Immersion programs in MoCo

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OK so here's a question then: if you had to decide between your child going to the Takoma Park ES Magnet vs. the full Spanish or French Immersion programs, which would you choose and why?

We've done both, and we choose immersion for the second kid. Our experience is now a few years old, but we found the GTA program was great while it's at Takoma Park ES, but when it moves to Sligo Creek ES the school just sort of gave up. That was because a few years ago SCES was having trouble passing the NCLB test and moved a lot of resources to the kids who were on the cusp. My caveat is that maybe it's all different now. There's a separate thread on this if you google.

Do you really mean Sligo Creek ES? There's no GTA program there. Takoma Park flows into Piney Branch ES.

For OP who asked about TPES vs Immersions ... I'd think it depends on your child and what you want for them. If language is important to you and you think your child will do well with that kind of learning, then try for language. If you think your child is a fast learner and is more science/math oriented, TPES may be a better fit. I know people in both programs and all are very happy with their choices. Just remember both are lotteries. There's no guarantee of getting into either one unless TPES is already your home school.

The TPES magnet is a lottery and test-in magnet for students whose neighborhood school is not TPES, correct? And admission to the TPES magnet is still test-in for TPES kids, right? I've heard, living in Takoma Park, that the magnet is really rather watered down these days -- like an hour a week or something -- and that it's worse at Piney Branch. Can you comment on that, based on your experience? Sorry to hijack the thread, but I'm wondering if the magnets really mean anything at TPES and PBES now. I can't get much of an answer from Takoma Park parents.

Yes, TPES is lottery and test-in magnet for students whose neighborhood school is TPES. From what I hear from parents, a rather high percentage of neighborhood kids do test into the magnet. The school has the same curriculum as other MoCo schools. And the magnet has been watered down to be an hour per week rather than much more focus that had been there before. But kids also have the opportunity to be in math classes at more levels than at some other elementary schools. They've got 1st graders doing 2nd grade math (which we have at my elementary school as well), but they also have 1st graders doing 2nd and some 3rd grade math -- something that's not available at my neighborhood elementary school. Since I'm not in the school, I don't know the details of whether it really means much to be in the same school as a regular neighborhood kid vs. being in the magnet. The magnet "extra" projects are really pretty cool, from what I've seen and heard.

One mom who is there now (I know 2) said that it was the right choice for her child b/c the child's neighborhood school was so focused on worksheets and bringing other kids up to county standards, that the school had told her they couldn't offer this woman's child the acceleration the child needed. The child is getting that at TPES. Folks who've been there in the past told me that if my elementary school was supplying enough acceleration to meet my child's needs, then it isn't worth moving to the magnet.

As for PBES, I've heard from multiple parents that the advanced work hasn't always been available there, though I've also heard that PBES has added higher level math classes for the TPES magnet students. I believe many parents try to lottery their children into the gifted centers for 4th grade, so some of the magnet students go from TPES to PBES for 1 year to center for the highly gifted.

Hope all that helps.

Thanks so much. From what I can glean from the information TPES provides, the "enrichment" programs are one hour per week and ALL TPES kids get to participate. The difference, for magnet kids, is that this is the time when they are homogeneously grouped. I do think there is accelerated instruction within the classroom, to the extent that such differentiated instruction can actually take place; I'm not sure how well it works. What has disturbed me is seeing TPES and PBES kids at the library after school, workng on. . . worksheets. Of course these are black and Latino kids, who I suspect are not getting that much accelerated instruction, but still. At any rate, your post has really helped clarify things for me and I appreciate it. I have come to suspect that the magnet/GT program is in Takoma Park to placate affluent white parents here and keep the demographics of the schools a little more balanced, because 25% of the magnet kids come from elsewhere in MoCo. I have a suspicious mind, I guess. Thanks again!

