let's have Middle Schools start at 6th grade -- BASIS, Latin, Cap City, etc. realign
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Anonymous
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Wouldn't the whole system be stronger if all Middle School opportunities started at 6th grade?
Students finished 5th in their elementary school (be it charter or DCPS), and then lotteried in rank order for preferred 6th grade placement, intermingling charter & DCPS None of the DCPS schools were "education campuses" from preS to 8, instead all ended at 5th grade. Then, there would also be students available to support an additional Ward 4 / Ward 5 DCPS middle school (the new building at Brookland, maybe a reopened Ward 4 MacFarland). And to fill the underpopulated Middle schools at McKinley Tech, Eliot-Hine, Jefferson. What's wrong with this suggestions, what's right with it? |
Anonymous
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I would agree with this idea if DCPS had across the board quality curriculum and programs for 5th grade. But they don't. Being able to switch to one of these high quality middle school options after 4th grade can make all the difference for good students who are in weak schools.
My DC in particular was losing interest in school completely in his DCPS elementary 4th grade and has been socially and academically advancing by leaps and bounds at his charter. I know quite a few families who feel the same way. |
Anonymous
| Well, I know that BASIS added 5th grade in Arizona in order to help them be more prepared for their rigorous curricula which I think is critical. I imagine Washington Latin had the same line of thinking as well. Therefore, I am against such proposals. Also, charters are free to make their own decisions under the auspices of the PCSB according to the charter school law. As such I am against any constraints like this on the charter school system since if it were not for charters, many kids would not have good options for school in DC. Also, robust school choice has spurred DCPS to finally start thinking about improving their offerings which is about time IMO. |
Anonymous
| OP: can you spell out exactly what the argument is for this kind of alignment helping the system as a whole? |
Anonymous
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maybe some of these school decisions are inlfuenced by things that you do not have visibility to.
for example - CCPCS does not have the space in the lower school for another grade. maybe having 4 grades in a middle school makes more sense from an administrative perspective? (financially / operationally) |
Anonymous
| Hell NO! I want my DC to go to Basis in 5th, Thank You Very Much! |
Anonymous
| Instead of monkeying with charters, which are working pretty well, why not make DCPS schools more attractive so that people want to enroll their children? |
Anonymous
| Middle school at Basis (or as they call it, "lower school") ends before 8th-8th is the first upper school grade. |
Anonymous
Yep. 5,6,7 is basically middle school there, and 8-11 is high school. 12th is optional, and highly specialized. It's meant to be an accelerated school for everyone in attendance. |
Anonymous
| Nope - I can't wait for my second to start BASIS ASAP. |
Anonymous
| yeah, let's water down what BASIS, Latin, Cap City, etc., have done well -- crabs in a barrel |
Anonymous
+1000 |
Anonymous
Wait, what? Really? Optional? I know nothing about Basis other than what I read here but I've never heard this. I don't want my kid going to college at 17! (I did, and I kind of regret it.) |
Anonymous
+ another 1000 |
Anonymous
12th grade is optional at BASIS, if you have met all of the graduation requirements by the end of 11th. That said, the school does not encourage kids to leave early for college. Instead, it encourages use all or part of that year for academic enrichment, e.g., work on a senior project, take an internship, study abroad. |