MS Capitol Hill

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd love to have the problem of St. Anselm's not being exactly the right place for my boy if I could afford tuition there. Instead, I'd settle for BASIS, one of the Latins or even Inspired Teaching. All DCPS MS options still seem iffy without any definite above grade-level offerings or honors classes for math or science, and the general chaos the system exudes.

AFAIK all DCPS middle schools liberally allow kids to jump ahead in math in 7th. Not in 6th at ours, but I bet that will change.

I agree the science is lacking, but above-grade math is definitely an option after 6th at many DCPS middle schools. You can see in the PARCC data that kids are taking Algebra I and sometimes even Geometry PARCC at many schools, and the only way that's possible is by accelerating prior to 8th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd love to have the problem of St. Anselm's not being exactly the right place for my boy if I could afford tuition there. Instead, I'd settle for BASIS, one of the Latins or even Inspired Teaching. All DCPS MS options still seem iffy without any definite above grade-level offerings or honors classes for math or science, and the general chaos the system exudes.

AFAIK all DCPS middle schools liberally allow kids to jump ahead in math in 7th. Not in 6th at ours, but I bet that will change.

I agree the science is lacking, but above-grade math is definitely an option after 6th at many DCPS middle schools. You can see in the PARCC data that kids are taking Algebra I and sometimes even Geometry PARCC at many schools, and the only way that's possible is by accelerating prior to 8th grade.

Some DCPS schools but not all allow Geometry, and it's helpful to know which ones. That lot of people's list of "acceptable middle schools." It's a handy signifier (that there are a critical mass of advanced students, and that the school responds by meeting their needs).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd love to have the problem of St. Anselm's not being exactly the right place for my boy if I could afford tuition there. Instead, I'd settle for BASIS, one of the Latins or even Inspired Teaching. All DCPS MS options still seem iffy without any definite above grade-level offerings or honors classes for math or science, and the general chaos the system exudes.

AFAIK all DCPS middle schools liberally allow kids to jump ahead in math in 7th. Not in 6th at ours, but I bet that will change.

It's no honors classes in SOCIAL STUDIES in DCPS middle schools that concern me most.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd love to have the problem of St. Anselm's not being exactly the right place for my boy if I could afford tuition there. Instead, I'd settle for BASIS, one of the Latins or even Inspired Teaching. All DCPS MS options still seem iffy without any definite above grade-level offerings or honors classes for math or science, and the general chaos the system exudes.

AFAIK all DCPS middle schools liberally allow kids to jump ahead in math in 7th. Not in 6th at ours, but I bet that will change.

It's no honors classes in SOCIAL STUDIES in DCPS middle schools that concern me most.

If you need your kid to be in all-honors at 11, no, DCPS will not satisfy you. That doesn’t mean the schools are “bad”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:“I’d settle for Basis, one of the Latins or even Inspired Teaching.” Those schools all have some pluses/minuses. Lots of current 4th grade families got into none of those schools in the lottery this year. To the OP, reputations change slowly, but EH is arguably somewhat different than it used to be. In addition to the renovation, it has a stable administration, IB program, and buy-in from some of its feeder school families is up significantly.

The IB averages are terrible. It tells me the kids are not mastering content and no rigor.

You can have any program you want or offerings at a school but if it’s not rigorous and kids can’t even score a decent number or master competency then it’s pretty useless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“I’d settle for Basis, one of the Latins or even Inspired Teaching.” Those schools all have some pluses/minuses. Lots of current 4th grade families got into none of those schools in the lottery this year. To the OP, reputations change slowly, but EH is arguably somewhat different than it used to be. In addition to the renovation, it has a stable administration, IB program, and buy-in from some of its feeder school families is up significantly.

The IB averages are terrible. It tells me the kids are not mastering content and no rigor.

You can have any program you want or offerings at a school but if it’s not rigorous and kids can’t even score a decent number or master competency then it’s pretty useless.

I know you like to pretend you have access to IB scores that the IBO itself doesn’t publish. But EH is a middle school. There are no “IB averages” for students in grades 6-8.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd love to have the problem of St. Anselm's not being exactly the right place for my boy if I could afford tuition there. Instead, I'd settle for BASIS, one of the Latins or even Inspired Teaching. All DCPS MS options still seem iffy without any definite above grade-level offerings or honors classes for math or science, and the general chaos the system exudes.

AFAIK all DCPS middle schools liberally allow kids to jump ahead in math in 7th. Not in 6th at ours, but I bet that will change.

I agree the science is lacking, but above-grade math is definitely an option after 6th at many DCPS middle schools. You can see in the PARCC data that kids are taking Algebra I and sometimes even Geometry PARCC at many schools, and the only way that's possible is by accelerating prior to 8th grade.

Some DCPS schools but not all allow Geometry, and it's helpful to know which ones. That lot of people's list of "acceptable middle schools." It's a handy signifier (that there are a critical mass of advanced students, and that the school responds by meeting their needs).

I actually do not know about Geometry at EH but given that there are going to be more than a handful of 7th graders doing Algebra next year, I can only assume they’ll figure something out.

