Parent Essay critical of DCI

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think it’s about “low expectations” I think it’s about reality. Many many kids in DC, including those at DCI are below grade level. The problem is parents can’t believe it because the test scores are their achool arwmatill better compared to other DC schools. But most of these kids wouldn’t cut it in Arlington gifted classrooms. DCI, like everybschool, is teaching to middle/bottom of the cohort.

OK, but DCI could track for a lot more than math and language, like some of other DC public middle schools.

Yes and with so many kids at grade level and above, it’s probably going to be just a matter of time in my opinion.

I find it hilarious that all the people on here ( with new school/program, new curriculum, new administration, new teachers who might not all have experience with IB etc..] expect everyone to know exactly everything they are doing, have rigor to challenge all students, be able to have students not even at grade level get the IB diploma, and on and on.

Welcome to DCUM!

Don't hold your breath, PP. Some of us lobbied for over a decade to get honors humanities and science classes at Stuart Hobson.

That’s because SH did not have a high cohort of grade level or above kids for a long, long time....... unlike DCI.

It’s also because you can make changes, especially with curriculum, much faster at a charter and why their curriculum is much more progressive than DCPS schools. We all also know how huge, terrible, and inefficient the bureaucracy is especially in DCPS. A system that only cares about narrowing the achievement gap and gives families messages that their grade level or above kid doesn’t need anything and will be fine.....and people are surprised when families bail DCPS for charters.

There is only so much you can do at the local school level. When SH numbers show that the at risk kids improvement goes down or you develop a school within a school like Wilson, don’t be surprised that they will try to convert it to honors for all.....just like Wilson.

At that time, DCPS will just fire or not renew the contract of the principal at SH and put in one that is a puppet for DCPS leadership.

In fact, lets do it just like the JO Wilson drama where a great principal was fired or forced to resign, whichever, when DCPS did nothing to address his concerns regarding certain teachers who used force on students. And which apparently one of the teachers was not let go and thru the grapevine is now at SH, the feeder for JO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think it’s about “low expectations” I think it’s about reality. Many many kids in DC, including those at DCI are below grade level. The problem is parents can’t believe it because the test scores are their achool arwmatill better compared to other DC schools. But most of these kids wouldn’t cut it in Arlington gifted classrooms. DCI, like everybschool, is teaching to middle/bottom of the cohort.

OK, but DCI could track for a lot more than math and language, like some of other DC public middle schools.

Yes and with so many kids at grade level and above, it’s probably going to be just a matter of time in my opinion.

I find it hilarious that all the people on here ( with new school/program, new curriculum, new administration, new teachers who might not all have experience with IB etc..] expect everyone to know exactly everything they are doing, have rigor to challenge all students, be able to have students not even at grade level get the IB diploma, and on and on.

Welcome to DCUM!

Don't hold your breath, PP. Some of us lobbied for over a decade to get honors humanities and science classes at Stuart Hobson.

That’s because SH did not have a high cohort of grade level or above kids for a long, long time....... unlike DCI.

It’s also because you can make changes, especially with curriculum, much faster at a charter and why their curriculum is much more progressive than DCPS schools. We all also know how huge, terrible, and inefficient the bureaucracy is especially in DCPS. A system that only cares about narrowing the achievement gap and gives families messages that their grade level or above kid doesn’t need anything and will be fine.....and people are surprised when families bail DCPS for charters.

There is only so much you can do at the local school level. When SH numbers show that the at risk kids improvement goes down or you develop a school within a school like Wilson, don’t be surprised that they will try to convert it to honors for all.....just like Wilson.

