recent experiences at takoma park elementary

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Besides the large classroom size, can anyone please share additional recent experiences? Are kids learning, are they challenged academically, do they enjoy school, are there behavior issues that impede learning? (Not OP).

Again the classroom size is the same as any moderate FARMS MCPS school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Besides the large classroom size, can anyone please share additional recent experiences? Are kids learning, are they challenged academically, do they enjoy school, are there behavior issues that impede learning? (Not OP).

Again the classroom size is the same as any moderate FARMS MCPS school.

Yes, but it’s also fair for others to say it’s big for early elementary. DCPS schools have an aide in early elementary for classes of that size. For many people who moved here when class sizes were 18, it’s an unpleasant surprise. And the teachers frequently mention how stressful this year and last have been given the class sizes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Besides the large classroom size, can anyone please share additional recent experiences? Are kids learning, are they challenged academically, do they enjoy school, are there behavior issues that impede learning? (Not OP).

Again the classroom size is the same as any moderate FARMS MCPS school.

Yes, but it’s also fair for others to say it’s big for early elementary. DCPS schools have an aide in early elementary for classes of that size. For many people who moved here when class sizes were 18, it’s an unpleasant surprise. And the teachers frequently mention how stressful this year and last have been given the class sizes.

Yes, but this is true for ALL low FARMS MCPS schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Besides the large classroom size, can anyone please share additional recent experiences? Are kids learning, are they challenged academically, do they enjoy school, are there behavior issues that impede learning? (Not OP).

Again the classroom size is the same as any moderate FARMS MCPS school.

Yes, but it’s also fair for others to say it’s big for early elementary. DCPS schools have an aide in early elementary for classes of that size. For many people who moved here when class sizes were 18, it’s an unpleasant surprise. And the teachers frequently mention how stressful this year and last have been given the class sizes.

Yes, but this is true for ALL low FARMS MCPS schools.

When my kids were there just a few years ago class sizes were often 16-18 and always below 20, but still had 30% FARMS so qualified as a focus school. This is no longer true so classes are larger per MCPS policy

[Anonymous]

I worry what will happen with coming development at the old hospital and on Maple Ave. The schools are already crowded and the population of children will increase a lot.

[Anonymous]

Thank you. This exactly. I realize this is an issue at a county level and I’m wondering if anything is being done to address it. The response that class sizes at Takoma park elementary are similar to other schools is both true and appalling.

I’ve talked to neighbors in Takoma Park about their experience with TPES in the past 2 years and everyone - even those who are overall very happy with the school - mentions various issues that are directly related to the class sizes.

If parents aren’t allowed to fund aides, okay fine. But what’s being done at a county level to address this issue?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Besides the large classroom size, can anyone please share additional recent experiences? Are kids learning, are they challenged academically, do they enjoy school, are there behavior issues that impede learning? (Not OP).

Again the classroom size is the same as any moderate FARMS MCPS school.

Yes, but it’s also fair for others to say it’s big for early elementary. DCPS schools have an aide in early elementary for classes of that size. For many people who moved here when class sizes were 18, it’s an unpleasant surprise. And the teachers frequently mention how stressful this year and last have been given the class sizes.

[Anonymous]

26 kids in a kindergarten with one teacher and no aides in unacceptable whether or not this is also happening elsewhere.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Besides the large classroom size, can anyone please share additional recent experiences? Are kids learning, are they challenged academically, do they enjoy school, are there behavior issues that impede learning? (Not OP).

Again the classroom size is the same as any moderate FARMS MCPS school.

Yes, but it’s also fair for others to say it’s big for early elementary. DCPS schools have an aide in early elementary for classes of that size. For many people who moved here when class sizes were 18, it’s an unpleasant surprise. And the teachers frequently mention how stressful this year and last have been given the class sizes.

Yes, but this is true for ALL low FARMS MCPS schools.

[Anonymous]

To drag this discussion back from the trolls who want to litigate the boundary discourse in every thread:

TPES is well-regarded in the community. The K-2 model lets the staff and administration focus on the needs of the youngest learners, and the partnership with the 3-5 school is much better integrated than other split elementary models in MCPS.

The class size issue is relatively new, as TPES only "lost" its Focus School status a year ago. As the neighborhood has become wealthier, it has tipped the balance from "moderate FARMS" to "low FARMS" in terms of MCPS metrics.

If your main issue is class size, there are plenty of schools in the broader neighborhood that are either still Focus Schools (like ESSES) or Title I (like Rolling Terrace).

