Is SSMA really that bad?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That is not true at all. Yes, they are taking attendance and have also asked parents to report to the teacher any absences (as you would normally do). At no point I have felt threatened by the school admin.

If you believe that explaining a kid how to brush their teeth or engage in any practical life lessons, then I suggest to reevaluate if Montessori is right for your family.

I am so tired of SSMA boosters simply lying. It's one thing if you want to argue that the school is correct to refer families to CPS but why would you lie. The news and notes sent out on April 12th stated "Attendance, even virtual, is essential to student progress and achievement. Beginning on Tuesday, April 15th, SSMA parents of students not logging into Google Classroom/Hangout will receive an Attendance Report Notice. As in the past, students with 5-7 absences will receive a call from a member of the Attendance Team and your Guide— to find out how we can support your child’s virtual attendance. Unfortunately 10 or more “absences “ will be referred to Child and Family Services Agency."

Former SSMA family here. Totally NOT defending the school for many of it's issues. But, I think your privilege is showing if you have a big issue with the attendance. Your kid is very lucky to have you at home with him/her, reading, teaching, getting to log into class meetings, etc. Not all families are so lucky. And yes, your child likely is in class with kids who don't have a great home life, in abusive situations, are being left alone all day, don't have enough to eat, etc etc. If a child is absent from virtual "school" for multiple days, this could be an indication of a dangerous issue at home, and schools should have a duty to report that to the proper authorities.

Wow, really?

I think you're the one whose privilege is showing. MANY parents have better things to do than assure their preschooler's attendance at a zoom meeting. Many parents don't have enough screens or time for that.

OP, please take these borderline crazy responses from parents about definitely crazy policies of the school as confirmation that yes, SSMA is still that bad. We tried it many years ago and could tell very quickly that it was not a good fit. It appears we made the right decision. And that it's still a really out of whack school.

Exactly! For me the issue is less what the policy is our who has privilege or whatever and rather the fact that the school has such crazy boosters that they are simply lying about what the school is saying. Dr. Rodriguez sends out news and notes that say 10 absences will lead to a CPS referral and parents are on here swearing it never happened. SSMA PTA tells you to reject the evidence of your eyes ears.

They're likely trying to pull up their attendance stats because they know they're in for a tough charter review next winter.

[Anonymous]

I got off the PreK 3 and PreK 4 waitlists for my kids but I'm going to keep them at Bunker Hill. SSMA is not significantly better than our current school and I have concerns about how they plan to manage the large Montessori class sizes in light of COIVD.

I expect my kids will be attending ABC Mouse Elementary next school year anyway.

[Anonymous]

It’s funny how every time someone supports SSMA they are called trolls and liars.

There are people with really strong feelings against the school who love jumó in here and share their negative experiences. We have been at the school for a couple of years and really happy.

Fall looks difficult for all schools around the country. I think Charters in general are stepping up to the game as much as possible.

As for the test scores in SSMA, sadly we don’t have this year to show. I would love to know where people are getting the information that SSMA’s charter is at risk. I guess those opinions are based on some insider Info on DCPCS.

[Anonymous]

*liers. Sorry

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s funny how every time someone supports SSMA they are called trolls and liars.

There are people with really strong feelings against the school who love jumó in here and share their negative experiences. We have been at the school for a couple of years and really happy.

Fall looks difficult for all schools around the country. I think Charters in general are stepping up to the game as much as possible.

As for the test scores in SSMA, sadly we don’t have this year to show. I would love to know where people are getting the information that SSMA’s charter is at risk. I guess those opinions are based on some insider Info on DCPCS.

Why do you think last year's test scores are so bad, and the year before? They're worse than a lot of schools that have way more at-risk kids enrolled. And they're worse than other Montessori schools in DC. Why?

All charter schools are reviewed in their 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th, etc. year. SSMA has its 10-year review scheduled for this fall/winter. I do not believe its charter will be revoked, because its test scores are not bad enough. Some of the other stats, such as re-enrollment, aren't very good as well. So I conjecture that SSMA's leadership knows they're in for a lot of questions at their hearing, and that might make their parents even more dissatisfied. Charter revocation is not the only way a school can fail. If enough people leave and not enough kids want to enter, they'll enter a downward budget spiral and it will fall apart.

It's not just a few haters on the internet. SSMA's stats are low. The re-enrollment is low, 69.81% last year. Meanwhile Lee, right nearby, has 85.96%. It's nice that you're happy there. But why do you think so many others choose to leave?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:*liers. Sorry

I think it’s liars.

