Brightwood Schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We don't plan on doing the lottery, we will go with the local school and supplement through extracurricular activities at home.

Our daycare is really diverse and we don't care about school rankings.

Famous last words.

People like us are not myths. Many of my neighbors with kids at Takoma and Whittier made the decision not to play the lottery. Some of us now with kids in upper elementary and even Ida B Wells. I know others that did lottery out. Almost all for language immersion options.

Chiming in here as one of those very happy Wells parents!

NP and I’m curious if you will keep you kid at Coolidge when the time comes.

We all know the answer to that. Notice they aren't responding.

Different poster but we plan to go to Ida B Wells and then cast a wider net for DCPS HS. Unlike MS there are enough application options for HS that we are confident our kid will land somewhere OK. We are also keeping an eye on how the early college program at Coolidge evolves over time.

You are delusional. There are not enough spots at application high schools. Talk to all the people who did not get into SWW, or even Banneker. It’s obvious DCPS is favoring low SES students with their opaque requirements.

BTW those seats get more and more competitive every year as more families come up the chain needing spots.

You can’t have it both ways. If more families stay in DCPS then cohorts of on grade level kids will be in more schools. I am, for example, someone who would consider the IB program at Eastern if we lived on capital hill. I am not delusional simply because I have a wider view of an acceptable school than you.

This is where you are delusional. The IB program at Eastern sounds good in theory but you are still taking most of your classes with all the Eastern students not just the IB cohort. If I was interested in IB which I am not particularly interested in, I would have my kid apply to Banneker and hope they get in. I work for DCPS Central and have spent time at Eastern many times during the school day and no way would I send my kid to Eastern.
Many of you are starry eyed because your kids are younger and you don’t have much exposure to the day-to-day inside DCPS high schools. Wake up!

As a parent of a middle schooler in the Eastern feeder pattern, I wanted to share something I only recently became aware of. I cannot speak firsthand about the program, but have talked to a few parents whose kids are in 9th or 10th grade in the program. They have a 'pre-IB' application program called EPIC that offers advanced coursework. https://www.easternhighschooldcps.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=456727&type=d
Anyway - we will explore it more as our kid approaches 8th grade and compares high school options, but the impression I got at the Open House is that the program has existed for a few years, but the new principal is building it out and more kids are enrolling.

Last year, Eastern had 19 kids who scored proficient in English 1 and one scoring proficient in Algebra 1 (and zero in geometry). One! That is the problem they are dealing with here. So if they tell you that there is currently a program offering advanced coursework, and they currently enrolling more than one 10th grader, what that means is that they are putting kids who are below grade level in math in a program and they are calling it "advanced." It may still be better than the alternative. Kids who are not at grade level can be motivated and hard-working and not disruptive. But if DCPS tells you they are offering advanced coursework at a school that doesn't have a significant cohort of kids who are at grade level, you should not take their word for it.

As somebody whose kid is in 6th grade and just starting to enter the years where math tracking starts, this conversation makes my brain hurt. If somebody who has been through upper middle school/high school PARCC and can explain it in layman terms, please do so. From my understanding, when the advanced cohort takes the higher level math in middle school, that makes them NOT take the algebra and/or geometry PARCC in high school, due to the years where the tests are administered. Which then makes for a not entirely accurate sample/data set when looking at high school PARCC results, because you are only assessing kids who were not in advanced courses. Is that correct? (not to mention, judging an entire high school entirely on a few standardized test results is a bit absurd, but that is another conversation).

The PARCC site is vague about who takes which test when once things start tracking:
https://dcps.dc.gov/parcc#:~:text=Students%20in%20grades%203%E2%80%938,will%20take%20the%20PARCC%20test.

I found a thread from last fall that went into it, but it is just DCUM so who knows how accurate it is: https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/30/1151471.page
"I just realized that there is no PARCC for 11th and 12th grade math. So the high school PARCC only represents students in Alg 1, Geo and Alg 2 and excludes those who have already completed these by 10th grade. The high performers are likely completely excluded in these numbers."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Last time I looked at Wells PARCC scores they were very bad. Did they improve?

New Poster- 33% of students meets or exceeds in ELA and 11% for math. That means 60+ kids in each grade for English and 20+ for math. So overall are the scores amazing? No. But the school also has tons of ELL students for example. Since there is tracking (honors/advanced) for many classes though there is a sufficient cohort of students for me to feel comfortable sending my student.

But what does the tracking actually look like? You can tell that for algebra they're doing what a lot of DCPS middle schools do, which is to put all the kids approaching grade level in algebra. Basically, the differentiation between 8th grade math and algebra is "profoundly behind kids" vs. "everyone else." Is it different for other subjects? Is there differentiation across different sections of algebra? (Also, it was 8% or 38 total kids last year proficient in math, so about 13 per grade, not 20+.)

This year Wells has every 6th grader in Accelerated Math, to give them the chance to get to Algebra in 8th. Will they all get there? No. But if you expose them to rigor, some kids will surprise you.

All core subjects (math, ELA, social studies, science) use a co-teaching model where EL and SpEd teachers are in the classroom with a general ed teacher. All students also take two blocks of Math and ELA, where the second block splits the class in half by level. If the student needs more help, their second block is remediation. If they are ready for more, then it's accelerated or enrichment. For ELA, what this looks like is the whole class is reading and discussing the same book, but the higher-level kids read more of the book and write more deeply in their pull-out.

Re the PARCC scores, my own kid's scores on Reading Inventory, iReady, and ANet are much higher than his PARCC scores would indicate. And since those assessments give much more information about specific skills and gaps, and more immediate feedback, I trust them much more than PARCC--which is why I don't give much or any weight to PARCC scores at any school as an indication of what students are actually learning.

I also was really impressed with the last band performance, where students introduced each level of band and explained what that ensemble had been learning that semester. Instead of observing it as "wow, school band concerts are hard on the ears," it becomes, "wow, I see how much these kids advance in a single year, from 6th to 7th, and wow, imagine the leap from 6th to 8th!" (I also love that they play their final piece for each ensemble twice so the families can rush the stage for the encore and get photos of their student. The community pride is so heartwarming.)

I also work in DCPS high schools (my employer is a programming partner) and I know a number of Coolidge kids from the neighborhood as well as from supporting their classes. There are some very bright and motivated students there with very happy families. If your only exposure to students there are the ones smoking as they arrive late from the Metro, of course you'll have a bad impression. But there are 1100 students there, and a bunch of them are doing really well. Even if you don't plan to send your own kid through the entire pyramid of any DCPS high school, please check out any community events the middle and high schools host, in the spirit of being neighborly and informed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We don't plan on doing the lottery, we will go with the local school and supplement through extracurricular activities at home.

