Academic Rigor of APS Middle Schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 5th grader is at St Ann school, and its hardly a sweatshop and we get homework M-Th. Like a list of vocab words to learn, read 3 chapters of a book and answer questions on a worksheet about those chapters, read a science chapter and then complete a worksheet on the water cycle. And always math homework, which are just a sheet of problems on the topic learned today to practice the computation by hand.

I am surprised they aren't learning that in middle school. We were going to return to APS and enroll at DHMS, do they have the same no to low homework policy?

I'm surprised your kid is doing so much on paper. I assume worksheet means an actual worksheet?

The move to electronic assignments makes a ton of sense and I don't understand parents of our generation who seem convinced they have to do everything with pen and paper in order to prove they are "learning".

[Anonymous]

I see all my middle school student's study guides to study for tests. Because I help him study. I am much less connected to math because he is very good at math and doesn't need help to study and gets all As.

But if you go in their ipads and look you can see all the stuff they are doing and their assignments.

At some point, isn't the goal that they handle it all and let you know when they need help? So I don't think you not knowing means their is a lack of rigor. It could mean that, but it doesn't have to mean that. It could mean great news, your kid is handling things. My parents didn't have a clue what I was doing in middle school I don't think. I was a good student and everything was fine.

I will also say there are some kids who are not handling things. Friends of my DS have had extra math work sent home, interventions from teachers on time management, pinged for not turning in assignments, failing grades, etc. It's not like everyone is "coasting".

[Anonymous]

Don’t worry. The high school will be a joke too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 5th grader is at St Ann school, and its hardly a sweatshop and we get homework M-Th. Like a list of vocab words to learn, read 3 chapters of a book and answer questions on a worksheet about those chapters, read a science chapter and then complete a worksheet on the water cycle. And always math homework, which are just a sheet of problems on the topic learned today to practice the computation by hand.

I am surprised they aren't learning that in middle school. We were going to return to APS and enroll at DHMS, do they have the same no to low homework policy?

I'm surprised your kid is doing so much on paper. I assume worksheet means an actual worksheet?

The move to electronic assignments makes a ton of sense and I don't understand parents of our generation who seem convinced they have to do everything with pen and paper in order to prove they are "learning".

Oh it’s a mix for sure. But vocab words are done on paper for example to prevent spell check swooping in

Same with math, sometimes it’s good to practice computation and organizing the execution.

But yeah a lot of worksheets are on web.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I see all my middle school student's study guides to study for tests. Because I help him study. I am much less connected to math because he is very good at math and doesn't need help to study and gets all As.

But if you go in their ipads and look you can see all the stuff they are doing and their assignments.

At some point, isn't the goal that they handle it all and let you know when they need help? So I don't think you not knowing means their is a lack of rigor. It could mean that, but it doesn't have to mean that. It could mean great news, your kid is handling things. My parents didn't have a clue what I was doing in middle school I don't think. I was a good student and everything was fine.

I will also say there are some kids who are not handling things. Friends of my DS have had extra math work sent home, interventions from teachers on time management, pinged for not turning in assignments, failing grades, etc. It's not like everyone is "coasting".

Not knowing is fine. But the absence of independent individual homework is troubling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would like to hear from other APS parents and get their thoughts on the academic rigor of APS middle schools.

I hope this isn't taken the wrong way but hear me out. DC is in 8th grade, is taking Algebra, and is mostly a straight A student (had a B one quarter in 6th and 7th grade), which, to be honest, is confounding to me. DC is not particularly a motivated student, and is the kind of kid who will put in what he needs to to get the desired outcome, no more, no less. Whenever I ask if there's any homework or a test to study for, DC responds that it was done at school, if they get any homework at all. I remember when I was that age, I had to bust my ass to get straight As. I wouldn't even know my child was actually even in school if it wasn't for ParentVue, which is the only reason I know DC is actually doing all of the assignments. But it's difficult for me to gauge how much DS is actually learning and absorbing. Maybe DC just a natural learner and grasps concepts more easily than I did, in which case, great! Or maybe APS expects the bare minimum which makes it easy for a student to just coast. I don't know. And it's not from lack of trying to understand or asking questions. Whenever I ask about school, I usually just get one or two-word responses. Everything is good or fine.

This is a longwinded way of saying I'm worried that the middle school isn't doing its job to properly prepare its students for the rigors of high school. Anyone else worried about this? How did your "coaster" do transitioning from MS to HS?

