Middle school IB percentage low but few lottery spots offered?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So you don't have the right to attend your in boundary middle school if you don't attend a feeder school?

Yes, of course you do. You can move in boundary for Deal right now and enroll your kid. PPs are not in boundary and want there to be more seats available to OOB kids who aren’t going to feeder schools.

Which is kind of nuts because the school would probably be even lower-performing. Some high-income kids would get in but a lot of low-income kids would too.

[Anonymous]

Why isn't there a Deal MS for Capitol Hill?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why isn't there a Deal MS for Capitol Hill?

Mmmm... popcorn...

It's a long long long story.

[Anonymous]

For Hardy, that number is changing quickly. The 6th and 7th grades have much higher IB numbers.

[Anonymous]

Basically anyone who wants to can get into JO Wilson for the upper grades, so there’s a way into S-H for anyone who cares just that much.

[Anonymous]

Why care that much? In DCPS, there is no formal academic tracking for middle school social studies or science. If your kid works at or ahead of grade level for those subjects, they still get plonked in rooms with kids who work, 1,2 even 3 grade levels behind. At Hobson, the kids who are behind constitute at least half the kids. By 8th grade, the arrangement has become a real disaster for all concerned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why isn't there a Deal MS for Capitol Hill?

Because there aren't a couple hundred stable, highly-educated, wealthy families with kids scoring 4s and 5s on PARCC sending their kids to Eliot-Hine, Stuart-Hobson, or Jefferson each year.

[Anonymous]

Yes, because those middle schools don't appeal to most in-boundary parents in their current incarnation. Parents can't be ordered to embrace a program mainly serving poor kids; they must be coaxed. Incentivize them to come with a test-in GT program at one of these schools, with preferential treatment in admissions to local families, and watch the floodgates open. That's what MoCo did in the 80s at a couple of it's low-performing middle schools on the Eastern side of the county and it worked a charm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why isn't there a Deal MS for Capitol Hill?

Because there aren't a couple hundred stable, highly-educated, wealthy families with kids scoring 4s and 5s on PARCC sending their kids to Eliot-Hine, Stuart-Hobson, or Jefferson each year.

Jefferson had a successful, invitation only program long before gentrifiers showed up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why isn't there a Deal MS for Capitol Hill?

Because there aren't a couple hundred stable, highly-educated, wealthy families with kids scoring 4s and 5s on PARCC sending their kids to Eliot-Hine, Stuart-Hobson, or Jefferson each year.

Jefferson had a successful, invitation only program long before gentrifiers showed up.

Sort of. Invitation only for...AA students in the 80s. City has changed since then and the charter sector has creamed off nearly half of public school students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why isn't there a Deal MS for Capitol Hill?

Because there aren't a couple hundred stable, highly-educated, wealthy families with kids scoring 4s and 5s on PARCC sending their kids to Eliot-Hine, Stuart-Hobson, or Jefferson each year.

Jefferson had a successful, invitation only program long before gentrifiers showed up.

Agreed. Shaw had something similar. But with DCPS no longer offering any sort of middle school magnet programs, the reason that no school in Capitol Hill has the size or test scores of Deal is related to the fact that there are not enough kids scoring 4s and 5s on the 4th and 5th grade PARCC going to Eliot-Hine, Stuart-Hobson, or Jefferson. If more did go, the test scores at those middle schools would increase.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why isn't there a Deal MS for Capitol Hill?

Because there aren't a couple hundred stable, highly-educated, wealthy families with kids scoring 4s and 5s on PARCC sending their kids to Eliot-Hine, Stuart-Hobson, or Jefferson each year.

Jefferson had a successful, invitation only program long before gentrifiers showed up.

Agreed. Shaw had something similar. But with DCPS no longer offering any sort of middle school magnet programs, the reason that no school in Capitol Hill has the size or test scores of Deal is related to the fact that there are not enough kids scoring 4s and 5s on the 4th and 5th grade PARCC going to Eliot-Hine, Stuart-Hobson, or Jefferson. If more did go, the test scores at those middle schools would increase.

Yes, OK, and what's the relevance of this statement when obviously the great majority of UMC CH parents (now the majority by a long shot) would rather move, go private, or go charter to BASIS or Washington Latin than enroll at EH, SH or JA?

The only way to change this would be for DCPS to incentivize CH parents to enroll in neighborhood middle schools by offering test-in honors classes across the board (in every academic subject) at all three schools. DCPS refuses year after year, so nothing changes.

Most CH parents of upper grades elementary students plan to move from the neighborhood, go private, hope for good lottery numbers at Washington Latin and/or BASIS, and wait for Washington Latin's second campus to open next year as Plan B. The politicians, including Charles Allen, could care less. That's it, that's all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why isn't there a Deal MS for Capitol Hill?

Because there aren't a couple hundred stable, highly-educated, wealthy families with kids scoring 4s and 5s on PARCC sending their kids to Eliot-Hine, Stuart-Hobson, or Jefferson each year.

Jefferson had a successful, invitation only program long before gentrifiers showed up.

Agreed. Shaw had something similar. But with DCPS no longer offering any sort of middle school magnet programs, the reason that no school in Capitol Hill has the size or test scores of Deal is related to the fact that there are not enough kids scoring 4s and 5s on the 4th and 5th grade PARCC going to Eliot-Hine, Stuart-Hobson, or Jefferson. If more did go, the test scores at those middle schools would increase.

Yes, OK, and what's the relevance of this statement when obviously the great majority of UMC CH parents (now the majority by a long shot) would rather move, go private, or go charter to BASIS or Washington Latin than enroll at EH, SH or JA?

