Talk to me about McKinley

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the record, McKinley’s PARCC scores are higher than Jackson-Reed’s.

Look at AP pass rates at Jackson-Reed vs McKinley. JR has way better pass rates and kids scoring 4 and 5 and on far more AP tests. 64% of JR kids with 50% of the school taking are passing or above while only 25% of McKinley kids with about 44% of the school taking at least 1 test.

HS PARCC is misleading because I believe it stops Algebra II and you have plenty of JR kids finishing Algebra II in 9th or coming in at precalc, so some of the smarter kids aren’t taking the test.

So then what is the excuse for why McKinley has higher ELA PARCC scores than Jackson-Reed?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the record, McKinley’s PARCC scores are higher than Jackson-Reed’s.

Look at AP pass rates at Jackson-Reed vs McKinley. JR has way better pass rates and kids scoring 4 and 5 and on far more AP tests. 64% of JR kids with 50% of the school taking are passing or above while only 25% of McKinley kids with about 44% of the school taking at least 1 test.

HS PARCC is misleading because I believe it stops Algebra II and you have plenty of JR kids finishing Algebra II in 9th or coming in at precalc, so some of the smarter kids aren’t taking the test.

Where is the AP data from? McKinley requires all students to take 2 AP classes so I’m confused where the data saying only 44% of McKinley kids take AP’s cone from.

I would also argue that if 25% of students in a class are passing the AP exam that actually means the class is providing the needed level of rigor for students to pass the exam? I really doubt 25% of the students at McKinley are self-studying their way to a high AP score.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the record, McKinley’s PARCC scores are higher than Jackson-Reed’s.

Look at AP pass rates at Jackson-Reed vs McKinley. JR has way better pass rates and kids scoring 4 and 5 and on far more AP tests. 64% of JR kids with 50% of the school taking are passing or above while only 25% of McKinley kids with about 44% of the school taking at least 1 test.

HS PARCC is misleading because I believe it stops Algebra II and you have plenty of JR kids finishing Algebra II in 9th or coming in at precalc, so some of the smarter kids aren’t taking the test.

So then what is the excuse for why McKinley has higher ELA PARCC scores than Jackson-Reed?

Don’t know…but don’t you care more about AP test scores that matter for college credits and college acceptance?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the record, McKinley’s PARCC scores are higher than Jackson-Reed’s.

Look at AP pass rates at Jackson-Reed vs McKinley. JR has way better pass rates and kids scoring 4 and 5 and on far more AP tests. 64% of JR kids with 50% of the school taking are passing or above while only 25% of McKinley kids with about 44% of the school taking at least 1 test.

HS PARCC is misleading because I believe it stops Algebra II and you have plenty of JR kids finishing Algebra II in 9th or coming in at precalc, so some of the smarter kids aren’t taking the test.

Where is the AP data from? McKinley requires all students to take 2 AP classes so I’m confused where the data saying only 44% of McKinley kids take AP’s cone from.

I would also argue that if 25% of students in a class are passing the AP exam that actually means the class is providing the needed level of rigor for students to pass the exam? I really doubt 25% of the students at McKinley are self-studying their way to a high AP score.

Cmon…literally just Google DCPS AP test scores and it links you to the page with an excel spreadsheet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the record, McKinley’s PARCC scores are higher than Jackson-Reed’s.

Look at AP pass rates at Jackson-Reed vs McKinley. JR has way better pass rates and kids scoring 4 and 5 and on far more AP tests. 64% of JR kids with 50% of the school taking are passing or above while only 25% of McKinley kids with about 44% of the school taking at least 1 test.

HS PARCC is misleading because I believe it stops Algebra II and you have plenty of JR kids finishing Algebra II in 9th or coming in at precalc, so some of the smarter kids aren’t taking the test.

Where is the AP data from? McKinley requires all students to take 2 AP classes so I’m confused where the data saying only 44% of McKinley kids take AP’s cone from.

I would also argue that if 25% of students in a class are passing the AP exam that actually means the class is providing the needed level of rigor for students to pass the exam? I really doubt 25% of the students at McKinley are self-studying their way to a high AP score.

