Chevy Chase Elementary - quality of classrooms & instruction

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are moving into the boundary for this school, and my children are currently at a DC school. I've searched the forum and found items related to COVID policies, zoom school, etc. Looking for new information on the actual experiences within the classroom in 2021.

Can anyone with recent experience tell me about the Language Arts and math curriculum and how the programs are implemented at Chevy Chase Elementary (not the CES program)?

Are the teachers warm and engaging?

Do you find your child receives enough academic attention and support?

Thank you in advance!

It's a fine school. It has the same teachers and curriculum of any MCPS school. Kids can do as well here is any place. There is little variation between schools. Test score averages reflect demographic differences. This has little impact on individual student performance. It's been stated that the same student will do the same at any school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are moving into the boundary for this school, and my children are currently at a DC school. I've searched the forum and found items related to COVID policies, zoom school, etc. Looking for new information on the actual experiences within the classroom in 2021.

Can anyone with recent experience tell me about the Language Arts and math curriculum and how the programs are implemented at Chevy Chase Elementary (not the CES program)?

Are the teachers warm and engaging?

Do you find your child receives enough academic attention and support?

Thank you in advance!

It's a fine school. It has the same teachers and curriculum of any MCPS school. Kids can do as well here is any place. There is little variation between schools. Test score averages reflect demographic differences. This has little impact on individual student performance. It's been stated that the same student will do the same at any school.

It's a great school for sure, but my kids went to a focus school. I preferred that because the class sizes were much smaller which helped in K-2.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a child with SN who attends CCES. I find it surprising that PP describes the general ed classrooms as being all mixed together across ability levels. Maybe PP doesn't realize, but CCES classrooms are pretty awful about grouping all of the kids with IEPs together and not letting them truly be mainstreamed. I am glad my child is in a general ed classroom, but I want DC to benefit from working with peers at all ability levels - including those who regularly outperform DC and can thereby challenge DC to push to higher goals. It doesn't really happen when they're all in a small group together and not interacting much with everyone else.

Overall, I am not that impressed with the teachers - especially the special ed teachers. Every year my DC is assigned to a teacher who has literally just graduated from UMD - zero actual experience. And zero continuity because they're moved on to something else the next year. The admins don't impress me either and I am disappointed that the principal has never attended an IEP meeting or expressed any interest in helping my DC through the last 18 months (which were awful for everyone, but even worse for kids who were missing out on their services).

Good points: the building is lovely, the specials teachers (art, music, etc.) are all wonderful, and the kids are warm and welcoming to one another. My DC is quite happy, despite all of my complaining about the academic issues.

Don't get me started on that SN teacher. She's not only incompetent but an unethical person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are moving into the boundary for this school, and my children are currently at a DC school. I've searched the forum and found items related to COVID policies, zoom school, etc. Looking for new information on the actual experiences within the classroom in 2021.

Can anyone with recent experience tell me about the Language Arts and math curriculum and how the programs are implemented at Chevy Chase Elementary (not the CES program)?

Are the teachers warm and engaging?

Do you find your child receives enough academic attention and support?

Thank you in advance!

It's a fine school. It has the same teachers and curriculum of any MCPS school. Kids can do as well here is any place. There is little variation between schools. Test score averages reflect demographic differences. This has little impact on individual student performance. It's been stated that the same student will do the same at any school.

I am sorry you think test scores are all that matters. For many of us, there are things that matter more. Is it warm, nurturing, does it embrace diversity in all forms, does it foster tolerance, does it respect and appreciate individual differences and eccentricities? Do teachers make any effort to go beyond the curriculum and educate the whole child? Does the community come together for school events? etc? In my child's experience at CCES the answer to most of these questions was a "yes"

[Anonymous]

Bump it up

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a child with SN who attends CCES. I find it surprising that PP describes the general ed classrooms as being all mixed together across ability levels. Maybe PP doesn't realize, but CCES classrooms are pretty awful about grouping all of the kids with IEPs together and not letting them truly be mainstreamed. I am glad my child is in a general ed classroom, but I want DC to benefit from working with peers at all ability levels - including those who regularly outperform DC and can thereby challenge DC to push to higher goals. It doesn't really happen when they're all in a small group together and not interacting much with everyone else.

Overall, I am not that impressed with the teachers - especially the special ed teachers. Every year my DC is assigned to a teacher who has literally just graduated from UMD - zero actual experience. And zero continuity because they're moved on to something else the next year. The admins don't impress me either and I am disappointed that the principal has never attended an IEP meeting or expressed any interest in helping my DC through the last 18 months (which were awful for everyone, but even worse for kids who were missing out on their services).

Good points: the building is lovely, the specials teachers (art, music, etc.) are all wonderful, and the kids are warm and welcoming to one another. My DC is quite happy, despite all of my complaining about the academic issues.

Don't get me started on that SN teacher. She's not only incompetent but an unethical person.

You do realize the reason why there's a new grad teaching sped each year is because they quit or leave every year, right? Teaching special Ed is incredibly difficult and many places cannot even staff those positions with teachers at all.

[Anonymous]

Not sure why this thread was bumped after 3 years, but I am curious how it is going under the new principal. I have heard the AP is awful.

[Anonymous]

I’ve heard it’s a great school but don’t know the details.))
Would you “trade” it for an immersion program?

[Anonymous]

bump

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve heard it’s a great school but don’t know the details.))
Would you “trade” it for an immersion program?

That’s really about whether you want immersion vs a neighborhood school

[Anonymous]

The new principal is fine, as is the AP. The special ed department is made up of horrible people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The new principal is fine, as is the AP. The special ed department is made up of horrible people.

The AP is not fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The new principal is fine, as is the AP. The special ed department is made up of horrible people.

The AP is not fine.

+1 - couldn’t agree more.

On the issue of special ed staff, there is a huge amount of turnover. This seems to be an issue in MCPS in general and not specific to this school.