How are things going at Walls this year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCPS is in a race to the bottom. No matter what school if it’s admissions process or honors for all. Sad.

Oh, ffs..."honors for all" is three or four classes at Wilson...people continue to make it seem like there are no opportunities for advanced classes. The school has more AP classes than any other in the city.

Really, you don’t consider “3 or 4 classes” a big deal. Why don’t you tell us specifically which classes in 9th and 10th grade are tracked then.

You also realize that when you have students 3 and 4 grade levels apart, that the needs of the higher performing students will not be met and the teacher will be focusing on bringing the bottom up.

So 9th, 10th grade for these high performing students will be wasted years. Then they will take the AP version of those classes which is likely not going to be too rigorous if precursor classes were not and how do you think they will do on the AP exam?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCPS is in a race to the bottom. No matter what school if it’s admissions process or honors for all. Sad.

Oh, ffs..."honors for all" is three or four classes at Wilson...people continue to make it seem like there are no opportunities for advanced classes. The school has more AP classes than any other in the city.

Really, you don’t consider “3 or 4 classes” a big deal. Why don’t you tell us specifically which classes in 9th and 10th grade are tracked then.

You also realize that when you have students 3 and 4 grade levels apart, that the needs of the higher performing students will not be met and the teacher will be focusing on bringing the bottom up.

So 9th, 10th grade for these high performing students will be wasted years. Then they will take the AP version of those classes which is likely not going to be too rigorous if precursor classes were not and how do you think they will do on the AP exam?

And that AP exam may also be a semester after the class? As I am a middle school parent wanting to have a strong public option and looking at both - am I understanding this whole 4*4 right?

[Anonymous]

Can you not take APs whenever you wish? Just sign up and take them?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can you not take APs whenever you wish? Just sign up and take them?

If you mean on your own and pay for your kid to just take the test? Yes. At school many APs have prerequisites so you can’t just sign up to take any class you want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCPS is in a race to the bottom. No matter what school if it’s admissions process or honors for all. Sad.

Oh, ffs..."honors for all" is three or four classes at Wilson...people continue to make it seem like there are no opportunities for advanced classes. The school has more AP classes than any other in the city.

Really, you don’t consider “3 or 4 classes” a big deal. Why don’t you tell us specifically which classes in 9th and 10th grade are tracked then.

You also realize that when you have students 3 and 4 grade levels apart, that the needs of the higher performing students will not be met and the teacher will be focusing on bringing the bottom up.

So 9th, 10th grade for these high performing students will be wasted years. Then they will take the AP version of those classes which is likely not going to be too rigorous if precursor classes were not and how do you think they will do on the AP exam?

My point is that people throw around the phrase "honors for all" to suggest that everything is at one level for all four years at Wilson. It is not. Math is tracked quite a lot at Wilson by 9th. By 10th kids are taking AP classes in a bunch of subjects (psych, bio, computer science, Calculus (for some super stars), and studio art.) Math is still tracked (in addition to AP).

Supplement for your kids if they are not been challenged adequately or put them in private school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCPS is in a race to the bottom. No matter what school if it’s admissions process or honors for all. Sad.

Oh, ffs..."honors for all" is three or four classes at Wilson...people continue to make it seem like there are no opportunities for advanced classes. The school has more AP classes than any other in the city.

Really, you don’t consider “3 or 4 classes” a big deal. Why don’t you tell us specifically which classes in 9th and 10th grade are tracked then.

You also realize that when you have students 3 and 4 grade levels apart, that the needs of the higher performing students will not be met and the teacher will be focusing on bringing the bottom up.

So 9th, 10th grade for these high performing students will be wasted years. Then they will take the AP version of those classes which is likely not going to be too rigorous if precursor classes were not and how do you think they will do on the AP exam?

My point is that people throw around the phrase "honors for all" to suggest that everything is at one level for all four years at Wilson. It is not. Math is tracked quite a lot at Wilson by 9th. By 10th kids are taking AP classes in a bunch of subjects (psych, bio, computer science, Calculus (for some super stars), and studio art.) Math is still tracked (in addition to AP).

Supplement for your kids if they are not been challenged adequately or put them in private school.

Why shouldn’t the school be expected to give these kids an appropriate education?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCPS is in a race to the bottom. No matter what school if it’s admissions process or honors for all. Sad.

Oh, ffs..."honors for all" is three or four classes at Wilson...people continue to make it seem like there are no opportunities for advanced classes. The school has more AP classes than any other in the city.

Really, you don’t consider “3 or 4 classes” a big deal. Why don’t you tell us specifically which classes in 9th and 10th grade are tracked then.

You also realize that when you have students 3 and 4 grade levels apart, that the needs of the higher performing students will not be met and the teacher will be focusing on bringing the bottom up.

So 9th, 10th grade for these high performing students will be wasted years. Then they will take the AP version of those classes which is likely not going to be too rigorous if precursor classes were not and how do you think they will do on the AP exam?

My point is that people throw around the phrase "honors for all" to suggest that everything is at one level for all four years at Wilson. It is not. Math is tracked quite a lot at Wilson by 9th. By 10th kids are taking AP classes in a bunch of subjects (psych, bio, computer science, Calculus (for some super stars), and studio art.) Math is still tracked (in addition to AP).