Our daycare is really diverse and we don't care about school rankings.

Famous last words.

People like us are not myths. Many of my neighbors with kids at Takoma and Whittier made the decision not to play the lottery. Some of us now with kids in upper elementary and even Ida B Wells. I know others that did lottery out. Almost all for language immersion options.

Chiming in here as one of those very happy Wells parents!

NP and I’m curious if you will keep you kid at Coolidge when the time comes.

We all know the answer to that. Notice they aren't responding.

Different poster but we plan to go to Ida B Wells and then cast a wider net for DCPS HS. Unlike MS there are enough application options for HS that we are confident our kid will land somewhere OK. We are also keeping an eye on how the early college program at Coolidge evolves over time.

You are delusional. There are not enough spots at application high schools. Talk to all the people who did not get into SWW, or even Banneker. It’s obvious DCPS is favoring low SES students with their opaque requirements.

BTW those seats get more and more competitive every year as more families come up the chain needing spots.

You can’t have it both ways. If more families stay in DCPS then cohorts of on grade level kids will be in more schools. I am, for example, someone who would consider the IB program at Eastern if we lived on capital hill. I am not delusional simply because I have a wider view of an acceptable school than you.

This is where you are delusional. The IB program at Eastern sounds good in theory but you are still taking most of your classes with all the Eastern students not just the IB cohort. If I was interested in IB which I am not particularly interested in, I would have my kid apply to Banneker and hope they get in. I work for DCPS Central and have spent time at Eastern many times during the school day and no way would I send my kid to Eastern.
Many of you are starry eyed because your kids are younger and you don’t have much exposure to the day-to-day inside DCPS high schools. Wake up!

As a parent of a middle schooler in the Eastern feeder pattern, I wanted to share something I only recently became aware of. I cannot speak firsthand about the program, but have talked to a few parents whose kids are in 9th or 10th grade in the program. They have a 'pre-IB' application program called EPIC that offers advanced coursework. https://www.easternhighschooldcps.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=456727&type=d
Anyway - we will explore it more as our kid approaches 8th grade and compares high school options, but the impression I got at the Open House is that the program has existed for a few years, but the new principal is building it out and more kids are enrolling.

Last year, Eastern had 19 kids who scored proficient in English 1 and one scoring proficient in Algebra 1 (and zero in geometry). One! That is the problem they are dealing with here. So if they tell you that there is currently a program offering advanced coursework, and they currently enrolling more than one 10th grader, what that means is that they are putting kids who are below grade level in math in a program and they are calling it "advanced." It may still be better than the alternative. Kids who are not at grade level can be motivated and hard-working and not disruptive. But if DCPS tells you they are offering advanced coursework at a school that doesn't have a significant cohort of kids who are at grade level, you should not take their word for it.

As somebody whose kid is in 6th grade and just starting to enter the years where math tracking starts, this conversation makes my brain hurt. If somebody who has been through upper middle school/high school PARCC and can explain it in layman terms, please do so. From my understanding, when the advanced cohort takes the higher level math in middle school, that makes them NOT take the algebra and/or geometry PARCC in high school, due to the years where the tests are administered. Which then makes for a not entirely accurate sample/data set when looking at high school PARCC results, because you are only assessing kids who were not in advanced courses. Is that correct? (not to mention, judging an entire high school entirely on a few standardized test results is a bit absurd, but that is another conversation).

The PARCC site is vague about who takes which test when once things start tracking:
https://dcps.dc.gov/parcc#:~:text=Students%20in%20grades%203%E2%80%938,will%20take%20the%20PARCC%20test.

I found a thread from last fall that went into it, but it is just DCUM so who knows how accurate it is: https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/30/1151471.page
"I just realized that there is no PARCC for 11th and 12th grade math. So the high school PARCC only represents students in Alg 1, Geo and Alg 2 and excludes those who have already completed these by 10th grade. The high performers are likely completely excluded in these numbers."

Eastern doesn't report that any students took the Algebra II PARCC. So for 9th graders to be excluded in this data, they'd be coming in with 3+ years of high school math. Maybe there is some kind of bimodal population where the vast majority of students are not at grade level, and then you have students who are coming in 3+ years ahead in math. I think this is unlikely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Last time I looked at Wells PARCC scores they were very bad. Did they improve?

New Poster- 33% of students meets or exceeds in ELA and 11% for math. That means 60+ kids in each grade for English and 20+ for math. So overall are the scores amazing? No. But the school also has tons of ELL students for example. Since there is tracking (honors/advanced) for many classes though there is a sufficient cohort of students for me to feel comfortable sending my student.

But what does the tracking actually look like? You can tell that for algebra they're doing what a lot of DCPS middle schools do, which is to put all the kids approaching grade level in algebra. Basically, the differentiation between 8th grade math and algebra is "profoundly behind kids" vs. "everyone else." Is it different for other subjects? Is there differentiation across different sections of algebra? (Also, it was 8% or 38 total kids last year proficient in math, so about 13 per grade, not 20+.)

This year Wells has every 6th grader in Accelerated Math, to give them the chance to get to Algebra in 8th. Will they all get there? No. But if you expose them to rigor, some kids will surprise you.

All core subjects (math, ELA, social studies, science) use a co-teaching model where EL and SpEd teachers are in the classroom with a general ed teacher. All students also take two blocks of Math and ELA, where the second block splits the class in half by level. If the student needs more help, their second block is remediation. If they are ready for more, then it's accelerated or enrichment. For ELA, what this looks like is the whole class is reading and discussing the same book, but the higher-level kids read more of the book and write more deeply in their pull-out.

Re the PARCC scores, my own kid's scores on Reading Inventory, iReady, and ANet are much higher than his PARCC scores would indicate. And since those assessments give much more information about specific skills and gaps, and more immediate feedback, I trust them much more than PARCC--which is why I don't give much or any weight to PARCC scores at any school as an indication of what students are actually learning.

I also was really impressed with the last band performance, where students introduced each level of band and explained what that ensemble had been learning that semester. Instead of observing it as "wow, school band concerts are hard on the ears," it becomes, "wow, I see how much these kids advance in a single year, from 6th to 7th, and wow, imagine the leap from 6th to 8th!" (I also love that they play their final piece for each ensemble twice so the families can rush the stage for the encore and get photos of their student. The community pride is so heartwarming.)