Most of this sounds good but just isn't true. SH had a "high cohort" of students working at or above grade level grade for more than 20 years before the school/the Capitol Cluster first offered honors classes a decade ago. In fact, ten years ago, before Washington Latin took off and BASIS opened, SH enrolled more white kids than it does today. In some respects, DCPS is more progressive than charters e.g. offering language immersion lotteries for native speakers, helping explain why Oyster is a much higher-performing immersion program than the Spanish immersion charters. Washington Latin didn't start teaching 7th grade algebra until several years ago, despite years of parents clamoring for it, while Deal has been teaching 7th grade algebra for at least 15 years. BASIS still doesn't track for ELA or social studies at the middle level, and has no plans to, after almost a decade in DC. SH isn't at risk of "honors for all" under the current head - he adds an honors class or two every year, to great applause from his teachers and parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think it’s about “low expectations” I think it’s about reality. Many many kids in DC, including those at DCI are below grade level. The problem is parents can’t believe it because the test scores are their achool arwmatill better compared to other DC schools. But most of these kids wouldn’t cut it in Arlington gifted classrooms. DCI, like everybschool, is teaching to middle/bottom of the cohort.

OK, but DCI could track for a lot more than math and language, like some of other DC public middle schools.

Yes and with so many kids at grade level and above, it’s probably going to be just a matter of time in my opinion.

I find it hilarious that all the people on here ( with new school/program, new curriculum, new administration, new teachers who might not all have experience with IB etc..] expect everyone to know exactly everything they are doing, have rigor to challenge all students, be able to have students not even at grade level get the IB diploma, and on and on.

Welcome to DCUM!

Don't hold your breath, PP. Some of us lobbied for over a decade to get honors humanities and science classes at Stuart Hobson.

That’s because SH did not have a high cohort of grade level or above kids for a long, long time....... unlike DCI.

It’s also because you can make changes, especially with curriculum, much faster at a charter and why their curriculum is much more progressive than DCPS schools. We all also know how huge, terrible, and inefficient the bureaucracy is especially in DCPS. A system that only cares about narrowing the achievement gap and gives families messages that their grade level or above kid doesn’t need anything and will be fine.....and people are surprised when families bail DCPS for charters.

There is only so much you can do at the local school level. When SH numbers show that the at risk kids improvement goes down or you develop a school within a school like Wilson, don’t be surprised that they will try to convert it to honors for all.....just like Wilson.

Most of this sounds good but just isn't true. SH had a "high cohort" of students working at or above grade level grade for more than 20 years before the school/the Capitol Cluster first offered honors classes a decade ago. In fact, ten years ago, before Washington Latin took off and BASIS opened, SH enrolled more white kids than it does today. In some respects, DCPS is more progressive than charters e.g. offering language immersion lotteries for native speakers, helping explain why Oyster is a much higher-performing immersion program than the Spanish immersion charters. Washington Latin didn't start teaching 7th grade algebra until several years ago, despite years of parents clamoring for it, while Deal has been teaching 7th grade algebra for at least 15 years. BASIS still doesn't track for ELA or social studies at the middle level, and has no plans to, after almost a decade in DC. SH isn't at risk of "honors for all" under the current head - he adds an honors class or two every year, to great applause from his teachers and parents.

Wonder why SH lost so many white students to charters when they opened.....could it be because the “honors” classes offered was really not rigorous, just was in name only .....No couldn’t be......

Thanks for your definition of a progressive school system as offering language immersion for native speakers.......That is such a progressive and new curriculum......
I would say the above is so they can have lower SES families not be shut out of the program.

Lets have a contest to see how many families choose Latin or Basis over Deal if they had a choice when you have much overcrowding, large class sizes, discipline issues, and your kid can’t even find a place to sit for lunch..... But hey those can be overlooked because Deal, which is a much older school, taught Algebra in 7th grade first.

No. SH couldn’t be at risk of honors for all. The current principal would not allow that, and looks like you think he is going to be there a long time.....
Guess you don’t believe history can be a valuable lesson for the same thing could be said about Wilson a few years back........

But hey you do you and have your kid in DCPS and SH. We will go with charter language immersion and DCI.

