Hardy Middle School -- 5th grade in feeder school -- who's considering Hardy for 6th?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't many Mann and Key students go to private after 4th grade? If so, 50% of the 5th-grade class really isn't the relevant number. You should be looking at % of the 3rd and 4th grade classes.

Mann's fifth-grade class last year was 19 students. This year: 42 students. 100% of third- and fourth-graders returned. Next year's fifth-grade class is supposed to be 55 kids.

What accounts for the change from 19 to 42?

And how big are k-3 classes (42 is still really small)?

Mann is small. Under 300 kids, total.

Pre-k4 is 38 kids. K-2 are three classes each. Pk4, 4 and 5 are two classes. (I don't know if 3rd is 2 or 3 classes.)

[Anonymous]

Correction. 4th is three classes this year. That means 3rd is also three classes.

Before this year, 5th was always one class. This year it is two classes. Next year it is three classes.

The times, they are a'changing.

[Anonymous]

Is anyone banding together with other families, committing to go to Hardy? We heard rumors of families doing this at some schools last year, like Mann or Stoddert. Just think of how the Big-3 private schools would be disappointed that kids start to flock to Hardy -- NW DC kids who are the primary applicants to NW DC private school. We'd so love to send DC to Hardy but don't want him not to know anyone there....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't many Mann and Key students go to private after 4th grade? If so, 50% of the 5th-grade class really isn't the relevant number. You should be looking at % of the 3rd and 4th grade classes.

Mann's fifth-grade class last year was 19 students. This year: 42 students. 100% of third- and fourth-graders returned. Next year's fifth-grade class is supposed to be 55 kids.

One of the ex-mann parents at our private said a lot of the 3rd/4th attrition at Mann was because of the trailers, now gone.

Our younger DC is in 4th and we are watching Hardy, but applying to Latin this year. A former Mann now Hardy parent confided they have to constantly push the Hardy administration to follow through on all honors and other advanced offerings that were promised, and that what is labeled honors looks like grade level work to them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is anyone banding together with other families, committing to go to Hardy? We heard rumors of families doing this at some schools last year, like Mann or Stoddert. Just think of how the Big-3 private schools would be disappointed that kids start to flock to Hardy -- NW DC kids who are the primary applicants to NW DC private school. We'd so love to send DC to Hardy but don't want him not to know anyone there....

You keep harping on this point but everyone at these schools knows its foolish. If the feeder for Mann and Key were changed to Deal it would be basis and Latin who suffered, and olv and 2nd tier privates like field. Most kids going to top private would still go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't many Mann and Key students go to private after 4th grade? If so, 50% of the 5th-grade class really isn't the relevant number. You should be looking at % of the 3rd and 4th grade classes.

Mann's fifth-grade class last year was 19 students. This year: 42 students. 100% of third- and fourth-graders returned. Next year's fifth-grade class is supposed to be 55 kids.

One of the ex-mann parents at our private said a lot of the 3rd/4th attrition at Mann was because of the trailers, now gone.

Our younger DC is in 4th and we are watching Hardy, but applying to Latin this year. A former Mann now Hardy parent confided they have to constantly push the Hardy administration to follow through on all honors and other advanced offerings that were promised, and that what is labeled honors looks like grade level work to them.

One has to consider this in context. The classes might be considered 'honors' for what has historically been an underperforming school, at least as compared to Hardy.

[Anonymous]

typo: at least as compared to Deal and MoCo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't many Mann and Key students go to private after 4th grade? If so, 50% of the 5th-grade class really isn't the relevant number. You should be looking at % of the 3rd and 4th grade classes.

Mann's fifth-grade class last year was 19 students. This year: 42 students. 100% of third- and fourth-graders returned. Next year's fifth-grade class is supposed to be 55 kids.

One of the ex-mann parents at our private said a lot of the 3rd/4th attrition at Mann was because of the trailers, now gone.