I also work in DCPS high schools (my employer is a programming partner) and I know a number of Coolidge kids from the neighborhood as well as from supporting their classes. There are some very bright and motivated students there with very happy families. If your only exposure to students there are the ones smoking as they arrive late from the Metro, of course you'll have a bad impression. But there are 1100 students there, and a bunch of them are doing really well. Even if you don't plan to send your own kid through the entire pyramid of any DCPS high school, please check out any community events the middle and high schools host, in the spirit of being neighborly and informed.

“expose them to rigor” is in fact an awful approach to math education. kids don’t need “rigor” in the abstract - they need a solid foundation built based on what skills they are missing, using methods that work instead of trends like “project based learning.” It’s a massive disservice not to meet kids where they are at in math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We don't plan on doing the lottery, we will go with the local school and supplement through extracurricular activities at home.

Our daycare is really diverse and we don't care about school rankings.

Famous last words.

People like us are not myths. Many of my neighbors with kids at Takoma and Whittier made the decision not to play the lottery. Some of us now with kids in upper elementary and even Ida B Wells. I know others that did lottery out. Almost all for language immersion options.

Chiming in here as one of those very happy Wells parents!

NP and I’m curious if you will keep you kid at Coolidge when the time comes.

We all know the answer to that. Notice they aren't responding.

Different poster but we plan to go to Ida B Wells and then cast a wider net for DCPS HS. Unlike MS there are enough application options for HS that we are confident our kid will land somewhere OK. We are also keeping an eye on how the early college program at Coolidge evolves over time.

You are delusional. There are not enough spots at application high schools. Talk to all the people who did not get into SWW, or even Banneker. It’s obvious DCPS is favoring low SES students with their opaque requirements.

BTW those seats get more and more competitive every year as more families come up the chain needing spots.

You can’t have it both ways. If more families stay in DCPS then cohorts of on grade level kids will be in more schools. I am, for example, someone who would consider the IB program at Eastern if we lived on capital hill. I am not delusional simply because I have a wider view of an acceptable school than you.

This is where you are delusional. The IB program at Eastern sounds good in theory but you are still taking most of your classes with all the Eastern students not just the IB cohort. If I was interested in IB which I am not particularly interested in, I would have my kid apply to Banneker and hope they get in. I work for DCPS Central and have spent time at Eastern many times during the school day and no way would I send my kid to Eastern.
Many of you are starry eyed because your kids are younger and you don’t have much exposure to the day-to-day inside DCPS high schools. Wake up!

As a parent of a middle schooler in the Eastern feeder pattern, I wanted to share something I only recently became aware of. I cannot speak firsthand about the program, but have talked to a few parents whose kids are in 9th or 10th grade in the program. They have a 'pre-IB' application program called EPIC that offers advanced coursework. https://www.easternhighschooldcps.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=456727&type=d
Anyway - we will explore it more as our kid approaches 8th grade and compares high school options, but the impression I got at the Open House is that the program has existed for a few years, but the new principal is building it out and more kids are enrolling.

Last year, Eastern had 19 kids who scored proficient in English 1 and one scoring proficient in Algebra 1 (and zero in geometry). One! That is the problem they are dealing with here. So if they tell you that there is currently a program offering advanced coursework, and they currently enrolling more than one 10th grader, what that means is that they are putting kids who are below grade level in math in a program and they are calling it "advanced." It may still be better than the alternative. Kids who are not at grade level can be motivated and hard-working and not disruptive. But if DCPS tells you they are offering advanced coursework at a school that doesn't have a significant cohort of kids who are at grade level, you should not take their word for it.

As somebody whose kid is in 6th grade and just starting to enter the years where math tracking starts, this conversation makes my brain hurt. If somebody who has been through upper middle school/high school PARCC and can explain it in layman terms, please do so. From my understanding, when the advanced cohort takes the higher level math in middle school, that makes them NOT take the algebra and/or geometry PARCC in high school, due to the years where the tests are administered. Which then makes for a not entirely accurate sample/data set when looking at high school PARCC results, because you are only assessing kids who were not in advanced courses. Is that correct? (not to mention, judging an entire high school entirely on a few standardized test results is a bit absurd, but that is another conversation).

The PARCC site is vague about who takes which test when once things start tracking:
https://dcps.dc.gov/parcc#:~:text=Students%20in%20grades%203%E2%80%938,will%20take%20the%20PARCC%20test.

I found a thread from last fall that went into it, but it is just DCUM so who knows how accurate it is: https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/30/1151471.page
"I just realized that there is no PARCC for 11th and 12th grade math. So the high school PARCC only represents students in Alg 1, Geo and Alg 2 and excludes those who have already completed these by 10th grade. The high performers are likely completely excluded in these numbers."

Eastern doesn't report that any students took the Algebra II PARCC. So for 9th graders to be excluded in this data, they'd be coming in with 3+ years of high school math. Maybe there is some kind of bimodal population where the vast majority of students are not at grade level, and then you have students who are coming in 3+ years ahead in math. I think this is unlikely.

This. The kids aren’t even on grade level and PP above arguing that there is likely a good cohort kids so far ahead that there is no data? Seriously?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Last time I looked at Wells PARCC scores they were very bad. Did they improve?

New Poster- 33% of students meets or exceeds in ELA and 11% for math. That means 60+ kids in each grade for English and 20+ for math. So overall are the scores amazing? No. But the school also has tons of ELL students for example. Since there is tracking (honors/advanced) for many classes though there is a sufficient cohort of students for me to feel comfortable sending my student.

But what does the tracking actually look like? You can tell that for algebra they're doing what a lot of DCPS middle schools do, which is to put all the kids approaching grade level in algebra. Basically, the differentiation between 8th grade math and algebra is "profoundly behind kids" vs. "everyone else." Is it different for other subjects? Is there differentiation across different sections of algebra? (Also, it was 8% or 38 total kids last year proficient in math, so about 13 per grade, not 20+.)

This year Wells has every 6th grader in Accelerated Math, to give them the chance to get to Algebra in 8th. Will they all get there? No. But if you expose them to rigor, some kids will surprise you.

All core subjects (math, ELA, social studies, science) use a co-teaching model where EL and SpEd teachers are in the classroom with a general ed teacher. All students also take two blocks of Math and ELA, where the second block splits the class in half by level. If the student needs more help, their second block is remediation. If they are ready for more, then it's accelerated or enrichment. For ELA, what this looks like is the whole class is reading and discussing the same book, but the higher-level kids read more of the book and write more deeply in their pull-out.

