Middle Schools for Cap Hill

[Anonymous]

It wasn't clear to me why the conversation would be necessary. The classroom teacher's comments on my child's 5th grade reports cards have been extensive, and grades and conduct scores show trends. The homeroom placement system at Jefferson is shrouded in too much mystery for me. Luckily, we have a spot elsewhere that appeals, so are no longer considering the program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok. Read between the lines. They are doing something with grouping that probably isn’t legal. Or atvthrvberybkeast would be frowned upon by dcps. “Trust me” means stop asking questions and I will put your Brent student with other Brent students. But please stop calling attention to this or making anyone put it in writing.

Personally I would not feel comfortable with this arrangement. But it seems like for the former Brent families who want to keep this arrangement they would be best off keeping their mouths shut. It seems like there is a reason that admin is evasive about how all of this works.

So you are implying that it’s not approved or legit from DCPS standpoint. If it is even happening which is highly doubtful to begin with, could be pulled and scraped at any notice if central office knew.

Who do you think is the principal’s higher priority - his job or a few demanding parents. We know how the dice rolls and DCPS is taking away what little tracking with honors courses there is just by seeing what is happening at Wilson. Their motto is poorly performing kids will do better in classes with highly performing kids. Full stop.

I think it's fair to give Jefferson Academy admins credit for trying much harder to differentiate within grade cohorts than they need to. Pretty clearly, they don't have to create levelled homerooms to maintain enrollment numbers acceptable to DCPS. PP above is right in pointing out that they JA isn't in a position to track students via a transparent system, at least not for science and social studies. Apparently, they could track students transparently for English and/or math alone, since this has been done openly at Stuart Hobson for both subjects for more than a decade. Deal and Hardy have both tracked for math for years.

I had a good talk with the former Hobson principal about the barriers DCPS throws up to academic tracking in MS before he quit in 2020. The barriers sounded formidable. He explained that DCPS wouldn't let him track students in social studies or science because these subjects aren't tested on PARCC. This is a long-standing policy decision that comes from the Mayor's Office and the most senior echelons of DCPS. Parents seem as powerless to change it as they were when I moved to CH 20 years ago. Hill families either vote with their feet from DCPS or take advantage of what MS differentiation is offered. Those are your choices.

You could always try lobbying Charles Allen to press for change, but he hasn't shown any interest. If you ask him about MS tracking in DCPS programs--parents occasionally do this at his community meetings--he'll tell you that he leaves decisions on curriculum to the experts. Allen doesn't seem to understand, or care, about the germane policy/political problem, which helps charters like Basis, the Latins and DCI grow their programs with packs of Hill kids.

[Anonymous]

i think formal school-within-a-school type honors tracks/programs have fallen out of fashion somewhat because they are potentially divisive and not so kind/encouraging to the middle schoolers who are not in the top group. i assume you are potentially asking these questions at a feeder presentation for and with families with kids at all levels. everyone wants to know their child is going to be happy and appropriately challenged. no easy answers.

[Anonymous]

Ah, this explains why Latin is offering math up to two years ahead of grade level to their top middle school math students, and why BASIS, which has offered 6th grade algebra all along, has a waiting list of more than 200 names.

What happening in cities around the country is that more kids are being "super accelerated" as time they goes. I see this at our DCPS elementary school - children of NASA scientists ready for 5th grade math in 3rd grade because they've been working ahead on Khan Academy, Saxon Learning IXL or whatever programs. Schools, both public and private, struggle to deal with bored kids who aren't remotely challenged, leading to more flexibility in learning, particularly for math.

[Anonymous]

No it is the opposite. Some families would probably supplement regardless. But there is a new interest in supplementing for kids who are capable because schools are moving away from G&T or magnet programs. It is not a question of the kids being challenged. It is finding a way to get your kids the education they will need for the real world if they want a career in science or medicine for example.

[Anonymous]

All US K-12 school systems aren't moving away from GT. My sibling in Fairfax sends her children to a public middle school that offered 3 levels of 6th grade math for many years. The school recently introduced a 4th level, the most advanced. Even the District permits BASIS to force students who can't handle some algebra in 7th grade to repeat 7th grade to stay in the program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok. Read between the lines. They are doing something with grouping that probably isn’t legal. Or atvthrvberybkeast would be frowned upon by dcps. “Trust me” means stop asking questions and I will put your Brent student with other Brent students. But please stop calling attention to this or making anyone put it in writing.

Personally I would not feel comfortable with this arrangement. But it seems like for the former Brent families who want to keep this arrangement they would be best off keeping their mouths shut. It seems like there is a reason that admin is evasive about how all of this works.

So you are implying that it’s not approved or legit from DCPS standpoint. If it is even happening which is highly doubtful to begin with, could be pulled and scraped at any notice if central office knew.

Who do you think is the principal’s higher priority - his job or a few demanding parents. We know how the dice rolls and DCPS is taking away what little tracking with honors courses there is just by seeing what is happening at Wilson. Their motto is poorly performing kids will do better in classes with highly performing kids. Full stop.

