Middle Schools for Cap Hill

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not reasonable to blame UMC parents with children in DCPS elementary programs for voting with their feet to charters, the burbs and privates for MS in view of the fact that DCPS has made 2 catastrophic decisions about its MS programs over the years:

Decision #1: DCPS leaders have fought both academic tracking and test-in MS programs tooth and nail. They currently allow a few MS schools to offer at-grade level classes for math and maybe ELA, that's it.
Decision #2: DCPS has let its only MS program that draws most of its in-boundary families--Deal--to become terribly overcrowded. This year, Deal has more than 600 more students than the facility was built for.

It's much too easy to point the finger at parents who run from DCPS after 4th or 5th grade, calling them racist, elitist etc.

If any one of the 3 DCPS Capitol Hill middle schools offered a full menu of bona fide honors classes--in science, social studies, math and ELA--from 6th-8th grade, we'd be there in a minute. None does, so we hope for Latin or BASIS.

Very true, and black UMC parents often "run' away the fasted because our kids are even more threatened in such environments vs white/Asian kids.

This is true for UMC Latinx families as well. I am sure your white child will be fine wherever he or she or they go, but for us, we can’t take that risk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OK, I'm hoping this thread won't derail into the same Cap Hill middle school drama. Anyone whose kids are at Jefferson right now?

I'm not opposed to sending DS to Jefferson, actually, but he only wants to go if his friends are going, and I'm worried they'll pull out at last minute if they get a spot at Latin or wherever.

Good call. The same Cap Hill middle school drama involves longtime DCPS ES pals swearing that they're heading to SH, EH or Jefferson Academy. You turn up on Day 1 to find that most of the parents who told you they were going to send their kid failed to. Adding insult to injury, some who turned up flee a week or 2 later, after a spot opened up elsewhere. Same old Prisoner's Dilemma deal, sure to be intense when SY 2022-2023 kicks off. Hint: Latin 2 is coming on line with sibling preference for nobody.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not reasonable to blame UMC parents with children in DCPS elementary programs for voting with their feet to charters, the burbs and privates for MS in view of the fact that DCPS has made 2 catastrophic decisions about its MS programs over the years:

Decision #1: DCPS leaders have fought both academic tracking and test-in MS programs tooth and nail. They currently allow a few MS schools to offer at-grade level classes for math and maybe ELA, that's it.
Decision #2: DCPS has let its only MS program that draws most of its in-boundary families--Deal--to become terribly overcrowded. This year, Deal has more than 600 more students than the facility was built for.

It's much too easy to point the finger at parents who run from DCPS after 4th or 5th grade, calling them racist, elitist etc.

If any one of the 3 DCPS Capitol Hill middle schools offered a full menu of bona fide honors classes--in science, social studies, math and ELA--from 6th-8th grade, we'd be there in a minute. None does, so we hope for Latin or BASIS.

Very true, and black UMC parents often "run' away the fasted because our kids are even more threatened in such environments vs white/Asian kids.

This is true for UMC Latinx families as well. I am sure your white child will be fine wherever he or she or they go, but for us, we can’t take that risk.

It's also true for UMC Asian families who really don't want their child to be the only Asian in their cohort, if not the entire school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OK, I'm hoping this thread won't derail into the same Cap Hill middle school drama. Anyone whose kids are at Jefferson right now?

I'm not opposed to sending DS to Jefferson, actually, but he only wants to go if his friends are going, and I'm worried they'll pull out at last minute if they get a spot at Latin or wherever.

Good call. The same Cap Hill middle school drama involves longtime DCPS ES pals swearing that they're heading to SH, EH or Jefferson Academy. You turn up on Day 1 to find that most of the parents who told you they were going to send their kid failed to. Adding insult to injury, some who turned up flee a week or 2 later, after a spot opened up elsewhere. Same old Prisoner's Dilemma deal, sure to be intense when SY 2022-2023 kicks off. Hint: Latin 2 is coming on line with sibling preference for nobody.