Re the PARCC scores, my own kid's scores on Reading Inventory, iReady, and ANet are much higher than his PARCC scores would indicate. And since those assessments give much more information about specific skills and gaps, and more immediate feedback, I trust them much more than PARCC--which is why I don't give much or any weight to PARCC scores at any school as an indication of what students are actually learning.

I also was really impressed with the last band performance, where students introduced each level of band and explained what that ensemble had been learning that semester. Instead of observing it as "wow, school band concerts are hard on the ears," it becomes, "wow, I see how much these kids advance in a single year, from 6th to 7th, and wow, imagine the leap from 6th to 8th!" (I also love that they play their final piece for each ensemble twice so the families can rush the stage for the encore and get photos of their student. The community pride is so heartwarming.)

I also work in DCPS high schools (my employer is a programming partner) and I know a number of Coolidge kids from the neighborhood as well as from supporting their classes. There are some very bright and motivated students there with very happy families. If your only exposure to students there are the ones smoking as they arrive late from the Metro, of course you'll have a bad impression. But there are 1100 students there, and a bunch of them are doing really well. Even if you don't plan to send your own kid through the entire pyramid of any DCPS high school, please check out any community events the middle and high schools host, in the spirit of being neighborly and informed.

Much appreciated, Wells PP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Last time I looked at Wells PARCC scores they were very bad. Did they improve?

New Poster- 33% of students meets or exceeds in ELA and 11% for math. That means 60+ kids in each grade for English and 20+ for math. So overall are the scores amazing? No. But the school also has tons of ELL students for example. Since there is tracking (honors/advanced) for many classes though there is a sufficient cohort of students for me to feel comfortable sending my student.

But what does the tracking actually look like? You can tell that for algebra they're doing what a lot of DCPS middle schools do, which is to put all the kids approaching grade level in algebra. Basically, the differentiation between 8th grade math and algebra is "profoundly behind kids" vs. "everyone else." Is it different for other subjects? Is there differentiation across different sections of algebra? (Also, it was 8% or 38 total kids last year proficient in math, so about 13 per grade, not 20+.)

This year Wells has every 6th grader in Accelerated Math, to give them the chance to get to Algebra in 8th. Will they all get there? No. But if you expose them to rigor, some kids will surprise you.

All core subjects (math, ELA, social studies, science) use a co-teaching model where EL and SpEd teachers are in the classroom with a general ed teacher. All students also take two blocks of Math and ELA, where the second block splits the class in half by level. If the student needs more help, their second block is remediation. If they are ready for more, then it's accelerated or enrichment. For ELA, what this looks like is the whole class is reading and discussing the same book, but the higher-level kids read more of the book and write more deeply in their pull-out.

Re the PARCC scores, my own kid's scores on Reading Inventory, iReady, and ANet are much higher than his PARCC scores would indicate. And since those assessments give much more information about specific skills and gaps, and more immediate feedback, I trust them much more than PARCC--which is why I don't give much or any weight to PARCC scores at any school as an indication of what students are actually learning.

I also was really impressed with the last band performance, where students introduced each level of band and explained what that ensemble had been learning that semester. Instead of observing it as "wow, school band concerts are hard on the ears," it becomes, "wow, I see how much these kids advance in a single year, from 6th to 7th, and wow, imagine the leap from 6th to 8th!" (I also love that they play their final piece for each ensemble twice so the families can rush the stage for the encore and get photos of their student. The community pride is so heartwarming.)

I also work in DCPS high schools (my employer is a programming partner) and I know a number of Coolidge kids from the neighborhood as well as from supporting their classes. There are some very bright and motivated students there with very happy families. If your only exposure to students there are the ones smoking as they arrive late from the Metro, of course you'll have a bad impression. But there are 1100 students there, and a bunch of them are doing really well. Even if you don't plan to send your own kid through the entire pyramid of any DCPS high school, please check out any community events the middle and high schools host, in the spirit of being neighborly and informed.

“expose them to rigor” is in fact an awful approach to math education. kids don’t need “rigor” in the abstract - they need a solid foundation built based on what skills they are missing, using methods that work instead of trends like “project based learning.” It’s a massive disservice not to meet kids where they are at in math.

Not to nitpick but I agree with this poster. Accelerated math for all students just does not work. It sounds like a pr-friendly but ineffective approach and I would be wary

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Last time I looked at Wells PARCC scores they were very bad. Did they improve?

New Poster- 33% of students meets or exceeds in ELA and 11% for math. That means 60+ kids in each grade for English and 20+ for math. So overall are the scores amazing? No. But the school also has tons of ELL students for example. Since there is tracking (honors/advanced) for many classes though there is a sufficient cohort of students for me to feel comfortable sending my student.

But what does the tracking actually look like? You can tell that for algebra they're doing what a lot of DCPS middle schools do, which is to put all the kids approaching grade level in algebra. Basically, the differentiation between 8th grade math and algebra is "profoundly behind kids" vs. "everyone else." Is it different for other subjects? Is there differentiation across different sections of algebra? (Also, it was 8% or 38 total kids last year proficient in math, so about 13 per grade, not 20+.)

This year Wells has every 6th grader in Accelerated Math, to give them the chance to get to Algebra in 8th. Will they all get there? No. But if you expose them to rigor, some kids will surprise you.

All core subjects (math, ELA, social studies, science) use a co-teaching model where EL and SpEd teachers are in the classroom with a general ed teacher. All students also take two blocks of Math and ELA, where the second block splits the class in half by level. If the student needs more help, their second block is remediation. If they are ready for more, then it's accelerated or enrichment. For ELA, what this looks like is the whole class is reading and discussing the same book, but the higher-level kids read more of the book and write more deeply in their pull-out.

Re the PARCC scores, my own kid's scores on Reading Inventory, iReady, and ANet are much higher than his PARCC scores would indicate. And since those assessments give much more information about specific skills and gaps, and more immediate feedback, I trust them much more than PARCC--which is why I don't give much or any weight to PARCC scores at any school as an indication of what students are actually learning.

I also was really impressed with the last band performance, where students introduced each level of band and explained what that ensemble had been learning that semester. Instead of observing it as "wow, school band concerts are hard on the ears," it becomes, "wow, I see how much these kids advance in a single year, from 6th to 7th, and wow, imagine the leap from 6th to 8th!" (I also love that they play their final piece for each ensemble twice so the families can rush the stage for the encore and get photos of their student. The community pride is so heartwarming.)