OP, I could have written this word-for-word about my DD. She is smart and a straight-A student, but I don't think she is being pushed academically. I do think HS will be a wake-up call.

Same for my child in APS middle school. According to my child, there are generally two categories of kids at their school. Roughly 20% who "care" about their grades and largely get all As and everyone else. They have one class in which 20% of the class is getting an "A" and the rest of the class is failing because they are not turning in assignments, which is just insane.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What you are both describing is a lighter workload not a lack of rigor. And the move to electronic texts and assignments and tests. Education has shifted towards less quantity of work and less homework. Doesn’t mean your kid will necessarily be unprepared for high school. This is true of high school as well. It’s certainly not unique to APS or even public schools in this region. True of privates as well.

Not true of privates. We left APS for private and the change is noticeable. Daily homework, writing assignments, comprehensive tests that are marked up and returned promptly.

We, the tax payers, could push for that in APS with smaller classes sizes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would like to hear from other APS parents and get their thoughts on the academic rigor of APS middle schools.

I hope this isn't taken the wrong way but hear me out. DC is in 8th grade, is taking Algebra, and is mostly a straight A student (had a B one quarter in 6th and 7th grade), which, to be honest, is confounding to me. DC is not particularly a motivated student, and is the kind of kid who will put in what he needs to to get the desired outcome, no more, no less. Whenever I ask if there's any homework or a test to study for, DC responds that it was done at school, if they get any homework at all. I remember when I was that age, I had to bust my ass to get straight As. I wouldn't even know my child was actually even in school if it wasn't for ParentVue, which is the only reason I know DC is actually doing all of the assignments. But it's difficult for me to gauge how much DS is actually learning and absorbing. Maybe DC just a natural learner and grasps concepts more easily than I did, in which case, great! Or maybe APS expects the bare minimum which makes it easy for a student to just coast. I don't know. And it's not from lack of trying to understand or asking questions. Whenever I ask about school, I usually just get one or two-word responses. Everything is good or fine.

This is a longwinded way of saying I'm worried that the middle school isn't doing its job to properly prepare its students for the rigors of high school. Anyone else worried about this? How did your "coaster" do transitioning from MS to HS?

OP, I could have written this word-for-word about my DD. She is smart and a straight-A student, but I don't think she is being pushed academically. I do think HS will be a wake-up call.

Same for my child in APS middle school. According to my child, there are generally two categories of kids at their school. Roughly 20% who "care" about their grades and largely get all As and everyone else. They have one class in which 20% of the class is getting an "A" and the rest of the class is failing because they are not turning in assignments, which is just insane.

That is exactly what I expect. There is no middle class in Arlington.

You have wealthy families living in $1m+ SFH and then loads of students from APAH housing. Any middle class family was already moving to FCPS or LCPS, but pandemic clinched it — if you are WFH most days, why suffer pandemic life in a condo with kids when for less money you can get a house with a yard?

So you have these people remaining, the wealthy but not wealthy enough to swing private school, and those living in affordable housing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I see all my middle school student's study guides to study for tests. Because I help him study. I am much less connected to math because he is very good at math and doesn't need help to study and gets all As.

But if you go in their ipads and look you can see all the stuff they are doing and their assignments.

At some point, isn't the goal that they handle it all and let you know when they need help? So I don't think you not knowing means their is a lack of rigor. It could mean that, but it doesn't have to mean that. It could mean great news, your kid is handling things. My parents didn't have a clue what I was doing in middle school I don't think. I was a good student and everything was fine.

I will also say there are some kids who are not handling things. Friends of my DS have had extra math work sent home, interventions from teachers on time management, pinged for not turning in assignments, failing grades, etc. It's not like everyone is "coasting".

Not knowing is fine. But the absence of independent individual homework is troubling.

I think they do get individual independent assignments and they get time to finish them. My kid has a period during the day where he can finish work from all classes and he uses the time. Of course they could get more work and be expected to do it at home. Agreed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I see all my middle school student's study guides to study for tests. Because I help him study. I am much less connected to math because he is very good at math and doesn't need help to study and gets all As.

But if you go in their ipads and look you can see all the stuff they are doing and their assignments.

At some point, isn't the goal that they handle it all and let you know when they need help? So I don't think you not knowing means their is a lack of rigor. It could mean that, but it doesn't have to mean that. It could mean great news, your kid is handling things. My parents didn't have a clue what I was doing in middle school I don't think. I was a good student and everything was fine.