OMG - that sounds so sad and disfunctional - a self perpetuating cycle

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not reasonable to blame UMC parents with children in DCPS elementary programs for voting with their feet to charters, the burbs and privates for MS in view of the fact that DCPS has made 2 catastrophic decisions about its MS programs over the years:

Decision #1: DCPS leaders have fought both academic tracking and test-in MS programs tooth and nail. They currently allow a few MS schools to offer at-grade level classes for math and maybe ELA, that's it.
Decision #2: DCPS has let its only MS program that draws most of its in-boundary families--Deal--to become terribly overcrowded. This year, Deal has more than 600 more students than the facility was built for.

It's much too easy to point the finger at parents who run from DCPS after 4th or 5th grade, calling them racist, elitist etc.

If any one of the 3 DCPS Capitol Hill middle schools offered a full menu of bona fide honors classes--in science, social studies, math and ELA--from 6th-8th grade, we'd be there in a minute. None does, so we hope for Latin or BASIS.

I don't disagree with any of this and agree it's too easy to blame racism or elitism when often parents are just trying to find a viable option for their kids that creates a path to HS and college. That's not too much to ask.

We are IB for Eastern and my DH was totally hung-ho about us doing SH and then Eastern and couldn't understand why I was not sold until I recently mentioned that Eastern doesn't even offer AP Calculus. DH is a proud graduate of public schools who also happens to be an engineer and loved math growing up. Even his rural, underfunded, football-obsessed HS had AP Calculus and Physics, and taking those classes got him on path to a job he loves.

Suddenly he gets it. No one wants to limit their children that much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not reasonable to blame UMC parents with children in DCPS elementary programs for voting with their feet to charters, the burbs and privates for MS in view of the fact that DCPS has made 2 catastrophic decisions about its MS programs over the years:

Decision #1: DCPS leaders have fought both academic tracking and test-in MS programs tooth and nail. They currently allow a few MS schools to offer at-grade level classes for math and maybe ELA, that's it.
Decision #2: DCPS has let its only MS program that draws most of its in-boundary families--Deal--to become terribly overcrowded. This year, Deal has more than 600 more students than the facility was built for.

It's much too easy to point the finger at parents who run from DCPS after 4th or 5th grade, calling them racist, elitist etc.

If any one of the 3 DCPS Capitol Hill middle schools offered a full menu of bona fide honors classes--in science, social studies, math and ELA--from 6th-8th grade, we'd be there in a minute. None does, so we hope for Latin or BASIS.

I don't disagree with any of this and agree it's too easy to blame racism or elitism when often parents are just trying to find a viable option for their kids that creates a path to HS and college. That's not too much to ask.

We are IB for Eastern and my DH was totally hung-ho about us doing SH and then Eastern and couldn't understand why I was not sold until I recently mentioned that Eastern doesn't even offer AP Calculus. DH is a proud graduate of public schools who also happens to be an engineer and loved math growing up. Even his rural, underfunded, football-obsessed HS had AP Calculus and Physics, and taking those classes got him on path to a job he loves.

Suddenly he gets it. No one wants to limit their children that much.

So I don't know much about Eastern, but don't they have the IB diploma which would basically have a math option at the same level as AP Calculus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not reasonable to blame UMC parents with children in DCPS elementary programs for voting with their feet to charters, the burbs and privates for MS in view of the fact that DCPS has made 2 catastrophic decisions about its MS programs over the years:

Decision #1: DCPS leaders have fought both academic tracking and test-in MS programs tooth and nail. They currently allow a few MS schools to offer at-grade level classes for math and maybe ELA, that's it.
Decision #2: DCPS has let its only MS program that draws most of its in-boundary families--Deal--to become terribly overcrowded. This year, Deal has more than 600 more students than the facility was built for.

It's much too easy to point the finger at parents who run from DCPS after 4th or 5th grade, calling them racist, elitist etc.

