If you left APS for private…

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:We sent our kids to APS all the way through 8th and then private Big3 HS. Our kids did very well and had no issue coming from APS, they were well prepared. But, our private HS experience was vastly different than our public school friend at W&L and Yorktown. To each their own, but we were very happy for the children to experience the rigor of private for the HS years. I would not send my kids to private ES and expect some big difference…unless I was at a not great ES or alternatively my kid had a lot of needs. Just my two cents.

Was it mostly a difference in academic rigor between your experience and your friends W&L/Yorktown experiences?

Academic and social differences. I wouldn’t pay for private school for a different social experience, however. Plenty of great/bright kids in APS that I would’ve been more than happy for my kids to socialize with. Some weirdos in both systems so whatever; sort of a wash and kid dependent.

Academically, there were many differences but two biggest for us were: (1) amount of homework and (2) writing. My kids were doing 1.5-3 hours of homework starting in 9. Nothing like this for kids’ APS peers. Freshman/sophomore years in APS, kids peers in APS were still not really doing homework. This meant there lives were very different. My kids didn’t have free time in the same way that APS kids do. Many families don’t want this, I get it. Next, the writing. My kids were writing many page papers starting in 9, many times per year, with significant feedback/editing from their teachers with multiple rounds of submission. This wasn’t possible in APS and wasn’t the experience of my children’s peers.

Weird. My kid in private had less homework than friends in public for 9th/10th. WL kids started doing APs in 9th and/or were doing IB.

By 11th, it seemed about the same.

My post was specific to my children’s experience at a Big3 private. I am certain you could find a range of different experiences at the various private schools across DC.

Your kids were doing APs in 9th?

That’s fairly common in APS, at least with families I know. It makes sense considering you can start high school credit classes in 7th grade.

Yes, very common in APS. Along with the hours of homework. On top of sports, activities, etc.

Maybe the PP doesn’t know any of the high-achieving kids in APS if he thinks they have lots of free time.

Agreed. I've heard complaints from APS parents about not enough writing instruction, but I haven't heard any complaints about lack of rigor elsewhere in high school. I'd expect APS HS science and math class offerings are likely more expansive than most private schools. The high achieving APS kids seem pretty darn busy with AP/IB classes and ECs.

Private schools seem primarily to offer more hand holding and writing instruction.

Do you have a kid at private? APS (like most publics) allows retakes, work to be turned in late (kids are literally doing assignments right up until the end of the marking period), and get minimum grades of 50%. I could go on and on about how public school kids are coddled. My kid at private doesn’t get retakes. If they fail a test; it stays a F. If you hand an assignment in a day late, it’s a zero. Not to mention that there is no hiding with the small class sizes. You must participate in class. We’ve been at APS and private, there is no comparison.

DP and I have kids at private after being in public. At our private the hand-holding is more in the form of options to get help along the way. Know you need help with that essay? Better schedule a block in the writing center or visit your teacher. Struggling in math? You can book time with a math tutor at school instead of having to go outside the school for that. School knows the work is going to be tough and a lot, so they very consciously step kids into it starting in late elementary and especially middle school by providing systems and structures to help them succeed that kids can continue later.

So no, things aren't lax. But yes, there is hand holding in the form of giving kids tools they need to succeed if they just do a tiny bit of work to ask for it. And I love that. If it weren't the private providing that, it would be all me providing essay feedback, teaching the math concepts with help from Khan Academy, and forcing structure on big assignments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We sent our kids to APS all the way through 8th and then private Big3 HS. Our kids did very well and had no issue coming from APS, they were well prepared. But, our private HS experience was vastly different than our public school friend at W&L and Yorktown. To each their own, but we were very happy for the children to experience the rigor of private for the HS years. I would not send my kids to private ES and expect some big difference…unless I was at a not great ES or alternatively my kid had a lot of needs. Just my two cents.

We found that middle school and the emphasis on executive function, planning, project work, reading of complete novels was very different between private and APS. Lots of passage reading in APS for example, and novel reading was always readers choice vs assigned class novel that they all analyze and discuss

I’m a NP - I’m a pretty “rigorous” parent, if we are reading full novels at home and home-teaching/pushing on executive functioning …. And they come out in the advanced PS classes and getting good grades - would Private make any difference, or just take the own off the parents?

Weighing the cost/benefits from leaning out from work a bit to focus on a public school kid, vs do I lean into work so I can promote while private school does this (and I can better afford)?

