middle school with most advanced/academic curriculum

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which middle school (ie from any private that includes grades 6-8, but also publics for comparison) has the most advanced/academic/challenging curriculum in the DC metro area?

TPMS

(TPMS STEM OR Eastern) magnets > private

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which middle school (ie from any private that includes grades 6-8, but also publics for comparison) has the most advanced/academic/challenging curriculum in the DC metro area?

TPMS

(TPMS STEM OR Eastern) magnets > private

So is there curriculum better or just higher-funcitioning/higher-scoring students?

What is the best way to characterize the middle school curriculum in the US? There are no real national standards, and it isn't clear to me how to judge the quality/challenge in the private school curricula compared with public school curricula (or within them) based on the paragraph-level course descriptions which pretty much say the same thing across the board.

[Anonymous]

Selecting the "best" is the wrong way to look at it, OP. What do you want from middle school? Academic, safety, community, feeder for a particular high school? Location, cost? Something else?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Selecting the "best" is the wrong way to look at it, OP. What do you want from middle school? Academic, safety, community, feeder for a particular high school? Location, cost? Something else?

Same thing I would want from school in general, the most learning, in the most positive and confidence-building environment, with a safe and friendly social environment. But the learning is based on the curriculum (depth, breadth, richness, creativity, and preparation for later academic challenges).

[Anonymous]

AAP programs in the TJ feeder MSs in FCPS— Carson, Longfellow, RRMS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:AAP programs in the TJ feeder MSs in FCPS— Carson, Longfellow, RRMS.

What is different about their curriculum? Why is it strong? How is it above and beyond the regular FCPS curriculum? Is it the after-school activities and peer group, or the actual academic curriculum they teach in the main subjects during the school day? Just asking so I can understand why you picked these schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Basis DC/Basis Tysons and NYSmith

BASIS covers at a faster rate than NYSmith.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Basis DC/Basis Tysons and NYSmith

BASIS covers at a faster rate than NYSmith.

Is faster necessarily better? Is speed at which a school goes through the curriculum the best measure of rigor? I would argue that depth, which necessarily requires slowing down, is better than speeding through.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are simply looking for advanced classes and that's the only factor, probably MCPS magnet middles are your best bet.

Most people are looking for a more well-rounded middle school experience so pick something different....

MCDP magnets require kids to attend honors classes in the non-magnet subjects. So kids in the Takoma science magnet take honors English, language, etc.

I like smaller MS environments - like 100-250 kids per grade not 500. I think the MCPS magnets provide this sense of community and some familiar faces each class (i.e. not 35 totally different set of faces each hour!), or the two smaller MS (westland and S??), or any number of privates or parochials.
As for "most advanced" I'd go magnet or a private with differentiation or strong progressive nature or even an immersion school if you like that angle. AAP?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which middle school (ie from any private that includes grades 6-8, but also publics for comparison) has the most advanced/academic/challenging curriculum in the DC metro area?

TPMS

(TPMS STEM OR Eastern) magnets > private

So is there curriculum better or just higher-funcitioning/higher-scoring students?

What is the best way to characterize the middle school curriculum in the US? There are no real national standards, and it isn't clear to me how to judge the quality/challenge in the private school curricula compared with public school curricula (or within them) based on the paragraph-level course descriptions which pretty much say the same thing across the board.

You'd better go take some tours stat. very different pedagogy at publics versus privates in K-8.
High School is less different, mainly different in number of students per class, very in depth learnings versus blitzing all AP contents, and often mandatory sports/ECs and not cutting 90% of interested students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Basis DC/Basis Tysons and NYSmith

BASIS covers at a faster rate than NYSmith.

Is faster necessarily better? Is speed at which a school goes through the curriculum the best measure of rigor? I would argue that depth, which necessarily requires slowing down, is better than speeding through.

Depth starts getting into the teachers pet projects or school's social justice mantras at some of these schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Which middle school (ie from any private that includes grades 6-8, but also publics for comparison) has the most advanced/academic/challenging curriculum in the DC metro area?

Yuck. Please go to your neighborhood public.

Why "yuck"? Why the anti-intellectualism?

OP, I'd hardly call all your constant pushback questions "intellectual."

If anything you sound very uninformed. Why don't you go do some firsthand diligence on and at the schools, then come post some question of value.