If any one of the 3 DCPS Capitol Hill middle schools offered a full menu of bona fide honors classes--in science, social studies, math and ELA--from 6th-8th grade, we'd be there in a minute. None does, so we hope for Latin or BASIS.

I don't disagree with any of this and agree it's too easy to blame racism or elitism when often parents are just trying to find a viable option for their kids that creates a path to HS and college. That's not too much to ask.

We are IB for Eastern and my DH was totally hung-ho about us doing SH and then Eastern and couldn't understand why I was not sold until I recently mentioned that Eastern doesn't even offer AP Calculus. DH is a proud graduate of public schools who also happens to be an engineer and loved math growing up. Even his rural, underfunded, football-obsessed HS had AP Calculus and Physics, and taking those classes got him on path to a job he loves.

Suddenly he gets it. No one wants to limit their children that much.

There are actually UMC Cap Hill parents who are OK with limiting their children that much. They send their teens to Eastern.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not reasonable to blame UMC parents with children in DCPS elementary programs for voting with their feet to charters, the burbs and privates for MS in view of the fact that DCPS has made 2 catastrophic decisions about its MS programs over the years:

Decision #1: DCPS leaders have fought both academic tracking and test-in MS programs tooth and nail. They currently allow a few MS schools to offer at-grade level classes for math and maybe ELA, that's it.
Decision #2: DCPS has let its only MS program that draws most of its in-boundary families--Deal--to become terribly overcrowded. This year, Deal has more than 600 more students than the facility was built for.

It's much too easy to point the finger at parents who run from DCPS after 4th or 5th grade, calling them racist, elitist etc.

If any one of the 3 DCPS Capitol Hill middle schools offered a full menu of bona fide honors classes--in science, social studies, math and ELA--from 6th-8th grade, we'd be there in a minute. None does, so we hope for Latin or BASIS.

I don't disagree with any of this and agree it's too easy to blame racism or elitism when often parents are just trying to find a viable option for their kids that creates a path to HS and college. That's not too much to ask.

We are IB for Eastern and my DH was totally hung-ho about us doing SH and then Eastern and couldn't understand why I was not sold until I recently mentioned that Eastern doesn't even offer AP Calculus. DH is a proud graduate of public schools who also happens to be an engineer and loved math growing up. Even his rural, underfunded, football-obsessed HS had AP Calculus and Physics, and taking those classes got him on path to a job he loves.

Suddenly he gets it. No one wants to limit their children that much.

So I don't know much about Eastern, but don't they have the IB diploma which would basically have a math option at the same level as AP Calculus.

Eastern's IB Diploma results have been appalling since the program's inception. Most of the students who try to earn the Diploma still fail, and those who succeed (no more than a dozen annually) barely pass. The average IBD pass points total at Eastern has never risen about the mid 20s, on a 24-45 point pass scale. That's the IB Diploma equivalent of graduating with a D average.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not reasonable to blame UMC parents with children in DCPS elementary programs for voting with their feet to charters, the burbs and privates for MS in view of the fact that DCPS has made 2 catastrophic decisions about its MS programs over the years:

Decision #1: DCPS leaders have fought both academic tracking and test-in MS programs tooth and nail. They currently allow a few MS schools to offer at-grade level classes for math and maybe ELA, that's it.
Decision #2: DCPS has let its only MS program that draws most of its in-boundary families--Deal--to become terribly overcrowded. This year, Deal has more than 600 more students than the facility was built for.

It's much too easy to point the finger at parents who run from DCPS after 4th or 5th grade, calling them racist, elitist etc.

If any one of the 3 DCPS Capitol Hill middle schools offered a full menu of bona fide honors classes--in science, social studies, math and ELA--from 6th-8th grade, we'd be there in a minute. None does, so we hope for Latin or BASIS.

I don't disagree with any of this and agree it's too easy to blame racism or elitism when often parents are just trying to find a viable option for their kids that creates a path to HS and college. That's not too much to ask.