NP and this was me - rigorous parent. The mental load of not having to be as rigorous myself has been worth it for me and was part of the reason we switched. The school provides so many resources to ensure kids can succeed. I've heard it will get tough in math and science as the kids progress through high school because, yeah, publics have more resources there. But if that becomes an issue I'll deal with it then. Right now I'm just happy I'm no longer trying to give an entire language arts education to my late elementary school and middle school kids over the summers. Seriously - so much mental load off.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:We sent our kids to APS all the way through 8th and then private Big3 HS. Our kids did very well and had no issue coming from APS, they were well prepared. But, our private HS experience was vastly different than our public school friend at W&L and Yorktown. To each their own, but we were very happy for the children to experience the rigor of private for the HS years. I would not send my kids to private ES and expect some big difference…unless I was at a not great ES or alternatively my kid had a lot of needs. Just my two cents.

Was it mostly a difference in academic rigor between your experience and your friends W&L/Yorktown experiences?

Academic and social differences. I wouldn’t pay for private school for a different social experience, however. Plenty of great/bright kids in APS that I would’ve been more than happy for my kids to socialize with. Some weirdos in both systems so whatever; sort of a wash and kid dependent.

Academically, there were many differences but two biggest for us were: (1) amount of homework and (2) writing. My kids were doing 1.5-3 hours of homework starting in 9. Nothing like this for kids’ APS peers. Freshman/sophomore years in APS, kids peers in APS were still not really doing homework. This meant there lives were very different. My kids didn’t have free time in the same way that APS kids do. Many families don’t want this, I get it. Next, the writing. My kids were writing many page papers starting in 9, many times per year, with significant feedback/editing from their teachers with multiple rounds of submission. This wasn’t possible in APS and wasn’t the experience of my children’s peers.

Weird. My kid in private had less homework than friends in public for 9th/10th. WL kids started doing APs in 9th and/or were doing IB.

By 11th, it seemed about the same.

My post was specific to my children’s experience at a Big3 private. I am certain you could find a range of different experiences at the various private schools across DC.

Your kids were doing APs in 9th?

That’s fairly common in APS, at least with families I know. It makes sense considering you can start high school credit classes in 7th grade.

Public is more advanced in math, though the quality of instruction is a concern. But the curriculum is well defined.

But it is “toss into deep end” from no-homework MS to AP HS.

Which MS did your kids attend?

Our kids have/had homework at DHMS.

Homework at DHMS is just classwork that is not finished. My kid always completed it in the allotted classtime.

I’m not sure why this myth about no homework at APS middle schools persists. My kid was at a different MS, but he had homework. As in, the math teacher teaches for the whole period, then assigns homework to do later. In Spanish (immersion), there was lots of reading, plus long projects, to be done at home. Now, my kid might sometimes do math homework during homeroom, but it wasn’t enough time to do it all, and it wasn’t unfinished class work.

[Anonymous]

I have one in APS and one in private HS right now. The biggest difference we have noticed is the feedback that the private kid gets from his teachers. The classes are smaller, and so when he gets an essay back, it actually has detailed comments (including pointing out grammar mistakes). In APS, the comments are usually just one line on Canvas (i.e., "nice job!"). Spelling errors are almost never pointed out in APS, which drives me crazy. Writing is such a huge component of college work, and I definitely think my private school kid will be better prepared for that aspect of college. But public schools have a bigger sports program and all of your friends generally live within 5-10 minutes of you, so it is a trade off for what your kid wants out of high school. (We moved kid #1 to private for high school only, so I can't comment on the differences for elementary and middle school.)

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:We would have stayed had we won the ATS lottery. We switched to private as the backup when we did not get an ATS offer. Overall, we are happy with the outcome, but likely also would have been happy at ATS.

Similar but for middle school lottery. Going from ATS to our zoned middle school was not an option so we opted for private MS and back to public for HS.

OP here. What made you switch back to public for HS? Was it worth doing private for just MS?

quoted poster answering your question. My kid would have gotten lost in the zoned MS at the time. I sent kid to a small independent school that focused on executive functioning and love of learning. From the start they wanted to return to zoned public high school. I was fully prepared to go back to private after a semester but my child is doing fantastic! Great support at the school. My child is amazingly self-sufficient and motivated. The 3 years of private was worth every cent to me. I would have put kid 2 in private too but they chose public and are thriving. Different kids, different choices and I'm fortunate to be able to afford them.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:We sent our kids to APS all the way through 8th and then private Big3 HS. Our kids did very well and had no issue coming from APS, they were well prepared. But, our private HS experience was vastly different than our public school friend at W&L and Yorktown. To each their own, but we were very happy for the children to experience the rigor of private for the HS years. I would not send my kids to private ES and expect some big difference…unless I was at a not great ES or alternatively my kid had a lot of needs. Just my two cents.