FWIW for all you rigor-of-academics folks, week the 6th grade is doing an intensive week-long unit on nutrition and world hunger instead of just watching movies all week. My kid is mad but already came home informing me that bacon is a “group 1 carcinogen” according to the World Health Organization 😂

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“I’d settle for Basis, one of the Latins or even Inspired Teaching.” Those schools all have some pluses/minuses. Lots of current 4th grade families got into none of those schools in the lottery this year. To the OP, reputations change slowly, but EH is arguably somewhat different than it used to be. In addition to the renovation, it has a stable administration, IB program, and buy-in from some of its feeder school families is up significantly.

The IB averages are terrible. It tells me the kids are not mastering content and no rigor.

You can have any program you want or offerings at a school but if it’s not rigorous and kids can’t even score a decent number or master competency then it’s pretty useless.

Where are the IB averages published? How do you know what they are?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“I’d settle for Basis, one of the Latins or even Inspired Teaching.” Those schools all have some pluses/minuses. Lots of current 4th grade families got into none of those schools in the lottery this year. To the OP, reputations change slowly, but EH is arguably somewhat different than it used to be. In addition to the renovation, it has a stable administration, IB program, and buy-in from some of its feeder school families is up significantly.

The IB averages are terrible. It tells me the kids are not mastering content and no rigor.

You can have any program you want or offerings at a school but if it’s not rigorous and kids can’t even score a decent number or master competency then it’s pretty useless.

Where are the IB averages published? How do you know what they are?

I assume this PP is confused and is talking about Eastern.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd love to have the problem of St. Anselm's not being exactly the right place for my boy if I could afford tuition there. Instead, I'd settle for BASIS, one of the Latins or even Inspired Teaching. All DCPS MS options still seem iffy without any definite above grade-level offerings or honors classes for math or science, and the general chaos the system exudes.

AFAIK all DCPS middle schools liberally allow kids to jump ahead in math in 7th. Not in 6th at ours, but I bet that will change.

I agree the science is lacking, but above-grade math is definitely an option after 6th at many DCPS middle schools. You can see in the PARCC data that kids are taking Algebra I and sometimes even Geometry PARCC at many schools, and the only way that's possible is by accelerating prior to 8th grade.

Some DCPS schools but not all allow Geometry, and it's helpful to know which ones. That lot of people's list of "acceptable middle schools." It's a handy signifier (that there are a critical mass of advanced students, and that the school responds by meeting their needs).

I actually do not know about Geometry at EH but given that there are going to be more than a handful of 7th graders doing Algebra next year, I can only assume they’ll figure something out.

FWIW for all you rigor-of-academics folks, week the 6th grade is doing an intensive week-long unit on nutrition and world hunger instead of just watching movies all week. My kid is mad but already came home informing me that bacon is a “group 1 carcinogen” according to the World Health Organization 😂

Agreed that there are lots of threads about the 3 Cap Hill Middle schools, so won't go into much detail, but to address two new topics on this thread - there will be geometry offered to 8th graders at EH next year, algebra for 7th and 8th grade, as well as grade standard grade level courses.

As for IB assessment, it seems like the IB Middle Years Program has an option for assessment, but not all schools opt in to that. https://www.ibo.org/programmes/middle-years-programme/assessment-and-exams/
Looks like EH does an IB Community Project https://www.eliothinemiddleschool.org/academics/i_b_programme

[Anonymous]

OP, the likelihood is that you will get into BASIS, Latin I or Latin II and you won’t face the choice of having to send your child to EH, where the overwhelming majority of students are below grade level. I wouldn’t borrow trouble.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, the likelihood is that you will get into BASIS, Latin I or Latin II and you won’t face the choice of having to send your child to EH, where the overwhelming majority of students are below grade level. I wouldn’t borrow trouble.

Eh based how 4th grade families fared in the lottery at my kid's school, likelihood is low you'll get into any one of these. Maybe a 20-25% chance?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, the likelihood is that you will get into BASIS, Latin I or Latin II and you won’t face the choice of having to send your child to EH, where the overwhelming majority of students are below grade level. I wouldn’t borrow trouble.

Eh based how 4th grade families fared in the lottery at my kid's school, likelihood is low you'll get into any one of these. Maybe a 20-25% chance?

This. As a nonsibling, it's not very likely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, the likelihood is that you will get into BASIS, Latin I or Latin II and you won’t face the choice of having to send your child to EH, where the overwhelming majority of students are below grade level. I wouldn’t borrow trouble.

Eh based how 4th grade families fared in the lottery at my kid's school, likelihood is low you'll get into any one of these. Maybe a 20-25% chance?

You can probably approximate the chances by using BASIS numbers, because BASIS has less demand than the Latins. There were 473 applications for BASIS this year and the original waitlist was 235. They've since made 44 offers. So about 60% of the kids who wanted BASIS have either gotten an offer or were accepted at preferred schools this year. Those aren't great odds, but they aren't terrible, either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, the likelihood is that you will get into BASIS, Latin I or Latin II and you won’t face the choice of having to send your child to EH, where the overwhelming majority of students are below grade level. I wouldn’t borrow trouble.

Eh based how 4th grade families fared in the lottery at my kid's school, likelihood is low you'll get into any one of these. Maybe a 20-25% chance?

You can probably approximate the chances by using BASIS numbers, because BASIS has less demand than the Latins. There were 473 applications for BASIS this year and the original waitlist was 235. They've since made 44 offers. So about 60% of the kids who wanted BASIS have either gotten an offer or were accepted at preferred schools this year. Those aren't great odds, but they aren't terrible, either.

Scroll down on the page and you'll see how many were siblings or other preferences. 32 out of 140 matches.