It isn’t saying only 44% of the kids taking the class, that stat is what % of the entire school took an AP test.

Same with JR. For both schools, if you take the class you are required to take the test…although at JR there are definitely seniors skipping AP tests if it won’t give them any credit at their specific college and the teacher isn’t too crazy about it.

[Anonymous]

Can we just agree that McKinley is a good choice for many students. Is it the best school in the city right now? I don't think anyone has said that. But our city needs good choices for High School. McKinley Tech is one of them.

In previous years, many white students would make a point to find their way into Jackson Reed or School Without Walls. Given the change in admission for SWW and the fact that it's much harder to find a spot in Jackson Reed than it was, things are changing. Another change is that many charter middle schools are decent and even good. More white students are looking for a place to attend high school and won't be attending SWW or Jackson Reed. If your kid has a spot in those schools, great! If they don't why can't you find a way to be glad that there are more spaces available in other schools around this city? Why does that feel like a threat to you? I'm glad that there are students going to good schools and getting 3s 4s and 5s from McKinley Tech. That means it is a good option for some students and has the foundation to be a good option for even more high achieving schools down the road. I just don't get why anyone would see this reality (and it is a reality, not a delusion) as a problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, in case you've forgotten, Jackson Reed isn't selective at all. It's just white.

The excellent neighborhood schools in the suburbs aren't selective either; anyone who can afford the expensive houses in their districts can attend. Like Jackson-Reed. It's no secret that students from rich families do better on average.

Jackson Reed isn’t “white” and neither are the high performing schools in the suburbs around here. Feel free to put your money where your mouth is and send your kid to Dunbar though.

It's quite a bit whiter than McKinley Tech at this point. Which was the point.

The point is that it has more kids who are college-bound and the instruction is accordingly more at a college-bound level. It’s just ignorace and denial to claim otherwise. If you don’t care about your kid having more rigorous instruction that is completely valid - some kids don’t need it and can catch up in college. But nobody on DCUM should enroll their kid in McKinley believing that the academics will be as good as at a school with a bigger grade level/advanced cohort. Some families are fine with this. I am not.

I don't think Jackson Reed is some silver bullet I want to subject my child to, but even if I did, everyone doesn't have access to Jackson Reed. Period.

Why are so many people on this thread who have no first hand knowledge of McKinley Tech HS anyway? Oh because that is DCUM's claim to fame.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can we just agree that McKinley is a good choice for many students. Is it the best school in the city right now? I don't think anyone has said that. But our city needs good choices for High School. McKinley Tech is one of them.

In previous years, many white students would make a point to find their way into Jackson Reed or School Without Walls. Given the change in admission for SWW and the fact that it's much harder to find a spot in Jackson Reed than it was, things are changing. Another change is that many charter middle schools are decent and even good. More white students are looking for a place to attend high school and won't be attending SWW or Jackson Reed. If your kid has a spot in those schools, great! If they don't why can't you find a way to be glad that there are more spaces available in other schools around this city? Why does that feel like a threat to you? I'm glad that there are students going to good schools and getting 3s 4s and 5s from McKinley Tech. That means it is a good option for some students and has the foundation to be a good option for even more high achieving schools down the road. I just don't get why anyone would see this reality (and it is a reality, not a delusion) as a problem.

f this narrative about having to be cheery and glad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, in case you've forgotten, Jackson Reed isn't selective at all. It's just white.

The excellent neighborhood schools in the suburbs aren't selective either; anyone who can afford the expensive houses in their districts can attend. Like Jackson-Reed. It's no secret that students from rich families do better on average.

Jackson Reed isn’t “white” and neither are the high performing schools in the suburbs around here. Feel free to put your money where your mouth is and send your kid to Dunbar though.

It's quite a bit whiter than McKinley Tech at this point. Which was the point.