Was it mostly a difference in academic rigor between your experience and your friends W&L/Yorktown experiences?

Academic and social differences. I wouldn’t pay for private school for a different social experience, however. Plenty of great/bright kids in APS that I would’ve been more than happy for my kids to socialize with. Some weirdos in both systems so whatever; sort of a wash and kid dependent.

Academically, there were many differences but two biggest for us were: (1) amount of homework and (2) writing. My kids were doing 1.5-3 hours of homework starting in 9. Nothing like this for kids’ APS peers. Freshman/sophomore years in APS, kids peers in APS were still not really doing homework. This meant there lives were very different. My kids didn’t have free time in the same way that APS kids do. Many families don’t want this, I get it. Next, the writing. My kids were writing many page papers starting in 9, many times per year, with significant feedback/editing from their teachers with multiple rounds of submission. This wasn’t possible in APS and wasn’t the experience of my children’s peers.

Weird. My kid in private had less homework than friends in public for 9th/10th. WL kids started doing APs in 9th and/or were doing IB.

By 11th, it seemed about the same.

My post was specific to my children’s experience at a Big3 private. I am certain you could find a range of different experiences at the various private schools across DC.

Your kids were doing APs in 9th?

That’s fairly common in APS, at least with families I know. It makes sense considering you can start high school credit classes in 7th grade.

Public is more advanced in math, though the quality of instruction is a concern. But the curriculum is well defined.

But it is “toss into deep end” from no-homework MS to AP HS.

Which MS did your kids attend?

Our kids have/had homework at DHMS.

Homework at DHMS is just classwork that is not finished. My kid always completed it in the allotted classtime.

I’m not sure why this myth about no homework at APS middle schools persists. My kid was at a different MS, but he had homework. As in, the math teacher teaches for the whole period, then assigns homework to do later. In Spanish (immersion), there was lots of reading, plus long projects, to be done at home. Now, my kid might sometimes do math homework during homeroom, but it wasn’t enough time to do it all, and it wasn’t unfinished class work.

I think the reason the “myth” (for you) persists is that two families can have very different experiences in the same school/classes. Our kids never had homework; that is, they never had work that they had to finish at home. That is not to say they weren’t assigned “homework” nor is it to say that other kids weren’t doing this same work at home. Accordingly, two families/two kids and yet different experiences. 99% of the time our kids finished the purported “home” work during the remainder of the block period. Infrequently, they would have to finish during homeroom or the miscellaneous SEL time. We have very driven, academically oriented kids.

Most MS kids spend significant time in school goofing off. It’s totally normal and healthy and absolutely zero indication of how smart the kids are or how successful they will be in HS or beyond. I absolutely am not criticizing the kids nor was it a problem for our family that my kids weren’t doing homework. They did other things. Happily. As I posted earlier, my kids went on to Big3 private HS and have been very successful. I feel like APS prepared them just fine and they weren’t missing something that private MS couldn’t afforded them.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We sent our kids to APS all the way through 8th and then private Big3 HS. Our kids did very well and had no issue coming from APS, they were well prepared. But, our private HS experience was vastly different than our public school friend at W&L and Yorktown. To each their own, but we were very happy for the children to experience the rigor of private for the HS years. I would not send my kids to private ES and expect some big difference…unless I was at a not great ES or alternatively my kid had a lot of needs. Just my two cents.

We found that middle school and the emphasis on executive function, planning, project work, reading of complete novels was very different between private and APS. Lots of passage reading in APS for example, and novel reading was always readers choice vs assigned class novel that they all analyze and discuss

I’m a NP - I’m a pretty “rigorous” parent, if we are reading full novels at home and home-teaching/pushing on executive functioning …. And they come out in the advanced PS classes and getting good grades - would Private make any difference, or just take the own off the parents?

Weighing the cost/benefits from leaning out from work a bit to focus on a public school kid, vs do I lean into work so I can promote while private school does this (and I can better afford)?