I also work in DCPS high schools (my employer is a programming partner) and I know a number of Coolidge kids from the neighborhood as well as from supporting their classes. There are some very bright and motivated students there with very happy families. If your only exposure to students there are the ones smoking as they arrive late from the Metro, of course you'll have a bad impression. But there are 1100 students there, and a bunch of them are doing really well. Even if you don't plan to send your own kid through the entire pyramid of any DCPS high school, please check out any community events the middle and high schools host, in the spirit of being neighborly and informed.

“expose them to rigor” is in fact an awful approach to math education. kids don’t need “rigor” in the abstract - they need a solid foundation built based on what skills they are missing, using methods that work instead of trends like “project based learning.” It’s a massive disservice not to meet kids where they are at in math.

Not to nitpick but I agree with this poster. Accelerated math for all students just does not work. It sounds like a pr-friendly but ineffective approach and I would be wary

The counter to this is a student who was not exposed to the correct level of rigor in elementary school. If you are a kid able to do the work but just didn’t get taught at a high enough level in elementary school you will rise to the challenge in the 5th grade class instead of being placed only by your performance upon entering the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Last time I looked at Wells PARCC scores they were very bad. Did they improve?

New Poster- 33% of students meets or exceeds in ELA and 11% for math. That means 60+ kids in each grade for English and 20+ for math. So overall are the scores amazing? No. But the school also has tons of ELL students for example. Since there is tracking (honors/advanced) for many classes though there is a sufficient cohort of students for me to feel comfortable sending my student.

But what does the tracking actually look like? You can tell that for algebra they're doing what a lot of DCPS middle schools do, which is to put all the kids approaching grade level in algebra. Basically, the differentiation between 8th grade math and algebra is "profoundly behind kids" vs. "everyone else." Is it different for other subjects? Is there differentiation across different sections of algebra? (Also, it was 8% or 38 total kids last year proficient in math, so about 13 per grade, not 20+.)

This year Wells has every 6th grader in Accelerated Math, to give them the chance to get to Algebra in 8th. Will they all get there? No. But if you expose them to rigor, some kids will surprise you.

All core subjects (math, ELA, social studies, science) use a co-teaching model where EL and SpEd teachers are in the classroom with a general ed teacher. All students also take two blocks of Math and ELA, where the second block splits the class in half by level. If the student needs more help, their second block is remediation. If they are ready for more, then it's accelerated or enrichment. For ELA, what this looks like is the whole class is reading and discussing the same book, but the higher-level kids read more of the book and write more deeply in their pull-out.

Re the PARCC scores, my own kid's scores on Reading Inventory, iReady, and ANet are much higher than his PARCC scores would indicate. And since those assessments give much more information about specific skills and gaps, and more immediate feedback, I trust them much more than PARCC--which is why I don't give much or any weight to PARCC scores at any school as an indication of what students are actually learning.

I also was really impressed with the last band performance, where students introduced each level of band and explained what that ensemble had been learning that semester. Instead of observing it as "wow, school band concerts are hard on the ears," it becomes, "wow, I see how much these kids advance in a single year, from 6th to 7th, and wow, imagine the leap from 6th to 8th!" (I also love that they play their final piece for each ensemble twice so the families can rush the stage for the encore and get photos of their student. The community pride is so heartwarming.)

I also work in DCPS high schools (my employer is a programming partner) and I know a number of Coolidge kids from the neighborhood as well as from supporting their classes. There are some very bright and motivated students there with very happy families. If your only exposure to students there are the ones smoking as they arrive late from the Metro, of course you'll have a bad impression. But there are 1100 students there, and a bunch of them are doing really well. Even if you don't plan to send your own kid through the entire pyramid of any DCPS high school, please check out any community events the middle and high schools host, in the spirit of being neighborly and informed.

“expose them to rigor” is in fact an awful approach to math education. kids don’t need “rigor” in the abstract - they need a solid foundation built based on what skills they are missing, using methods that work instead of trends like “project based learning.” It’s a massive disservice not to meet kids where they are at in math.

Not to nitpick but I agree with this poster. Accelerated math for all students just does not work. It sounds like a pr-friendly but ineffective approach and I would be wary

The counter to this is a student who was not exposed to the correct level of rigor in elementary school. If you are a kid able to do the work but just didn’t get taught at a high enough level in elementary school you will rise to the challenge in the 5th grade class instead of being placed only by your performance upon entering the school.

Ok but Wells only has 1% of kids above grade level in math as discussed above so the data tells me that even if you had kids coming in with the ability which I am not saying that is so and am doubtful. But even under this supposed “scenario” if Wells was actually doing and being effective, you would see the results in the data which you don’t.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Last time I looked at Wells PARCC scores they were very bad. Did they improve?

New Poster- 33% of students meets or exceeds in ELA and 11% for math. That means 60+ kids in each grade for English and 20+ for math. So overall are the scores amazing? No. But the school also has tons of ELL students for example. Since there is tracking (honors/advanced) for many classes though there is a sufficient cohort of students for me to feel comfortable sending my student.

But what does the tracking actually look like? You can tell that for algebra they're doing what a lot of DCPS middle schools do, which is to put all the kids approaching grade level in algebra. Basically, the differentiation between 8th grade math and algebra is "profoundly behind kids" vs. "everyone else." Is it different for other subjects? Is there differentiation across different sections of algebra? (Also, it was 8% or 38 total kids last year proficient in math, so about 13 per grade, not 20+.)

This year Wells has every 6th grader in Accelerated Math, to give them the chance to get to Algebra in 8th. Will they all get there? No. But if you expose them to rigor, some kids will surprise you.

All core subjects (math, ELA, social studies, science) use a co-teaching model where EL and SpEd teachers are in the classroom with a general ed teacher. All students also take two blocks of Math and ELA, where the second block splits the class in half by level. If the student needs more help, their second block is remediation. If they are ready for more, then it's accelerated or enrichment. For ELA, what this looks like is the whole class is reading and discussing the same book, but the higher-level kids read more of the book and write more deeply in their pull-out.

Re the PARCC scores, my own kid's scores on Reading Inventory, iReady, and ANet are much higher than his PARCC scores would indicate. And since those assessments give much more information about specific skills and gaps, and more immediate feedback, I trust them much more than PARCC--which is why I don't give much or any weight to PARCC scores at any school as an indication of what students are actually learning.

I also was really impressed with the last band performance, where students introduced each level of band and explained what that ensemble had been learning that semester. Instead of observing it as "wow, school band concerts are hard on the ears," it becomes, "wow, I see how much these kids advance in a single year, from 6th to 7th, and wow, imagine the leap from 6th to 8th!" (I also love that they play their final piece for each ensemble twice so the families can rush the stage for the encore and get photos of their student. The community pride is so heartwarming.)

