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Silver Spring schools- are they bad?
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Anonymous
| Someone recently said in another thread that Silver Spring schools are "bad." My impression is that a lot of the elementary schools in Silver Spring are very good, but maybe a more mixed experience in upper grades. Does anyone who has actual experience with these schools agree or disagree? What do you (if you are on here PP) mean by "bad"? Frankly, I don't want my kid in a high school full of only rich, competetive kids so maybe my standards are different. But, of course, like many people on DCUM my DH and I both went to elite colleges/grad schools and want our kids to go to good schools. |
Anonymous
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Look at the Schools at a Glance pages on the MCPS website. There they give stats like FARMS % (free and reduced meals), something about enrollment rates (how many kids are enrolling and leaving throughout the year, being more indicative of a transient school population), and suspension rates. When these numbers are very high, it might mean the school isn't the easiest place to get an education.
From a policy perspective, all MCPS elementary schools teach the same curriculum. Many of the schools in the eastern part (Silver Spring/Takoma Park/Wheaton) get extra federal funding because they have high poverty rates. Many have special programs geared toward learning disabilities, autism, and ADHD. I would say schools in this area require more thorough research by parents than say schools in Bethesda/Chevy Chase, and a good understanding of what your child needs/wants from a public school setting. But a great education is definitely achievable for the right kids. |
Anonymous
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The french (Sligo Creek) and spanish (Rock Creek Forest) immersion programs are good. Unfortunately they're hard to get into -- although they're done by lottery, tons of families apply.
Our kid is in one of these. The curriculum follows the regular MoCo curriculum, which is a bit weak in social studies and science until maybe middle school (don't know, we aren't there yet). You would probably find the same curriculum issues elsewhere in MoCo, however. In these immersion programs the math is great, and they are more than willing to advance your kid one or even two levels in math, if the kid is able to do it. |
Anonymous
| I've heard only good things about Woodlin and Oakland Terrace. But what about the middle and high schools? |
Anonymous
| You would probably want to be on a magnet track. There are math and communications magnets that all downcounty kids can apply for (but there are 6 or more applicants for each slot). If your kid is in the Rock Creek Forest immersion program then they can automatically go to Westland for the IB Middle Years program, and then on to BCC for high school. If they are in the Sligo immersion program they can automatically go to the Silver Spring International Middle School IB Middle Years program. |
Anonymous
Isn't there also a Chinese immersion program? Does anyone have any feedback on this? |
Anonymous
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http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/
Schools at a Glance that a PP mentioned http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/specialprograms/elementary/index.shtm immersion programs http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/specialprograms/elementary/immersion_chinese_elementary.shtm Chinese immersion |
Anonymous
| Some folks on this list equate "many students of color" with "bad" when evaluating schools. |
Anonymous
And you are so sure of this because? Are you one of them? |
Anonymous
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Are you sure that all RCF kids can automaticallly go to Westland and then BCC?
It seems from the website that some go to SS International Middle School and then it's unclear which high school. Would love to hear more, |
Anonymous
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There are several other magnets as well, at the MS and HS levels. Some of these are part of the "downcounty consortium", which is basically a bunch of MS and HS in southern MoCo.
At the MS level, Loiederman does music and the arts, Argyle does computers (?) and maybe aerospace stuff. I'm not as familiar with these programs, but you might want to check out their webpages, to familiarize yourself with possible options for when DC gets older. At the HS level kids can apply to HS's within the "downcounty consortium". So, for example, your kid in SS who has a home HS of Blair could apply through the downcounty consortium to attend the IB program at Einstein HS. |
Anonymous
| 11:04 here again. I should clarify that some of these aren't technically called "magnets" in MoCo parlance. There's some bureaucratic distinction between magnet schools, of which a single HS or MS can only have one, and other special programs. So at Blair HS their is a math/science/computer "magnet", but the Communication Arts Prorgram is tecnnically not a magnet. |
Anonymous
Oh my god! Are you for real? This has to be flame bait. Who are these "some folks" (besides you, of course)? Link me to them (other than this thread). |
Anonymous
SSIMS takes kids who come from either Spanish or French immersion programs (there's another spanish immersion program in Langley, near Takoma Park, by the way, and these kids often go on to SSIMS). We know kids who have gone from RCF to Westland. |
Anonymous
| If your DC attends the RCF Spanish Immersion do they then attend Westland and BCC? Or do they attend their home middle and high schools? |