Best elementary school for a STEM gifted child?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
The ES cohorts in the Wootton cluster are light years ahead of the cohorts at PBES and TPMS but they are mostly foreign born -Indian, Chinese, Korean, Russian. The white parents are somewhat more accomplished and smarter than their counterparts in Silver Spring but they are not very different than white parents in QO or any other MCPS that isn't low performing. The Wootton cluster is good for you if your kid doesn't want to be an outlier and is happy being friends with a mix of white smart but not brilliant kids and brilliant non-white kids then its a good fit.

No one moves to Silver Spring for the schools. They move there for the discount. The MC people that do live there tend to be in communications, local school system and government workers, feds at lower level positions, liberal arts degree, non-big law legal practices etc. The NASA scientists live in Greenbelt and go private or for the magnets in that county. NIH researchers live in WJ and Wootton. Doctors live in Whitman, Churchill, Wootton and WJ depending on their speciality.

Haha, we have observed the same. What about Churchill?

Big law, lobbyists, CEOs, doctors for higher paid specialities and now wealthy Indians, Chinese and Saudis. Population gets split between public and top tier private schools. For STEM, Wayside seems to have the highest gifted STEM cohort in line with the other Wootton ES schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The ES cohorts in the Wootton cluster are light years ahead of the cohorts at PBES and TPMS but they are mostly foreign born -Indian, Chinese, Korean, Russian. The white parents are somewhat more accomplished and smarter than their counterparts in Silver Spring but they are not very different than white parents in QO or any other MCPS that isn't low performing. The Wootton cluster is good for you if your kid doesn't want to be an outlier and is happy being friends with a mix of white smart but not brilliant kids and brilliant non-white kids then its a good fit.

No one moves to Silver Spring for the schools. They move there for the discount. The MC people that do live there tend to be in communications, local school system and government workers, feds at lower level positions, liberal arts degree, non-big law legal practices etc. The NASA scientists live in Greenbelt and go private or for the magnets in that county. NIH researchers live in WJ and Wootton. Doctors live in Whitman, Churchill, Wootton and WJ depending on their speciality.

Haha, we have observed the same. What about Churchill?

Well, when comparing similar SES groups Churhill's SAT average was only 50 points below Blair and there's usually only one or two racist incidents there a month.

You don't even have to compare similar groups to factor for the built-in segregation at the W's. Blair's SAT average for 2018 was 1318 which tops any W hands down. Things may have been different back in the 90s. Many of these notions are out of date. Don't expect this to go over well with people whose property values are affected by these trends.

As a few of PP mentioned, this number is published on a report by Blair, not MCPS. If you compare it with previous Blair SAT results on MCPS site, it is a clear outliner for no good reason (anyone really believe Blair 2018 is so much better than Blair 2016, 2017?)

So please stop comparing this number to SAT results from other schools we have from MCPS. It makes no sense.

Blair used a sample of kids randomly selected alphabetically with their last name that started with LE. They then measured all the kids from that group and averaged them out

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
As a few of PP mentioned, this number is published on a report by Blair, not MCPS. If you compare it with previous Blair SAT results on MCPS site, it is a clear outliner for no good reason (anyone really believe Blair 2018 is so much better than Blair 2016, 2017?)

So please stop comparing this number to SAT results from other schools we have from MCPS. It makes no sense.

Blair used a sample of kids randomly selected alphabetically with their last name that started with LE. They then measured all the kids from that group and averaged them out

You are kidding, right?

If not, where did you get that information?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The ES cohorts in the Wootton cluster are light years ahead of the cohorts at PBES and TPMS but they are mostly foreign born -Indian, Chinese, Korean, Russian. The white parents are somewhat more accomplished and smarter than their counterparts in Silver Spring but they are not very different than white parents in QO or any other MCPS that isn't low performing. The Wootton cluster is good for you if your kid doesn't want to be an outlier and is happy being friends with a mix of white smart but not brilliant kids and brilliant non-white kids then its a good fit.

