Jackson Reed Biomedical Academy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Biomed is not its own Academy but one of three pathways within the Scimatech Academy. The other 2 are Engineering and Information Technology. All of these names have changed slightly over the last several years as several of the academies have been going through a process of registering with the National Academy Foundation. Unfortunately all three Scimatech pathways have changed the requirements about what is required for completion every single year for at least four years in a row. They are constantly adding additional requirements for more field trips (which require the student to miss all their classes for a day and make up work on their own time), more certifications, more work-based learning, more clubs. It is maddening to have the bar constantly moved up and my own kid who is there now is thinking of quitting because of it. This student has other school activities that would have to be sacrificed to continue to make it work. And the Academy Director, who is wonderful in many ways, has a group of students she deems her leadership who she saves all the perks for so they aren’t available to all adademy students. In the most recent years it seems to be more about preparing ever more programming materials, perhaps for the professional benefit of the Director, then really serving the needs of HS students that should be able to participate in an academy without sacrificing time to participate in every other HS activity and elective.

This is all true. I don’t understand the benefits of being a NAF academy vs. what DCPS had before. DCPS pays NAF a lot of money to use their brand. Why? Also the NAF directors get paid way more than teachers for some reason. And perhaps to keep their job as being useful, the directors keep adding more and more requirements to be part of the academy - to what purpose? If schools need to cut budgets, perhaps this would be a good place to start. Keep the academy basic structure but eliminate the NAF branding and the NAF specific positions

[Anonymous]

Before NAF, there was consistency in academy programs either between schools or between programs within a school. The schools get a lot of funding for going thru NAF and that is how the directors are paid. Before NAF academy directors were not compensated for that role, it was usually a teacher who topknot on as a volunteer. This if that teacher worked insane overtime in their own dime, the academies were dynamic and interesting, if that teacher left, the academy fell apart. In theory, with a pd director, that wouldn’t happen.

[Anonymous]

Sorry I meant to say there was NO consistency above!!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In our experience, people considering the JR biomedical academy (aka Academy of Health Sciences) should think twice. Unfortunately, the teacher in charge of that academy has a history of questionable grading practices and playing favorites. Perfectly capable high-performing students who love the content continue to drop out as a result of her demoralizing behavior. Grading is largely mysterious and subjective, and most grades are not entered into Aspen until the very end of each term. There’s almost no feedback provided in Canvas, so students have no idea where they stand until it’s too late. Asking questions or challenging a grade is a risky proposition, usually entailing some form of retribution down the road. All of this is well-known among students and has much to do with their overall feeling about their time in this academy.

My student dropped JR’s biomed academy due to these circumstances, despite an ongoing interest in the content, and is far from the only one. There are plenty of other meaningful ways to demonstrate interest in this area, including AP Biology and internships, that don’t take an unnecessary mental health toll. This situation has been going on for years, parents have voiced concerns, and yet the problems persist.

If you choose the JR biomedical academy, please understand these risks. Unfortunately, in our experience, it’s not a matter of learning and enjoying the material.

Yes, and in addition the teacher does not understand the material. It’s really quite sad for the students, a missed opportunity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In our experience, people considering the JR biomedical academy (aka Academy of Health Sciences) should think twice. Unfortunately, the teacher in charge of that academy has a history of questionable grading practices and playing favorites. Perfectly capable high-performing students who love the content continue to drop out as a result of her demoralizing behavior. Grading is largely mysterious and subjective, and most grades are not entered into Aspen until the very end of each term. There’s almost no feedback provided in Canvas, so students have no idea where they stand until it’s too late. Asking questions or challenging a grade is a risky proposition, usually entailing some form of retribution down the road. All of this is well-known among students and has much to do with their overall feeling about their time in this academy.

My student dropped JR’s biomed academy due to these circumstances, despite an ongoing interest in the content, and is far from the only one. There are plenty of other meaningful ways to demonstrate interest in this area, including AP Biology and internships, that don’t take an unnecessary mental health toll. This situation has been going on for years, parents have voiced concerns, and yet the problems persist.

If you choose the JR biomedical academy, please understand these risks. Unfortunately, in our experience, it’s not a matter of learning and enjoying the material.