[Anonymous]

Not the poster you're responding to but we'd swap Mundo-DCI for Oyster-Adams-Wilson in a heartbeat if we had access to the latter pyramid

We're not native speakers of Spanish so couldn't apply to Oyster through the Spanish dominant lottery.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think it’s about “low expectations” I think it’s about reality. Many many kids in DC, including those at DCI are below grade level. The problem is parents can’t believe it because the test scores are their achool arwmatill better compared to other DC schools. But most of these kids wouldn’t cut it in Arlington gifted classrooms. DCI, like everybschool, is teaching to middle/bottom of the cohort.

OK, but DCI could track for a lot more than math and language, like some of other DC public middle schools.

Yes and with so many kids at grade level and above, it’s probably going to be just a matter of time in my opinion.

I find it hilarious that all the people on here ( with new school/program, new curriculum, new administration, new teachers who might not all have experience with IB etc..] expect everyone to know exactly everything they are doing, have rigor to challenge all students, be able to have students not even at grade level get the IB diploma, and on and on.

Welcome to DCUM!

Don't hold your breath, PP. Some of us lobbied for over a decade to get honors humanities and science classes at Stuart Hobson.

That’s because SH did not have a high cohort of grade level or above kids for a long, long time....... unlike DCI.

It’s also because you can make changes, especially with curriculum, much faster at a charter and why their curriculum is much more progressive than DCPS schools. We all also know how huge, terrible, and inefficient the bureaucracy is especially in DCPS. A system that only cares about narrowing the achievement gap and gives families messages that their grade level or above kid doesn’t need anything and will be fine.....and people are surprised when families bail DCPS for charters.

There is only so much you can do at the local school level. When SH numbers show that the at risk kids improvement goes down or you develop a school within a school like Wilson, don’t be surprised that they will try to convert it to honors for all.....just like Wilson.

Most of this sounds good but just isn't true. SH had a "high cohort" of students working at or above grade level grade for more than 20 years before the school/the Capitol Cluster first offered honors classes a decade ago. In fact, ten years ago, before Washington Latin took off and BASIS opened, SH enrolled more white kids than it does today. In some respects, DCPS is more progressive than charters e.g. offering language immersion lotteries for native speakers, helping explain why Oyster is a much higher-performing immersion program than the Spanish immersion charters. Washington Latin didn't start teaching 7th grade algebra until several years ago, despite years of parents clamoring for it, while Deal has been teaching 7th grade algebra for at least 15 years. BASIS still doesn't track for ELA or social studies at the middle level, and has no plans to, after almost a decade in DC. SH isn't at risk of "honors for all" under the current head - he adds an honors class or two every year, to great applause from his teachers and parents.

Oh my God Oyster is highly performing bc they’re WOTP and kick out children with disabilities- not because the school is special. If anything they use a traditional (old) curriculum and lots of screaming, military style discipline. Pretty easy to do well on test scores when all the kids who dOnt test well are kicked out!

Don’t discuss things you don’t understand. Furthermore, the language immersion charters used to have native language preference until that was removed by law. Mediocre oyster and other dcps immersion schools still have that option bc they can offer to place students in another school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think it’s about “low expectations” I think it’s about reality. Many many kids in DC, including those at DCI are below grade level. The problem is parents can’t believe it because the test scores are their achool arwmatill better compared to other DC schools. But most of these kids wouldn’t cut it in Arlington gifted classrooms. DCI, like everybschool, is teaching to middle/bottom of the cohort.

Let's step back. Using PARCC to determine at/below grade level -- DCI is doing pretty well, at least in ELA -- compared to other middle schools.

Ranking MS with 10 highest ELA scores (math is complicated to parse for MS because of all the different levels taken (math 6, 7, 8, Alg 1, Geometry, Integrated Math etc)

Adams 83*
Deal 81
BASIS 81*
Hardy 68
Latin 63
DCI 61

Whether DCI is challenging students to advance beyond proficiency (concern of parent essay) OR preparing students for HL IB courses / achieving the IB diploma is a totally different thing.

