Overcrowding at Wilson

[Anonymous]

What does honors for all mean in practice?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What does honors for all mean in practice?

Honors for none?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What does honors for all mean in practice?

All kids no matter where they are academically are placed in the “honors” classes. Kids can be 3-4 levels apart, maybe more.

It’s true that it’s honors for none. The course is dumb down for the lower performing kids and the higher performing kids are bored to death.

Why don’t you ask the Wilson parents whose kids have gone thru 9th grade with it. To many, it’s a wasted year. Now 10th grade is honors for all....

[Anonymous]

So will all honors and all AP be available to every ability level? Up through 12th grade?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So will all honors and all AP be available to every ability level? Up through 12th grade?

AP was always open to all who took the prereq at Wilson. The theory is why hold a kid back if they want to try? Even if the grade isn't good, isn't it best to let them challenge themselves and learn more?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So will all honors and all AP be available to every ability level? Up through 12th grade?

AP was always open to all who took the prereq at Wilson. The theory is why hold a kid back if they want to try? Even if the grade isn't good, isn't it best to let them challenge themselves and learn more?

I think another difference is that the AP classes are available to students that choose them. Honors for all is not a choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What does honors for all mean in practice?

All kids no matter where they are academically are placed in the “honors” classes. Kids can be 3-4 levels apart, maybe more.

It’s true that it’s honors for none. The course is dumb down for the lower performing kids and the higher performing kids are bored to death.

Why don’t you ask the Wilson parents whose kids have gone thru 9th grade with it. To many, it’s a wasted year. Now 10th grade is honors for all....

Math is leveled. Foreign language is leveled. And 73% of Wilson students scored 3/4/5 on PARCC ELA. I'm fine w/honors for all for the introductory high school classes. By 11th most of the 'honors' students will be in virtually all APs anyway. They can also pursue dual-enrollment courses at Georgetown or Catholic University.

[Anonymous]

If it’s open to all, it’s not honors. It’s just class. Calling it honors is just optics. Optics being a prime concern at CO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If it’s open to all, it’s not honors. It’s just class. Calling it honors is just optics. Optics being a prime concern at CO.

No. The Central Office is concerned with equity. Equal opportunity and access to quality courses. Perhaps it looks like optics to you, but their goals are not invalid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What does honors for all mean in practice?

All kids no matter where they are academically are placed in the “honors” classes. Kids can be 3-4 levels apart, maybe more.

It’s true that it’s honors for none. The course is dumb down for the lower performing kids and the higher performing kids are bored to death.

Why don’t you ask the Wilson parents whose kids have gone thru 9th grade with it. To many, it’s a wasted year. Now 10th grade is honors for all....

Math is leveled. Foreign language is leveled. And 73% of Wilson students scored 3/4/5 on PARCC ELA. I'm fine w/honors for all for the introductory high school classes. By 11th most of the 'honors' students will be in virtually all APs anyway. They can also pursue dual-enrollment courses at Georgetown or Catholic University.

This is not strictly true. Dual enrollment at Wilson is only an option in 12th grade except maybe you can do a class at UDC CC in 11th. Also, dual enrollment has limited seats and you can only do 1 course a semester through it. Finally it is a real pain to leave school in the middle of the day and head over to GW, Georgetown, Catholic or Howard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it’s open to all, it’s not honors. It’s just class. Calling it honors is just optics. Optics being a prime concern at CO.

No. The Central Office is concerned with equity. Equal opportunity and access to quality courses. Perhaps it looks like optics to you, but their goals are not invalid.

DP: PPP said “calling it honors is just optics” — which is true.

PP says the goal is achieving equity in course access. This can also be true.

And I say the advanced students are poorly-served. This too is true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it’s open to all, it’s not honors. It’s just class. Calling it honors is just optics. Optics being a prime concern at CO.

No. The Central Office is concerned with equity. Equal opportunity and access to quality courses. Perhaps it looks like optics to you, but their goals are not invalid.

Equity is a reasonable goal. How DCPS tries to get there is a reasonable concern. Wilson is underfunded in terms of number of teachers. Strongly encouraging unprepared and unmotivated students into AP classes that are 30+ students helps no one. Also not providing lab classes with adequate supplies. The teachers also get minimal prep time in the day as DCPS has added all kinds of LEAP meetings and other administrative meetings throughout the day. They also have no thoughtful support or improvement plans or mentorship for weak teachers. Equity is a lot more work than just creating honors for all and shoving more and more kids into AP classes. It is just optics for DCPS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What does honors for all mean in practice?

All kids no matter where they are academically are placed in the “honors” classes. Kids can be 3-4 levels apart, maybe more.

It’s true that it’s honors for none. The course is dumb down for the lower performing kids and the higher performing kids are bored to death.

