Are Other Upper School Students at Potomac Not Getting Tests and Papers Back for Weeks at a Time?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don’t we hear this kind of thing about other schools though? Are the Saint Albans academic awards pure meritocracy? Does Sidwell help every student with college equally? Is GDS not filled with children of Ivy grads? Et cetera.

Even if the case that a subjective selection is through its very nature (humans decide) intrinsically flawed, it is no different from what many schools do for a variety of reasons. I would want to know more about the selection process.

These are separate formal programs within the school that students apply for with applications and interviews in 10th grade. Only about ten are accepted into each program so about 30 students of a class of about 125 benefit. It is not open to all, and the criteria is not transparent. The students in these programs are fast tracked with combined and extra classes, have access to field trips (pre-Covid) and speakers, and receive additional mentoring on applying for research positions. I pay the same tuition as the parents of students in these programs even though their children are receiving a better, more tailored and enhanced experience than my child. If my child wants to participate and does not get accepted to one of these programs, the burden is on her to do research on her own, do her own projects, ask for help from teachers where as the students accepted do this as part of their coursework. In many ways, it creates a divide, and the halo effect of the programs carries over to other classes, college counseling and other opportunities. For example, the students in the science program are coached to produce research submitted to national competitions. These research opportunities make them more competitive for colleges and other programs. It is a micro Gladwell effect.

This is very off-putting. Why would they restrict these programs so much? We were thinking about applying to Potomac for 9th grade next year but now I am not so sure

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The prior posts are garbled to the extent that they are unclear whether poster is talking about Langley or Potomac. But we had 3 go through Potomac and never were asked to sign anything

So weird how two parents at the same school had such different experiences! Different time periods? No overlap in teachers? Someone lying?

No, actually there can be meaningful variation in feedback, grades, etc., even within the same department and class year. The classroom experience is very teacher-specific. Teachers seem to have a lot of classroom freedom. My impression is that the teachers collaborate more on the design and curriculum planning up front than on the feedback and grading. Some teachers are super organized and responsive by email. Others are down to the wire submitting several grades at the end of the term.

Some teachers don't respond to emails from students, so the kids realize if they need extra help, they need to try to track down the teacher physically during a break or after class. The US is definitely an environment that favors self-directed students who can pivot and navigate. Unfortunately those advocacy and executive function skills are IMO unevenly taught in the earlier grades so being thrown in the deep end can feel overwhelming, even for really intelligent and capable kids.

The other truth is that some parents are more engaged with their own kids than others. There are parents that know what their kid is reading in English or what game is happening that week, and then there are parents that aren't as plugged in for a variety of reasons. Therefore the perceptions can vary quite a bit even if two kids are in the same class.

[Anonymous]

As someone who was thinking about applying to Potomac for 7th grade entry year, this thread is beyond depressing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As someone who was thinking about applying to Potomac for 7th grade entry year, this thread is beyond depressing.

As a current Potomac family with children in multiple divisions, I would not believe a lot of it. Tour the school, talk to current families, attend events (not just admissions ones but sports, theater, festivals, etc) and see what you think. A lot of things said on here are not true. We have been thrilled with the school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As someone who was thinking about applying to Potomac for 7th grade entry year, this thread is beyond depressing.

As a current Potomac family with children in multiple divisions, I would not believe a lot of it. Tour the school, talk to current families, attend events (not just admissions ones but sports, theater, festivals, etc) and see what you think. A lot of things said on here are not true. We have been thrilled with the school

You are an absolute fool if you think people would come on an anonymous chat board and make things up. Just because what people are saying isn’t your reality doesn’t mean everything being said is not 100% true. The school has a lot to offer but not every child has an amazing experience and it’s not just sour grapes to blame.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As someone who was thinking about applying to Potomac for 7th grade entry year, this thread is beyond depressing.

As a current Potomac family with children in multiple divisions, I would not believe a lot of it. Tour the school, talk to current families, attend events (not just admissions ones but sports, theater, festivals, etc) and see what you think. A lot of things said on here are not true. We have been thrilled with the school

You are an absolute fool if you think people would come on an anonymous chat board and make things up. Just because what people are saying isn’t your reality doesn’t mean everything being said is not 100% true. The school has a lot to offer but not every child has an amazing experience and it’s not just sour grapes to blame.

It happens on DCUM and in school forums every single day. People have agendas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As someone who was thinking about applying to Potomac for 7th grade entry year, this thread is beyond depressing.

As a current Potomac family with children in multiple divisions, I would not believe a lot of it. Tour the school, talk to current families, attend events (not just admissions ones but sports, theater, festivals, etc) and see what you think. A lot of things said on here are not true. We have been thrilled with the school

Is there really a fixed limit on how many kids can do the science program in high school? My kid likes math and science and seems to be reasonably good at math (hard to tell about science) I had been hoping that any student who is strong enough to keep up and is interested in math and science could do the program. As one of the PPs said, I can stay in public school if I want arbitrary limits on who can participate in cool programs (I'm looking at you HB Woodlawn).

