Is SEM more than window dressing?

[Anonymous]

Where are you moving from OP? The average intelligence and achievement level in many DCPS schools is HIGH. Your kid might not even be gifted here. DH and I were "gifted" as kids in our flyover states; here in DC our very bright kid is pretty average.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Give us break. You're really splitting hairs over a school obviously that isn't UMC friendly yet for 1st-5th, other than for a few brave, particularly open-minded, and perhaps desperate souls. Buy or rent IB for Maury in NE.

Then in 2 years OP will have to figure out middle school, because if JO Wilson isn't good enough for her, Eliot-Hine sure won't be.

OP, go visit or talk to the principals and teachers at JO Wilson, Ludlow-Taylor, and Watkins. They are more alike than they are different; though test scores and upper-grades gentrification is lower at JOW, it's where the current Ward 6 councilman and the previous DCPS chancellor enroll/ed their kids. None of these schools will have a giant cohort of kids far beyond grade level. All of them are used to parents who believe (correctly in many but not all cases) that their kids are very advanced, and should be able to tell you how they differentiate. There are also things you can do outside of school to supplement, from CTY to writing tutors to dance and karate and Sports on the Hill and the DPR swim team at Rumsey pool and foreign language classes and the DC Youth Orchestra program (which meets at Eastern High School nearby).

[Anonymous]

Stoddert had it but my kid didn't make the cut in ELA at least. He scored 5s in Parcc all three years but I guess they take top 25% or less.

[Anonymous]

Beneficial for what purpose? It broadens the curriculum. It is not a gifted and talented program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know if there are any white kids in those grades this year. When I was there I believe there were 3 kids who were not African-American in my kid's grade.

But that was not an issue. The kids were friendly, polite, and many of them got 4s or 5s on the PARCC. The teachers were welcoming. We don't know what OP's race is, or her kid's race, or how they feel about being a minority if in fact they would be. The number of white kids in the 4th or 5th grade was not what OP asked about.

Racism at its best, not PP but before, the OP made no indication of race who knows what race they are? But assumption is of course that they are white~~

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Beneficial for what purpose? It broadens the curriculum. It is not a gifted and talented program.

Oh, ok random internet person, who clearly knows more than the PhD in gifted ed who created it and parents who have seen their advanced kids directly benefit from it.

Let me guess, your opinion goes along the lines of "something something demographics something something"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know if there are any white kids in those grades this year. When I was there I believe there were 3 kids who were not African-American in my kid's grade.

But that was not an issue. The kids were friendly, polite, and many of them got 4s or 5s on the PARCC. The teachers were welcoming. We don't know what OP's race is, or her kid's race, or how they feel about being a minority if in fact they would be. The number of white kids in the 4th or 5th grade was not what OP asked about.

Racism at its best, not PP but before, the OP made no indication of race who knows what race they are? But assumption is of course that they are white~~

Can't make sense of this incoherent post, other than that it's a thinly veiled morsel of race baiting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know if there are any white kids in those grades this year. When I was there I believe there were 3 kids who were not African-American in my kid's grade.

But that was not an issue. The kids were friendly, polite, and many of them got 4s or 5s on the PARCC. The teachers were welcoming. We don't know what OP's race is, or her kid's race, or how they feel about being a minority if in fact they would be. The number of white kids in the 4th or 5th grade was not what OP asked about.

Racism at its best, not PP but before, the OP made no indication of race who knows what race they are? But assumption is of course that they are white~~

Can't make sense of this incoherent post, other than that it's a thinly veiled morsel of race baiting.

Hah, I agree. I have no idea what they are taking about. Just leave it alone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Beneficial for what purpose? It broadens the curriculum. It is not a gifted and talented program.

Spot on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Beneficial for what purpose? It broadens the curriculum. It is not a gifted and talented program.

Oh, ok random internet person, who clearly knows more than the PhD in gifted ed who created it and parents who have seen their advanced kids directly benefit from it.

