OTES Experiences

[Anonymous]

DD will be in K next year. We are districted to Oakland Terrace and I have a few concerns. I would love to hear from people with children there now.

1) How is it working to have the K students housed at Sligo Middle School?

2) DD is a solid reader and writer and has fundamental math skills. She loves learning right now. How does the school handle children coming in at different levels? Do stronger students get challenged? Do weaker students get left behind?

3) DD is also quite hyperactive. I am worried she will be seen as a behaviour issue, especially if she is at all bored by knowing some/much of what is being taught (this isn't complete hypothesising, I checked the MCPS curriculum guides). Any experience with hyperactive children at the school?

I am worried she will lose her love of learning because she won't get the nurturing she needs. I may be completely off base but, as we all do, I worry!

I greatly appreciate anyone sharing recent experiences with Oakland Terrace. I have heard wonderful things about the school but not from people with children similar to DD.

Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Only commenting b/c I see you haven't had any yet. I'm at another school, but have friends w/Kindergartner at OTES. They are very happy with how it's going this year -- They've even got one child in each building.

I've heard some mixed reviews about how the school handles different leveling, but mostly, the parents I know there have been very happy -- including the parents of children I consider highly gifted.

[Anonymous]

There were a number of kids in my child's k class who could read before starting school. My child is in 1st now and there is a lot of differntiated instruction for both math and reading.

[Anonymous]

My child goes to another school in MCPS, but I can assure you that lots of kids enter K reading and knowing basic math -- so your kid won't be the only one. MCPS is known for pushing kids, so rest assured your child will be challenged. They break the kids into groups for math starting in K (although not right away -- after assessments). My kid was doing first grade math in K, and some kids were doing different (higher level) activities than he was. FWIW, most kids level out somewhere between 1st and 3rd, so while your kid may be somewhat advanced entering K, that doesn't necessarily mean she is gifted or that she will remain above-level throughout elementary school. MCPS teachers routinely assess kids and their groupings can change -- even througout the year -- based on progress. IE: a kid could start out on-level and then be pushed up to a higher group if he has mastered certain skills and needs to be challenged. You should probably talk to your kid's pre-K teacher about potential behavior issues. FWIW, just b/c a kid is smart doesn't mean it's ok for the kid to act out in class --- and justifying that misbehavior by calling it "boredom" isn't helpful to the child, the class, or the teacher. My kid completes his work very quickly and understands that he isn't allowed to act out if he finishes early or if he thinks the work is too easy (and FWIW, lots of kids will tell you that their schoolwork is easy --- but the teachers (thanks to their constant assessments) know best).

[Anonymous]

My daughter is in kindergarten at OTES. We love it. She loves going to the main campus a andriding the "shuttle" to the satellite campus -- and she calls it the satellite campus. My daughter is reading on a 1st/2nd grade level and is an reading group w/other kids on her reading level. @ the beginning of the year things seemed to move slowly, when actually the teacher was doing a thorough assessment of the kids and their levels in the various areas of learning. When our daughter was placed in a reading group we got a detailed note from the teacher explaining it. At parent-teacher conference time we received detailed info and examples of our daughter's work AND her behaviour. Our daughter is also high energy. IMO that is a PRIMARILY A parent issue to work on with their child. We simply had to reinforce our daughter exercising her self-control. Something u would do best to work on and practice now before your kiddo enters school- it will save you a lot of frustration in the long run.

[Anonymous]

OP here.

Thanks so much to all of you for the input. I'm a teacher so I full understand that it's a parental (my) issue and also why I'm sensitive to it. When she's engaged and busy she's fine, when she's not ... well, we're working on that. These days it seems like we have a lot of work to do - hopefully we'll make progress over the next few months.

I know everyone has a different experience but your comments have eased my mind significantly. I appreciate your time in respoding.

[Anonymous]

Not sure if this thread is still continuing- I am late to it. I have extensive experience with both OTES and the satellite campus this year. I have to say, it is going remarkably well. My feeling is that the kindergarteners at Sligo are receiving the same quality of education as they would at the main campus. OTES has been a very strong school for the past 9 years, in large part due to Cheryl Pulliam, the principal.

[Anonymous]

My DS attended OTES last year for 4th grade (from private) and while we liked the parent community, and we were impressed by Ms. Pulliam's energy and commitment, my son didn't learn a thing. He's a fly-under-the-radar kind of kid, and smart. So he did the minimal amount of work, got straight A's, but was bored and unmotivated. He banged out his homework during his 15 minute bus ride home, and he never was never assigned in any long-term, collaborative projects. He and his classmates were given lots and lots of test prep however. He was smart, quiet, and nice and didn't get much attention from the teachers. With 24 kids in his class, he was easily (and happy to be) passed over.

