bump up 6th graders into 7th grade math immediately based on certain criteria (I believe iready scores). Deal also does something similar.

Some of this might have to do with cohort. Bumping 6th graders into the 7th grade math class is not classic "tracking". It's done on a case by case basis for kids who have truly mastered all the 6th grade content. SH and Deal do this because they have kids in pretty much every cohort who are in that situation. Heck, our Hill elementary school does this even in lower grades for kids who are ready -- not uncommmon to have 1 or 2 kids in a grade who are bumped to the next grade up for math (or sometimes reading) starting in 3rd or 4th.

Eliot-Hine is smaller than SH or Deal and has more recently been retaining some of the high achieving kids from feeder elementaries. So to the extent they aren't doing this, it might largely be a function of having smaller cohorts and fewer advanced kids. I would assume that as the school grows and retains more IB kids, you will see them doing the same thing SH does. It's still not "tracking" for 6th, as it doesn't impact most kids, but it does provide an opportunity for a small minority of kids who might benefit, who can then do 8th grade math in 7th. Opportunities in 8th will vary though -- I think Deal has enough kids to offer Geometry to 8th graders but I don't think SH does. So this has it's limits depending on cohort.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Re math, at the open house they said 6th grade math is not tracked and the point is for equity, to give the below grade kids a chance to catch up before they start tracking in 7th. This worried me and, to your point, made me concerned my DC will be spending all day on Ed Tech while other kids get actual instruction. This is not that different to what is happening in 5th now and I’m not happy about it.

They are stuck on this and will figure out they need to track in 6th too eventually. I find this very misguided but I think it is the same everywhere so not a dealbreaker. Starting in 7th there is tracking.

SH does not do this. They bump up 6th graders into 7th grade math immediately based on certain criteria (I believe iready scores). Deal also does something similar.

Some of this might have to do with cohort. Bumping 6th graders into the 7th grade math class is not classic "tracking". It's done on a case by case basis for kids who have truly mastered all the 6th grade content. SH and Deal do this because they have kids in pretty much every cohort who are in that situation. Heck, our Hill elementary school does this even in lower grades for kids who are ready -- not uncommmon to have 1 or 2 kids in a grade who are bumped to the next grade up for math (or sometimes reading) starting in 3rd or 4th.

Eliot-Hine is smaller than SH or Deal and has more recently been retaining some of the high achieving kids from feeder elementaries. So to the extent they aren't doing this, it might largely be a function of having smaller cohorts and fewer advanced kids. I would assume that as the school grows and retains more IB kids, you will see them doing the same thing SH does. It's still not "tracking" for 6th, as it doesn't impact most kids, but it does provide an opportunity for a small minority of kids who might benefit, who can then do 8th grade math in 7th. Opportunities in 8th will vary though -- I think Deal has enough kids to offer Geometry to 8th graders but I don't think SH does. So this has it's limits depending on cohort.

This. I believe SH is offering Geometry this year because I was at the Eastern open house and some kids said they were in Geometry.

The Eastern open house was very good, I left impressed and will have it on my kid's list. I hope improved perception of Eastern benefits Eliot-Hine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:6th grade math placement is ability grouped using iready scores.

What is the difference between tracking and ability groups?

When grouping by I-ready scores, all kids in a grade level are still in the same class, but will be assigned to small groups based on scores. The all-class instruction will be the same.

Tracking places kids in different classes with different all-class content.

To expand on this: In middle school, the "standard" DCPS track is:
6th grade: Math 6 (no algebra, focus is math fundamentals, ratios, intro to integers)
7th grade: Pre-algebra (ratios, proportions, percentages, basic equations)
8th grade: Algebra 1 (linear equations, functions)

With this track, you can differentiate via I-ready scores, which will enable more advanced kids in each grade to go through the material more quickly and maybe do at least some of the next level work. How much will depend on the kids, the teacher, and how many kids are ready for that higher level material.

However, DCPS also offers actual tracking starting in 7th, allowing some kids to do Algebra 1 in 7th, and then Algebra 2 in 8th. This is done when there are enough kids in 6th grade math who are doing and getting through the pre-algebra work that comprises 7th grade pre-algebra. So starting in 7th, these kids will be in a different classroom and do Algebra 1 work, then do Algebra 2 in 8th, setting them up for Geometry in 9th.

There are also schools that do advancement AND tracking. This is where a 6th grader is placed in the higher track 7th grade class, based on test scores at the end of 5th or start of 6th. So these kids will take Algebra 1 as 6th graders, but *in* the 7th grade Algebra 1 class. Most schools don't have enough kids in this situation to have a separate 6th grade Algebra 1 class, though maybe Deal has done this some years? I am unsure. SH has never done that. These kids will then take the Algebra 2 in 7ths, with 8th graders. And then in 8th, the school may offer a Geometry class (I definitely think Deal has done this).

It can be hard to understand because there are three different strategies at play -- differentiation (giving kids in the same class different content based on ability), tracking (placing kids with different aptitude in separate classes within the same grade), and advancement (moving a kid to a higher grade class based on master of grade level concepts). DCPS uses all three to get kids access to appropriate content. Differentiation and advancement are also used in elementary schools and are available everywhere. Tracking only happens if you have enough kids in a grade to fill out an entire class working at the next level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:6th grade math placement is ability grouped using iready scores.