*Since these schools have scores reported for more than just 6-8, I averaged the percentage at 4+ in 6,7 and 8 (73/88/82 for Basis and 83/88/80 for Adams -- but that is a quick estimate because I didn't add the numbers of students taking the exams).

Great job Adams!

Remember- they kicked out all the kids with special needs. So not impressive actually.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think it’s about “low expectations” I think it’s about reality. Many many kids in DC, including those at DCI are below grade level. The problem is parents can’t believe it because the test scores are their achool arwmatill better compared to other DC schools. But most of these kids wouldn’t cut it in Arlington gifted classrooms. DCI, like everybschool, is teaching to middle/bottom of the cohort.

OK, but DCI could track for a lot more than math and language, like some of other DC public middle schools.

Yes and with so many kids at grade level and above, it’s probably going to be just a matter of time in my opinion.

I find it hilarious that all the people on here ( with new school/program, new curriculum, new administration, new teachers who might not all have experience with IB etc..] expect everyone to know exactly everything they are doing, have rigor to challenge all students, be able to have students not even at grade level get the IB diploma, and on and on.

Welcome to DCUM!

Don't hold your breath, PP. Some of us lobbied for over a decade to get honors humanities and science classes at Stuart Hobson.

That’s because SH did not have a high cohort of grade level or above kids for a long, long time....... unlike DCI.

It’s also because you can make changes, especially with curriculum, much faster at a charter and why their curriculum is much more progressive than DCPS schools. We all also know how huge, terrible, and inefficient the bureaucracy is especially in DCPS. A system that only cares about narrowing the achievement gap and gives families messages that their grade level or above kid doesn’t need anything and will be fine.....and people are surprised when families bail DCPS for charters.

There is only so much you can do at the local school level. When SH numbers show that the at risk kids improvement goes down or you develop a school within a school like Wilson, don’t be surprised that they will try to convert it to honors for all.....just like Wilson.

Most of this sounds good but just isn't true. SH had a "high cohort" of students working at or above grade level grade for more than 20 years before the school/the Capitol Cluster first offered honors classes a decade ago. In fact, ten years ago, before Washington Latin took off and BASIS opened, SH enrolled more white kids than it does today. In some respects, DCPS is more progressive than charters e.g. offering language immersion lotteries for native speakers, helping explain why Oyster is a much higher-performing immersion program than the Spanish immersion charters. Washington Latin didn't start teaching 7th grade algebra until several years ago, despite years of parents clamoring for it, while Deal has been teaching 7th grade algebra for at least 15 years. BASIS still doesn't track for ELA or social studies at the middle level, and has no plans to, after almost a decade in DC. SH isn't at risk of "honors for all" under the current head - he adds an honors class or two every year, to great applause from his teachers and parents.

Oh my God Oyster is highly performing bc they’re WOTP and kick out children with disabilities- not because the school is special. If anything they use a traditional (old) curriculum and lots of screaming, military style discipline. Pretty easy to do well on test scores when all the kids who dOnt test well are kicked out!

Don’t discuss things you don’t understand. Furthermore, the language immersion charters used to have native language preference until that was removed by law. Mediocre oyster and other dcps immersion schools still have that option bc they can offer to place students in another school.

Oh nooo someone said the magic word Oyster and it summoned te oyster “screaming” stalker from the depths! FWIW I have no info on or experience of oyster whatsoever I just want to know one thing: how did they set up some kind of auto alert so they can know any time oyster comes up? Can you show me how to do that too so I can know when my kids school is mentioned? Thanks, stalker!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think it’s about “low expectations” I think it’s about reality. Many many kids in DC, including those at DCI are below grade level. The problem is parents can’t believe it because the test scores are their achool arwmatill better compared to other DC schools. But most of these kids wouldn’t cut it in Arlington gifted classrooms. DCI, like everybschool, is teaching to middle/bottom of the cohort.

OK, but DCI could track for a lot more than math and language, like some of other DC public middle schools.

Yes and with so many kids at grade level and above, it’s probably going to be just a matter of time in my opinion.

