The elite private schools are getting rid of grades altogether.

[Anonymous]

And which schools would that be? Because if you think GDS is on this list, I can say as a current parent that the the core curriculum doesn't constantly focus on social justice. In fact, it's at most a minor part and not visible at all in my kid's school work.

Most of the social justice is extracurricular. Plenty if you want it. But not really during school hours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your school will significantly harm the chances of its students to get into the elite schools where GPA and stats determine 99% of the admission process.

+1. This.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And which schools would that be? Because if you think GDS is on this list, I can say as a current parent that the the core curriculum doesn't constantly focus on social justice. In fact, it's at most a minor part and not visible at all in my kid's school work.

Most of the social justice is extracurricular. Plenty if you want it. But not really during school hours.

Really?
We saw the literature classes grades 7-12 and assumed there were some big changes over the recent years.
We’re in tech and were disappointed the assemblies didn’t cover a range of challenging careers. It was mainly authors, artists, comic writers, activists. It’s very different from the SF private schools we were coming from.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As does the application process for private schools. Any thoughts on how to improve the process at your school?

Projects where they can present original Work highlighting their passions developed while at School..
It could be any subject and medium that allows them to express their creative intellect, ideas, innovation, values and personhood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As does the application process for private schools. Any thoughts on how to improve the process at your school?

Projects where they can present original Work highlighting their passions developed while at School..
It could be any subject and medium that allows them to express their creative intellect, ideas, innovation, values and personhood.

Except that such projects often measure the wealth of the family more than the intellect, ideas, innovation, values and personhood of the child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As does the application process for private schools. Any thoughts on how to improve the process at your school?

Projects where they can present original Work highlighting their passions developed while at School..
It could be any subject and medium that allows them to express their creative intellect, ideas, innovation, values and personhood.

Except that such projects often measure the wealth of the family more than the intellect, ideas, innovation, values and personhood of the child.

Bingo.

The k-12 admissions process is part of the problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And which schools would that be? Because if you think GDS is on this list, I can say as a current parent that the the core curriculum doesn't constantly focus on social justice. In fact, it's at most a minor part and not visible at all in my kid's school work.

Most of the social justice is extracurricular. Plenty if you want it. But not really during school hours.

Really?
We saw the literature classes grades 7-12 and assumed there were some big changes over the recent years.
We’re in tech and were disappointed the assemblies didn’t cover a range of challenging careers. It was mainly authors, artists, comic writers, activists. It’s very different from the SF private schools we were coming from.

What you described doesn't mean that the GDS curriculum is constantly focused on social justice. Part of the school's mission? Of course. Its academics, much less so.

[Anonymous]

Doesn’t progressive pedagogy mean that the mission/social studies topic is woven through every subject throughout the week? Or is that mainly in GdS pk-8 where we’ve been seeing it thus far?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And which schools would that be? Because if you think GDS is on this list, I can say as a current parent that the the core curriculum doesn't constantly focus on social justice. In fact, it's at most a minor part and not visible at all in my kid's school work.

Most of the social justice is extracurricular. Plenty if you want it. But not really during school hours.

Really?
We saw the literature classes grades 7-12 and assumed there were some big changes over the recent years.
We’re in tech and were disappointed the assemblies didn’t cover a range of challenging careers. It was mainly authors, artists, comic writers, activists. It’s very different from the SF private schools we were coming from.

What you described doesn't mean that the GDS curriculum is constantly focused on social justice. Part of the school's mission? Of course. Its academics, much less so.

Converting 13 years of literature, writing and history/social studies classes to SJW themes and authors is their academics.

[Anonymous]

You clearly don't have a kid at GDS, because that bears no resemblance to the actual curriculum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As does the application process for private schools. Any thoughts on how to improve the process at your school?

Projects where they can present original Work highlighting their passions developed while at School..
It could be any subject and medium that allows them to express their creative intellect, ideas, innovation, values and personhood.

Except that such projects often measure the wealth of the family more than the intellect, ideas, innovation, values and personhood of the child.

I disagree. Wealth is more likely to quash creative innovative thinking - you can’t buy originality.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As does the application process for private schools. Any thoughts on how to improve the process at your school?

Projects where they can present original Work highlighting their passions developed while at School..
It could be any subject and medium that allows them to express their creative intellect, ideas, innovation, values and personhood.

Except that such projects often measure the wealth of the family more than the intellect, ideas, innovation, values and personhood of the child.

I disagree. Wealth is more likely to quash creative innovative thinking - you can’t buy originality.

Not originality, but it can buy musical instrument instruction to upload that video of a recital, or robotics/coding classes to demonstrate that drone the darling MS-er built, or tennis lessons to showcase Larla/o’s wining the age group Cup at the Country Club, or AOPS enrichment for math Olympiad. You think kids on FA can afford these things?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And which schools would that be? Because if you think GDS is on this list, I can say as a current parent that the the core curriculum doesn't constantly focus on social justice. In fact, it's at most a minor part and not visible at all in my kid's school work.

Most of the social justice is extracurricular. Plenty if you want it. But not really during school hours.

Really?
We saw the literature classes grades 7-12 and assumed there were some big changes over the recent years.
We’re in tech and were disappointed the assemblies didn’t cover a range of challenging careers. It was mainly authors, artists, comic writers, activists. It’s very different from the SF private schools we were coming from.

The school might not have connections as strong in tech to make the speaker list more well rounded? I think the administration would appreciate feedback on this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As does the application process for private schools. Any thoughts on how to improve the process at your school?

Projects where they can present original Work highlighting their passions developed while at School..
It could be any subject and medium that allows them to express their creative intellect, ideas, innovation, values and personhood.

Except that such projects often measure the wealth of the family more than the intellect, ideas, innovation, values and personhood of the child.

I disagree. Wealth is more likely to quash creative innovative thinking - you can’t buy originality.

Not originality, but it can buy musical instrument instruction to upload that video of a recital, or robotics/coding classes to demonstrate that drone the darling MS-er built, or tennis lessons to showcase Larla/o’s wining the age group Cup at the Country Club, or AOPS enrichment for math Olympiad. You think kids on FA can afford these things?

This.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Aren’t letter grades pretty artificial as it is? Tests give objective numbers, yes, but they are generally given under artificial time constraints that favor those who can do it faster, not necessarily better. Also, many classes have a “participation” component that favors the extrovert who waxes philosophical nonsense to buffer test grades, while the introvert kid who deeply understands material may not. There is a lot of room for subjectivity there.

Also the difference between an 89 and a 90 is 1.1% but the difference between an A- and a B+ is >11% even though the A- student was “better” than the B+ student by the slimmest possible amount.

Finally, the meaning of letter grades is not fixed. In the middle of the 20th century the median grade was a C. Now the median grade at Harvard is an A. I don’t know if rampant grade inflation is good, bad, both or neither, but I am confident is not as “objective” as people like to think.

I know! Exactly! Just can all forms of measurement. Just set a low bar, call it mastery or proficiency, and watch everyone soar!!

Introverts are very capable of expressing our thoughts, thank you very much.

+1

We like a little more “me time” than extroverts; we’re not mutes, and we’re not contagious. Good grief, pp’s, do you hear yourselves?