[Anonymous]

There is an honors science program, a world politics program, and an arts program, all of which have limited admissions that are competitive. I don't think there is anything wrong with a competitive entry program - not everyone gets in so that there can be a smaller class with more focus. That said, Potomac has let that approach spread, so there are now barriers to a number of other honors courses. In theory, those are just intended to make sure the student can handle the work but with things like AP English (or its equivalent, now that Potomac dumped APs), but that is overkill. Kids should be able to challenge themselves if they want (maybe subject to parent approval). Some of the admins are a little power crazed. It is exceedingly irritating to have the school talk about mental health/pressure so frequently and then create all these extra stressors.

[Anonymous]

Part of the problem is the administration is relatively young. Some older administrators retired, but Kowalik brought in colleagues from his old school and cleared out many as well. Administrators and teachers compare parenting their toddlers and early elementary aged children to parenting high school students which is very different. This creates the arrogant attitude that they know better than the parent body, and in my opinion from where some of the mental health issues arise. I am curious to see if their attitude changes when their children come of high school age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Part of the problem is the administration is relatively young. Some older administrators retired, but Kowalik brought in colleagues from his old school and cleared out many as well. Administrators and teachers compare parenting their toddlers and early elementary aged children to parenting high school students which is very different. This creates the arrogant attitude that they know better than the parent body, and in my opinion from where some of the mental health issues arise. I am curious to see if their attitude changes when their children come of high school age.

This is highly distressing. Am I reading correctly that the administrators have little experience with children other than their own?? Learning on the job or waiting for their kids to age is highly what I would expect at that price point. I have friends who attended Potomac and who’ve been noncommittal about sending their own kids there (though I think they eventually will) and we’re considering it. Some of the comments here are disappointing even though I know it is all biased

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Part of the problem is the administration is relatively young. Some older administrators retired, but Kowalik brought in colleagues from his old school and cleared out many as well. Administrators and teachers compare parenting their toddlers and early elementary aged children to parenting high school students which is very different. This creates the arrogant attitude that they know better than the parent body, and in my opinion from where some of the mental health issues arise. I am curious to see if their attitude changes when their children come of high school age.

This is highly distressing. Am I reading correctly that the administrators have little experience with children other than their own?? Learning on the job or waiting for their kids to age is highly what I would expect at that price point. I have friends who attended Potomac and who’ve been noncommittal about sending their own kids there (though I think they eventually will) and we’re considering it. Some of the comments here are disappointing even though I know it is all biased

Not highly — hardly

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is an honors science program, a world politics program, and an arts program, all of which have limited admissions that are competitive. I don't think there is anything wrong with a competitive entry program - not everyone gets in so that there can be a smaller class with more focus. That said, Potomac has let that approach spread, so there are now barriers to a number of other honors courses. In theory, those are just intended to make sure the student can handle the work but with things like AP English (or its equivalent, now that Potomac dumped APs), but that is overkill. Kids should be able to challenge themselves if they want (maybe subject to parent approval). Some of the admins are a little power crazed. It is exceedingly irritating to have the school talk about mental health/pressure so frequently and then create all these extra stressors.

In support of the PP's comments above, the school profile used for college admissions is publicly available. If you review carefully, you will see contrasts in approach to say, for example, the public schools'.

Potomac limits AP (now advanced) coursework (primarily junior/senior year), requires approvals for advanced coursework, etc. Potomac has a curriculum that is highly structured with limited electives until senior year. Students can choose athletics, art/music, and as described, apply for the small honors programs in the concentrations. There really isn't much curriculum planning happening until the upper grades, and juniors are not able to always get into the classes they want, as seniors have priority.

https://www.potomacschool.org/academics/college-counseling/school-profile

[Anonymous]

But seniors do not have priority over the special programs that the PP’s discussed. And there is way more flexibility with classes than PP suggests, particularly with recent expansion of the classes available.

[Anonymous]

It makes it easier for the teachers to limit who gets into advanced classes. That way the teacher is not trying to teach to a range of abilities. Probably not best for the kids though as students may rise to the challenge (can be hard to predict in advance).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Part of the problem is the administration is relatively young. Some older administrators retired, but Kowalik brought in colleagues from his old school and cleared out many as well. Administrators and teachers compare parenting their toddlers and early elementary aged children to parenting high school students which is very different. This creates the arrogant attitude that they know better than the parent body, and in my opinion from where some of the mental health issues arise. I am curious to see if their attitude changes when their children come of high school age.

This is highly distressing. Am I reading correctly that the administrators have little experience with children other than their own?? Learning on the job or waiting for their kids to age is highly what I would expect at that price point. I have friends who attended Potomac and who’ve been noncommittal about sending their own kids there (though I think they eventually will) and we’re considering it. Some of the comments here are disappointing even though I know it is all biased

It is also ridiculous. Kowalik has been there for 9 years, so the staff he brought are 9 years deep. Acting like a professional educator can only understand student issues if they have a child that age is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard. Nobody thinks a pediatrician can only treat patients younger than their oldest child.