Bard Early College HS in Ward 7/8

[Anonymous]

SWW is now requiring minimum PARCC scores.

[Anonymous]

If SWW, McKinley, and Banneker cannot fill up on kids with 5/5, where are the additional 150 for this school.going to come from?

[Anonymous]

There is growth expected - but I'd say for a little while I'd see something like this as direct competition for the same student pool. Though there could be some magic here - many families that disappear once their kids turn 13 and end up in MD/VA public high schools could find that this and other things could be good enough to get their kids through high school in DC and not need to move out to Gaithersburg or Centerville or Bowie or whatever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is growth expected - but I'd say for a little while I'd see something like this as direct competition for the same student pool. Though there could be some magic here - many families that disappear once their kids turn 13 and end up in MD/VA public high schools could find that this and other things could be good enough to get their kids through high school in DC and not need to move out to Gaithersburg or Centerville or Bowie or whatever.

Nobody is going to put up with a crappy middle school on the off chance of getting into a watered-down "early college" that isn't really performing higher than high schools in the burbs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

This school would be only for the advanced students, though. So how many is that?

You are making an assumption that DCPS would limit it to students who scored 5s. I am not so sure (Banneker admits 4s or 5s; SWW has never required any minimum PARCC score for admissions).

Anyway, 8% of 8th graders city-wide scored 5, or 365 students.



The other Bard schools are competitive with grades, scores, interviews, references, etc. So basically this would be robbing Peter to pay Paul? Smart, mature students targeted for Bard could have citywide lottery options for charters like BASIS, Latin, Thurgood Marshall, DCI, and DCPS competitive admission schools (SWW etc) as well as "reimagined" DCPS specialized schools or programs at Roosevelt, Ron Brown, etc?

Wouldn't things be better for residents of Wards 7 & 8 to improve the DCPS and charter schools that are already located there? Or would Ward 7 & 8 kids have preference at Bard regardless of admissions criteria?

DC needs to fix what it has. This sounds like Bowser grasping at straws.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If SWW, McKinley, and Banneker cannot fill up on kids with 5/5, where are the additional 150 for this school.going to come from?

The only middle schools with 10 or more students with 5s on PARCCC ELA are Deal, Hardy, KIPP Key, BASIS and Washington Latin. DCI had 9.

https://osse.dc.gov/node/1348731

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This school would be only for the advanced students, though. So how many is that?

You are making an assumption that DCPS would limit it to students who scored 5s. I am not so sure (Banneker admits 4s or 5s; SWW has never required any minimum PARCC score for admissions).

Anyway, 8% of 8th graders city-wide scored 5, or 365 students.

The other Bard schools are competitive with grades, scores, interviews, references, etc. So basically this would be robbing Peter to pay Paul? Smart, mature students targeted for Bard could have citywide lottery options for charters like BASIS, Latin, Thurgood Marshall, DCI, and DCPS competitive admission schools (SWW etc) as well as "reimagined" DCPS specialized schools or programs at Roosevelt, Ron Brown, etc?

Wouldn't things be better for residents of Wards 7 & 8 to improve the DCPS and charter schools that are already located there? Or would Ward 7 & 8 kids have preference at Bard regardless of admissions criteria?

DC needs to fix what it has. This sounds like Bowser grasping at straws.

The Bard partnership talk began with Antwan Williams and was supposed to be housed at the new Coolidge. Now apparently Coolidge will have a home-grown, non-Bard early college program, and Bard's associate degree program will be in Ward 7 or 8.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If SWW, McKinley, and Banneker cannot fill up on kids with 5/5, where are the additional 150 for this school.going to come from?

The only middle schools with 10 or more students with 5s on PARCCC ELA are Deal, Hardy, KIPP Key, BASIS and Washington Latin. DCI had 9.

https://osse.dc.gov/node/1348731

Ayyy. When will they catch on that middle school is the problem?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If SWW, McKinley, and Banneker cannot fill up on kids with 5/5, where are the additional 150 for this school.going to come from?

The only middle schools with 10 or more students with 5s on PARCCC ELA are Deal, Hardy, KIPP Key, BASIS and Washington Latin. DCI had 9.

https://osse.dc.gov/node/1348731

Don't make too much of the 5s. The PARCC cut score is deigned to have a very low percentage of 5s. If there were more, they would change the test and raise the cut score. They track it. The test is designed so that 4 is college ready score. Frankly the test would be just as valid if they did away with 5s altogether.

This chart shows how across all states using the test, the % of 5s is very low. This is intentional. Note also that when you get to math subject tests, you don't really have many 5s because it is one thing to be advanced in math generally as a 3rd grader (9.1%), but awkward to say someone is advanced in a specific Algebra II curriculum (1.8%). You either learned it or you didn't. Anyone getting a 4+ learned it.

https://www.politico.com/states/f/?id=00000158-73e6-dc8a-a15c-fffe6d460000

[Anonymous]

Wow. I guess I shouldn't be surprised at the hate. I for one am super excited as a Ward 6 resident.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow. I guess I shouldn't be surprised at the hate. I for one am super excited as a Ward 6 resident.

Cool - something for everyone.

I, for one, do not want my child to graduate from high school with an associates degree. I want them to be prepared for a strong, 4-year college BA program. The colleges I hope he will attend will not accept more than 5-6 dual enrollment/college / AP credits. There is no point in having him complete college work and having to re-do it in college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If SWW, McKinley, and Banneker cannot fill up on kids with 5/5, where are the additional 150 for this school.going to come from?