Supplement for your kids if they are not been challenged adequately or put them in private school.

So basically no class is tracked in 9th or 10th except math. Got it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCPS is in a race to the bottom. No matter what school if it’s admissions process or honors for all. Sad.

Oh, ffs..."honors for all" is three or four classes at Wilson...people continue to make it seem like there are no opportunities for advanced classes. The school has more AP classes than any other in the city.

Really, you don’t consider “3 or 4 classes” a big deal. Why don’t you tell us specifically which classes in 9th and 10th grade are tracked then.

You also realize that when you have students 3 and 4 grade levels apart, that the needs of the higher performing students will not be met and the teacher will be focusing on bringing the bottom up.

So 9th, 10th grade for these high performing students will be wasted years. Then they will take the AP version of those classes which is likely not going to be too rigorous if precursor classes were not and how do you think they will do on the AP exam?

My point is that people throw around the phrase "honors for all" to suggest that everything is at one level for all four years at Wilson. It is not. Math is tracked quite a lot at Wilson by 9th. By 10th kids are taking AP classes in a bunch of subjects (psych, bio, computer science, Calculus (for some super stars), and studio art.) Math is still tracked (in addition to AP).

Supplement for your kids if they are not been challenged adequately or put them in private school.

So basically no class is tracked in 9th or 10th except math. Got it.

Nope- you don't "have it." PP [b]just said there are a bunch of AP classes available starting in 10th plus math is tracked...not sure what is hard to understand about that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCPS is in a race to the bottom. No matter what school if it’s admissions process or honors for all. Sad.

Oh, ffs..."honors for all" is three or four classes at Wilson...people continue to make it seem like there are no opportunities for advanced classes. The school has more AP classes than any other in the city.

Really, you don’t consider “3 or 4 classes” a big deal. Why don’t you tell us specifically which classes in 9th and 10th grade are tracked then.

You also realize that when you have students 3 and 4 grade levels apart, that the needs of the higher performing students will not be met and the teacher will be focusing on bringing the bottom up.

So 9th, 10th grade for these high performing students will be wasted years. Then they will take the AP version of those classes which is likely not going to be too rigorous if precursor classes were not and how do you think they will do on the AP exam?

Math is not tracked any more at Wilson. Even precalculus is honors for all.



My point is that people throw around the phrase "honors for all" to suggest that everything is at one level for all four years at Wilson. It is not. Math is tracked quite a lot at Wilson by 9th. By 10th kids are taking AP classes in a bunch of subjects (psych, bio, computer science, Calculus (for some super stars), and studio art.) Math is still tracked (in addition to AP).

Supplement for your kids if they are not been challenged adequately or put them in private school.

So basically no class is tracked in 9th or 10th except math. Got it.

Nope- you don't "have it." PP [b]just said there are a bunch of AP classes available starting in 10th plus math is tracked...not sure what is hard to understand about that.

[Anonymous]

I thought that a couple of years ago the former principal stopped letting 10th graders take AP US History. So unless 10th graders are taking AP Calc (which would be only the very advanced math kids), what APs are 10th graders eligible to take?

[Anonymous]

really anything that fits into their schedule (and for which they have taken prereqs if there are any)...I know 10th graders who are AP Psychology, AP computer science, AP studio art, and AP comparative government.

I also know kids who took the World AP test last year (despite not having technically taken that AP class) and they did well on it (4s and 5s)...not sure how much outside prep they did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought that a couple of years ago the former principal stopped letting 10th graders take AP US History. So unless 10th graders are taking AP Calc (which would be only the very advanced math kids), what APs are 10th graders eligible to take?

10th graders never took AP US History at Wilson...they used to be able to take AP World History but Wilson stopped offering it. AP US History is still offered to 11th graders.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:really anything that fits into their schedule (and for which they have taken prereqs if there are any)...I know 10th graders who are AP Psychology, AP computer science, AP studio art, and AP comparative government.

I also know kids who took the World AP test last year (despite not having technically taken that AP class) and they did well on it (4s and 5s)...not sure how much outside prep they did.

I'm the PP...my mistake--I meant to say AP human geography, not comparative government. Also, I think AP econ is available to 10th graders.

I'd also add that there are the Biomed and Engineering pathways classes, starting in 9th grade (both honors). I don't think they do any screening for those classes in 9th grade but by 10th grade kids who aren't serious about those topics tend to drop them because they get intense and there is the expectation that you stick with it for all four years.

[Anonymous]

NP here. It feels like the Wilson experience is all about extracurriculars and electives. I’m not seeing any argument that the core courses are worthwhile, just that you can take other (frankly pretty random) courses as well. Am I missing something? Would anyone defend the intrinsic value of freshman English as currently taught at Wilson?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP here. It feels like the Wilson experience is all about extracurriculars and electives. I’m not seeing any argument that the core courses are worthwhile, just that you can take other (frankly pretty random) courses as well. Am I missing something? Would anyone defend the intrinsic value of freshman English as currently taught at Wilson?

This. A few fluff AP courses does not comprise a rigorous curriculum to challenge the higher performing students.