Differentiation in MCPS elementary

[Anonymous]

If you said your child was independently figuring out multiplication, or reading long chapter books, I would agree that maybe public isn't a good fit.

What you are describing, though, is a bright kid who has been well-supported and has age-appropriate skills given that level of support.

The fact that you assume the class size will be 30 suggests you are in a UMC neighborhood, and there will be TONS of kids coming in with the same level of mastery.

[Anonymous]

When my kids were in elementary in Takoma Park they had an elementary level magnet that included enriched math starting in 1st. Also because it was a focus school class sizes were small (16-20).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When my kids were in elementary in Takoma Park they had an elementary level magnet that included enriched math starting in 1st. Also because it was a focus school class sizes were small (16-20).

I think this is one of the very, very few elementary programs where true acceleration is offered. Most MCPS does not offer acceleration beyond compacted math for early elementary. I do know of a couple kids who went to the next grade for math, but they were rare and then always dealing with scheduling issues.

OP, I know of several non-W feeder kids who were as you describe your daughter, including my own. I have only known one child who was truly math gifted and adding and subtracting up to 20 was peanuts for him. That won’t be a comfort because even with a cohort of similarly bright and prepared children she will probably be quite unchallenged for public elementary. Enrich her yourself or find outside enrichment, or just wait it out, but don’t believe a word of it if a principal or teacher says they offer enrichment. It is regularly bs and translates to an extra math problem on the back of the homework.

If she gets into a CES it will be better because although they use the same curriculum, they will go at a far faster pace to cover it in order to have time for science or math project enrichment.

Once in a middle school magnet or in high school, math will get much better. And some kids your daughter was dancing circles around in elementary will have caught up or even surpassed her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are very smart kids in public school, OP. Arguably more than there are in private, at least in the younger grades. She'll be fine.

Please do show me the evidence you have for this claim.

Give me a break. We are talking about Kindergarten. Do you genuinely believe Kindergartners at private schools are there because they are smarter than their peers?

Do you honestly think public school kids are necessarily smarter than private school kids?

I'm calling BS on there being any real difference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are very smart kids in public school, OP. Arguably more than there are in private, at least in the younger grades. She'll be fine.

Please do show me the evidence you have for this claim.

Give me a break. We are talking about Kindergarten. Do you genuinely believe Kindergartners at private schools are there because they are smarter than their peers?

Do you honestly think public school kids are necessarily smarter than private school kids?

I'm calling BS on there being any real difference.

Agreed. More in public because more kids are in public overall.

[Anonymous]

There are not 30 kids in kindergarten classes in MCPS even in the non-Focus, non-Title I schools. There are frequently 25, occasionally possibly more than that, but 22-25 is most common.

That said, there is very little math differentiation and very little acceleration of kids in the early grades beyond the curriculum. Whether kids find it boring is really individual.

My 2nd grader has good intuitive math sense and learns math easily but has never complained about finding math class boring. She is in a school piloting Eureka this year and has found it appropriately challenging.

My older DD found math boring in 1-3 grades and we did enroll her in a supplementary math class in 3rd and 4th grades to show her that math itself wasn't inherently boring. She went to CES in 4th and once her math class at school was engaging and challenging she didn't want to do the weekend class anymore, so we stopped that one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are not 30 kids in kindergarten classes in MCPS even in the non-Focus, non-Title I schools. There are frequently 25, occasionally possibly more than that, but 22-25 is most common.

That said, there is very little math differentiation and very little acceleration of kids in the early grades beyond the curriculum. Whether kids find it boring is really individual.

My 2nd grader has good intuitive math sense and learns math easily but has never complained about finding math class boring. She is in a school piloting Eureka this year and has found it appropriately challenging.

My older DD found math boring in 1-3 grades and we did enroll her in a supplementary math class in 3rd and 4th grades to show her that math itself wasn't inherently boring. She went to CES in 4th and once her math class at school was engaging and challenging she didn't want to do the weekend class anymore, so we stopped that one.

Our DC had 27 in DC’s kindergarten class. That was common at the school.

[Anonymous]

The K class sizes have gotten smaller in recent years under Smith. In our W-feeding, extremely overcroweded ES, the class numbers are 21-25. There is a variation among the classes, I believe the Principal addresses IEP inclusion by having a slightly smaller class size for those classes.

Math enrichment varies a lot in the primary grades and depends on the skills of the classroom teacher. If you have a bright, compliant kid, it will probably be ok. But if you have one who feels it is unjust to have to do extra worksheets or just isn't a lover of the "system" it may be more challenging for all.

[Anonymous]

OP, my suggestion is to keep your DD in private until 3rd grade, when she can apply to CES (formerly HGC) and if she is accepted, you can transfer back to public system. It's super boring in the first 4 years (K-3rd) for kids advanced in math. If you are financially capable, try to wait until 5th grade before apply to magnet MS is another option. If you get in, you go because the program is excellent and your DD will not be bored ever since (CES is still heavily humanity oriented, but math-wise is also good. Once accepted by STEM magnet MS, your DD will be assured to enjoy the curriculum).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are at a Silver Spring Focus school and there has been very little differentiation.

Occasionally, they will try a pull-our type of group, but it doesn’t last long because it can be logistically complicated.

There have been years where the teacher has 5 different Reading Groups in one classroom and it’s really hard to meet with ALL those groups if you are the teacher. So lots of down time and ‘independent reading’ or reading on the computer (Epic).

Math is usually just extra worksheets if there is any enrichment.

We started supplementing at home with my math loving kid and that was helpful in keeping her interested in Math.

This but we didn't get anything extra for math, even worksheets. Many privates don't have differentiation either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, my suggestion is to keep your DD in private until 3rd grade, when she can apply to CES (formerly HGC) and if she is accepted, you can transfer back to public system. It's super boring in the first 4 years (K-3rd) for kids advanced in math. If you are financially capable, try to wait until 5th grade before apply to magnet MS is another option. If you get in, you go because the program is excellent and your DD will not be bored ever since (CES is still heavily humanity oriented, but math-wise is also good. Once accepted by STEM magnet MS, your DD will be assured to enjoy the curriculum).

I'd be interested to hear how often this strategy works out. In my child's CES, there were no kids of which I'm aware who came from private. In their cohort at the TPMS magnet, I'm aware of one.

That doesn't mean they don't exist, but there is not a critical mass of parents paying for private until 3rd and then accessing the magnets. Now, I don't know if that's because they decide they love the private school enough to stay, or their financial situation is so good the costs no longer matter, or if the lack of a testing history makes it harder for private school kids. At any rate, it is not a done deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid is still 2 years away from kindergarten, but one of her friends has an older sister in 1st grade who went through the same preschool DD is in. Her mother has told us the math is laughably easy for her daughter and pretty much everyone coming out of that preschool--or any decent preschool. She said the same is true for reading.

Well, you can see for yourself by looking at the common core standards for K, and the curriculum resources online.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you said your child was independently figuring out multiplication, or reading long chapter books, I would agree that maybe public isn't a good fit.

What you are describing, though, is a bright kid who has been well-supported and has age-appropriate skills given that level of support.

The fact that you assume the class size will be 30 suggests you are in a UMC neighborhood, and there will be TONS of kids coming in with the same level of mastery.

I agree with this PP.

[Anonymous]

OP here— she would be going to Somerset...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here— she would be going to Somerset...

Oh, OP, she definitely will not be the only kindergarten student with those skills at Somerset ES.