The point is that it has more kids who are college-bound and the instruction is accordingly more at a college-bound level. It’s just ignorace and denial to claim otherwise. If you don’t care about your kid having more rigorous instruction that is completely valid - some kids don’t need it and can catch up in college. But nobody on DCUM should enroll their kid in McKinley believing that the academics will be as good as at a school with a bigger grade level/advanced cohort. Some families are fine with this. I am not.

I don't think Jackson Reed is some silver bullet I want to subject my child to, but even if I did, everyone doesn't have access to Jackson Reed. Period.

Why are so many people on this thread who have no first hand knowledge of McKinley Tech HS anyway? Oh because that is DCUM's claim to fame.

I may not have a kid at McKinley but I’ve been in DCPS and witnessed the cycle of disillusionment enough times to have realized that for our family, rationalizations like “your kid is so privileged they will do fine anywhere” do not hold water. Also, I know kids enrolled in really good public schools and see that the cohort of grade-level and advanced students actually does matter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the record, McKinley’s PARCC scores are higher than Jackson-Reed’s.

Look at AP pass rates at Jackson-Reed vs McKinley. JR has way better pass rates and kids scoring 4 and 5 and on far more AP tests. 64% of JR kids with 50% of the school taking are passing or above while only 25% of McKinley kids with about 44% of the school taking at least 1 test.

HS PARCC is misleading because I believe it stops Algebra II and you have plenty of JR kids finishing Algebra II in 9th or coming in at precalc, so some of the smarter kids aren’t taking the test.

Where is the AP data from? McKinley requires all students to take 2 AP classes so I’m confused where the data saying only 44% of McKinley kids take AP’s cone from.

I would also argue that if 25% of students in a class are passing the AP exam that actually means the class is providing the needed level of rigor for students to pass the exam? I really doubt 25% of the students at McKinley are self-studying their way to a high AP score.

It isn’t saying only 44% of the kids taking the class, that stat is what % of the entire school took an AP test.

Same with JR. For both schools, if you take the class you are required to take the test…although at JR there are definitely seniors skipping AP tests if it won’t give them any credit at their specific college and the teacher isn’t too crazy about it.

But that 44% is incorrect. McKinley requires 2 AP classes to be taken as a graduation requirement. So 100% of McKinley students take 2 AP’s unless they transfer out before graduation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the record, McKinley’s PARCC scores are higher than Jackson-Reed’s.

Look at AP pass rates at Jackson-Reed vs McKinley. JR has way better pass rates and kids scoring 4 and 5 and on far more AP tests. 64% of JR kids with 50% of the school taking are passing or above while only 25% of McKinley kids with about 44% of the school taking at least 1 test.

HS PARCC is misleading because I believe it stops Algebra II and you have plenty of JR kids finishing Algebra II in 9th or coming in at precalc, so some of the smarter kids aren’t taking the test.

Where is the AP data from? McKinley requires all students to take 2 AP classes so I’m confused where the data saying only 44% of McKinley kids take AP’s cone from.

I would also argue that if 25% of students in a class are passing the AP exam that actually means the class is providing the needed level of rigor for students to pass the exam? I really doubt 25% of the students at McKinley are self-studying their way to a high AP score.

It isn’t saying only 44% of the kids taking the class, that stat is what % of the entire school took an AP test.

Same with JR. For both schools, if you take the class you are required to take the test…although at JR there are definitely seniors skipping AP tests if it won’t give them any credit at their specific college and the teacher isn’t too crazy about it.

But that 44% is incorrect. McKinley requires 2 AP classes to be taken as a graduation requirement. So 100% of McKinley students take 2 AP’s unless they transfer out before graduation.

But not in any given year. The AP pass rates were for 2022/23 school year. In that one year, 44% of McKinley kids took at least 1 AP test.

I would imagine few to none take AP tests as Sophs and Freshman so that’s 50% of the school right there. So, 44/50 took an AP test or 88%.

I was taking the absolute number and dividing by total school population. It’s possible Fresh and Soph grades are larger than later grades. That is common because kids leave, but few new kids if any take their place at higher grades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the record, McKinley’s PARCC scores are higher than Jackson-Reed’s.