Our younger DC is in 4th and we are watching Hardy, but applying to Latin this year. A former Mann now Hardy parent confided they have to constantly push the Hardy administration to follow through on all honors and other advanced offerings that were promised, and that what is labeled honors looks like grade level work to them.

The person who gave you the information is either not a well-informed parent, or does not have an advanced kid in math. Starting from January, a sub-set of honors students who did well in the first quarter, plus some students from the "standard classes" who showed talent and drive to learn in math, will be transferred to a separate class and accelerated to pre-algebra (7th grade-level curriculum) . Those who do well in this class are then enrolled into 8th grade algebra (in their 7th grade) and can then move on to geometry in 8th grade (high school curriculum).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't many Mann and Key students go to private after 4th grade? If so, 50% of the 5th-grade class really isn't the relevant number. You should be looking at % of the 3rd and 4th grade classes.

Mann's fifth-grade class last year was 19 students. This year: 42 students. 100% of third- and fourth-graders returned. Next year's fifth-grade class is supposed to be 55 kids.

One of the ex-mann parents at our private said a lot of the 3rd/4th attrition at Mann was because of the trailers, now gone.

Our younger DC is in 4th and we are watching Hardy, but applying to Latin this year. A former Mann now Hardy parent confided they have to constantly push the Hardy administration to follow through on all honors and other advanced offerings that were promised, and that what is labeled honors looks like grade level work to them.

The person who gave you the information is either not a well-informed parent, or does not have an advanced kid in math. Starting from January, a sub-set of honors students who did well in the first quarter, plus some students from the "standard classes" who showed talent and drive to learn in math, will be transferred to a separate class and accelerated to pre-algebra (7th grade-level curriculum) . Those who do well in this class are then enrolled into 8th grade algebra (in their 7th grade) and can then move on to geometry in 8th grade (high school curriculum).

True. 6th grade pre-algebra is taught by Ms Bax starting from mid-January. She is the Hardy math department coordinator (a star teacher). She personally makes sure that kids admitted to acceleration are motivated and academically ready for the challenge. She also coordinates with the 6th grade teacher, Mr Wheat, in order to identify and include into 6th pre-algebra those kids from weaker elementary school who did not make it to honors at the beginning of the year, but who nonetheless showed talent and stamina for math during the first quarter. She is unwilling to compromise with parents who want their children to be admitted to the accelerated curriculum when they are in fact not ready for that. This created some frictions last year with some feeder school parents who gave for granted that their kid was a math genius and confronted the school when they realized that their kid had not been included in the accelerated path. I expect more of this this year, as the feeder school group has increased and several of those families feel entitled to honors and acceleration regardless of their kid's level and stamina.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't many Mann and Key students go to private after 4th grade? If so, 50% of the 5th-grade class really isn't the relevant number. You should be looking at % of the 3rd and 4th grade classes.

Mann's fifth-grade class last year was 19 students. This year: 42 students. 100% of third- and fourth-graders returned. Next year's fifth-grade class is supposed to be 55 kids.

One of the ex-mann parents at our private said a lot of the 3rd/4th attrition at Mann was because of the trailers, now gone.

Our younger DC is in 4th and we are watching Hardy, but applying to Latin this year. A former Mann now Hardy parent confided they have to constantly push the Hardy administration to follow through on all honors and other advanced offerings that were promised, and that what is labeled honors looks like grade level work to them.

The person who gave you the information is either not a well-informed parent, or does not have an advanced kid in math. Starting from January, a sub-set of honors students who did well in the first quarter, plus some students from the "standard classes" who showed talent and drive to learn in math, will be transferred to a separate class and accelerated to pre-algebra (7th grade-level curriculum) . Those who do well in this class are then enrolled into 8th grade algebra (in their 7th grade) and can then move on to geometry in 8th grade (high school curriculum).