The only middle schools with 10 or more students with 5s on PARCCC ELA are Deal, Hardy, KIPP Key, BASIS and Washington Latin. DCI had 9.

https://osse.dc.gov/node/1348731

Don't make too much of the 5s. The PARCC cut score is deigned to have a very low percentage of 5s. If there were more, they would change the test and raise the cut score. They track it. The test is designed so that 4 is college ready score. Frankly the test would be just as valid if they did away with 5s altogether.

This chart shows how across all states using the test, the % of 5s is very low. This is intentional. Note also that when you get to math subject tests, you don't really have many 5s because it is one thing to be advanced in math generally as a 3rd grader (9.1%), but awkward to say someone is advanced in a specific Algebra II curriculum (1.8%). You either learned it or you didn't. Anyone getting a 4+ learned it.

https://www.politico.com/states/f/?id=00000158-73e6-dc8a-a15c-fffe6d460000

Still, the number of 8th graders with 5/5 scores is very small. And if you take out the number who would consider Early College but happen to prefer Ellington, Wilson, SWW, Banneker, or McKinley, and then rule out everyone who would find the commute too long, that leaves hardly anyone.

I predict this will go nowhere, and if it does, it will be watered-down and nowhere near the actual academic level of Early College. DCPS needs to focus on its actual problems and the abysmal functioning of the schools that it has, not dangle shiny objects. I'm all for better serving kids EOTR, but how about-- I know it sounds crazy-- actually meeting the needs of all the kids from PK3 onward?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow. I guess I shouldn't be surprised at the hate. I for one am super excited as a Ward 6 resident.

Cool - something for everyone.

I, for one, do not want my child to graduate from high school with an associates degree. I want them to be prepared for a strong, 4-year college BA program. The colleges I hope he will attend will not accept more than 5-6 dual enrollment/college / AP credits. There is no point in having him complete college work and having to re-do it in college.

OK, he doesn't have to go there. Land your helicopter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If SWW, McKinley, and Banneker cannot fill up on kids with 5/5, where are the additional 150 for this school.going to come from?

The only middle schools with 10 or more students with 5s on PARCCC ELA are Deal, Hardy, KIPP Key, BASIS and Washington Latin. DCI had 9.

https://osse.dc.gov/node/1348731

Don't make too much of the 5s. The PARCC cut score is deigned to have a very low percentage of 5s. If there were more, they would change the test and raise the cut score. They track it. The test is designed so that 4 is college ready score. Frankly the test would be just as valid if they did away with 5s altogether.

This chart shows how across all states using the test, the % of 5s is very low. This is intentional. Note also that when you get to math subject tests, you don't really have many 5s because it is one thing to be advanced in math generally as a 3rd grader (9.1%), but awkward to say someone is advanced in a specific Algebra II curriculum (1.8%). You either learned it or you didn't. Anyone getting a 4+ learned it.

https://www.politico.com/states/f/?id=00000158-73e6-dc8a-a15c-fffe6d460000

Still, the number of 8th graders with 5/5 scores is very small. And if you take out the number who would consider Early College but happen to prefer Ellington, Wilson, SWW, Banneker, or McKinley, and then rule out everyone who would find the commute too long, that leaves hardly anyone.

I predict this will go nowhere, and if it does, it will be watered-down and nowhere near the actual academic level of Early College. DCPS needs to focus on its actual problems and the abysmal functioning of the schools that it has, not dangle shiny objects. I'm all for better serving kids EOTR, but how about-- I know it sounds crazy-- actually meeting the needs of all the kids from PK3 onward?

The admissions will be by interview, not test score, so not sure why all this commentary on PARCC scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If SWW, McKinley, and Banneker cannot fill up on kids with 5/5, where are the additional 150 for this school.going to come from?

The only middle schools with 10 or more students with 5s on PARCCC ELA are Deal, Hardy, KIPP Key, BASIS and Washington Latin. DCI had 9.

https://osse.dc.gov/node/1348731

Don't make too much of the 5s. The PARCC cut score is deigned to have a very low percentage of 5s. If there were more, they would change the test and raise the cut score. They track it. The test is designed so that 4 is college ready score. Frankly the test would be just as valid if they did away with 5s altogether.

This chart shows how across all states using the test, the % of 5s is very low. This is intentional. Note also that when you get to math subject tests, you don't really have many 5s because it is one thing to be advanced in math generally as a 3rd grader (9.1%), but awkward to say someone is advanced in a specific Algebra II curriculum (1.8%). You either learned it or you didn't. Anyone getting a 4+ learned it.

https://www.politico.com/states/f/?id=00000158-73e6-dc8a-a15c-fffe6d460000

Still, the number of 8th graders with 5/5 scores is very small. And if you take out the number who would consider Early College but happen to prefer Ellington, Wilson, SWW, Banneker, or McKinley, and then rule out everyone who would find the commute too long, that leaves hardly anyone.

I predict this will go nowhere, and if it does, it will be watered-down and nowhere near the actual academic level of Early College. DCPS needs to focus on its actual problems and the abysmal functioning of the schools that it has, not dangle shiny objects. I'm all for better serving kids EOTR, but how about-- I know it sounds crazy-- actually meeting the needs of all the kids from PK3 onward?

The admissions will be by interview, not test score, so not sure why all this commentary on PARCC scores.

Because the point is, there just won't be enough kids who are truly on the Early College academic level to make this school work as intended.