Most of this is simply MCPS, so I don't condemn OTES. It was a nice enough school, but frankly a wasted year for our DS. He's back in private and working hard and doing very well. My advice is that if you have a smart kid who is quiet, think hard about what educational setting is best. I know some kids really self-advocate and shine in a huge ES that doesn't have much embedded enrichment, but many simply fall through the cracks. We weren't willing to let that happen to our son.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DS attended OTES last year for 4th grade (from private) and while we liked the parent community, and we were impressed by Ms. Pulliam's energy and commitment, my son didn't learn a thing. He's a fly-under-the-radar kind of kid, and smart. So he did the minimal amount of work, got straight A's, but was bored and unmotivated. He banged out his homework during his 15 minute bus ride home, and he never was never assigned in any long-term, collaborative projects. He and his classmates were given lots and lots of test prep however. He was smart, quiet, and nice and didn't get much attention from the teachers. With 24 kids in his class, he was easily (and happy to be) passed over.

Most of this is simply MCPS, so I don't condemn OTES. It was a nice enough school, but frankly a wasted year for our DS. He's back in private and working hard and doing very well. My advice is that if you have a smart kid who is quiet, think hard about what educational setting is best. I know some kids really self-advocate and shine in a huge ES that doesn't have much embedded enrichment, but many simply fall through the cracks. We weren't willing to let that happen to our son.

I'm curious if you spoke with your child's teacher about your concerns. I know that in the upper grades the kids switch classes for math and reading. Was your son working in any of these accelerated classes? I've also heard that the administration doesn't believe in overloading the students with homework. In fact, research shows that there is no correlation between the amount of time spent on homework and academic performance in the elementary grades (different ballgame when the kids move on to middle/high school). I'm a parent of a kid who attended a private school and spent hours doing homework each night. The assignments were pointless, repetitious, and certainly didn't help my child learn a new concept, practice an important skill, etc. This year my child has far less homework, but is learning more in school. Personally, I think you can have both good and bad experiences at both private and public schools. Every kid is an individual with different learning styles. Also, you're correct about class time spent on test-prep. However, I believe it mostly happens in the month or two before the kids take the state tests. You're also correct that this is MCPS leading the expectations of what should be done by classroom teachers prior to high-stakes state testing.

[Anonymous]

It's not just the older kids who are pulled out for acceleration- my first grader is pulled out to a different class for math.

I've only had positive experiences with the school so far.

Just wanted to note, also, that although the PP 4th grader had 24 children in his class, the OP is asking about K. There were 17 children in my child's K class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS attended OTES last year for 4th grade (from private) and while we liked the parent community, and we were impressed by Ms. Pulliam's energy and commitment, my son didn't learn a thing. He's a fly-under-the-radar kind of kid, and smart. So he did the minimal amount of work, got straight A's, but was bored and unmotivated. He banged out his homework during his 15 minute bus ride home, and he never was never assigned in any long-term, collaborative projects. He and his classmates were given lots and lots of test prep however. He was smart, quiet, and nice and didn't get much attention from the teachers. With 24 kids in his class, he was easily (and happy to be) passed over.

Most of this is simply MCPS, so I don't condemn OTES. It was a nice enough school, but frankly a wasted year for our DS. He's back in private and working hard and doing very well. My advice is that if you have a smart kid who is quiet, think hard about what educational setting is best. I know some kids really self-advocate and shine in a huge ES that doesn't have much embedded enrichment, but many simply fall through the cracks. We weren't willing to let that happen to our son.

I'm curious if you spoke with your child's teacher about your concerns. I know that in the upper grades the kids switch classes for math and reading. Was your son working in any of these accelerated classes? I've also heard that the administration doesn't believe in overloading the students with homework. In fact, research shows that there is no correlation between the amount of time spent on homework and academic performance in the elementary grades (different ballgame when the kids move on to middle/high school). I'm a parent of a kid who attended a private school and spent hours doing homework each night. The assignments were pointless, repetitious, and certainly didn't help my child learn a new concept, practice an important skill, etc. This year my child has far less homework, but is learning more in school. Personally, I think you can have both good and bad experiences at both private and public schools. Every kid is an individual with different learning styles. Also, you're correct about class time spent on test-prep. However, I believe it mostly happens in the month or two before the kids take the state tests. You're also correct that this is MCPS leading the expectations of what should be done by classroom teachers prior to high-stakes state testing.

We had many many meetings with his teachers, but nothing changed. We were told that he was a nice boy, and was going along just fine. He was in the accelerated math and reading programs, but still found them uninteresting (BCR's are just awful IMO). He would actually come home with coloring book pages which he was given during class time when he'd finished his work. Like I said, he is not a kid to complain, or push himself, so he didn't mind doodling for half a class, or not being engaged. He can't fly under the radar in a smaller private, and while he is working hard, he is so much happier.