True. 6th grade pre-algebra is taught by Ms Bax starting from mid-January. She is the Hardy math department coordinator (a star teacher). She personally makes sure that kids admitted to acceleration are motivated and academically ready for the challenge. She also coordinates with the 6th grade teacher, Mr Wheat, in order to identify and include into 6th pre-algebra those kids from weaker elementary school who did not make it to honors at the beginning of the year, but who nonetheless showed talent and stamina for math during the first quarter. She is unwilling to compromise with parents who want their children to be admitted to the accelerated curriculum when they are in fact not ready for that. This created some frictions last year with some feeder school parents who gave for granted that their kid was a math genius and confronted the school when they realized that their kid had not been included in the accelerated path. I expect more of this this year, as the feeder school group has increased and several of those families feel entitled to honors and acceleration regardless of their kid's level and stamina.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Correction. 4th is three classes this year. That means 3rd is also three classes.

Before this year, 5th was always one class. This year it is two classes. Next year it is three classes.

The times, they are a'changing.

At Mann? This is incorrect. There are 2 3rd and 4th grades at Mann, 3 each for K-2. Next year there will be 3 3rd grades and 2 4th&5th.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't many Mann and Key students go to private after 4th grade? If so, 50% of the 5th-grade class really isn't the relevant number. You should be looking at % of the 3rd and 4th grade classes.

Mann's fifth-grade class last year was 19 students. This year: 42 students. 100% of third- and fourth-graders returned. Next year's fifth-grade class is supposed to be 55 kids.

One of the ex-mann parents at our private said a lot of the 3rd/4th attrition at Mann was because of the trailers, now gone.

Our younger DC is in 4th and we are watching Hardy, but applying to Latin this year. A former Mann now Hardy parent confided they have to constantly push the Hardy administration to follow through on all honors and other advanced offerings that were promised, and that what is labeled honors looks like grade level work to them.

Assuming you are worried about this because you want to make sure your child is prepared for advanced high school classes, you don't have to worry. My child (now at Wilson) attended Hardy before they started offering the differentiated classes. DC and peers stepped right into high school honors and advanced classes (at Wilson, at Walls, at Banneker, and at privates), with no problem. Trust me, Hardy will do a great job preparing your kid for high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Correction. 4th is three classes this year. That means 3rd is also three classes.

Before this year, 5th was always one class. This year it is two classes. Next year it is three classes.

The times, they are a'changing.

At Mann? This is incorrect. There are 2 3rd and 4th grades at Mann, 3 each for K-2. Next year there will be 3 3rd grades and 2 4th&5th.

You're right. (I just looked it up, too.) I remember Liz mentioning that there are 42 5th graders this year. There were 19 last year and 55 were expected for next year. Maybe I'm just imagining the 55 number and next year should be in the 40s too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't many Mann and Key students go to private after 4th grade? If so, 50% of the 5th-grade class really isn't the relevant number. You should be looking at % of the 3rd and 4th grade classes.

Mann's fifth-grade class last year was 19 students. This year: 42 students. 100% of third- and fourth-graders returned. Next year's fifth-grade class is supposed to be 55 kids.

One of the ex-mann parents at our private said a lot of the 3rd/4th attrition at Mann was because of the trailers, now gone.

Our younger DC is in 4th and we are watching Hardy, but applying to Latin this year. A former Mann now Hardy parent confided they have to constantly push the Hardy administration to follow through on all honors and other advanced offerings that were promised, and that what is labeled honors looks like grade level work to them.

The person who gave you the information is either not a well-informed parent, or does not have an advanced kid in math. Starting from January, a sub-set of honors students who did well in the first quarter, plus some students from the "standard classes" who showed talent and drive to learn in math, will be transferred to a separate class and accelerated to pre-algebra (7th grade-level curriculum) . Those who do well in this class are then enrolled into 8th grade algebra (in their 7th grade) and can then move on to geometry in 8th grade (high school curriculum).

So no advanced math until January? When did it happen for last year's 6th graders? Did they wait for the parents to push it?

[Anonymous]

One way to motivate Hardy students would be to let those in at least several honors classes opt out of wearing uniforms