This is 100 percent my child's experience. They dropped it after the 2nd year despite loving the subject matter and wanting a career in the health care field. DC is a top student, worked very hard, and knew the material backward and forward but teacher wouldn't put grades into Aspen until the end of the term and wouldn't provide feedback...so there was no opportunity to understand why a grade was lower than expected. Many, many students drop for this reason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In our experience, people considering the JR biomedical academy (aka Academy of Health Sciences) should think twice. Unfortunately, the teacher in charge of that academy has a history of questionable grading practices and playing favorites. Perfectly capable high-performing students who love the content continue to drop out as a result of her demoralizing behavior. Grading is largely mysterious and subjective, and most grades are not entered into Aspen until the very end of each term. There’s almost no feedback provided in Canvas, so students have no idea where they stand until it’s too late. Asking questions or challenging a grade is a risky proposition, usually entailing some form of retribution down the road. All of this is well-known among students and has much to do with their overall feeling about their time in this academy.

My student dropped JR’s biomed academy due to these circumstances, despite an ongoing interest in the content, and is far from the only one. There are plenty of other meaningful ways to demonstrate interest in this area, including AP Biology and internships, that don’t take an unnecessary mental health toll. This situation has been going on for years, parents have voiced concerns, and yet the problems persist.

If you choose the JR biomedical academy, please understand these risks. Unfortunately, in our experience, it’s not a matter of learning and enjoying the material.

Yes, and in addition the teacher does not understand the material. It’s really quite sad for the students, a missed opportunity.

It is sad. DC says the teacher assigns rigorous material, but students have to teach it to themselves. Because they love the subject and want to do well, they do. Then they get a low grade that they don't understand and don't find out about until the end of the term. If they question the grade, they don't get meaningful feedback and are penalized later on. Wish we would've known about all of this ahead of time. DC could've been spared a lot of needless stress and made other decisions about pursuing the subject.

[Anonymous]

+1

[Anonymous]

It’s disturbing that zero feedback has become a norm in schools.

[Anonymous]

I have two kids at JR, both of whom are very strong students and neither of whom is in an academy.

If your kid isn’t naturally interested in a particular pre-professional path, there’s no need for them to force themselves into one so they can join an academy. 99% of classes are available to everyone, and I’ve heard more complaints about academy classes/teachers/requirements from my kids’ friends than benefits of being in an academy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have two kids at JR, both of whom are very strong students and neither of whom is in an academy.

If your kid isn’t naturally interested in a particular pre-professional path, there’s no need for them to force themselves into one so they can join an academy. 99% of classes are available to everyone, and I’ve heard more complaints about academy classes/teachers/requirements from my kids’ friends than benefits of being in an academy.

The only exception is the AP Computer Science classes. You have to be in the IT Pathway to register for those classes, which is a new development as of last year.

I agree with a PP. All the new volunteer, field trip, etc. burdens have seemingly been introduced out of nowhere and there is a new added burden each year.

That said, not many kids care all that much about fulfilling all the requirements. It is kind of a shame because the annual Senior night for the academy graduates is going to start looking very lonely as fewer and fewer students jump through all the hoops.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have two kids at JR, both of whom are very strong students and neither of whom is in an academy.

If your kid isn’t naturally interested in a particular pre-professional path, there’s no need for them to force themselves into one so they can join an academy. 99% of classes are available to everyone, and I’ve heard more complaints about academy classes/teachers/requirements from my kids’ friends than benefits of being in an academy.

I would say that even if your kid IS naturally interested in a pre-professional path, there are other ways to pursue that interest that don't entail all the headaches and unnecessary stress.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have two kids at JR, both of whom are very strong students and neither of whom is in an academy.

If your kid isn’t naturally interested in a particular pre-professional path, there’s no need for them to force themselves into one so they can join an academy. 99% of classes are available to everyone, and I’ve heard more complaints about academy classes/teachers/requirements from my kids’ friends than benefits of being in an academy.

The only exception is the AP Computer Science classes. You have to be in the IT Pathway to register for those classes, which is a new development as of last year.