Look at AP pass rates at Jackson-Reed vs McKinley. JR has way better pass rates and kids scoring 4 and 5 and on far more AP tests. 64% of JR kids with 50% of the school taking are passing or above while only 25% of McKinley kids with about 44% of the school taking at least 1 test.

HS PARCC is misleading because I believe it stops Algebra II and you have plenty of JR kids finishing Algebra II in 9th or coming in at precalc, so some of the smarter kids aren’t taking the test.

Where is the AP data from? McKinley requires all students to take 2 AP classes so I’m confused where the data saying only 44% of McKinley kids take AP’s cone from.

I would also argue that if 25% of students in a class are passing the AP exam that actually means the class is providing the needed level of rigor for students to pass the exam? I really doubt 25% of the students at McKinley are self-studying their way to a high AP score.

It isn’t saying only 44% of the kids taking the class, that stat is what % of the entire school took an AP test.

Same with JR. For both schools, if you take the class you are required to take the test…although at JR there are definitely seniors skipping AP tests if it won’t give them any credit at their specific college and the teacher isn’t too crazy about it.

But that 44% is incorrect. McKinley requires 2 AP classes to be taken as a graduation requirement. So 100% of McKinley students take 2 AP’s unless they transfer out before graduation.

But not in any given year. The AP pass rates were for 2022/23 school year. In that one year, 44% of McKinley kids took at least 1 AP test.

I would imagine few to none take AP tests as Sophs and Freshman so that’s 50% of the school right there. So, 44/50 took an AP test or 88%.

I was taking the absolute number and dividing by total school population. It’s possible Fresh and Soph grades are larger than later grades. That is common because kids leave, but few new kids if any take their place at higher grades.

Thank you for explaining.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The commute was too much for us as well...if it was located where Walls is located (or anywhere in central DC) then the calculation would have been different

I'm curious where you live, given your perspective that Walls is central and McKinley is not...

lol +1...McKinley is about as close to "central DC" as you can get. 1.5 block from North Capitol that divides the city. I think PP means "central to her upper Caucasia area"

Maybe she means in the central business district where the offices are.

[Anonymous]

I’m a DCPS HS teacher and no way would I send my kid to McKinley over Walls. Walls has a much higher performing student cohort

Which is great if you are part of that higher-performing student cohort. But what if you're not? If you come to Walls, take Algebra 1 as freshman, and don't score proficient, that puts you in like the bottom 10%. Does the school know what to do with you? Are you getting the opportunities that Walls is helpful for? At McKinley, that's three-quarters of the freshman class. No one is going to write you off, they will work with you, and you will have a peer group and classes being taught at an appropriate level.

A student taking Algebra 1 as a freshman should know he's at least year (really, 2) behind the curve already at Walls or JR. It would be advisable to take the course in summer school before freshman year to prepare, and depending on summer school results take be well prepared for Algebra 1 as a freshman or push on to Geometry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can we just agree that McKinley is a good choice for many students. Is it the best school in the city right now? I don't think anyone has said that. But our city needs good choices for High School. McKinley Tech is one of them.

In previous years, many white students would make a point to find their way into Jackson Reed or School Without Walls. Given the change in admission for SWW and the fact that it's much harder to find a spot in Jackson Reed than it was, things are changing. Another change is that many charter middle schools are decent and even good. More white students are looking for a place to attend high school and won't be attending SWW or Jackson Reed. If your kid has a spot in those schools, great! If they don't why can't you find a way to be glad that there are more spaces available in other schools around this city? Why does that feel like a threat to you? I'm glad that there are students going to good schools and getting 3s 4s and 5s from McKinley Tech. That means it is a good option for some students and has the foundation to be a good option for even more high achieving schools down the road. I just don't get why anyone would see this reality (and it is a reality, not a delusion) as a problem.

Because it is a mediocre school and DCPS can and should do better. If you want to cheer on a mediocre school that is supposedly our science application school, then yay for you I guess. I would like to see higher quality not just for my kids but for all kids in this city.