No one moves to Silver Spring for the schools. They move there for the discount. The MC people that do live there tend to be in communications, local school system and government workers, feds at lower level positions, liberal arts degree, non-big law legal practices etc. The NASA scientists live in Greenbelt and go private or for the magnets in that county. NIH researchers live in WJ and Wootton. Doctors live in Whitman, Churchill, Wootton and WJ depending on their speciality.

Haha, we have observed the same. What about Churchill?

Big law, lobbyists, CEOs, doctors for higher paid specialities and now wealthy Indians, Chinese and Saudis. Population gets split between public and top tier private schools. For STEM, Wayside seems to have the highest gifted STEM cohort in line with the other Wootton ES schools.

and in every other part of Montgomery county...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The ES cohorts in the Wootton cluster are light years ahead of the cohorts at PBES and TPMS but they are mostly foreign born -Indian, Chinese, Korean, Russian. The white parents are somewhat more accomplished and smarter than their counterparts in Silver Spring but they are not very different than white parents in QO or any other MCPS that isn't low performing. The Wootton cluster is good for you if your kid doesn't want to be an outlier and is happy being friends with a mix of white smart but not brilliant kids and brilliant non-white kids then its a good fit.

No one moves to Silver Spring for the schools. They move there for the discount. The MC people that do live there tend to be in communications, local school system and government workers, feds at lower level positions, liberal arts degree, non-big law legal practices etc. The NASA scientists live in Greenbelt and go private or for the magnets in that county. NIH researchers live in WJ and Wootton. Doctors live in Whitman, Churchill, Wootton and WJ depending on their speciality.

Haha, we have observed the same. What about Churchill?

Well, when comparing similar SES groups Churhill's SAT average was only 50 points below Blair and there's usually only one or two racist incidents there a month.

You don't even have to compare similar groups to factor for the built-in segregation at the W's. Blair's SAT average for 2018 was 1318 which tops any W hands down. Things may have been different back in the 90s. Many of these notions are out of date. Don't expect this to go over well with people whose property values are affected by these trends.

makes sense

[Anonymous]

As a few of PP mentioned, this number is published on a report by Blair, not MCPS. If you compare it with previous Blair SAT results on MCPS site, it is a clear outliner for no good reason (anyone really believe Blair 2018 is so much better than Blair 2016, 2017?)

So please stop comparing this number to SAT results from other schools we have from MCPS. It makes no sense.

Blair used a sample of kids randomly selected alphabetically with their last name that started with LE. They then measured all the kids from that group and averaged them out

OMG this is hilarious. This crazy poster comes out every once and awhile and just sock puppets herself away all afternoon.

One thing I can say for the Blair cluster is that they certainly are desperate to attract any new blood that can pass a test. OP's kid would certainly stand out above the pack there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only glitch in the TPES to PBES for STEM/Math kids is 3rd grade at Piney Branch. Currently, they do differentiation within the classroom, which means usually the top math kids get worksheets and hardly any time with the teacher. in 4th they can start 4/5 math, and be with their math loving peers in a classroom. Hopefully PBES will change their structure this year and offer enriched math classes based on math scores/ability for 3rd grade. Especially since TPES has done a good job this year of challenging their top 2nd grade math students. It would be hard for those students to go from exciting above grade level project based learning to just sitting and completing worksheets at PBES for all of 3rd grade.

PBES also has a dedicated STEM teacher and the local CES includes enriched science accommodates a lot more kids than the regional.

My 3rd grader at PBES picked up where they left off at TPES. They've recently worked on mixed numbers and long division. My understanding is these are topics normally reserved for compacted math.