NP and this was me - rigorous parent. The mental load of not having to be as rigorous myself has been worth it for me and was part of the reason we switched. The school provides so many resources to ensure kids can succeed. I've heard it will get tough in math and science as the kids progress through high school because, yeah, publics have more resources there. But if that becomes an issue I'll deal with it then. Right now I'm just happy I'm no longer trying to give an entire language arts education to my late elementary school and middle school kids over the summers. Seriously - so much mental load off.

Would you be willing to share which school your child attends or even a few schools that are similar? I am so tired of having to be so “rigorous” at home myself or wirh supplementing with things I think my kid should and is capable of doing.

[Anonymous]

One issue I think that hasn’t been discussed is the social trade off with private. Kids live farther apart. You don’t build the same community within your neighborhood. You know kids from walking to school + the soccer field sideline + scouts in your public neighborhood school. And then you know their parents and families. Tons of neighborhood kids come hang out at our house. My chlldren not only have a community but I am connected to their families. This is invaluable to me at the ES/MS level when I believe the social aspect of learning to be a human existing is a community is so important. I knew when my kid was being a jerk because I knew the other kid and knew which kid to believe. I knew my kid was safe but being independent when s/he went to our neighbors house and learned to walk home after dark, etc. Kids have friends in private school but the relationships are a little different/less natural/ more involved with shuttling. That was a huge negative for us. Which is why we ended up in private HS but not earlier. I felt that my kid needed less of me involved in their social life in HS, and I felt that the academic side was more worth it. Just my two cents.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:We sent our kids to APS all the way through 8th and then private Big3 HS. Our kids did very well and had no issue coming from APS, they were well prepared. But, our private HS experience was vastly different than our public school friend at W&L and Yorktown. To each their own, but we were very happy for the children to experience the rigor of private for the HS years. I would not send my kids to private ES and expect some big difference…unless I was at a not great ES or alternatively my kid had a lot of needs. Just my two cents.

Was it mostly a difference in academic rigor between your experience and your friends W&L/Yorktown experiences?

Academic and social differences. I wouldn’t pay for private school for a different social experience, however. Plenty of great/bright kids in APS that I would’ve been more than happy for my kids to socialize with. Some weirdos in both systems so whatever; sort of a wash and kid dependent.

Academically, there were many differences but two biggest for us were: (1) amount of homework and (2) writing. My kids were doing 1.5-3 hours of homework starting in 9. Nothing like this for kids’ APS peers. Freshman/sophomore years in APS, kids peers in APS were still not really doing homework. This meant there lives were very different. My kids didn’t have free time in the same way that APS kids do. Many families don’t want this, I get it. Next, the writing. My kids were writing many page papers starting in 9, many times per year, with significant feedback/editing from their teachers with multiple rounds of submission. This wasn’t possible in APS and wasn’t the experience of my children’s peers.

Weird. My kid in private had less homework than friends in public for 9th/10th. WL kids started doing APs in 9th and/or were doing IB.

By 11th, it seemed about the same.

My post was specific to my children’s experience at a Big3 private. I am certain you could find a range of different experiences at the various private schools across DC.

Your kids were doing APs in 9th?

That’s fairly common in APS, at least with families I know. It makes sense considering you can start high school credit classes in 7th grade.

At w-l, the ib track kids are supposed to take an ap history class as freshman. It’s a tough class, but grades on a curve.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:We sent our kids to APS all the way through 8th and then private Big3 HS. Our kids did very well and had no issue coming from APS, they were well prepared. But, our private HS experience was vastly different than our public school friend at W&L and Yorktown. To each their own, but we were very happy for the children to experience the rigor of private for the HS years. I would not send my kids to private ES and expect some big difference…unless I was at a not great ES or alternatively my kid had a lot of needs. Just my two cents.

Was it mostly a difference in academic rigor between your experience and your friends W&L/Yorktown experiences?

Academic and social differences. I wouldn’t pay for private school for a different social experience, however. Plenty of great/bright kids in APS that I would’ve been more than happy for my kids to socialize with. Some weirdos in both systems so whatever; sort of a wash and kid dependent.