Let me guess, your opinion goes along the lines of "something something demographics something something"?

That escalated quickly.

Do you disagree with the claim? Do you have a counter-claim? I'd be happy to hear it. I had a child participate in this program for a few years; I'm providing my observations. OP asked if was beneficial. 'Beneficial' has a lot of meanings -- it depends on what it is intended to do. From my perspective, it did not appear to be intended to provide extension directly to kids who are "advanced". But it had the benefit of providing opportunities to broaden the curriculum beyond the regular classroom offerings.

I'm no more a "random internet person" that you are - if you disagree, say so, and back it up, but don't be a jerk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SEM is not a significant thing at any school that I'm aware of. At least not a school that's otherwise well-respected.

Tell us the area you're considering in DC and what kind of school you're looking for and we can advise you better. It is normal in DC for teachers to group by skill ("differentiate") within the classroom.

Looking at the Hill - specifically trying to decide between JO Wilson and possibly Watkins (need to be IB for Stuart Hobson down the line). Figured there wasn’t much behind SEM but trying to make an informed decision. Thanks

It seems to me that SEM could really vary in the implementation, and my only experience of it is at West, clear across town from where you're looking. However, it's a great plus here.

G+T classes from what I remember from school fell in one of two buckets: accelerated classes that allowed you to study more advanced topics later or classes that compressed the standard curriculum and inserted applied topics that might relate to the curriculum. The latter would move the same as grade level, but it would keep advanced kids interested.

SEM is basically the same as the latter, on the theory that most kids benefit from this soft of enrichment program. Those who pick things up quickly need new things so they aren't bored, and those who aren't as engaged in school might just be looking for a more concrete application of what they're being taught.

At West, students are polled on interests and assigned to clusters that cut across a couple of grade levels. Those clusters work on a topic and then give public presentations at the end of the semester.

It also seems that SEM as a mindset cuts across other parts of the school. There are lots of field trips, guest speakers, and so forth--far more than I ever had in school. Subjectively speaking, it also feels like it provides a bit of an antidote to the drill-and-test model that infects a lot of schools, since there's explicit valuing of applied topics that will never make their way onto the PARCC test.

There should be a SEM Coordinator at each SEM school, and you might contact the one at J.O. Wilson and see if she has materials or examples of what they do: https://home.jowilsondc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Staff-Roster-SY-2018-19-.pdf

[Anonymous]

Reviving a 6 year thread to see what’s new with SEM. Particularly interested in experiences at Whittier and Wells.

[Anonymous]

Look at Maury/EH and Payne/EH. Both very solid elementary schools and EH is different from its past reputation. Most people still rank SH above EH but the difference between them has narrowed substantially.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Reviving a 6 year thread to see what’s new with SEM. Particularly interested in experiences at Whittier and Wells.

When we were at Whittier, SEM was a pull-out program a couple of times a week for kids who didn't need to be in their regular classes, to work on special projects. My kid designed a board game from scratch. Now I understand it includes programs like the Morning Tea news production.

It's varied a bit at Wells the years we've been there, mostly in terms of how often clusters meet. This year it's similar to what the PP at West described (not surprising, since Megan Vroman, former West/Lewis principal, was the Wells founding principal). Teachers and students coalesce into interest groups that now meet monthly to explore their topics. Each cluster does a social justice action project at the conclusion. (My kid is doing woodworking and they are building little free libraries for the community.)

The Wells program also includes college and high school prep workshops, with campus tours. Eighth graders spent time in the fall researching high school options and learning how applications and lottery worked.

It's not a G&T program; it does provide learning opportunities beyond the standard curriculum, for all kids.

[Anonymous]

This is the first I've heard of this program and I'm kind of confused about it and the offerings list here in general: https://dcps.dc.gov/page/advanced-and-enriched-instruction.

"DCPS offers rigorous enrichment programs for advanced and high-ability students" ... but only at a very small subset of elementary and middle schools?