Leaving McLean at Middle or High School

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD left McLean for public at 6th. She thrived at McLean in terms of academics. In time though, we both ran out of $s and she outgrew the peer group in Middle School (which starts at 5th at McLean). She did very well in a large public middle school and loved it though it was a little tough for her to find her bearings at first knowing so few kids in the new school. She is now in large public HS taking honors and AP classes. Keeping up with the work load in HS is more challenging for her, but with tutoring support she is doing well. At times, I have missed the level of support that was built in at McLean. I've had to do quite a bit of advocating each year in public, and not all teachers are equally able to follow her accommodations, but its working academically and she is happy in the school community, which is really great.

So happy to hear your DD is doing well. It's really wonderful to hear about kids with learning differences who find their footing and achieve at the level they're capable of.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD left McLean for public at 6th. She thrived at McLean in terms of academics. In time though, we both ran out of $s and she outgrew the peer group in Middle School (which starts at 5th at McLean). She did very well in a large public middle school and loved it though it was a little tough for her to find her bearings at first knowing so few kids in the new school. She is now in large public HS taking honors and AP classes. Keeping up with the work load in HS is more challenging for her, but with tutoring support she is doing well. At times, I have missed the level of support that was built in at McLean. I've had to do quite a bit of advocating each year in public, and not all teachers are equally able to follow her accommodations, but its working academically and she is happy in the school community, which is really great.

So happy to hear your DD is doing well. It's really wonderful to hear about kids with learning differences who find their footing and achieve at the level they're capable of.

+1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A consultant told us stigma is not an issue. In fact, she said a number of schools really like high achievers from McLean. The idea seemed to be that kids gain self-awareness, skills and self-advocacy tools there that serve them well whenever they leave.

As parents of kids with learning differences, I think we have to be careful not to handicap them with our own biases and misperceptions. The right school environment can make a big difference in how kids view themselves and their own abilities.

OP here. Thanks for your reply. I do not convey this question/notion onto my child. She has no idea I posed this question or that this question exists. I'm asking it here because I wanted to know others thoughts and experiences.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:McLean's high school is small and some kids find it socially limiting. Also, for keeping kids who are really into sports, at the HS level, McLean is limiting although they have a new AD who is trying to build an athletic program to help with retention,

The athletic director seems awesome. I'm impressed by him. The school seems focused on refining and developing itself, which is a great thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A consultant told us stigma is not an issue. In fact, she said a number of schools really like high achievers from McLean. The idea seemed to be that kids gain self-awareness, skills and self-advocacy tools there that serve them well whenever they leave.

As parents of kids with learning differences, I think we have to be careful not to handicap them with our own biases and misperceptions. The right school environment can make a big difference in how kids view themselves and their own abilities.

OP here. Thanks for your reply. I do not convey this question/notion onto my child. She has no idea I posed this question or that this question exists. I'm asking it here because I wanted to know others thoughts and experiences.

I am the PP you quoted and I want to clarify that I didn't direct this at you. It's more of a general observation. IME, a school that really "gets it" is just a whole different thing.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know this was a general observation and not one specific to you.

[Anonymous]

For what it's worth: new athletic director really making some great improvements, new head of school ditto, class take up from 8th to 9th this year was the highest they've every had (near 90% I think) to the point where there were very few spots for new kids - I think it's becoming more competitive and more focussed while still serving kids with different learning styles and needs, and a better school for it. I see it going from strength to strength in the coming years, so anyone starting in middle school now is going to benefit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For what it's worth: new athletic director really making some great improvements, new head of school ditto, class take up from 8th to 9th this year was the highest they've every had (near 90% I think) to the point where there were very few spots for new kids - I think it's becoming more competitive and more focussed while still serving kids with different learning styles and needs, and a better school for it. I see it going from strength to strength in the coming years, so anyone starting in middle school now is going to benefit.

what are the exact numbers? Typically the HS classes at Mclean have been small (20-30)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For what it's worth: new athletic director really making some great improvements, new head of school ditto, class take up from 8th to 9th this year was the highest they've every had (near 90% I think) to the point where there were very few spots for new kids - I think it's becoming more competitive and more focussed while still serving kids with different learning styles and needs, and a better school for it. I see it going from strength to strength in the coming years, so anyone starting in middle school now is going to benefit.

what are the exact numbers? Typically the HS classes at Mclean have been small (20-30)

40 kids from last year's 8th grade stayed.

[Anonymous]

OP again. I've heard from a few former parents who had children who left in middle school that their children were very behind in math. Has anyone here had s child who experienced this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP again. I've heard from a few former parents who had children who left in middle school that their children were very behind in math. Has anyone here had s child who experienced this?

NP here. Is that recent information? As in within the past 2 years, since the new head of school and division heads started?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP again. I've heard from a few former parents who had children who left in middle school that their children were very behind in math. Has anyone here had s child who experienced this?

NP here. Is that recent information? As in within the past 2 years, since the new head of school and division heads started?

Kids left after 8th grade 2 two years ago to go to magnet schools. Told they were great in all subjects except math and that they are still not caught up with peers in math. Math/science magnet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP again. I've heard from a few former parents who had children who left in middle school that their children were very behind in math. Has anyone here had s child who experienced this?

NP here. Is that recent information? As in within the past 2 years, since the new head of school and division heads started?

Kids left after 8th grade 2 two years ago to go to magnet schools. Told they were great in all subjects except math and that they are still not caught up with peers in math. Math/science magnet.

Yet they were accepted to the math/science magnet, so they and the school must be doing something right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP again. I've heard from a few former parents who had children who left in middle school that their children were very behind in math. Has anyone here had s child who experienced this?

NP here. Is that recent information? As in within the past 2 years, since the new head of school and division heads started?

Kids left after 8th grade 2 two years ago to go to magnet schools. Told they were great in all subjects except math and that they are still not caught up with peers in math. Math/science magnet.

Yet they were accepted to the math/science magnet, so they and the school must be doing something right.

Not here to argue. Just sharing info from a friend and trying to learn from the experiences of others who've been there, not hearsay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP again. I've heard from a few former parents who had children who left in middle school that their children were very behind in math. Has anyone here had s child who experienced this?

NP here. Is that recent information? As in within the past 2 years, since the new head of school and division heads started?

Kids left after 8th grade 2 two years ago to go to magnet schools. Told they were great in all subjects except math and that they are still not caught up with peers in math. Math/science magnet.

Yet they were accepted to the math/science magnet, so they and the school must be doing something right.

Not here to argue. Just sharing info from a friend and trying to learn from the experiences of others who've been there, not hearsay.

So if this was two years ago, it was before before all the administrative changes. The kids got into the Blair math/science magnet, or is there another magnet for science and math?

FWIW, a neuropsychologist urged us to send DC to McLean in part for math acceleration, because many independent elementary schools don't offer it.

[Anonymous]

How is McLean's college placement record?