MCPS to Private?

[Anonymous]

Just like anything else, there are good and bad private schools and good and bad public schools.

No sense in making generalizations about either. I went to public and private school and can see the pros and cons of each.

We're strongly leaning towards private for our daughter because we dislike the emphasis MCPS places on state testing, Chromebook games, and reading/math to the detriment of other subjects.

Sandy Spring Friends is actually one of the schools we're considering.

[magrathean]

Anonymous wrote:I have become increasingly concerned about my 4th grader getting what she need from MCPS. Would like to consider private for middle and/or high school. Test scores are below Average - Average but a hard worker. Anyone have similar concerns or suggestions on where to start? We are in lower Montgomery county.

My biggest advice would be to prioritize what you and your 4th grader feel she needs and is not getting. Individualized attention? More interactive projects? More drill and rigor? Or less drill and rigor? From your post, hard to tell what you feel is missing.

Sadly, from what I've seen the "average but hard working student" often gets the least attention. They aren't the rock stars of the class, and they aren't the discipline/drama focus. They are the "silent majority" and often end up getting little "extra" focus. Not that they are ignored, but.... But if something like that is going on, then a situation (probably private school) with smaller class sizes and more individual attention could be a benefit.

Also, things like that do improve as one moves up the school system. At the elementary level it's really hard for a student to effectively self-advocate; usually you have the same teacher almost the entire day and individual and undivided attention can be difficult to obtain. But at starting at the middle school and definitely high school levels, self advocating can help - a lot. Teachers have office hours, provide lunch help, etc. So there are opportunities for the hard working student to actively get more one-on-one time with a teacher. Again, assuming that is a relevant issue for you. Not sure that can happen effectively at the ES level, given the way most ES are structured.

[magrathean]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know it is hard for some people to believe but there are plenty of average kids who do not have learning disabilities.

Exactly my thought and I have been teaching for almost 2 decades.
Public schools have a guide to follow. Teachers make their own worksheets/ activities. Direct teaching is minimal, and emphasis is on Independent work which does not work for every kid. There is also a lot of pressure on teachers to prepare students for the frequent tests which is not necessarily an exact measure of competency.
OP, find a school that uses good textbooks and transfer your kid there. This way you can know that things are being done in a certain logical way.

With textbook-based instruction, your child may memorize more, but not necessarily be able to apply what they “learned” to new problems or scenarios. There’s also the issue of privates either using very outdated sources or switching to cheap (and sometimes low quality) online textbooks to keep down costs. We’ve done a mix of public and private. I see a clear difference in my daughter’s longtime friends regarding who can develop their own science fair research projects or analyze a never seen before primary source.

Very much a double edged sword. Sure, they "may" memorize more but be unable to apply it. On the other hand, not having a text book can mean the child's only resource is whatever worksheet the teacher cobbled together the night before, rather than a textbook reviewed by dozens to hundreds of reviewers. And it's a good day there is a worksheet to look back at, no matter how bad, to fall back on.

Indeed this is a large part of the criticism leveled against MCPS curriculum 2.0, and why the current replacements are rolling out; how unvetted C2.0 was. The small number of staff that put it together did a herculean job throwing together 12 years worth of curriculum in a short order with few resources. But doing it right required ten times the staff and 20 times the budget. MCPS did not provide.

Outdated sources? Maybe in a high school "politics of the 21st century class" one need the most current latest and greatest. But for many subjects, textbook updates mainly are for increasing textbook publisher profits, not more current knowledge or better pedagogy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know it is hard for some people to believe but there are plenty of average kids who do not have learning disabilities.

Exactly my thought and I have been teaching for almost 2 decades.
Public schools have a guide to follow. Teachers make their own worksheets/ activities. Direct teaching is minimal, and emphasis is on Independent work which does not work for every kid. There is also a lot of pressure on teachers to prepare students for the frequent tests which is not necessarily an exact measure of competency.
OP, find a school that uses good textbooks and transfer your kid there. This way you can know that things are being done in a certain logical way.

With textbook-based instruction, your child may memorize more, but not necessarily be able to apply what they “learned” to new problems or scenarios. There’s also the issue of privates either using very outdated sources or switching to cheap (and sometimes low quality) online textbooks to keep down costs. We’ve done a mix of public and private. I see a clear difference in my daughter’s longtime friends regarding who can develop their own science fair research projects or analyze a never seen before primary source.

And you think our public schools are teaching kids better? Give me a break. Public school is busy work on their own 80% of the school day. We were there for 3 years and it was mind numbing. If you go to a decent prep private school, they are fantastic. Much lower ratios, critical thinking, actual quizzes and tests. Book reports. Things returned with actual notes and suggestions instead of a check mark. This is all in lower school. Lots of music, art, recess, PE most days, and so much more science and social studies. They all do study skills starting in 3rd to help with executive functioning. They work well with kids who need a little extra. They facilitate with so many other teachers and resources. My daughter's private, they all created their own boxcars and had a race. They planted and grew flowers and veggies in the greenhouse. They take math lessons outside and play sports with them. They go on nature walks for science. They take a ton of field trips for ah-ha moments for social studies. This was all by 4th grade (her current grade.) . She is so much better off.

+1, I could have written this post. Might I add the high expectations they have for the students. This alone has made my kids work harder and more intelligently than they ever did in public.