I also work in DCPS high schools (my employer is a programming partner) and I know a number of Coolidge kids from the neighborhood as well as from supporting their classes. There are some very bright and motivated students there with very happy families. If your only exposure to students there are the ones smoking as they arrive late from the Metro, of course you'll have a bad impression. But there are 1100 students there, and a bunch of them are doing really well. Even if you don't plan to send your own kid through the entire pyramid of any DCPS high school, please check out any community events the middle and high schools host, in the spirit of being neighborly and informed.

Much appreciated, Wells PP.

+1. I wish the naysayers here would start their own thread! Some of us are interested in hearing more about our IB school options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Last time I looked at Wells PARCC scores they were very bad. Did they improve?

New Poster- 33% of students meets or exceeds in ELA and 11% for math. That means 60+ kids in each grade for English and 20+ for math. So overall are the scores amazing? No. But the school also has tons of ELL students for example. Since there is tracking (honors/advanced) for many classes though there is a sufficient cohort of students for me to feel comfortable sending my student.

But what does the tracking actually look like? You can tell that for algebra they're doing what a lot of DCPS middle schools do, which is to put all the kids approaching grade level in algebra. Basically, the differentiation between 8th grade math and algebra is "profoundly behind kids" vs. "everyone else." Is it different for other subjects? Is there differentiation across different sections of algebra? (Also, it was 8% or 38 total kids last year proficient in math, so about 13 per grade, not 20+.)

This year Wells has every 6th grader in Accelerated Math, to give them the chance to get to Algebra in 8th. Will they all get there? No. But if you expose them to rigor, some kids will surprise you.

All core subjects (math, ELA, social studies, science) use a co-teaching model where EL and SpEd teachers are in the classroom with a general ed teacher. All students also take two blocks of Math and ELA, where the second block splits the class in half by level. If the student needs more help, their second block is remediation. If they are ready for more, then it's accelerated or enrichment. For ELA, what this looks like is the whole class is reading and discussing the same book, but the higher-level kids read more of the book and write more deeply in their pull-out.

Re the PARCC scores, my own kid's scores on Reading Inventory, iReady, and ANet are much higher than his PARCC scores would indicate. And since those assessments give much more information about specific skills and gaps, and more immediate feedback, I trust them much more than PARCC--which is why I don't give much or any weight to PARCC scores at any school as an indication of what students are actually learning.

I also was really impressed with the last band performance, where students introduced each level of band and explained what that ensemble had been learning that semester. Instead of observing it as "wow, school band concerts are hard on the ears," it becomes, "wow, I see how much these kids advance in a single year, from 6th to 7th, and wow, imagine the leap from 6th to 8th!" (I also love that they play their final piece for each ensemble twice so the families can rush the stage for the encore and get photos of their student. The community pride is so heartwarming.)

I also work in DCPS high schools (my employer is a programming partner) and I know a number of Coolidge kids from the neighborhood as well as from supporting their classes. There are some very bright and motivated students there with very happy families. If your only exposure to students there are the ones smoking as they arrive late from the Metro, of course you'll have a bad impression. But there are 1100 students there, and a bunch of them are doing really well. Even if you don't plan to send your own kid through the entire pyramid of any DCPS high school, please check out any community events the middle and high schools host, in the spirit of being neighborly and informed.

“expose them to rigor” is in fact an awful approach to math education. kids don’t need “rigor” in the abstract - they need a solid foundation built based on what skills they are missing, using methods that work instead of trends like “project based learning.” It’s a massive disservice not to meet kids where they are at in math.

Not to nitpick but I agree with this poster. Accelerated math for all students just does not work. It sounds like a pr-friendly but ineffective approach and I would be wary

The counter to this is a student who was not exposed to the correct level of rigor in elementary school. If you are a kid able to do the work but just didn’t get taught at a high enough level in elementary school you will rise to the challenge in the 5th grade class instead of being placed only by your performance upon entering the school.

a kid who doesn’t have math fundamentals cannot “rise to the challenge.” and the system should obviously not only be geared towards the few who can. just like reading, there are also actual ways to teach math that are unfashionable but effective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Last time I looked at Wells PARCC scores they were very bad. Did they improve?

New Poster- 33% of students meets or exceeds in ELA and 11% for math. That means 60+ kids in each grade for English and 20+ for math. So overall are the scores amazing? No. But the school also has tons of ELL students for example. Since there is tracking (honors/advanced) for many classes though there is a sufficient cohort of students for me to feel comfortable sending my student.

But what does the tracking actually look like? You can tell that for algebra they're doing what a lot of DCPS middle schools do, which is to put all the kids approaching grade level in algebra. Basically, the differentiation between 8th grade math and algebra is "profoundly behind kids" vs. "everyone else." Is it different for other subjects? Is there differentiation across different sections of algebra? (Also, it was 8% or 38 total kids last year proficient in math, so about 13 per grade, not 20+.)

This year Wells has every 6th grader in Accelerated Math, to give them the chance to get to Algebra in 8th. Will they all get there? No. But if you expose them to rigor, some kids will surprise you.

All core subjects (math, ELA, social studies, science) use a co-teaching model where EL and SpEd teachers are in the classroom with a general ed teacher. All students also take two blocks of Math and ELA, where the second block splits the class in half by level. If the student needs more help, their second block is remediation. If they are ready for more, then it's accelerated or enrichment. For ELA, what this looks like is the whole class is reading and discussing the same book, but the higher-level kids read more of the book and write more deeply in their pull-out.

Re the PARCC scores, my own kid's scores on Reading Inventory, iReady, and ANet are much higher than his PARCC scores would indicate. And since those assessments give much more information about specific skills and gaps, and more immediate feedback, I trust them much more than PARCC--which is why I don't give much or any weight to PARCC scores at any school as an indication of what students are actually learning.

I also was really impressed with the last band performance, where students introduced each level of band and explained what that ensemble had been learning that semester. Instead of observing it as "wow, school band concerts are hard on the ears," it becomes, "wow, I see how much these kids advance in a single year, from 6th to 7th, and wow, imagine the leap from 6th to 8th!" (I also love that they play their final piece for each ensemble twice so the families can rush the stage for the encore and get photos of their student. The community pride is so heartwarming.)

I also work in DCPS high schools (my employer is a programming partner) and I know a number of Coolidge kids from the neighborhood as well as from supporting their classes. There are some very bright and motivated students there with very happy families. If your only exposure to students there are the ones smoking as they arrive late from the Metro, of course you'll have a bad impression. But there are 1100 students there, and a bunch of them are doing really well. Even if you don't plan to send your own kid through the entire pyramid of any DCPS high school, please check out any community events the middle and high schools host, in the spirit of being neighborly and informed.