Well, the science my CES 4th grader received at PBES has been minimal. Mostly projects they do on their own, and not much content covered in the classroom. Also, PBES may lose funding for their STEM teacher, so meh on the science aspect of PBES.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

As a few of PP mentioned, this number is published on a report by Blair, not MCPS. If you compare it with previous Blair SAT results on MCPS site, it is a clear outliner for no good reason (anyone really believe Blair 2018 is so much better than Blair 2016, 2017?)

So please stop comparing this number to SAT results from other schools we have from MCPS. It makes no sense.

Blair used a sample of kids randomly selected alphabetically with their last name that started with LE. They then measured all the kids from that group and averaged them out

OMG this is hilarious. This crazy poster comes out every once and awhile and just sock puppets herself away all afternoon.

One thing I can say for the Blair cluster is that they certainly are desperate to attract any new blood that can pass a test. OP's kid would certainly stand out above the pack there.

Makes sense.

What the OP heard from real life is what I hear too. Just don't understand why there are so many people here in the forum trying to tell people the non-magnet part of Blair is as good or even better than the Ws.
Almost everyone lives here in real life knows it is the opposite.

[Anonymous]

I'm looking at the report the earlier poster linked that shows SAT averages from a couple of years back and comparing similarly large cohorts the W's with Blair, and the W's just aren't as competitive as they were in years past despite their segregation.

Blair 1326
Walter Johnson 1275
Wooton 1262
Poolesville 1259
Churchill 1257

https://montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/sharedaccountability/reports/2017/1771102HS%20Princ_SAT%20Partic_Perf%20Class%20of%202017.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only glitch in the TPES to PBES for STEM/Math kids is 3rd grade at Piney Branch. Currently, they do differentiation within the classroom, which means usually the top math kids get worksheets and hardly any time with the teacher. in 4th they can start 4/5 math, and be with their math loving peers in a classroom. Hopefully PBES will change their structure this year and offer enriched math classes based on math scores/ability for 3rd grade. Especially since TPES has done a good job this year of challenging their top 2nd grade math students. It would be hard for those students to go from exciting above grade level project based learning to just sitting and completing worksheets at PBES for all of 3rd grade.

PBES also has a dedicated STEM teacher and the local CES includes enriched science accommodates a lot more kids than the regional.

My 3rd grader at PBES picked up where they left off at TPES. They've recently worked on mixed numbers and long division. My understanding is these are topics normally reserved for compacted math.

Well, the science my CES 4th grader received at PBES has been minimal. Mostly projects they do on their own, and not much content covered in the classroom. Also, PBES may lose funding for their STEM teacher, so meh on the science aspect of PBES.

It's even worse at our W feeder. Although they use the same science curriculum, the classes are larger and there isn't a dedicated STEM teacher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm looking at the report the earlier poster linked that shows SAT averages from a couple of years back and comparing similarly large cohorts the W's with Blair, and the W's just aren't as competitive as they were in years past despite their segregation.

Blair 1326
Walter Johnson 1275
Wooton 1262
Poolesville 1259
Churchill 1257

https://montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/sharedaccountability/reports/2017/1771102HS%20Princ_SAT%20Partic_Perf%20Class%20of%202017.pdf

People just keep bringing out the same thing again and again.

White kids do better at Blair than the W's. So? Blair is a better HS?

Also don't forget only about 25% of Blair students are white. That would be about ~200. And guess how many of them are in the magnet program (about 150 kids, among which, I'd say close to half are white)?

Now you get the idea of how "good" the non-magnet part of Blair is doing. Remember, that non-magnet part is where your kids go into if you choose to live in the zone and failed to get into the magnet program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm looking at the report the earlier poster linked that shows SAT averages from a couple of years back and comparing similarly large cohorts the W's with Blair, and the W's just aren't as competitive as they were in years past despite their segregation.

Blair 1326
Walter Johnson 1275
Wooton 1262
Poolesville 1259
Churchill 1257

https://montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/sharedaccountability/reports/2017/1771102HS%20Princ_SAT%20Partic_Perf%20Class%20of%202017.pdf

People just keep bringing out the same thing again and again.