We are IB for Eastern and my DH was totally hung-ho about us doing SH and then Eastern and couldn't understand why I was not sold until I recently mentioned that Eastern doesn't even offer AP Calculus. DH is a proud graduate of public schools who also happens to be an engineer and loved math growing up. Even his rural, underfunded, football-obsessed HS had AP Calculus and Physics, and taking those classes got him on path to a job he loves.

Suddenly he gets it. No one wants to limit their children that much.

So I don't know much about Eastern, but don't they have the IB diploma which would basically have a math option at the same level as AP Calculus.

It's still a relatively new program and I don't know enough about how many kids are enrolled in it and what the grade 11 and 12 offerings are to say. In theory, yes, but if the program is undersubscribed, can they guarantee a qualified math teacher at that level for the program? I think it's great Eastern is doing the program but it does make the entire thing opaque. I also know that in theory, you don't have to do the IB diploma to take IB content as honors courses, but again, it's a question of staffing and whether they can fill classes. There is a huge difference between taking an AP Calc (or the equivalent in IB) class or doing that level coursework in a mixed-level math class where most of your classmates are not doing the same work. This is the whole issue with MS and HS in DCPS -- if you can't guarantee even at-grade-level peers, much less accelerated peers, how can you guarantee coursework for kids who are at-grade-level or above? The refusal to commit to kids who need this coursework causes families to look elsewhere, and then it never gets better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not reasonable to blame UMC parents with children in DCPS elementary programs for voting with their feet to charters, the burbs and privates for MS in view of the fact that DCPS has made 2 catastrophic decisions about its MS programs over the years:

Decision #1: DCPS leaders have fought both academic tracking and test-in MS programs tooth and nail. They currently allow a few MS schools to offer at-grade level classes for math and maybe ELA, that's it.
Decision #2: DCPS has let its only MS program that draws most of its in-boundary families--Deal--to become terribly overcrowded. This year, Deal has more than 600 more students than the facility was built for.

It's much too easy to point the finger at parents who run from DCPS after 4th or 5th grade, calling them racist, elitist etc.

If any one of the 3 DCPS Capitol Hill middle schools offered a full menu of bona fide honors classes--in science, social studies, math and ELA--from 6th-8th grade, we'd be there in a minute. None does, so we hope for Latin or BASIS.

I don't disagree with any of this and agree it's too easy to blame racism or elitism when often parents are just trying to find a viable option for their kids that creates a path to HS and college. That's not too much to ask.

We are IB for Eastern and my DH was totally hung-ho about us doing SH and then Eastern and couldn't understand why I was not sold until I recently mentioned that Eastern doesn't even offer AP Calculus. DH is a proud graduate of public schools who also happens to be an engineer and loved math growing up. Even his rural, underfunded, football-obsessed HS had AP Calculus and Physics, and taking those classes got him on path to a job he loves.

Suddenly he gets it. No one wants to limit their children that much.

So I don't know much about Eastern, but don't they have the IB diploma which would basically have a math option at the same level as AP Calculus.

Eastern's IB Diploma results have been appalling since the program's inception. Most of the students who try to earn the Diploma still fail, and those who succeed (no more than a dozen annually) barely pass. The average IBD pass points total at Eastern has never risen about the mid 20s, on a 24-45 point pass scale. That's the IB Diploma equivalent of graduating with a D average.

Ok so there are low test scores/results, but thats different than making it seem like higher level classes are not offered.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not reasonable to blame UMC parents with children in DCPS elementary programs for voting with their feet to charters, the burbs and privates for MS in view of the fact that DCPS has made 2 catastrophic decisions about its MS programs over the years:

Decision #1: DCPS leaders have fought both academic tracking and test-in MS programs tooth and nail. They currently allow a few MS schools to offer at-grade level classes for math and maybe ELA, that's it.
Decision #2: DCPS has let its only MS program that draws most of its in-boundary families--Deal--to become terribly overcrowded. This year, Deal has more than 600 more students than the facility was built for.