I agree with a PP. All the new volunteer, field trip, etc. burdens have seemingly been introduced out of nowhere and there is a new added burden each year.

That said, not many kids care all that much about fulfilling all the requirements. It is kind of a shame because the annual Senior night for the academy graduates is going to start looking very lonely as fewer and fewer students jump through all the hoops.

That's a shame about restricting AP Computer Science classes. These academies aren't very meaningful to colleges, but AP classes are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In our experience, people considering the JR biomedical academy (aka Academy of Health Sciences) should think twice. Unfortunately, the teacher in charge of that academy has a history of questionable grading practices and playing favorites. Perfectly capable high-performing students who love the content continue to drop out as a result of her demoralizing behavior. Grading is largely mysterious and subjective, and most grades are not entered into Aspen until the very end of each term. There’s almost no feedback provided in Canvas, so students have no idea where they stand until it’s too late. Asking questions or challenging a grade is a risky proposition, usually entailing some form of retribution down the road. All of this is well-known among students and has much to do with their overall feeling about their time in this academy.

My student dropped JR’s biomed academy due to these circumstances, despite an ongoing interest in the content, and is far from the only one. There are plenty of other meaningful ways to demonstrate interest in this area, including AP Biology and internships, that don’t take an unnecessary mental health toll. This situation has been going on for years, parents have voiced concerns, and yet the problems persist.

If you choose the JR biomedical academy, please understand these risks. Unfortunately, in our experience, it’s not a matter of learning and enjoying the material.

This is 100 percent my child's experience. They dropped it after the 2nd year despite loving the subject matter and wanting a career in the health care field. DC is a top student, worked very hard, and knew the material backward and forward but teacher wouldn't put grades into Aspen until the end of the term and wouldn't provide feedback...so there was no opportunity to understand why a grade was lower than expected. Many, many students drop for this reason.

Yes to all of this. My student had the exact same experience and dropped the pathway despite being very excited about the material and wanting a healthcare career. It was a terrible experience- I would strongly caution against it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have two kids at JR, both of whom are very strong students and neither of whom is in an academy.

If your kid isn’t naturally interested in a particular pre-professional path, there’s no need for them to force themselves into one so they can join an academy. 99% of classes are available to everyone, and I’ve heard more complaints about academy classes/teachers/requirements from my kids’ friends than benefits of being in an academy.

The only exception is the AP Computer Science classes. You have to be in the IT Pathway to register for those classes, which is a new development as of last year.

I agree with a PP. All the new volunteer, field trip, etc. burdens have seemingly been introduced out of nowhere and there is a new added burden each year.

That said, not many kids care all that much about fulfilling all the requirements. It is kind of a shame because the annual Senior night for the academy graduates is going to start looking very lonely as fewer and fewer students jump through all the hoops.

That's a shame about restricting AP Computer Science classes. These academies aren't very meaningful to colleges, but AP classes are.

Yeah, I think it’s bad policy to force HS kids into a certain pathway to take a class. But it’s worth noting that those are the only AP classes restricted to academy kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have two kids at JR, both of whom are very strong students and neither of whom is in an academy.

If your kid isn’t naturally interested in a particular pre-professional path, there’s no need for them to force themselves into one so they can join an academy. 99% of classes are available to everyone, and I’ve heard more complaints about academy classes/teachers/requirements from my kids’ friends than benefits of being in an academy.

The only exception is the AP Computer Science classes. You have to be in the IT Pathway to register for those classes, which is a new development as of last year.

I agree with a PP. All the new volunteer, field trip, etc. burdens have seemingly been introduced out of nowhere and there is a new added burden each year.

That said, not many kids care all that much about fulfilling all the requirements. It is kind of a shame because the annual Senior night for the academy graduates is going to start looking very lonely as fewer and fewer students jump through all the hoops.

That's a shame about restricting AP Computer Science classes. These academies aren't very meaningful to colleges, but AP classes are.

Yeah, I think it’s bad policy to force HS kids into a certain pathway to take a class. But it’s worth noting that those are the only AP classes restricted to academy kids.

Yes, but unfortunately it's AP Computer Science Principles and AP Computer Science A - two reasonable AP classes with broad appeal that many kids would benefit from exploring.