Mundo Verde vs Lee Montessori

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why people are claiming montessori kids can't do well at testing. How do you explain LAMB scores then?

Maybe because LAMB does pullouts and after school reading groups that aren't necessarily Montessori-based for students who are struggling. They also have computers in the classrooms for upper elementary, and allow students to do lessons on them. These things are part of why some call LAMB Montessori-light, but it does help their students perform on standardized tests AND provides data about who is, and isn't, achieving grade level mastery.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My go to now are the qualitative site reviews on the dcpcsb site

YES these are fantastic - BUT they won't have MV8 obviously, and are sometimes out of date.

On top of those, talk to as many parents as you can at each school. Just email local listservs and FB groups to find them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why people are claiming montessori kids can't do well at testing. How do you explain LAMB scores then?

Maybe because LAMB does pullouts and after school reading groups that aren't necessarily Montessori-based for students who are struggling. They also have computers in the classrooms for upper elementary, and allow students to do lessons on them. These things are part of why some call LAMB Montessori-light, but it does help their students perform on standardized tests AND provides data about who is, and isn't, achieving grade level mastery.

I think LAMB has been around long enough to know how to meet public school targets while also being faithful to Montessori. It is something Lee is probably learning now the hard way. A "true" Montessorian doesn't test but the teacher knows what the child knows based on their mastery of the lessons. A kid who has learned Montessori math may not test well when asked about math in a different type of question format - this is just a guess, it's also possible they aren't learning math well? I'd be surprised though. Montessori keeps close track of the lessons each child does. LAMB realizes that the kids need to function in their later non-Montessori environment and that they're a public school so they have to meet public targets. In K the kids start working intensively on English reading, for instance, using some materials that are from the traditional curriculum. I'm not sure it's "light" - also the newly hired ED and principal are both exclusively Montessori trained and have spent their entire careers in it so I can't imagine they won't be faithful to it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why people are claiming montessori kids can't do well at testing. How do you explain LAMB scores then?

Maybe because LAMB does pullouts and after school reading groups that aren't necessarily Montessori-based for students who are struggling. They also have computers in the classrooms for upper elementary, and allow students to do lessons on them. These things are part of why some call LAMB Montessori-light, but it does help their students perform on standardized tests AND provides data about who is, and isn't, achieving grade level mastery.

I think LAMB has been around long enough to know how to meet public school targets while also being faithful to Montessori. It is something Lee is probably learning now the hard way. A "true" Montessorian doesn't test but the teacher knows what the child knows based on their mastery of the lessons. A kid who has learned Montessori math may not test well when asked about math in a different type of question format - this is just a guess, it's also possible they aren't learning math well? I'd be surprised though. Montessori keeps close track of the lessons each child does. LAMB realizes that the kids need to function in their later non-Montessori environment and that they're a public school so they have to meet public targets. In K the kids start working intensively on English reading, for instance, using some materials that are from the traditional curriculum. I'm not sure it's "light" - also the newly hired ED and principal are both exclusively Montessori trained and have spent their entire careers in it so I can't imagine they won't be faithful to it.

Also - it would be easy enough for OP to ask this exact question of Lee - why were PARCC scores so bad? See if you get a straight answer.

[Anonymous]

The other thing re: Lee is that half their testing kids were 3rd graders. In Montessori, the primary grades are 1-3 (kids of these grades share a classroom), so there's a bit of a disconnect between the grade being tested and the organization of the classroom (for lack of a better word). Lee needs to figure that out, obviously, but there's a decent logistical explanation for it.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't rely on test scores for this decision. The cohort that has gone all the way through at Lee will only be old enough for their first PARCC test this year.

Test scores are probably poor indicators for both Montessori-focused students and dual language students, who peak later than English-only students. Neither of these schools is heavily focused on standardized testing, as compared to, say, KIPP or DC Prep.

I would decide which you want more through elementary school - Spanish or Montessori.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would pick Lee. The posters above are looking at PARCC and nothing else. We love Montessori. Visit both schools and see what you think.

I agree that visiting both is critical to making a pick. However, PARCC isn't the only reason that posters are picking MV or other schools over Lee. I'm one of the posters above and I'm not only looking at PARCC. Lee's CLASS scores for the youngest kids are also the lowest of the charter Montessori schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why people are claiming montessori kids can't do well at testing. How do you explain LAMB scores then?

Maybe because LAMB does pullouts and after school reading groups that aren't necessarily Montessori-based for students who are struggling. They also have computers in the classrooms for upper elementary, and allow students to do lessons on them. These things are part of why some call LAMB Montessori-light, but it does help their students perform on standardized tests AND provides data about who is, and isn't, achieving grade level mastery.