I find it hilarious that all the people on here ( with new school/program, new curriculum, new administration, new teachers who might not all have experience with IB etc..] expect everyone to know exactly everything they are doing, have rigor to challenge all students, be able to have students not even at grade level get the IB diploma, and on and on.

Welcome to DCUM!

Don't hold your breath, PP. Some of us lobbied for over a decade to get honors humanities and science classes at Stuart Hobson.

That’s because SH did not have a high cohort of grade level or above kids for a long, long time....... unlike DCI.

It’s also because you can make changes, especially with curriculum, much faster at a charter and why their curriculum is much more progressive than DCPS schools. We all also know how huge, terrible, and inefficient the bureaucracy is especially in DCPS. A system that only cares about narrowing the achievement gap and gives families messages that their grade level or above kid doesn’t need anything and will be fine.....and people are surprised when families bail DCPS for charters.

There is only so much you can do at the local school level. When SH numbers show that the at risk kids improvement goes down or you develop a school within a school like Wilson, don’t be surprised that they will try to convert it to honors for all.....just like Wilson.

Most of this sounds good but just isn't true. SH had a "high cohort" of students working at or above grade level grade for more than 20 years before the school/the Capitol Cluster first offered honors classes a decade ago. In fact, ten years ago, before Washington Latin took off and BASIS opened, SH enrolled more white kids than it does today. In some respects, DCPS is more progressive than charters e.g. offering language immersion lotteries for native speakers, helping explain why Oyster is a much higher-performing immersion program than the Spanish immersion charters. Washington Latin didn't start teaching 7th grade algebra until several years ago, despite years of parents clamoring for it, while Deal has been teaching 7th grade algebra for at least 15 years. BASIS still doesn't track for ELA or social studies at the middle level, and has no plans to, after almost a decade in DC. SH isn't at risk of "honors for all" under the current head - he adds an honors class or two every year, to great applause from his teachers and parents.

Wonder why SH lost so many white students to charters when they opened.....could it be because the “honors” classes offered was really not rigorous, just was in name only .....No couldn’t be......

Thanks for your definition of a progressive school system as offering language immersion for native speakers.......That is such a progressive and new curriculum......
I would say the above is so they can have lower SES families not be shut out of the program.

Lets have a contest to see how many families choose Latin or Basis over Deal if they had a choice when you have much overcrowding, large class sizes, discipline issues, and your kid can’t even find a place to sit for lunch..... But hey those can be overlooked because Deal, which is a much older school, taught Algebra in 7th grade first.

No. SH couldn’t be at risk of honors for all. The current principal would not allow that, and looks like you think he is going to be there a long time.....
Guess you don’t believe history can be a valuable lesson for the same thing could be said about Wilson a few years back........

But hey you do you and have your kid in DCPS and SH. We will go with charter language immersion and DCI.

Why is this always a competition with you people (i.e., people on these threads about how another DC public school just sucks and ours is so much better you must be sooo jealous and bitter)?

There is no virtue in being at an immersion DCPCS, BTW - you just got lucky. You win the competition but you didn’t earn anything.

[Anonymous]

Don’t discuss things you don’t understand. Furthermore, the language immersion charters used to have native language preference until that was removed by law. Mediocre oyster and other dcps immersion schools still have that option bc they can offer to place students in another school.

Misinformation. The preference wasn't removed by law. It was removed by DC's narrow interpretation of LEA arrangements (by the city council, mayor, DCPCSB). Fact is, a good many states have supported language preference for immersion charters for years through their LEA arrangements, without any interference from Congress or the Dept of Ed. The District could have language preference for charters, too, but elects not to for political reasons. Ignoring best practices in teaching and learning only works so well. Just look at YY, the "immersion" charter enrolling 1-2% true native speakers. As a result, there aren't ANY native speakers on the Chinese track at DCI - I check with the Chinese teachers there (in Mandarin) every fall to ask if any have turned up. None have, not yet.