“expose them to rigor” is in fact an awful approach to math education. kids don’t need “rigor” in the abstract - they need a solid foundation built based on what skills they are missing, using methods that work instead of trends like “project based learning.” It’s a massive disservice not to meet kids where they are at in math.

Not to nitpick but I agree with this poster. Accelerated math for all students just does not work. It sounds like a pr-friendly but ineffective approach and I would be wary

The counter to this is a student who was not exposed to the correct level of rigor in elementary school. If you are a kid able to do the work but just didn’t get taught at a high enough level in elementary school you will rise to the challenge in the 5th grade class instead of being placed only by your performance upon entering the school.

Ok but Wells only has 1% of kids above grade level in math as discussed above so the data tells me that even if you had kids coming in with the ability which I am not saying that is so and am doubtful. But even under this supposed “scenario” if Wells was actually doing and being effective, you would see the results in the data which you don’t.

What I know is that I’m currently teaching a handful of Ida B wells graduates (current 9th graders) who are on or above grade level for math and reading and doing well in 9th grade. I don’t know their 8th grade parcc scores but Ida B Wells seems to have done alright by them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Last time I looked at Wells PARCC scores they were very bad. Did they improve?

New Poster- 33% of students meets or exceeds in ELA and 11% for math. That means 60+ kids in each grade for English and 20+ for math. So overall are the scores amazing? No. But the school also has tons of ELL students for example. Since there is tracking (honors/advanced) for many classes though there is a sufficient cohort of students for me to feel comfortable sending my student.

But what does the tracking actually look like? You can tell that for algebra they're doing what a lot of DCPS middle schools do, which is to put all the kids approaching grade level in algebra. Basically, the differentiation between 8th grade math and algebra is "profoundly behind kids" vs. "everyone else." Is it different for other subjects? Is there differentiation across different sections of algebra? (Also, it was 8% or 38 total kids last year proficient in math, so about 13 per grade, not 20+.)

This year Wells has every 6th grader in Accelerated Math, to give them the chance to get to Algebra in 8th. Will they all get there? No. But if you expose them to rigor, some kids will surprise you.

All core subjects (math, ELA, social studies, science) use a co-teaching model where EL and SpEd teachers are in the classroom with a general ed teacher. All students also take two blocks of Math and ELA, where the second block splits the class in half by level. If the student needs more help, their second block is remediation. If they are ready for more, then it's accelerated or enrichment. For ELA, what this looks like is the whole class is reading and discussing the same book, but the higher-level kids read more of the book and write more deeply in their pull-out.

Re the PARCC scores, my own kid's scores on Reading Inventory, iReady, and ANet are much higher than his PARCC scores would indicate. And since those assessments give much more information about specific skills and gaps, and more immediate feedback, I trust them much more than PARCC--which is why I don't give much or any weight to PARCC scores at any school as an indication of what students are actually learning.

I also was really impressed with the last band performance, where students introduced each level of band and explained what that ensemble had been learning that semester. Instead of observing it as "wow, school band concerts are hard on the ears," it becomes, "wow, I see how much these kids advance in a single year, from 6th to 7th, and wow, imagine the leap from 6th to 8th!" (I also love that they play their final piece for each ensemble twice so the families can rush the stage for the encore and get photos of their student. The community pride is so heartwarming.)

I also work in DCPS high schools (my employer is a programming partner) and I know a number of Coolidge kids from the neighborhood as well as from supporting their classes. There are some very bright and motivated students there with very happy families. If your only exposure to students there are the ones smoking as they arrive late from the Metro, of course you'll have a bad impression. But there are 1100 students there, and a bunch of them are doing really well. Even if you don't plan to send your own kid through the entire pyramid of any DCPS high school, please check out any community events the middle and high schools host, in the spirit of being neighborly and informed.

“expose them to rigor” is in fact an awful approach to math education. kids don’t need “rigor” in the abstract - they need a solid foundation built based on what skills they are missing, using methods that work instead of trends like “project based learning.” It’s a massive disservice not to meet kids where they are at in math.

Not to nitpick but I agree with this poster. Accelerated math for all students just does not work. It sounds like a pr-friendly but ineffective approach and I would be wary

The counter to this is a student who was not exposed to the correct level of rigor in elementary school. If you are a kid able to do the work but just didn’t get taught at a high enough level in elementary school you will rise to the challenge in the 5th grade class instead of being placed only by your performance upon entering the school.

Ok but Wells only has 1% of kids above grade level in math as discussed above so the data tells me that even if you had kids coming in with the ability which I am not saying that is so and am doubtful. But even under this supposed “scenario” if Wells was actually doing and being effective, you would see the results in the data which you don’t.

What I know is that I’m currently teaching a handful of Ida B wells graduates (current 9th graders) who are on or above grade level for math and reading and doing well in 9th grade. I don’t know their 8th grade parcc scores but Ida B Wells seems to have done alright by them.

I assume you teach at an application high school so perhaps have the highest achieving kids from Wells. So basically you have the top 2% of the class from last year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Last time I looked at Wells PARCC scores they were very bad. Did they improve?

New Poster- 33% of students meets or exceeds in ELA and 11% for math. That means 60+ kids in each grade for English and 20+ for math. So overall are the scores amazing? No. But the school also has tons of ELL students for example. Since there is tracking (honors/advanced) for many classes though there is a sufficient cohort of students for me to feel comfortable sending my student.

But what does the tracking actually look like? You can tell that for algebra they're doing what a lot of DCPS middle schools do, which is to put all the kids approaching grade level in algebra. Basically, the differentiation between 8th grade math and algebra is "profoundly behind kids" vs. "everyone else." Is it different for other subjects? Is there differentiation across different sections of algebra? (Also, it was 8% or 38 total kids last year proficient in math, so about 13 per grade, not 20+.)

This year Wells has every 6th grader in Accelerated Math, to give them the chance to get to Algebra in 8th. Will they all get there? No. But if you expose them to rigor, some kids will surprise you.

All core subjects (math, ELA, social studies, science) use a co-teaching model where EL and SpEd teachers are in the classroom with a general ed teacher. All students also take two blocks of Math and ELA, where the second block splits the class in half by level. If the student needs more help, their second block is remediation. If they are ready for more, then it's accelerated or enrichment. For ELA, what this looks like is the whole class is reading and discussing the same book, but the higher-level kids read more of the book and write more deeply in their pull-out.