I think LAMB has been around long enough to know how to meet public school targets while also being faithful to Montessori. It is something Lee is probably learning now the hard way. A "true" Montessorian doesn't test but the teacher knows what the child knows based on their mastery of the lessons. A kid who has learned Montessori math may not test well when asked about math in a different type of question format - this is just a guess, it's also possible they aren't learning math well? I'd be surprised though. Montessori keeps close track of the lessons each child does. LAMB realizes that the kids need to function in their later non-Montessori environment and that they're a public school so they have to meet public targets. In K the kids start working intensively on English reading, for instance, using some materials that are from the traditional curriculum. I'm not sure it's "light" - also the newly hired ED and principal are both exclusively Montessori trained and have spent their entire careers in it so I can't imagine they won't be faithful to it.

What does the bolded even mean? Math is math. If my kid learns "Montessori math" but can't do a similar math problem in a different way, he hasn't learned math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why people are claiming montessori kids can't do well at testing. How do you explain LAMB scores then?

Maybe because LAMB does pullouts and after school reading groups that aren't necessarily Montessori-based for students who are struggling. They also have computers in the classrooms for upper elementary, and allow students to do lessons on them. These things are part of why some call LAMB Montessori-light, but it does help their students perform on standardized tests AND provides data about who is, and isn't, achieving grade level mastery.

I think LAMB has been around long enough to know how to meet public school targets while also being faithful to Montessori. It is something Lee is probably learning now the hard way. A "true" Montessorian doesn't test but the teacher knows what the child knows based on their mastery of the lessons. A kid who has learned Montessori math may not test well when asked about math in a different type of question format - this is just a guess, it's also possible they aren't learning math well? I'd be surprised though. Montessori keeps close track of the lessons each child does. LAMB realizes that the kids need to function in their later non-Montessori environment and that they're a public school so they have to meet public targets. In K the kids start working intensively on English reading, for instance, using some materials that are from the traditional curriculum. I'm not sure it's "light" - also the newly hired ED and principal are both exclusively Montessori trained and have spent their entire careers in it so I can't imagine they won't be faithful to it.

What does the bolded even mean? Math is math. If my kid learns "Montessori math" but can't do a similar math problem in a different way, he hasn't learned math.

OK, obviously you haven't taken a lot of standardized tests before.

[Anonymous]

For what it’s worth, LAMB’s scores are only 55/36. Much better than Lee’s, but hardly stellar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lee can’t even educate their target demographic. I wouldn’t consider it for a second.

+1 I am baffled the wait list is so high.

I'm not at all baffled by the Lee wait list. It's simple...parents are picking demographics over results.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why people are claiming montessori kids can't do well at testing. How do you explain LAMB scores then?

Maybe because LAMB does pullouts and after school reading groups that aren't necessarily Montessori-based for students who are struggling. They also have computers in the classrooms for upper elementary, and allow students to do lessons on them. These things are part of why some call LAMB Montessori-light, but it does help their students perform on standardized tests AND provides data about who is, and isn't, achieving grade level mastery.

I think LAMB has been around long enough to know how to meet public school targets while also being faithful to Montessori. It is something Lee is probably learning now the hard way. A "true" Montessorian doesn't test but the teacher knows what the child knows based on their mastery of the lessons. A kid who has learned Montessori math may not test well when asked about math in a different type of question format - this is just a guess, it's also possible they aren't learning math well? I'd be surprised though. Montessori keeps close track of the lessons each child does. LAMB realizes that the kids need to function in their later non-Montessori environment and that they're a public school so they have to meet public targets. In K the kids start working intensively on English reading, for instance, using some materials that are from the traditional curriculum. I'm not sure it's "light" - also the newly hired ED and principal are both exclusively Montessori trained and have spent their entire careers in it so I can't imagine they won't be faithful to it.

What does the bolded even mean? Math is math. If my kid learns "Montessori math" but can't do a similar math problem in a different way, he hasn't learned math.

OK, obviously you haven't taken a lot of standardized tests before.

Math in a Montessori classroom is not done with paper and pencil until well into upper elementary, for starters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lee can’t even educate their target demographic. I wouldn’t consider it for a second.

+1 I am baffled the wait list is so high.

I'm not at all baffled by the Lee wait list. It's simple...parents are picking demographics over results.

Agree similar to CMI. Most parents finally woke up to CMI this year and will likely do so with Lee soon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lee can’t even educate their target demographic. I wouldn’t consider it for a second.

+1 I am baffled the wait list is so high.

I'm not at all baffled by the Lee wait list. It's simple...parents are picking demographics over results.

Agree similar to CMI. Most parents finally woke up to CMI this year and will likely do so with Lee soon.

True, but I do think Lee is better managed than CMI.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For what it’s worth, LAMB’s scores are only 55/36. Much better than Lee’s, but hardly stellar.

For third grade LAMB is 42/46. Since Lee is only testing third grade it seems? Not sure.

CHML is overall 44/34, and at third grade, 39/52.

SSMA.... I won't even go there.

Not sure how much of this can attribute to the method. Also, not sure where LAMB used to be, only that it's been slightly higher the past 2 years. We are there and the math scores do concern me a bit.