[Anonymous]

Um, you are just making that up. I personally know kids who are native speakers who are in the mandarin program. Why on earth would you lie like that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think it’s about “low expectations” I think it’s about reality. Many many kids in DC, including those at DCI are below grade level. The problem is parents can’t believe it because the test scores are their achool arwmatill better compared to other DC schools. But most of these kids wouldn’t cut it in Arlington gifted classrooms. DCI, like everybschool, is teaching to middle/bottom of the cohort.

OK, but DCI could track for a lot more than math and language, like some of other DC public middle schools.

Yes and with so many kids at grade level and above, it’s probably going to be just a matter of time in my opinion.

I find it hilarious that all the people on here ( with new school/program, new curriculum, new administration, new teachers who might not all have experience with IB etc..] expect everyone to know exactly everything they are doing, have rigor to challenge all students, be able to have students not even at grade level get the IB diploma, and on and on.

Welcome to DCUM!

Don't hold your breath, PP. Some of us lobbied for over a decade to get honors humanities and science classes at Stuart Hobson.

That’s because SH did not have a high cohort of grade level or above kids for a long, long time....... unlike DCI.

It’s also because you can make changes, especially with curriculum, much faster at a charter and why their curriculum is much more progressive than DCPS schools. We all also know how huge, terrible, and inefficient the bureaucracy is especially in DCPS. A system that only cares about narrowing the achievement gap and gives families messages that their grade level or above kid doesn’t need anything and will be fine.....and people are surprised when families bail DCPS for charters.

There is only so much you can do at the local school level. When SH numbers show that the at risk kids improvement goes down or you develop a school within a school like Wilson, don’t be surprised that they will try to convert it to honors for all.....just like Wilson.

Most of this sounds good but just isn't true. SH had a "high cohort" of students working at or above grade level grade for more than 20 years before the school/the Capitol Cluster first offered honors classes a decade ago. In fact, ten years ago, before Washington Latin took off and BASIS opened, SH enrolled more white kids than it does today. In some respects, DCPS is more progressive than charters e.g. offering language immersion lotteries for native speakers, helping explain why Oyster is a much higher-performing immersion program than the Spanish immersion charters. Washington Latin didn't start teaching 7th grade algebra until several years ago, despite years of parents clamoring for it, while Deal has been teaching 7th grade algebra for at least 15 years. BASIS still doesn't track for ELA or social studies at the middle level, and has no plans to, after almost a decade in DC. SH isn't at risk of "honors for all" under the current head - he adds an honors class or two every year, to great applause from his teachers and parents.

Wonder why SH lost so many white students to charters when they opened.....could it be because the “honors” classes offered was really not rigorous, just was in name only .....No couldn’t be......

Thanks for your definition of a progressive school system as offering language immersion for native speakers.......That is such a progressive and new curriculum......
I would say the above is so they can have lower SES families not be shut out of the program.

Lets have a contest to see how many families choose Latin or Basis over Deal if they had a choice when you have much overcrowding, large class sizes, discipline issues, and your kid can’t even find a place to sit for lunch..... But hey those can be overlooked because Deal, which is a much older school, taught Algebra in 7th grade first.

No. SH couldn’t be at risk of honors for all. The current principal would not allow that, and looks like you think he is going to be there a long time.....
Guess you don’t believe history can be a valuable lesson for the same thing could be said about Wilson a few years back........

But hey you do you and have your kid in DCPS and SH. We will go with charter language immersion and DCI.

The reality is that pick your poison in this city where public middle schools programs are concerned. Fact is, all things considered, none of the schools mentioned on this board are that great, nor will they ever be given the longstanding obnoxious political climate.

We've gone with Stuart Hobson from a DCI feeder because, if a school is just going to be OK academically, we'd rather have it be that way with a 2-minute commute than a 30-minute commute.

We speak the language of immersion at home and don't need DCI to keep it up. We supplement pretty extensively, particularly for writing, in the afternoons, on weekends, and over breaks, which costs us plenty but not nearly as much as private school.