Re the PARCC scores, my own kid's scores on Reading Inventory, iReady, and ANet are much higher than his PARCC scores would indicate. And since those assessments give much more information about specific skills and gaps, and more immediate feedback, I trust them much more than PARCC--which is why I don't give much or any weight to PARCC scores at any school as an indication of what students are actually learning.

I also was really impressed with the last band performance, where students introduced each level of band and explained what that ensemble had been learning that semester. Instead of observing it as "wow, school band concerts are hard on the ears," it becomes, "wow, I see how much these kids advance in a single year, from 6th to 7th, and wow, imagine the leap from 6th to 8th!" (I also love that they play their final piece for each ensemble twice so the families can rush the stage for the encore and get photos of their student. The community pride is so heartwarming.)

I also work in DCPS high schools (my employer is a programming partner) and I know a number of Coolidge kids from the neighborhood as well as from supporting their classes. There are some very bright and motivated students there with very happy families. If your only exposure to students there are the ones smoking as they arrive late from the Metro, of course you'll have a bad impression. But there are 1100 students there, and a bunch of them are doing really well. Even if you don't plan to send your own kid through the entire pyramid of any DCPS high school, please check out any community events the middle and high schools host, in the spirit of being neighborly and informed.

“expose them to rigor” is in fact an awful approach to math education. kids don’t need “rigor” in the abstract - they need a solid foundation built based on what skills they are missing, using methods that work instead of trends like “project based learning.” It’s a massive disservice not to meet kids where they are at in math.

Not to nitpick but I agree with this poster. Accelerated math for all students just does not work. It sounds like a pr-friendly but ineffective approach and I would be wary

The counter to this is a student who was not exposed to the correct level of rigor in elementary school. If you are a kid able to do the work but just didn’t get taught at a high enough level in elementary school you will rise to the challenge in the 5th grade class instead of being placed only by your performance upon entering the school.

Ok but Wells only has 1% of kids above grade level in math as discussed above so the data tells me that even if you had kids coming in with the ability which I am not saying that is so and am doubtful. But even under this supposed “scenario” if Wells was actually doing and being effective, you would see the results in the data which you don’t.

What I know is that I’m currently teaching a handful of Ida B wells graduates (current 9th graders) who are on or above grade level for math and reading and doing well in 9th grade. I don’t know their 8th grade parcc scores but Ida B Wells seems to have done alright by them.

I assume you teach at an application high school so perhaps have the highest achieving kids from Wells. So basically you have the top 2% of the class from last year.

The point is simply people questioning if on/above grade level students will get an appropriate education at Wells and it does seem that at least some do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Last time I looked at Wells PARCC scores they were very bad. Did they improve?

New Poster- 33% of students meets or exceeds in ELA and 11% for math. That means 60+ kids in each grade for English and 20+ for math. So overall are the scores amazing? No. But the school also has tons of ELL students for example. Since there is tracking (honors/advanced) for many classes though there is a sufficient cohort of students for me to feel comfortable sending my student.

But what does the tracking actually look like? You can tell that for algebra they're doing what a lot of DCPS middle schools do, which is to put all the kids approaching grade level in algebra. Basically, the differentiation between 8th grade math and algebra is "profoundly behind kids" vs. "everyone else." Is it different for other subjects? Is there differentiation across different sections of algebra? (Also, it was 8% or 38 total kids last year proficient in math, so about 13 per grade, not 20+.)

This year Wells has every 6th grader in Accelerated Math, to give them the chance to get to Algebra in 8th. Will they all get there? No. But if you expose them to rigor, some kids will surprise you.

All core subjects (math, ELA, social studies, science) use a co-teaching model where EL and SpEd teachers are in the classroom with a general ed teacher. All students also take two blocks of Math and ELA, where the second block splits the class in half by level. If the student needs more help, their second block is remediation. If they are ready for more, then it's accelerated or enrichment. For ELA, what this looks like is the whole class is reading and discussing the same book, but the higher-level kids read more of the book and write more deeply in their pull-out.

Re the PARCC scores, my own kid's scores on Reading Inventory, iReady, and ANet are much higher than his PARCC scores would indicate. And since those assessments give much more information about specific skills and gaps, and more immediate feedback, I trust them much more than PARCC--which is why I don't give much or any weight to PARCC scores at any school as an indication of what students are actually learning.

I also was really impressed with the last band performance, where students introduced each level of band and explained what that ensemble had been learning that semester. Instead of observing it as "wow, school band concerts are hard on the ears," it becomes, "wow, I see how much these kids advance in a single year, from 6th to 7th, and wow, imagine the leap from 6th to 8th!" (I also love that they play their final piece for each ensemble twice so the families can rush the stage for the encore and get photos of their student. The community pride is so heartwarming.)

I also work in DCPS high schools (my employer is a programming partner) and I know a number of Coolidge kids from the neighborhood as well as from supporting their classes. There are some very bright and motivated students there with very happy families. If your only exposure to students there are the ones smoking as they arrive late from the Metro, of course you'll have a bad impression. But there are 1100 students there, and a bunch of them are doing really well. Even if you don't plan to send your own kid through the entire pyramid of any DCPS high school, please check out any community events the middle and high schools host, in the spirit of being neighborly and informed.

“expose them to rigor” is in fact an awful approach to math education. kids don’t need “rigor” in the abstract - they need a solid foundation built based on what skills they are missing, using methods that work instead of trends like “project based learning.” It’s a massive disservice not to meet kids where they are at in math.

Not to nitpick but I agree with this poster. Accelerated math for all students just does not work. It sounds like a pr-friendly but ineffective approach and I would be wary

The counter to this is a student who was not exposed to the correct level of rigor in elementary school. If you are a kid able to do the work but just didn’t get taught at a high enough level in elementary school you will rise to the challenge in the 5th grade class instead of being placed only by your performance upon entering the school.

Ok but Wells only has 1% of kids above grade level in math as discussed above so the data tells me that even if you had kids coming in with the ability which I am not saying that is so and am doubtful. But even under this supposed “scenario” if Wells was actually doing and being effective, you would see the results in the data which you don’t.

What I know is that I’m currently teaching a handful of Ida B wells graduates (current 9th graders) who are on or above grade level for math and reading and doing well in 9th grade. I don’t know their 8th grade parcc scores but Ida B Wells seems to have done alright by them.

I assume you teach at an application high school so perhaps have the highest achieving kids from Wells. So basically you have the top 2% of the class from last year.

It's not *that* bad. 10% of the kids last year in either algebra or 8th grade math tested proficient, and 13% of the 8th graders in ELA.