What is the difference between tracking and ability groups?

When grouping by I-ready scores, all kids in a grade level are still in the same class, but will be assigned to small groups based on scores. The all-class instruction will be the same.

Tracking places kids in different classes with different all-class content.

To expand on this: In middle school, the "standard" DCPS track is:
6th grade: Math 6 (no algebra, focus is math fundamentals, ratios, intro to integers)
7th grade: Pre-algebra (ratios, proportions, percentages, basic equations)
8th grade: Algebra 1 (linear equations, functions)

With this track, you can differentiate via I-ready scores, which will enable more advanced kids in each grade to go through the material more quickly and maybe do at least some of the next level work. How much will depend on the kids, the teacher, and how many kids are ready for that higher level material.

However, DCPS also offers actual tracking starting in 7th, allowing some kids to do Algebra 1 in 7th, and then Algebra 2 in 8th. This is done when there are enough kids in 6th grade math who are doing and getting through the pre-algebra work that comprises 7th grade pre-algebra. So starting in 7th, these kids will be in a different classroom and do Algebra 1 work, then do Algebra 2 in 8th, setting them up for Geometry in 9th.

There are also schools that do advancement AND tracking. This is where a 6th grader is placed in the higher track 7th grade class, based on test scores at the end of 5th or start of 6th. So these kids will take Algebra 1 as 6th graders, but *in* the 7th grade Algebra 1 class. Most schools don't have enough kids in this situation to have a separate 6th grade Algebra 1 class, though maybe Deal has done this some years? I am unsure. SH has never done that. These kids will then take the Algebra 2 in 7ths, with 8th graders. And then in 8th, the school may offer a Geometry class (I definitely think Deal has done this).

It can be hard to understand because there are three different strategies at play -- differentiation (giving kids in the same class different content based on ability), tracking (placing kids with different aptitude in separate classes within the same grade), and advancement (moving a kid to a higher grade class based on master of grade level concepts). DCPS uses all three to get kids access to appropriate content. Differentiation and advancement are also used in elementary schools and are available everywhere. Tracking only happens if you have enough kids in a grade to fill out an entire class working at the next level.

Wait, Algebra II in 8th? What school offers that? Name names.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:6th grade math placement is ability grouped using iready scores.

What is the difference between tracking and ability groups?

When grouping by I-ready scores, all kids in a grade level are still in the same class, but will be assigned to small groups based on scores. The all-class instruction will be the same.

Tracking places kids in different classes with different all-class content.

To expand on this: In middle school, the "standard" DCPS track is:
6th grade: Math 6 (no algebra, focus is math fundamentals, ratios, intro to integers)
7th grade: Pre-algebra (ratios, proportions, percentages, basic equations)
8th grade: Algebra 1 (linear equations, functions)

With this track, you can differentiate via I-ready scores, which will enable more advanced kids in each grade to go through the material more quickly and maybe do at least some of the next level work. How much will depend on the kids, the teacher, and how many kids are ready for that higher level material.

However, DCPS also offers actual tracking starting in 7th, allowing some kids to do Algebra 1 in 7th, and then Algebra 2 in 8th. This is done when there are enough kids in 6th grade math who are doing and getting through the pre-algebra work that comprises 7th grade pre-algebra. So starting in 7th, these kids will be in a different classroom and do Algebra 1 work, then do Algebra 2 in 8th, setting them up for Geometry in 9th.

There are also schools that do advancement AND tracking. This is where a 6th grader is placed in the higher track 7th grade class, based on test scores at the end of 5th or start of 6th. So these kids will take Algebra 1 as 6th graders, but *in* the 7th grade Algebra 1 class. Most schools don't have enough kids in this situation to have a separate 6th grade Algebra 1 class, though maybe Deal has done this some years? I am unsure. SH has never done that. These kids will then take the Algebra 2 in 7ths, with 8th graders. And then in 8th, the school may offer a Geometry class (I definitely think Deal has done this).

It can be hard to understand because there are three different strategies at play -- differentiation (giving kids in the same class different content based on ability), tracking (placing kids with different aptitude in separate classes within the same grade), and advancement (moving a kid to a higher grade class based on master of grade level concepts). DCPS uses all three to get kids access to appropriate content. Differentiation and advancement are also used in elementary schools and are available everywhere. Tracking only happens if you have enough kids in a grade to fill out an entire class working at the next level.

This is not correct.


The sequence is Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, precalc, calc AB. These are typically each year long classes in DCPS. So you can start algebra in 6th, 7th, 8th or 9th and then map out the rest of the classes one per year.

DCI and BASIS integrate algebra and Geometry. At least at BASIS, this means one year (7th, but for a handful of students 6th) is Algebra 1 and Geometry, and the next year is Algebra 2 and Geometry, then th following year is precalc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:6th grade math placement is ability grouped using iready scores.

What is the difference between tracking and ability groups?

When grouping by I-ready scores, all kids in a grade level are still in the same class, but will be assigned to small groups based on scores. The all-class instruction will be the same.