The only way to change this would be for DCPS to incentivize CH parents to enroll in neighborhood middle schools by offering test-in honors classes across the board (in every academic subject) at all three schools. DCPS refuses year after year, so nothing changes.

Most CH parents of upper grades elementary students plan to move from the neighborhood, go private, hope for good lottery numbers at Washington Latin and/or BASIS, and wait for Washington Latin's second campus to open next year as Plan B. The politicians, including Charles Allen, could care less. That's it, that's all.

Well, the PP asked why CH doesn't have a school like Deal. The answer is because the IB families with high-scoring students aren't sending their kids there.

PP didn't ask what should be done to make CH have a school like Deal. The answer to that is "convince IB families with high-scoring students to send their kids there." You might think test-in honors classes are the way to make that happen. Could be. Might be other ways too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why isn't there a Deal MS for Capitol Hill?

Because there aren't a couple hundred stable, highly-educated, wealthy families with kids scoring 4s and 5s on PARCC sending their kids to Eliot-Hine, Stuart-Hobson, or Jefferson each year.

Jefferson had a successful, invitation only program long before gentrifiers showed up.

Agreed. Shaw had something similar. But with DCPS no longer offering any sort of middle school magnet programs, the reason that no school in Capitol Hill has the size or test scores of Deal is related to the fact that there are not enough kids scoring 4s and 5s on the 4th and 5th grade PARCC going to Eliot-Hine, Stuart-Hobson, or Jefferson. If more did go, the test scores at those middle schools would increase.

Yes, OK, and what's the relevance of this statement when obviously the great majority of UMC CH parents (now the majority by a long shot) would rather move, go private, or go charter to BASIS or Washington Latin than enroll at EH, SH or JA?

The only way to change this would be for DCPS to incentivize CH parents to enroll in neighborhood middle schools by offering test-in honors classes across the board (in every academic subject) at all three schools. DCPS refuses year after year, so nothing changes.

Most CH parents of upper grades elementary students plan to move from the neighborhood, go private, hope for good lottery numbers at Washington Latin and/or BASIS, and wait for Washington Latin's second campus to open next year as Plan B. The politicians, including Charles Allen, could care less. That's it, that's all.

I get why this is sensitive, but it would be better for everyone if at least one public middle school in Capitol Hill were seen as a desirable neighborhood middle school on the level of Deal, with 70%+ in boundary students. The in boundary at risk population is already large in Cap Hill, as pointed out by PP, and I'd love to see them benefit from a cohort of students with well educated parents. I think it would quickly be the best MS in the city and also serve EVERYONE.

This is good for everyone because it means more seats. Those seats at charters not taken by Cap Hill folks would be open. Meh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why isn't there a Deal MS for Capitol Hill?

Because there aren't a couple hundred stable, highly-educated, wealthy families with kids scoring 4s and 5s on PARCC sending their kids to Eliot-Hine, Stuart-Hobson, or Jefferson each year.

Jefferson had a successful, invitation only program long before gentrifiers showed up.

Agreed. Shaw had something similar. But with DCPS no longer offering any sort of middle school magnet programs, the reason that no school in Capitol Hill has the size or test scores of Deal is related to the fact that there are not enough kids scoring 4s and 5s on the 4th and 5th grade PARCC going to Eliot-Hine, Stuart-Hobson, or Jefferson. If more did go, the test scores at those middle schools would increase.

Yes, OK, and what's the relevance of this statement when obviously the great majority of UMC CH parents (now the majority by a long shot) would rather move, go private, or go charter to BASIS or Washington Latin than enroll at EH, SH or JA?

The only way to change this would be for DCPS to incentivize CH parents to enroll in neighborhood middle schools by offering test-in honors classes across the board (in every academic subject) at all three schools. DCPS refuses year after year, so nothing changes.

Most CH parents of upper grades elementary students plan to move from the neighborhood, go private, hope for good lottery numbers at Washington Latin and/or BASIS, and wait for Washington Latin's second campus to open next year as Plan B. The politicians, including Charles Allen, could care less. That's it, that's all.

I get why this is sensitive, but it would be better for everyone if at least one public middle school in Capitol Hill were seen as a desirable neighborhood middle school on the level of Deal, with 70%+ in boundary students. The in boundary at risk population is already large in Cap Hill, as pointed out by PP, and I'd love to see them benefit from a cohort of students with well educated parents. I think it would quickly be the best MS in the city and also serve EVERYONE.

This is good for everyone because it means more seats. Those seats at charters not taken by Cap Hill folks would be open. Meh.

Nice idea. How do you do it? Some people have suggested clustering two middle schools together (like make one grades 5-6 and one 6-7). Problem though: what do you do with the 3rd middle school? What schools feed it? If you shut it down, there isn't enough room for all the IB+feeder kids let alone "serve EVERYONE." If you make it a magnet you cream off the high performers from the clustered school. You can't just cherry-pick the lowest performing schools and send them there because they're geographically non-contiguous and there would be huge racial and economic disparities that make it a political non-starter. Building a single middle school with the capacity for all 3 schools is also a non-starter; why spend a couple hundred million dollars when there are 3 perfectly good, recently renovated, schools already? So your idea is nice but not going to happen. DCPS is happy with the incremental progress it's getting at Stuart-Hobson and Jefferson. And they are not that eager to create schools that have higher IB percentages. You may see that as a good thing, but families that are hoping to get their kid into your IB school from OOB do not.