What Happened to All The Beauvoir Posts?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP, do you understand that parents at Beauvoir chose this school for their kids, and that we're neither naive nor uninformed? Yes, people talk about Beauvoir kids having a wider range of math skills than other admits to STA and NCS. That makes absolute sense to me. STA and NCS choose from among very talented third graders who are required to perform well on tests, but the kids Beauvoir don't need to do as well to be admitted. So what? It only takes a year or so for the Beauvoir kids who are somewhat behind the others to catch up. I'd much rather my kid be at Beauvoir, experience all it has to offer, and then work a bit harder in STA or NCS for a year or so if he or she is one of the Beauvoir kids a bit behind the others in math. Take a look at the high academic performers graduating from STA and NCS and you'll find that a strong portion of them went to Beauvoir. It all evens out very quickly, and to me the key is having your kids at a school that's right for them. Because my kids are at Beauvoir, which they love, they will also have a greater chance of being accepted to STA and NCS, which as of now would be our top choices. That some Beauvoir kids (and others) may need to play a bit of catch up in math or another area is barely even a blip on the radar for me.

Also, it's not that I'm unwilling to hear anecdotal or other views about Beauvoir, but the ugly, hateful stereotypes about the kids (essentially stating that they are like robots) and the parents (that we're a bunch of entitled snobs) is way off base and simply ridiculous. Those are the types of statement that I think discourage Beauvoir parents from commenting on this board.

Wow, I didn't know that about the Beauvoir math program. I wouldn't want my child to have to "catch up" on math in fourth and fifth grades. I'm glad I read this post.

[Anonymous]

PP here. It's not that Beauvoir's math program is weak, it's that about 75%-80% of Beauvoir 3rd graders go on to STA and NCS. So, STA and NCS take in a wider range of Beauvoir students, and a narrower range of non-Beauvoir student. So, if you are from Beauvoir and you are in the middle of your class, you'll be admitted to STA or NCS. If you're at another school and are in the middle of your class, you won't be accepted to STA or NCS. So it's essentially the full range of Beauvoir students in classes with almost all top of the class students from other schools. I'd venture to guess that Beauvoir's 3rd grade class as a whole is quite similar to other schools.

[Anonymous]

It is my understanding that several years ago there was an issue with math at Beauvoir. The school took this issue VERY seriously and not only corrected the apparent lag but continues to strengthen it's already very strong math curriculum. The last several 2/3 grade ERBs indicators of this. The mean scores of Beauvoir students are well above and beyond the "average" independent and suburban public which are the most important peer indicators of how strong the academic program. I distinctly recall (as it would be impossible not to remember this data) that the average 3rd grade ERBs from 2010 were 99% across the board -when compared to the national average. I don't remember precisely the scores compared to the independents & suburban public but the Beauvoir student's mean scores were at least several percentages (between 5-10%) ABOVE those averages as well.

At any rate, Beauvoir is a wonderful school both in community & academics - just as MANY other schools are outstanding as well. We are very fortunate in the DC area to have so many excellent schools... I beg people to stay away from the Big 3 label, because - especially in the early years - there are several schools which offer excellent academics and are on par with one another. When it comes to Middle & Upper schools, there is more of a disparity in what is available out there, but remember, by that age there is a also much wider distribution in academic performance and not all kids will thrive in the same academic environment.

[Anonymous]

Maybe people have just run out of things to say. There is only so much you can discuss on one subject.