Tracking places kids in different classes with different all-class content.

To expand on this: In middle school, the "standard" DCPS track is:
6th grade: Math 6 (no algebra, focus is math fundamentals, ratios, intro to integers)
7th grade: Pre-algebra (ratios, proportions, percentages, basic equations)
8th grade: Algebra 1 (linear equations, functions)

With this track, you can differentiate via I-ready scores, which will enable more advanced kids in each grade to go through the material more quickly and maybe do at least some of the next level work. How much will depend on the kids, the teacher, and how many kids are ready for that higher level material.

However, DCPS also offers actual tracking starting in 7th, allowing some kids to do Algebra 1 in 7th, and then Algebra 2 in 8th. This is done when there are enough kids in 6th grade math who are doing and getting through the pre-algebra work that comprises 7th grade pre-algebra. So starting in 7th, these kids will be in a different classroom and do Algebra 1 work, then do Algebra 2 in 8th, setting them up for Geometry in 9th.

There are also schools that do advancement AND tracking. This is where a 6th grader is placed in the higher track 7th grade class, based on test scores at the end of 5th or start of 6th. So these kids will take Algebra 1 as 6th graders, but *in* the 7th grade Algebra 1 class. Most schools don't have enough kids in this situation to have a separate 6th grade Algebra 1 class, though maybe Deal has done this some years? I am unsure. SH has never done that. These kids will then take the Algebra 2 in 7ths, with 8th graders. And then in 8th, the school may offer a Geometry class (I definitely think Deal has done this).

It can be hard to understand because there are three different strategies at play -- differentiation (giving kids in the same class different content based on ability), tracking (placing kids with different aptitude in separate classes within the same grade), and advancement (moving a kid to a higher grade class based on master of grade level concepts). DCPS uses all three to get kids access to appropriate content. Differentiation and advancement are also used in elementary schools and are available everywhere. Tracking only happens if you have enough kids in a grade to fill out an entire class working at the next level.

Wait, Algebra II in 8th? What school offers that? Name names.

Absolutely no DCPS middle school offers this. Deal actually has enough of cohort to actually track and offer geometry as a class to 8th graders. I don’t know of any other DCPS middle school but maybe Hardy?

A few other schools, maybe less than a handful kids, go to next grade math which might be 7th or 8th grade and not geometry. PP above is correct that there is no real tracking with enough high performing cohorts of kids to have actual an actual class of geometry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:6th grade math placement is ability grouped using iready scores.

What is the difference between tracking and ability groups?

When grouping by I-ready scores, all kids in a grade level are still in the same class, but will be assigned to small groups based on scores. The all-class instruction will be the same.

Tracking places kids in different classes with different all-class content.

To expand on this: In middle school, the "standard" DCPS track is:
6th grade: Math 6 (no algebra, focus is math fundamentals, ratios, intro to integers)
7th grade: Pre-algebra (ratios, proportions, percentages, basic equations)
8th grade: Algebra 1 (linear equations, functions)

With this track, you can differentiate via I-ready scores, which will enable more advanced kids in each grade to go through the material more quickly and maybe do at least some of the next level work. How much will depend on the kids, the teacher, and how many kids are ready for that higher level material.

However, DCPS also offers actual tracking starting in 7th, allowing some kids to do Algebra 1 in 7th, and then Algebra 2 in 8th. This is done when there are enough kids in 6th grade math who are doing and getting through the pre-algebra work that comprises 7th grade pre-algebra. So starting in 7th, these kids will be in a different classroom and do Algebra 1 work, then do Algebra 2 in 8th, setting them up for Geometry in 9th.

There are also schools that do advancement AND tracking. This is where a 6th grader is placed in the higher track 7th grade class, based on test scores at the end of 5th or start of 6th. So these kids will take Algebra 1 as 6th graders, but *in* the 7th grade Algebra 1 class. Most schools don't have enough kids in this situation to have a separate 6th grade Algebra 1 class, though maybe Deal has done this some years? I am unsure. SH has never done that. These kids will then take the Algebra 2 in 7ths, with 8th graders. And then in 8th, the school may offer a Geometry class (I definitely think Deal has done this).

It can be hard to understand because there are three different strategies at play -- differentiation (giving kids in the same class different content based on ability), tracking (placing kids with different aptitude in separate classes within the same grade), and advancement (moving a kid to a higher grade class based on master of grade level concepts). DCPS uses all three to get kids access to appropriate content. Differentiation and advancement are also used in elementary schools and are available everywhere. Tracking only happens if you have enough kids in a grade to fill out an entire class working at the next level.

This is not correct.


The sequence is Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, precalc, calc AB. These are typically each year long classes in DCPS. So you can start algebra in 6th, 7th, 8th or 9th and then map out the rest of the classes one per year.

DCI and BASIS integrate algebra and Geometry. At least at BASIS, this means one year (7th, but for a handful of students 6th) is Algebra 1 and Geometry, and the next year is Algebra 2 and Geometry, then th following year is precalc.

+1. This is it. No one is getting any Algebra 2 class in DCPS middle school. You are lucky if you get any geometry.