I will also say there are some kids who are not handling things. Friends of my DS have had extra math work sent home, interventions from teachers on time management, pinged for not turning in assignments, failing grades, etc. It's not like everyone is "coasting".

Not knowing is fine. But the absence of independent individual homework is troubling.

I think they do get individual independent assignments and they get time to finis them. My kid has a period during the day where he can finish work from all classes and he uses the time. Of course they could get more work and be expected to do it at home. Agreed.

Have school mandated time where they have to work on home work is not independent, it’s not like he could do much else. I’m sure they aren’t allowed on their phones for instance. Also, they are in school 6 hrs, so they lose 1 hr for lunch and switch classes, 1 hr for study period, so they only need 2/3 of time for instruction?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They got rid of homework because of equity. Not everyone has a stable home situation and some need to care for younger siblings or elderly relatives. So nothing assigned out of school, and in fact we are forfeiting instruction time for study time, because they can’t study at home either.

Equity is a real problem. This is not the way to solve it.

No homework in 8th grade? Maybe not even high school? College will be crushing

OP here. I completely understand and support the need for more equity but I agree with you that this not the way to solve it or, at most, it's only solving a part of the problem because, at the end of the day, it's these same kids with unstable home life without the appropriate resources that will get left behind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I see all my middle school student's study guides to study for tests. Because I help him study. I am much less connected to math because he is very good at math and doesn't need help to study and gets all As.

But if you go in their ipads and look you can see all the stuff they are doing and their assignments.

At some point, isn't the goal that they handle it all and let you know when they need help? So I don't think you not knowing means their is a lack of rigor. It could mean that, but it doesn't have to mean that. It could mean great news, your kid is handling things. My parents didn't have a clue what I was doing in middle school I don't think. I was a good student and everything was fine.

I will also say there are some kids who are not handling things. Friends of my DS have had extra math work sent home, interventions from teachers on time management, pinged for not turning in assignments, failing grades, etc. It's not like everyone is "coasting".

Not knowing is fine. But the absence of independent individual homework is troubling.

I think they do get individual independent assignments and they get time to finis them. My kid has a period during the day where he can finish work from all classes and he uses the time. Of course they could get more work and be expected to do it at home. Agreed.

Have school mandated time where they have to work on home work is not independent, it’s not like he could do much else. I’m sure they aren’t allowed on their phones for instance. Also, they are in school 6 hrs, so they lose 1 hr for lunch and switch classes, 1 hr for study period, so they only need 2/3 of time for instruction?

Oh they can do a lot else and do. They screw around on their iPads. Why do you think so many don’t turn any assignments in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What you are both describing is a lighter workload not a lack of rigor. And the move to electronic texts and assignments and tests. Education has shifted towards less quantity of work and less homework. Doesn’t mean your kid will necessarily be unprepared for high school. This is true of high school as well. It’s certainly not unique to APS or even public schools in this region. True of privates as well.

You could be 100% correct but I wouldn't know because I have little insight into what DC is actually learning and retaining.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So basically, ppl think that adult who are in college won't be able to figure out the workload unless overworked as kids?

Managing homework is part of developing executive skill, building attention span while working alone in a solitary room. Right now the kids only have to work with others working and monitored by a teacher; the siren song of beer pong, their phone, roommates gaming, will all be steps away in college and they will have no muscle memory for studying solitarily.

Some homework != overworked.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I see all my middle school student's study guides to study for tests. Because I help him study. I am much less connected to math because he is very good at math and doesn't need help to study and gets all As.

But if you go in their ipads and look you can see all the stuff they are doing and their assignments.

At some point, isn't the goal that they handle it all and let you know when they need help? So I don't think you not knowing means their is a lack of rigor. It could mean that, but it doesn't have to mean that. It could mean great news, your kid is handling things. My parents didn't have a clue what I was doing in middle school I don't think. I was a good student and everything was fine.

I will also say there are some kids who are not handling things. Friends of my DS have had extra math work sent home, interventions from teachers on time management, pinged for not turning in assignments, failing grades, etc. It's not like everyone is "coasting".

That's a fair point. And I realize there are kids who are struggling. The year and a half of virtual learning due to the pandemic certainly didn't help. I definitely didn't intend to come across as insensitive to that fact (and that's part of the reason I posted this on an anonymous forum). But when I see a child like mine, who is smart but certainly not a genius, getting straight As without seeming to try very hard and being labeled as "gifted" it just makes me wonder if my I'm completely underestimating my child and my expectations are skewed. Or, is it that the standards have changed since I was in school?