Why don’t you ask the Wilson parents whose kids have gone thru 9th grade with it. To many, it’s a wasted year. Now 10th grade is honors for all....

Math is leveled. Foreign language is leveled. And 73% of Wilson students scored 3/4/5 on PARCC ELA. I'm fine w/honors for all for the introductory high school classes. By 11th most of the 'honors' students will be in virtually all APs anyway. They can also pursue dual-enrollment courses at Georgetown or Catholic University.

This is not strictly true. Dual enrollment at Wilson is only an option in 12th grade except maybe you can do a class at UDC CC in 11th. Also, dual enrollment has limited seats and you can only do 1 course a semester through it. Finally it is a real pain to leave school in the middle of the day and head over to GW, Georgetown, Catholic or Howard.

Then go to an application school. You can't have it all, and you should have known that when decided to live in the city with children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What does honors for all mean in practice?

All kids no matter where they are academically are placed in the “honors” classes. Kids can be 3-4 levels apart, maybe more.

It’s true that it’s honors for none. The course is dumb down for the lower performing kids and the higher performing kids are bored to death.

Why don’t you ask the Wilson parents whose kids have gone thru 9th grade with it. To many, it’s a wasted year. Now 10th grade is honors for all....

Math is leveled. Foreign language is leveled. And 73% of Wilson students scored 3/4/5 on PARCC ELA. I'm fine w/honors for all for the introductory high school classes. By 11th most of the 'honors' students will be in virtually all APs anyway. They can also pursue dual-enrollment courses at Georgetown or Catholic University.

This is not strictly true. Dual enrollment at Wilson is only an option in 12th grade except maybe you can do a class at UDC CC in 11th. Also, dual enrollment has limited seats and you can only do 1 course a semester through it. Finally it is a real pain to leave school in the middle of the day and head over to GW, Georgetown, Catholic or Howard.

Then go to an application school. You can't have it all, and you should have known that when decided to live in the city with children.

Wow. Way to totally miss the point. I would say most of us that have kids at Wilson are aware of that and we understand that their will be disadvantages to be had. That doesn't mean that we can't continue to work for ways to make it work better. Not just for our advantaged/smart kids but for ALL of the kids who go there. And hopefully, all DCPS students. Anything that improves DCPS can be good for all the kids. I personally would love to get rid of all the Charter/application schools except for a few special instances. Can you imagine what would happen if all those high maintenance parents and motivated kids were in DCPS?? It could lift the entire system.

Finally...love living in the city with children and never regret it but I will continue to bitch about Wilson and the idiocies of DCPS Central office as long as I like!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What does honors for all mean in practice?

All kids no matter where they are academically are placed in the “honors” classes. Kids can be 3-4 levels apart, maybe more.

It’s true that it’s honors for none. The course is dumb down for the lower performing kids and the higher performing kids are bored to death.

Why don’t you ask the Wilson parents whose kids have gone thru 9th grade with it. To many, it’s a wasted year. Now 10th grade is honors for all....

Math is leveled. Foreign language is leveled. And 73% of Wilson students scored 3/4/5 on PARCC ELA. I'm fine w/honors for all for the introductory high school classes. By 11th most of the 'honors' students will be in virtually all APs anyway. They can also pursue dual-enrollment courses at Georgetown or Catholic University.

This is not strictly true. Dual enrollment at Wilson is only an option in 12th grade except maybe you can do a class at UDC CC in 11th. Also, dual enrollment has limited seats and you can only do 1 course a semester through it. Finally it is a real pain to leave school in the middle of the day and head over to GW, Georgetown, Catholic or Howard.

Then go to an application school. You can't have it all, and you should have known that when decided to live in the city with children.

Wow. Way to totally miss the point. I would say most of us that have kids at Wilson are aware of that and we understand that their will be disadvantages to be had. That doesn't mean that we can't continue to work for ways to make it work better. Not just for our advantaged/smart kids but for ALL of the kids who go there. And hopefully, all DCPS students. Anything that improves DCPS can be good for all the kids. I personally would love to get rid of all the Charter/application schools except for a few special instances. Can you imagine what would happen if all those high maintenance parents and motivated kids were in DCPS?? It could lift the entire system.

Finally...love living in the city with children and never regret it but I will continue to bitch about Wilson and the idiocies of DCPS Central office as long as I like!

Then you are a unicorn. Most of your neighbors are interested in further segregating the dwindling number of at-risk and lower SES students at Wilson; it's all over this thread and it comes up every single time there is a discussion about overcrowded, changing boundaries, ending feeder rights, and ending OOB enrollment.

The students are Wilson, at least so far as you can tell by coverage in the Beacon and talking to them, are very concerned about the quickly changing demographics in their school. The problem is the Wilson student body reflects the lack of economic diversity in their neighborhoods.