I think it's fair to give Jefferson Academy admins credit for trying much harder to differentiate within grade cohorts than they need to. Pretty clearly, they don't have to create levelled homerooms to maintain enrollment numbers acceptable to DCPS. PP above is right in pointing out that they JA isn't in a position to track students via a transparent system, at least not for science and social studies. Apparently, they could track students transparently for English and/or math alone, since this has been done openly at Stuart Hobson for both subjects for more than a decade. Deal and Hardy have both tracked for math for years.

I had a good talk with the former Hobson principal about the barriers DCPS throws up to academic tracking in MS before he quit in 2020. The barriers sounded formidable. He explained that DCPS wouldn't let him track students in social studies or science because these subjects aren't tested on PARCC. This is a long-standing policy decision that comes from the Mayor's Office and the most senior echelons of DCPS. Parents seem as powerless to change it as they were when I moved to CH 20 years ago. Hill families either vote with their feet from DCPS or take advantage of what MS differentiation is offered. Those are your choices.

You could always try lobbying Charles Allen to press for change, but he hasn't shown any interest. If you ask him about MS tracking in DCPS programs--parents occasionally do this at his community meetings--he'll tell you that he leaves decisions on curriculum to the experts. Allen doesn't seem to understand, or care, about the germane policy/political problem, which helps charters like Basis, the Latins and DCI grow their programs with packs of Hill kids.

Thank you for this. It explains a lot of what I have experienced in 10 plus years in dcps, in different parts of the city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ah, this explains why Latin is offering math up to two years ahead of grade level to their top middle school math students, and why BASIS, which has offered 6th grade algebra all along, has a waiting list of more than 200 names.

What happening in cities around the country is that more kids are being "super accelerated" as time they goes. I see this at our DCPS elementary school - children of NASA scientists ready for 5th grade math in 3rd grade because they've been working ahead on Khan Academy, Saxon Learning IXL or whatever programs. Schools, both public and private, struggle to deal with bored kids who aren't remotely challenged, leading to more flexibility in learning, particularly for math.

BASIS teaches algebra in 7th grade, though this year there are a total of four 6th graders who were allowed to place into algebra (i.e., such acceleration is pretty rare).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ah, this explains why Latin is offering math up to two years ahead of grade level to their top middle school math students, and why BASIS, which has offered 6th grade algebra all along, has a waiting list of more than 200 names.

What happening in cities around the country is that more kids are being "super accelerated" as time they goes. I see this at our DCPS elementary school - children of NASA scientists ready for 5th grade math in 3rd grade because they've been working ahead on Khan Academy, Saxon Learning IXL or whatever programs. Schools, both public and private, struggle to deal with bored kids who aren't remotely challenged, leading to more flexibility in learning, particularly for math.

BASIS teaches algebra in 7th grade, though this year there are a total of four 6th graders who were allowed to place into algebra (i.e., such acceleration is pretty rare).

Yes, but 6th grade algebra is not out of the question, a key distinction. To my knowledge, BASIS is the only middle school in the District permitting any 6th graders to take algebra in a class with a teacher. I'm not a big BASIS fan, and didn't enroll my kid when we got a spot, but I'm impressed with 6th grade algebra.

[Anonymous]

do you really need 6th grade algebra (even for an advanced child)? i remember taking it in 8th grade (at a private school 20+ years ago).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:do you really need 6th grade algebra (even for an advanced child)? i remember taking it in 8th grade (at a private school 20+ years ago).

If the child is very advanced, is capable, and can meet the challenge, why not? Isn’t the goal of education to meet the needs of all kids, not just the bottom line it is in DC?

No kids at Basis, but I respect that they are flexible enough to accommodate these few kids by letting them be in the class with 7th graders.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is it that Brent parents don't have the option to move or go private?

Easier said that done so please don't judge. Private schools aren't cheap and all of us aren't crazy about the cocoon environments they foster. Moving for middle school is a big decision, at least if you've put down roots on Cap Hill over many years like many of us in-boundary.

Perhaps. But given the reality of the education in DC, you are naive to think that at some you will not have to make this decision and weigh these options.

[Anonymous]

My child is one of the BASIS 6th graders taking Algebra. My child continues to get straight A’s in math without any effort. Acceleration in math was definitely the right choice.

In any case, fyi that kids had to be invited to take a math acceleration placement test at the end of 5th grade — this was based on recommendations from both the math teacher and a kid’s cumulative GPA. Throughout 5th grade, my child had a GPA of over 98% across all subjects.

Kids who passed the test were offered remote-learning, primarily self-guided, pre-Algebra during the summer. Only a small handful of kids enrolled in that course, presumably because some of the dozen or so kids who took the placement exam either didn’t pass and/or had better things to do with their summers. And I think a couple or so kids dropped out during the summer because it was too boring and they didn’t feel like doing pre-Algebra anymore during the summer. Anyway, the summer kids had 30 or so math packets to complete over the summer. They then, at the end of the summer, had to take — and pass — the pre-Algebra Comprehensive Exam. Only then were they placed in 7th grade Algebra.

This process left four highly capable 6th grade students ready and motivated to take 7th grade Algebra.

[Anonymous]

is it worth changing from a jefferson feeder to a hobson feeder? distance is about the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:is it worth changing from a jefferson feeder to a hobson feeder? distance is about the same.

Absolutely.