[Anonymous]

Demographic trends tell an interesting story about both schools. We’ll see what the picture looks like in August. I am optimistic about renewal and will continue to support the school. My children are thriving and very happy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Demographic trends tell an interesting story about both schools. We’ll see what the picture looks like in August. I am optimistic about renewal and will continue to support the school. My children are thriving and very happy.

Great. Why are the test scores and reenrollment stats so bad though?

Speaking of demographics, SSMA's test scores are almost as bad as Langley, despite Langley being much more at-risk. Why might that be?

[Anonymous]

Are there any parents here from the upper grades? Does anyone have a good experience in those grades?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are there any parents here from the upper grades? Does anyone have a good experience in those grades?

They have a very small enrollment for those grades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s funny how every time someone supports SSMA they are called trolls and liars.

I don't think that anytime anyone supports the school they are called liars. We are a former SSMA family and, while the negatives ultimately outweighed the positives for us, I do have some good things to say about the school, and have said them in this forum without ever being called a liar. The person in this thread who was called a liar was called that because they flat out lied about whether Dr. R said that referrals would be made to CPS if students miss virtual classes. The news and notes that PP provided made very clear that she did. Why was a booster on this thread denying it?

I think this is really relevant for OP who is deciding wether SSMA is right for her family. Given that she has a pk3 child and distance learning is likely to be part of the reality for next year, she should know that attendance is mandatory under threat of CPS referral. That's something I would like to know in making a decision.

The real question is, why do SSMA supporters lie?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Demographic trends tell an interesting story about both schools. We’ll see what the picture looks like in August. I am optimistic about renewal and will continue to support the school. My children are thriving and very happy.

Great. Why are the test scores and reenrollment stats so bad though?

Speaking of demographics, SSMA's test scores are almost as bad as Langley, despite Langley being much more at-risk. Why might that be?

I’m thinking that in the upper grades actually SSMA has a closer demographic to Langley.

And, it’s hard to get high scores out of a Montessori. That’s a topic beaten to death already, do a search.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Demographic trends tell an interesting story about both schools. We’ll see what the picture looks like in August. I am optimistic about renewal and will continue to support the school. My children are thriving and very happy.

Great. Why are the test scores and reenrollment stats so bad though?

Speaking of demographics, SSMA's test scores are almost as bad as Langley, despite Langley being much more at-risk. Why might that be?

I’m thinking that in the upper grades actually SSMA has a closer demographic to Langley.

And, it’s hard to get high scores out of a Montessori. That’s a topic beaten to death already, do a search.

Except that Langley's upper grades include a special classropm for kids with autism that need their own classroom, and another for kids needing behavior support so much that they need a special classroom, and their scores are rolled in to the total PARCC scores for Langley. Sorry but whatever SSMA has is nowhere near as challenging as that.

Why are SSMA's scores so much worse than other Montessori schools? And why is re-enrollment so low?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Demographic trends tell an interesting story about both schools. We’ll see what the picture looks like in August. I am optimistic about renewal and will continue to support the school. My children are thriving and very happy.

Great. Why are the test scores and reenrollment stats so bad though?

Speaking of demographics, SSMA's test scores are almost as bad as Langley, despite Langley being much more at-risk. Why might that be?

I’m thinking that in the upper grades actually SSMA has a closer demographic to Langley.

And, it’s hard to get high scores out of a Montessori. That’s a topic beaten to death already, do a search.

Except that Langley's upper grades include a special classropm for kids with autism that need their own classroom, and another for kids needing behavior support so much that they need a special classroom, and their scores are rolled in to the total PARCC scores for Langley. Sorry but whatever SSMA has is nowhere near as challenging as that.

Why are SSMA's scores so much worse than other Montessori schools? And why is re-enrollment so low?

Are they much worse than Lee? Lee also has bad scores BUT high re enrollment. Reason is they’ve only belatedly realized that to
Ace the Parcc you have to teach the test, for montessori kids.

It’s the low re enrollment you should really be worried about. That to me is the strongest indicator of a school not doing well. Parents aren’t happy. The school is ok for littlest kids then people move on.

[Anonymous]

Agree 100% with the above. Re-enrollment numbers tell you how families who actually have experience with the school feel. Anyone can say anything about a school on DCUM but the fact that SSMA's re-enrollment numbers are so much lower than the comparable montessori schools, thinking Led and CHML, tells you that a large portion of the people who sent their kids there are unhappy.