White kids do better at Blair than the W's. So? Blair is a better HS?

Also don't forget only about 25% of Blair students are white. That would be about ~200. And guess how many of them are in the magnet program (about 150 kids, among which, I'd say close to half are white)?

Now you get the idea of how "good" the non-magnet part of Blair is doing. Remember, that non-magnet part is where your kids go into if you choose to live in the zone and failed to get into the magnet program.

The stats taken from Blairs Silver Chips made me think the magnet was largely Asian, and showed about 30-something out of boundary white kids per grade. As to how Blair's non-magnet stacks up. I think an earlier poster showed the non-manget cohort was at 1296 which was still above any W.

[Anonymous]

Think about your other 4 sons. Get them in the best school and peer learning environment. The 1, will bubble to the top regardless of home placement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm looking at the report the earlier poster linked that shows SAT averages from a couple of years back and comparing similarly large cohorts the W's with Blair, and the W's just aren't as competitive as they were in years past despite their segregation.

Blair 1326
Walter Johnson 1275
Wooton 1262
Poolesville 1259
Churchill 1257

https://montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/sharedaccountability/reports/2017/1771102HS%20Princ_SAT%20Partic_Perf%20Class%20of%202017.pdf

People just keep bringing out the same thing again and again.

White kids do better at Blair than the W's. So? Blair is a better HS?

Also don't forget only about 25% of Blair students are white. That would be about ~200. And guess how many of them are in the magnet program (about 150 kids, among which, I'd say close to half are white)?

Now you get the idea of how "good" the non-magnet part of Blair is doing. Remember, that non-magnet part is where your kids go into if you choose to live in the zone and failed to get into the magnet program.

The stats taken from Blairs Silver Chips made me think the magnet was largely Asian, and showed about 30-something out of boundary white kids per grade. As to how Blair's non-magnet stacks up. I think an earlier poster showed the non-manget cohort was at 1296 which was still above any W.

Fine, there might be some small corrections needed but 1296 is not too far from what it should be.
What does it tell you? White kids at Blair do better than the Ws?


Blair's Hispanic students, according to that study, is doing much worse than Wootton. Does it suggest that if you are Hispanic, you will be better off at Wootton than Blair?

Why don't we compare, say "kids with family income between 100K and 300K"?


These comparisons serve no purpose other than when people want to talk about race/income level etc. (for good or for bad). No one chooses a school based on comparing how a certain group of kids is doing between schools.

Blair's non-magnet part is in not as good as the top HS in the county. I can understand why people just want to pick these unusual ways of comparisons since they can't boost the non-magnet part of Blair through normal comparisons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
As a few of PP mentioned, this number is published on a report by Blair, not MCPS. If you compare it with previous Blair SAT results on MCPS site, it is a clear outliner for no good reason (anyone really believe Blair 2018 is so much better than Blair 2016, 2017?)

So please stop comparing this number to SAT results from other schools we have from MCPS. It makes no sense.

Blair used a sample of kids randomly selected alphabetically with their last name that started with LE. They then measured all the kids from that group and averaged them out

OMG this is hilarious. This crazy poster comes out every once and awhile and just sock puppets herself away all afternoon.

One thing I can say for the Blair cluster is that they certainly are desperate to attract any new blood that can pass a test. OP's kid would certainly stand out above the pack there.

Makes sense.

What the OP heard from real life is what I hear too. Just don't understand why there are so many people here in the forum trying to tell people the non-magnet part of Blair is as good or even better than the Ws.
Almost everyone lives here in real life knows it is the opposite.

I'm sure it is just a small handful of crazy posters who feel insecure about their school. Its one thing for a nutty parent to make up numbers but if Blair, the school, is putting out misleading information in the interest of PR that is really bad. I always wondered why those numbers were so different than the ones in any published data sources. Its actually a bit disturbing that this is how the school spends it time.