[Anonymous]

I think this is a totally valid complaint. Montgomery County LOVES to tout the quality of its schools but the reality is that there are way too many sub-par situations and you wouldn't know it from all the hype. It's really two completely different school systems that have only the name and the administration in common. The quality and the selection of options? Might as well be anywhere else in MD and parts of DC. Why pay extra for something that doesn't (for all practical intents and purposes) exist?!

Amen sister! Don't believe the $10million PR budget.

[Anonymous]

After reading everyone's posts, I guess we are pretty lucky. We got into French Immersion at Maryvale and waitlisted for the Takoma Park Magnet. But there is no waitlist number for Takoma Park, how are we supposed to know where we are on the list? Very aggravating...so we are deciding on the French Immersion program, because we have no way of knowing where we are on the waiting list...

[Anonymous]

Have you called?

[Anonymous]

Called, and we are pretty low on the waiting list, so French Immersion it is. Has anyone else gotten into any of the Immersion or TPES Magnet programs?

[Anonymous]

We are on the waiting list for first grade at Maryvale/French Immersion. We are at #13. How quickly does this list move? Should we be expecting any movement at all and how late in process are students accepted? On a separate note, any comments on this immersion program and the overall school would be greatly. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

I'm a MoCo parent several years away from kindergarten, but have a question about the immersion programs. Aside from the value of learning the foreign language, are the programs academically different from the regular curriculum? Some of the posts seem to imply that their is a higher quality education to be had in these immersion programs - is that due solely to the foreign language component, or do people try to get their children in merely to avoid going to their neighborhood ES?

[Anonymous]

@ 10:40 there are plenty of studies (many through CAL - the Center for Applied Linguistics) to suggest that there are genuine measurable cognitive benefits to immersion education. Supposedly it increases the student's academic strength even in non-linguistic areas (i.e., math & logic) and in the home language as well as the target language.

So yes, parents have a real right to be peeved about the "separate and unequal" schools in Montgomery County.

[Anonymous]

Also, immersion programs have much much much lower FARMS rates.

[Anonymous]

We have a kid in an immersion program, and looking around I think it is fair to say that many of the families are there to escape the local elementary. The program also seems to attract a lot of highly educated families.

[Anonymous]

Our home school elementary has an immersion program but we did not win the lottery. I dislike the fact that the principal has to basically manage two schools and it really concerns me that the non-immersion kids will get shortchanged. Personally, I think the neighborhood kids should have preference for the program and find it ridiculous that there are immersion programs that do give neighborhood kids preference while ours does not. Whose bright idea was that? There are a tiny amount of immersion programs relative to the number of schools and students in MoCo.

[Anonymous]

PP here. To put it in perspective, the total number of elementary schools in MoCo is 131. The total number that offer partial or total immersion is 7: 3 Spanish, 2 French, 2 Mandarin. So about 5% of schools offer some immersion but it's not for the whole school population, it's for less than half. So they serve maybe 2% of elem students with immersion. BOGUS!!!

[Anonymous]

PP- I agree, and also didn't get in to the immersion at my home school. In fact, I am over 200 on the wait list. It is BS, and a big drag on the school and also on the community. Neighborhood friends are being divided up based on the luck of the draw, jealousies are revving up, people who didn't get in and can afford to are going private or moving. People who did get in feel awkward. People who didn't get in and can't afford to move or private (like me) are angry and feel guilty, and it is really sad for the community.

[Anonymous]

PP is Rock Creek Forrest your home school? Because my impression was that it is improving and more neighborhood families are giving it a chance.

[Anonymous]

You also need to remember that the letters (to Mont.Co) just went out, and they keep going down the list until October, I believe, so even if you have a not-so-great number, there's still a very good chance that you could get a call over the summer and even into the school year.

My son is in 1st grade at Rolling Terrace (partial Spanish immersion) in Tak. Park. Last year when he was in kindergarten we had a few children who joined the class at the end of Sept./October. As far as I know, they didn't have much of a problem catching up. Parents just have to be ready with a decision as to what to do if you do get such a call in the fall, when you're already enrolled in another school. From what I understand, the school system doesn't give a great deal of time to "think about it."