Transitioning from Catholic school to competitive privates (like STA/NCS/Sidwell) - advice needed?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Academically the academically rigorous catholic schools and the academically rigorous independent schools are roughly equivalent.

+1

Not quite

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Academically the academically rigorous catholic schools and the academically rigorous independent schools are roughly equivalent.

+1

Not quite

No? How about +1/2?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A college friend who went from being top of her class at a Catholic high school to an ivy league college said the hardest part of the transition was learning that memorization wasn't sufficient -- the level of expected analysis was much greater. I don't know if that has changed in a generation.

My kids made this switch in middle school and the biggest difference was the transition from memorization, worksheets and busy work to assignments that required critical thinking. They were also behind in math. They were both really happy to make this move and commented on the difference in teaching styles and how much more interesting and engaging their new school was.

If I had a do over, we would have gone to independent school the entire way through.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Academically the academically rigorous catholic schools and the academically rigorous independent schools are roughly equivalent.

This was not our experience.

[Anonymous]

As a parent of kids who made this transition for high school, I can attest that it is a step up in overall rigor, but not an insurmountable one. Some of the below should apply to middle and even elementary school.

Broadly speaking, we found our kids lacking slightly in writing capabilities (not grammar and structure, or vocabulary, but the ability to analyze and produce simple narratives and theses), math (more advanced algebra concepts and even some very pre-calculus), and foreign language (in particular). Some of this is attributable to less classroom time vs. their independent peers in core subjects (foreign language, in particular), and some of it is rooted in different teaching approaches. Depending on the current and new schools, some facilities and offerings (athletics, arts) can also vary wildly. That’s not to say the other kids are smarter; it’s just a different approach and environment. Overall, it was manageable, but we felt noticeable. Re: high school, the first half of 8th grade in Catholic schools is also driven by HSPT (placement test) prep and the high school application process, which, in hindsight, contributed slightly to a gap in our opinion.

For the above, my advice would be to use the summer between 8th and 9th to sharpen some of the core skills — very basic and not going overboard at all/low pressure, but some online tools (IXL, etc.), light reading, and maybe even a summer class or two if the new school offers them (also a good way to potentially meet other kids and teachers). I’d also advise listening to the school when they propose various class placements, don’t obsess over the regular vs. advanced track etc. as there will be plenty of time for that. Just get settled in.

And be ready for some cultural shifts: new friends, (likely) going from uniforms to free dress, a wide variety of religions, more free time to manage, more open classroom discussions, more transparent discussion about mental and sexual health, etc., that are generally not found in Catholic schools.

We found the admissions offices of the various schools very supportive in discussing the shift, which was helpful.

The bottom line is that there will be a shift, but that’s OK. We don’t regret the decision to start in Catholic schools or to pursue a different path later on. The good news is they’re largely all good paths.

[Anonymous]

My son attended an Arlington diocese Catholic school for grades 3-5 and he was NOT prepared for middle school math because his Catholic school math teachers were not good and skipped half of the lessons (as I discovered later when I went through his notes and work books). He's been catching up with summer math instruction.

Science and history were also week but language arts (writing, grammar) was strong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Academically the academically rigorous catholic schools and the academically rigorous independent schools are roughly equivalent.

+1

Uh, no.

Huge gap between Visi/Madeira/GPrep/Stone Ridge vs. NCS/STA/Sidwell.

Only exception might be St. Anselm’s Abbey.

[Anonymous]

So if there’s a decent gap between most catholic k-8 and top independents, is the gulf even bigger between “top” public and the top independents?

[Anonymous]

(Pp here, I’m guessing the gap is most notable in writing for some students, and less math/science. And just general rigor.)

[Anonymous]

Chances are they will face the biggest challenge in English. Most public and Catholic school students enter the Big 3 with a loose grasp of thesis statements and topic sentences. They also struggle with the fundamentals of closely reading a text because their pasts schools tested mostly for content comprehension. I would have your DC review the fundamentals of literature, especially elements such as metaphor, simile, personification, etc. They should be able to identify these elements and explain their significance to the larger themes of the literary work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So if there’s a decent gap between most catholic k-8 and top independents, is the gulf even bigger between “top” public and the top independents?

No. Generally, top publics > most catholic k-8

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Academically the academically rigorous catholic schools and the academically rigorous independent schools are roughly equivalent.

+1

Uh, no.

Huge gap between Visi/Madeira/GPrep/Stone Ridge vs. NCS/STA/Sidwell.

Only exception might be St. Anselm’s Abbey.

I have actually had kids at NCS/STA/Sidwell and Gonzaga (which I know you didn’t mention). If you are on the advanced track (honors/AP) at Gonzaga, they are very, very similar. I know people don’t want to hear this or believe this, but it is true. I didn’t really believe it until my son went through Gonzaga. The kids read and analyze almost all the same books in English class. The language arts instruction was incredible at both schools. For English, the grading was equally harsh at both schools. Very hard to get an A in English. All my kids emerged fantastic writers. Math and science was slightly better at Gonzaga. World languages was good at both schools. College outcomes for my kids were better at Gonzaga, likely because it is easier to be in the “top” cohort of students there. The Big3 did not have as much of a range of abilities, so everyone was really, really high achieving. Hope that helps.

[Anonymous]

For the uninformed, who are "the big 3"?

Also, I think the Catholics do sacrifice writing instruction for HSPT prep. Our middle school has been drilling on vocab for the last 3 years but barely any emphasis on writing beyond a paragraph. It's frustrating.

[Anonymous]

I wonder if some of the "step up" in rigor is also just the step up that would occur at a lot of places between MS and HS. Like do Catholic high schools also get more rigorous than Catholic MS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For the uninformed, who are "the big 3"?

Also, I think the Catholics do sacrifice writing instruction for HSPT prep. Our middle school has been drilling on vocab for the last 3 years but barely any emphasis on writing beyond a paragraph. It's frustrating.

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