Deal MS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know anything about pre-pandemic Deal, but we have been really disappointed in the school (current 7th grader). My sense is that students who are on grade level, don't need specialized support, and are generally well behaved are going to be fine. If your kid needs any special services, I would look at other options. We bought in to the Deal reputation, but have been really unimpressed...if this is really "the top DC MS" we have a lot more work to do as a City.

I have one kid ahead of grade level, and one behind, both at Deal this year. If advanced math counts as “specialized support,” both need, and are receiving, specialized support. One is pretty rigid, the other goes with the flow. Both are having great years. Which is not to cast doubt on the PP’s personal experience. Sometimes Deal seems to be like 15 separate small schools. Experiences can be very different.

What my kids do have in common is that both are generally well behaved, and both came from a feeder with a large circle of friends. I think those things help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know anything about pre-pandemic Deal, but we have been really disappointed in the school (current 7th grader). My sense is that students who are on grade level, don't need specialized support, and are generally well behaved are going to be fine. If your kid needs any special services, I would look at other options. We bought in to the Deal reputation, but have been really unimpressed...if this is really "the top DC MS" we have a lot more work to do as a City.

DCPS is terrible with kids who have IEPs/504s. They fail from early intervention all the way through. I would put my kid in private or move out of DC if they had not grown out of their issue.

[Anonymous]

Everything is amplified at Deal due to the size of the school. But I have no doubt that Deal’s approach to distanced learning last year also made things worse. The school’s refusal to open in person left 1500 MS students with no in-person connection to other students and adults, many of which were home alone all day while their parents went to work. On top of that the school delivered so few hours of instruction. Classes only met 2x per week meaning that even the most attentive and responsible students were left with many hours in the school week with nothing to do while also falling behind in education. It felt like the school administration just threw the students under the bus while catering to teachers fears about COVID. I assume it was in part because the principal herself was terrified of getting COVID. They have dug themselves a hole that will take years to get out of.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know anything about pre-pandemic Deal, but we have been really disappointed in the school (current 7th grader). My sense is that students who are on grade level, don't need specialized support, and are generally well behaved are going to be fine. If your kid needs any special services, I would look at other options. We bought in to the Deal reputation, but have been really unimpressed...if this is really "the top DC MS" we have a lot more work to do as a City.

My son has an IEP for writing and the support he got last year and this year have been amazing. No complaints from this family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know anything about pre-pandemic Deal, but we have been really disappointed in the school (current 7th grader). My sense is that students who are on grade level, don't need specialized support, and are generally well behaved are going to be fine. If your kid needs any special services, I would look at other options. We bought in to the Deal reputation, but have been really unimpressed...if this is really "the top DC MS" we have a lot more work to do as a City.

I have one kid ahead of grade level, and one behind, both at Deal this year. If advanced math counts as “specialized support,” both need, and are receiving, specialized support. One is pretty rigid, the other goes with the flow. Both are having great years. Which is not to cast doubt on the PP’s personal experience. Sometimes Deal seems to be like 15 separate small schools. Experiences can be very different.

What my kids do have in common is that both are generally well behaved, and both came from a feeder with a large circle of friends. I think those things help.

I’m a PP whose kids both had good experiences at Deal, and I agree with this point.

[Anonymous]

Deal is large enough that the experience can vary by quite a bit depending on which teachers you have and/or what kids are on your kid's team.
In the same calendar year you will have kids who have a fantastic year and ones who have a terrible year.

We've had both: years with awesome teachers across the board and years when multiple teachers quit (with no replacement teachers available so none put in place for months).

[Anonymous]

Deal is beyond overcrowded and as you’ve heard, fist fights happen more frequently than I think should be tolerated. Not sure how kids can learn when they’re in fear for their safety. If you have the means for private do that, if you don’t, yes you might be looking to one of the better MoCo privates (also overcrowded, but safer).

[Anonymous]

^ MoCo publics (not privates).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Deal is beyond overcrowded and as you’ve heard, fist fights happen more frequently than I think should be tolerated. Not sure how kids can learn when they’re in fear for their safety. If you have the means for private do that, if you don’t, yes you might be looking to one of the better MoCo privates (also overcrowded, but safer).

My kid has never felt in fear for his safety. I'm sure others have but it's not a universal feeling, my kid really enjoys going to school and he's never engaged in fist fights.

[Anonymous]

Teacher and parent here. What hasn’t gotten adequate air time is the effect of teacher/sub/misc. other employee shortage on schools. Unfortunately, teachers are resigning in droves with no clear replacement because education school graduate numbers have been dropping for years and are currently disturbingly low. Anyone who works in a school can tell you this is affecting students negatively, and the future isn’t bright.

[Anonymous]

Two of my seventh grader's classrooms are doubled up right now bc no long term subs when the teachers left.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Two of my seventh grader's classrooms are doubled up right now bc no long term subs when the teachers left.

This and the PP both highlight the teacher shortage. Parents can complain as much as they want but it won't help you get a better teacher/education for your child. Teacher's are being paid at 2019 rates. Did you know that? No pay increase even with this inflation and none in the foreseeable future. It is a very bleak outlook. Doubling up classes could end up being the norm. It can get worse.

[Anonymous]

Former Deal teacher who left after Covid Spring: a few very troubled kids can wreak havoc on the educational opportunities of the mostly great kids at Deal. This was the case before Covid. A few of these kids are violent, some of them are bullies, and some are just disrupting learning on a daily basis, which is a type of bullying that affects a whole class. And they do it with impunity. There are no sanctions. Additionally, the bare-bones, standardized curriculum is no better than any DCPS middle school, which is to say, it's not terribly rich or challenging. Many students love their Deal experience. It's crowded and noisy, and the bad actors provide entertainment, which many students find exciting. But the students who are interested in learning are being shortchanged.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Former Deal teacher who left after Covid Spring: a few very troubled kids can wreak havoc on the educational opportunities of the mostly great kids at Deal. This was the case before Covid. A few of these kids are violent, some of them are bullies, and some are just disrupting learning on a daily basis, which is a type of bullying that affects a whole class. And they do it with impunity. There are no sanctions. Additionally, the bare-bones, standardized curriculum is no better than any DCPS middle school, which is to say, it's not terribly rich or challenging. Many students love their Deal experience. It's crowded and noisy, and the bad actors provide entertainment, which many students find exciting. But the students who are interested in learning are being shortchanged.

This is sad, but helpful, insight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know anything about pre-pandemic Deal, but we have been really disappointed in the school (current 7th grader). My sense is that students who are on grade level, don't need specialized support, and are generally well behaved are going to be fine. If your kid needs any special services, I would look at other options. We bought in to the Deal reputation, but have been really unimpressed...if this is really "the top DC MS" we have a lot more work to do as a City.

What are your child’s issues specifically? And/or could you elaborate more on what kind of needs are not able to be supported?

Example - The 7th grade social worker has said stated that she believes that Autism is over diagnosed and that not all the kids at Deal with IEPs should have them.
She has stated that some children who are bullied have behaviors that have contributed to making them targets (Yes -Autism might do that)