It's much too easy to point the finger at parents who run from DCPS after 4th or 5th grade, calling them racist, elitist etc.

If any one of the 3 DCPS Capitol Hill middle schools offered a full menu of bona fide honors classes--in science, social studies, math and ELA--from 6th-8th grade, we'd be there in a minute. None does, so we hope for Latin or BASIS.

I don't disagree with any of this and agree it's too easy to blame racism or elitism when often parents are just trying to find a viable option for their kids that creates a path to HS and college. That's not too much to ask.

We are IB for Eastern and my DH was totally hung-ho about us doing SH and then Eastern and couldn't understand why I was not sold until I recently mentioned that Eastern doesn't even offer AP Calculus. DH is a proud graduate of public schools who also happens to be an engineer and loved math growing up. Even his rural, underfunded, football-obsessed HS had AP Calculus and Physics, and taking those classes got him on path to a job he loves.

Suddenly he gets it. No one wants to limit their children that much.

So I don't know much about Eastern, but don't they have the IB diploma which would basically have a math option at the same level as AP Calculus.

Eastern's IB Diploma results have been appalling since the program's inception. Most of the students who try to earn the Diploma still fail, and those who succeed (no more than a dozen annually) barely pass. The average IBD pass points total at Eastern has never risen about the mid 20s, on a 24-45 point pass scale. That's the IB Diploma equivalent of graduating with a D average.

Ok so there are low test scores/results, but thats different than making it seem like higher level classes are not offered.

There may be classes with the name of a high-level class. But the material taught and learned in the class is not going to be high-level if the teachers and students aren't capable of it. And-- critically-- part of the high-level class experience is having peers who can do it with you, discuss and debate and spur each other onward. Not sitting in the corner by yourself and hoping for 5 minutes of an overwhelmed teacher's attention after 90% of the time goes to teaching below-grade-level students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OK, I'm hoping this thread won't derail into the same Cap Hill middle school drama. Anyone whose kids are at Jefferson right now?

I'm not opposed to sending DS to Jefferson, actually, but he only wants to go if his friends are going, and I'm worried they'll pull out at last minute if they get a spot at Latin or wherever.

They will probably lottery and you should too. Even if they don't talk about it. You can ask them after the results come out what they are thinking. Then you will know if you even have options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not reasonable to blame UMC parents with children in DCPS elementary programs for voting with their feet to charters, the burbs and privates for MS in view of the fact that DCPS has made 2 catastrophic decisions about its MS programs over the years:

Decision #1: DCPS leaders have fought both academic tracking and test-in MS programs tooth and nail. They currently allow a few MS schools to offer at-grade level classes for math and maybe ELA, that's it.
Decision #2: DCPS has let its only MS program that draws most of its in-boundary families--Deal--to become terribly overcrowded. This year, Deal has more than 600 more students than the facility was built for.

It's much too easy to point the finger at parents who run from DCPS after 4th or 5th grade, calling them racist, elitist etc.

If any one of the 3 DCPS Capitol Hill middle schools offered a full menu of bona fide honors classes--in science, social studies, math and ELA--from 6th-8th grade, we'd be there in a minute. None does, so we hope for Latin or BASIS.

I don't disagree with any of this and agree it's too easy to blame racism or elitism when often parents are just trying to find a viable option for their kids that creates a path to HS and college. That's not too much to ask.

We are IB for Eastern and my DH was totally hung-ho about us doing SH and then Eastern and couldn't understand why I was not sold until I recently mentioned that Eastern doesn't even offer AP Calculus. DH is a proud graduate of public schools who also happens to be an engineer and loved math growing up. Even his rural, underfunded, football-obsessed HS had AP Calculus and Physics, and taking those classes got him on path to a job he loves.

Suddenly he gets it. No one wants to limit their children that much.

So I don't know much about Eastern, but don't they have the IB diploma which would basically have a math option at the same level as AP Calculus.