But I wouldn't pick a school on that basis only.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To drag this discussion back from the trolls who want to litigate the boundary discourse in every thread:

TPES is well-regarded in the community. The K-2 model lets the staff and administration focus on the needs of the youngest learners, and the partnership with the 3-5 school is much better integrated than other split elementary models in MCPS.

The class size issue is relatively new, as TPES only "lost" its Focus School status a year ago. As the neighborhood has become wealthier, it has tipped the balance from "moderate FARMS" to "low FARMS" in terms of MCPS metrics.

If your main issue is class size, there are plenty of schools in the broader neighborhood that are either still Focus Schools (like ESSES) or Title I (like Rolling Terrace).

But I wouldn't pick a school on that basis only.

Class sizes will change when the school population changes after the boundary study. Pretending that's not going to happen isn't going to make it not so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To drag this discussion back from the trolls who want to litigate the boundary discourse in every thread:

TPES is well-regarded in the community. The K-2 model lets the staff and administration focus on the needs of the youngest learners, and the partnership with the 3-5 school is much better integrated than other split elementary models in MCPS.

The class size issue is relatively new, as TPES only "lost" its Focus School status a year ago. As the neighborhood has become wealthier, it has tipped the balance from "moderate FARMS" to "low FARMS" in terms of MCPS metrics.

If your main issue is class size, there are plenty of schools in the broader neighborhood that are either still Focus Schools (like ESSES) or Title I (like Rolling Terrace).

But I wouldn't pick a school on that basis only.

Class sizes will change when the school population changes after the boundary study. Pretending that's not going to happen isn't going to make it not so.

MCPS has standards that all schools follow. If a school has more students, they hire more teachers to ensure that all schools have similar class sizes that are below a preset size. The exception is higher FARMS schools, which receive additional funds to reduce class sizes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:26 kids in a kindergarten with one teacher and no aides in unacceptable whether or not this is also happening elsewhere.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Besides the large classroom size, can anyone please share additional recent experiences? Are kids learning, are they challenged academically, do they enjoy school, are there behavior issues that impede learning? (Not OP).

Again the classroom size is the same as any moderate FARMS MCPS school.

Yes, but it’s also fair for others to say it’s big for early elementary. DCPS schools have an aide in early elementary for classes of that size. For many people who moved here when class sizes were 18, it’s an unpleasant surprise. And the teachers frequently mention how stressful this year and last have been given the class sizes.

Yes, but this is true for ALL low FARMS MCPS schools.

Back to the OP's question, DC's K at TPES in 2021 had 16 kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:26 kids in a kindergarten with one teacher and no aides in unacceptable whether or not this is also happening elsewhere.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Besides the large classroom size, can anyone please share additional recent experiences? Are kids learning, are they challenged academically, do they enjoy school, are there behavior issues that impede learning? (Not OP).

Again the classroom size is the same as any moderate FARMS MCPS school.

Yes, but it’s also fair for others to say it’s big for early elementary. DCPS schools have an aide in early elementary for classes of that size. For many people who moved here when class sizes were 18, it’s an unpleasant surprise. And the teachers frequently mention how stressful this year and last have been given the class sizes.

Yes, but this is true for ALL low FARMS MCPS schools.

Back to the OP's question, DC's K at TPES in 2021 had 16 kids.

MCPS has a tracker with real-time data. As of today, it looks like the average size at TPES is:

K: 18ish
1: 19ish
2: 20ish

https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/data/LAR-charts/Elementary-Class-Size-Dashboard.html

[Anonymous]

One issue that nobody has mentioned here is space. Even if they get more teachers, they might not have classroom space for additional teachers. Getting portable for a school is a long and tedious process and does not happen at the drop of a dime.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One issue that nobody has mentioned here is space. Even if they get more teachers, they might not have classroom space for additional teachers. Getting portable for a school is a long and tedious process and does not happen at the drop of a dime.

The easiest and most equitable thing to do would be to shed a couple hundred white kids and bring in a hundred kids who are more diverse. That would honor the capacity and diversity factors of the boundary policy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One issue that nobody has mentioned here is space. Even if they get more teachers, they might not have classroom space for additional teachers. Getting portable for a school is a long and tedious process and does not happen at the drop of a dime.

According to the current CIP, TPES has 604 students enrolled and a program capacity of 791, meaning there is space for 187 additional students.

https://gis.mcpsmd.org/cipmasterpdfs/CIP25_Chapter4DCC.pdf