At least DC has old pals at SH, a school with good facilities - nice gym, stage, playing fields, music and art rooms, media center etc. We're hoping for Walls for HS but will pay for private if necessary. If SH were to cut honors classes, which I seriously doubt, we'd move from half home school to full home school for the year or two before HS. Not a huge deal for us. Good luck on the MS front to everybody else on this thread.

[Anonymous]

The critical essay that launched this thread could easily have been about a parent's experience with ANY DC public middle school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The critical essay that launched this thread could easily have been about a parent's experience with ANY DC public middle school.

Sad but true.

[Anonymous]

+100. Exactly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think it’s about “low expectations” I think it’s about reality. Many many kids in DC, including those at DCI are below grade level. The problem is parents can’t believe it because the test scores are their achool arwmatill better compared to other DC schools. But most of these kids wouldn’t cut it in Arlington gifted classrooms. DCI, like everybschool, is teaching to middle/bottom of the cohort.

OK, but DCI could track for a lot more than math and language, like some of other DC public middle schools.

Yes and with so many kids at grade level and above, it’s probably going to be just a matter of time in my opinion.

I find it hilarious that all the people on here ( with new school/program, new curriculum, new administration, new teachers who might not all have experience with IB etc..] expect everyone to know exactly everything they are doing, have rigor to challenge all students, be able to have students not even at grade level get the IB diploma, and on and on.

Welcome to DCUM!

Don't hold your breath, PP. Some of us lobbied for over a decade to get honors humanities and science classes at Stuart Hobson.

That’s because SH did not have a high cohort of grade level or above kids for a long, long time....... unlike DCI.

It’s also because you can make changes, especially with curriculum, much faster at a charter and why their curriculum is much more progressive than DCPS schools. We all also know how huge, terrible, and inefficient the bureaucracy is especially in DCPS. A system that only cares about narrowing the achievement gap and gives families messages that their grade level or above kid doesn’t need anything and will be fine.....and people are surprised when families bail DCPS for charters.

There is only so much you can do at the local school level. When SH numbers show that the at risk kids improvement goes down or you develop a school within a school like Wilson, don’t be surprised that they will try to convert it to honors for all.....just like Wilson.

Most of this sounds good but just isn't true. SH had a "high cohort" of students working at or above grade level grade for more than 20 years before the school/the Capitol Cluster first offered honors classes a decade ago. In fact, ten years ago, before Washington Latin took off and BASIS opened, SH enrolled more white kids than it does today. In some respects, DCPS is more progressive than charters e.g. offering language immersion lotteries for native speakers, helping explain why Oyster is a much higher-performing immersion program than the Spanish immersion charters. Washington Latin didn't start teaching 7th grade algebra until several years ago, despite years of parents clamoring for it, while Deal has been teaching 7th grade algebra for at least 15 years. BASIS still doesn't track for ELA or social studies at the middle level, and has no plans to, after almost a decade in DC. SH isn't at risk of "honors for all" under the current head - he adds an honors class or two every year, to great applause from his teachers and parents.

Oh my God Oyster is highly performing bc they’re WOTP and kick out children with disabilities- not because the school is special. If anything they use a traditional (old) curriculum and lots of screaming, military style discipline. Pretty easy to do well on test scores when all the kids who dOnt test well are kicked out!

Don’t discuss things you don’t understand. Furthermore, the language immersion charters used to have native language preference until that was removed by law. Mediocre oyster and other dcps immersion schools still have that option bc they can offer to place students in another school.

Oh nooo someone said the magic word Oyster and it summoned te oyster “screaming” stalker from the depths! FWIW I have no info on or experience of oyster whatsoever I just want to know one thing: how did they set up some kind of auto alert so they can know any time oyster comes up? Can you show me how to do that too so I can know when my kids school is mentioned? Thanks, stalker!

Lol—exactly! The Oyster Stalker must receive an alert anytime the school’s name is posted on DCUM. I must say, her hatred for Oyster is deep and consistent.