Eastern's IB Diploma results have been appalling since the program's inception. Most of the students who try to earn the Diploma still fail, and those who succeed (no more than a dozen annually) barely pass. The average IBD pass points total at Eastern has never risen about the mid 20s, on a 24-45 point pass scale. That's the IB Diploma equivalent of graduating with a D average.

Ok so there are low test scores/results, but thats different than making it seem like higher level classes are not offered.

There may be classes with the name of a high-level class. But the material taught and learned in the class is not going to be high-level if the teachers and students aren't capable of it. And-- critically-- part of the high-level class experience is having peers who can do it with you, discuss and debate and spur each other onward. Not sitting in the corner by yourself and hoping for 5 minutes of an overwhelmed teacher's attention after 90% of the time goes to teaching below-grade-level students.

Do you know this is how it is in the IB classes at Eastern or are you just pontificating? My friend who subbed at Eastern said it was like two different schools and admittedly where she was subbing (not in the higher level classes) was a bit crazy. I think this is why middle schools are reluctant to start putting honors classes in because it basically creates two different schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not reasonable to blame UMC parents with children in DCPS elementary programs for voting with their feet to charters, the burbs and privates for MS in view of the fact that DCPS has made 2 catastrophic decisions about its MS programs over the years:

Decision #1: DCPS leaders have fought both academic tracking and test-in MS programs tooth and nail. They currently allow a few MS schools to offer at-grade level classes for math and maybe ELA, that's it.
Decision #2: DCPS has let its only MS program that draws most of its in-boundary families--Deal--to become terribly overcrowded. This year, Deal has more than 600 more students than the facility was built for.

It's much too easy to point the finger at parents who run from DCPS after 4th or 5th grade, calling them racist, elitist etc.

If any one of the 3 DCPS Capitol Hill middle schools offered a full menu of bona fide honors classes--in science, social studies, math and ELA--from 6th-8th grade, we'd be there in a minute. None does, so we hope for Latin or BASIS.

I don't disagree with any of this and agree it's too easy to blame racism or elitism when often parents are just trying to find a viable option for their kids that creates a path to HS and college. That's not too much to ask.

We are IB for Eastern and my DH was totally hung-ho about us doing SH and then Eastern and couldn't understand why I was not sold until I recently mentioned that Eastern doesn't even offer AP Calculus. DH is a proud graduate of public schools who also happens to be an engineer and loved math growing up. Even his rural, underfunded, football-obsessed HS had AP Calculus and Physics, and taking those classes got him on path to a job he loves.

Suddenly he gets it. No one wants to limit their children that much.

So I don't know much about Eastern, but don't they have the IB diploma which would basically have a math option at the same level as AP Calculus.

Eastern's IB Diploma results have been appalling since the program's inception. Most of the students who try to earn the Diploma still fail, and those who succeed (no more than a dozen annually) barely pass. The average IBD pass points total at Eastern has never risen about the mid 20s, on a 24-45 point pass scale. That's the IB Diploma equivalent of graduating with a D average.

Ok so there are low test scores/results, but thats different than making it seem like higher level classes are not offered.

There may be classes with the name of a high-level class. But the material taught and learned in the class is not going to be high-level if the teachers and students aren't capable of it. And-- critically-- part of the high-level class experience is having peers who can do it with you, discuss and debate and spur each other onward. Not sitting in the corner by yourself and hoping for 5 minutes of an overwhelmed teacher's attention after 90% of the time goes to teaching below-grade-level students.

Do you know this is how it is in the IB classes at Eastern or are you just pontificating? My friend who subbed at Eastern said it was like two different schools and admittedly where she was subbing (not in the higher level classes) was a bit crazy. I think this is why middle schools are reluctant to start putting honors classes in because it basically creates two different schools.

Well yeah. But right now we just have people sending their children to two different sets of schools. It's basically the same thing, no?

[Anonymous]

https://twitter.com/Mr_JamesDC/status/1466188576333389824?s=20&t=nYOCirED4UeY0M1_qQsJew

One Eastern's IB students