Academically, there were many differences but two biggest for us were: (1) amount of homework and (2) writing. My kids were doing 1.5-3 hours of homework starting in 9. Nothing like this for kids’ APS peers. Freshman/sophomore years in APS, kids peers in APS were still not really doing homework. This meant there lives were very different. My kids didn’t have free time in the same way that APS kids do. Many families don’t want this, I get it. Next, the writing. My kids were writing many page papers starting in 9, many times per year, with significant feedback/editing from their teachers with multiple rounds of submission. This wasn’t possible in APS and wasn’t the experience of my children’s peers.

Weird. My kid in private had less homework than friends in public for 9th/10th. WL kids started doing APs in 9th and/or were doing IB.

By 11th, it seemed about the same.

My post was specific to my children’s experience at a Big3 private. I am certain you could find a range of different experiences at the various private schools across DC.

Your kids were doing APs in 9th?

That’s fairly common in APS, at least with families I know. It makes sense considering you can start high school credit classes in 7th grade.

Public is more advanced in math, though the quality of instruction is a concern. But the curriculum is well defined.

But it is “toss into deep end” from no-homework MS to AP HS.

Which MS did your kids attend?

Our kids have/had homework at DHMS.

Homework at DHMS is just classwork that is not finished. My kid always completed it in the allotted classtime.

Do they assign class-wide novels now? It was all "readers choice" and excerpts then. We were there in earlier years when it was a bit unpolished (but Principal was and is a gem).

What about weeks long projects, such as researching a topic and building a display and presenting on it?

Yes— my kid has had all of those (class wide novels, papers, weeks long projects) that have to be done at home. The intensified classes are more work than the classes used to be.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:We sent our kids to APS all the way through 8th and then private Big3 HS. Our kids did very well and had no issue coming from APS, they were well prepared. But, our private HS experience was vastly different than our public school friend at W&L and Yorktown. To each their own, but we were very happy for the children to experience the rigor of private for the HS years. I would not send my kids to private ES and expect some big difference…unless I was at a not great ES or alternatively my kid had a lot of needs. Just my two cents.

Was it mostly a difference in academic rigor between your experience and your friends W&L/Yorktown experiences?

Academic and social differences. I wouldn’t pay for private school for a different social experience, however. Plenty of great/bright kids in APS that I would’ve been more than happy for my kids to socialize with. Some weirdos in both systems so whatever; sort of a wash and kid dependent.

Academically, there were many differences but two biggest for us were: (1) amount of homework and (2) writing. My kids were doing 1.5-3 hours of homework starting in 9. Nothing like this for kids’ APS peers. Freshman/sophomore years in APS, kids peers in APS were still not really doing homework. This meant there lives were very different. My kids didn’t have free time in the same way that APS kids do. Many families don’t want this, I get it. Next, the writing. My kids were writing many page papers starting in 9, many times per year, with significant feedback/editing from their teachers with multiple rounds of submission. This wasn’t possible in APS and wasn’t the experience of my children’s peers.

Weird. My kid in private had less homework than friends in public for 9th/10th. WL kids started doing APs in 9th and/or were doing IB.

By 11th, it seemed about the same.

My post was specific to my children’s experience at a Big3 private. I am certain you could find a range of different experiences at the various private schools across DC.

Your kids were doing APs in 9th?

That’s fairly common in APS, at least with families I know. It makes sense considering you can start high school credit classes in 7th grade.

Yes, very common in APS. Along with the hours of homework. On top of sports, activities, etc.

Maybe the PP doesn’t know any of the high-achieving kids in APS if he thinks they have lots of free time.

Look, I get that you all feel defensive about your own child’s experience. I do know high achieving kids, taking all your will APs. And, unfortunately, the work at the Cathedral Schools/Sidwell/GDS/Potomac is significantly more difficult and robust. You a pretend otherwise if it helps you sleep. You can also tell yourself that it’s better for your kid to enjoy HS and “find their interests.” All of that is justifiable. But pretending the workload is similar for the brightest kids is incorrect.

I'm not defensive at all. Just trying to understand how you have such a skewed perception about the amount of homework and free time in APS high schools: "Freshman/sophomore years in APS, kids peers in APS were still not really doing homework"

While that may be true for your kid's friends, many freshman/sophomores in APS do have solid amounts of homework; they are taking APs, etc.

Look, I get that there are kids doing homework in APS. My kids friends were doing homework in MS, but that’s only because they didn’t finish the work in class. My kids never had homework because they finished. This is true for my kids friend in IB and APs at YHS and W&L freshman and sophomore year. These are the top kids, sorry you don’t believe me. It’s nothing like the every night 1.5-3 hrs at a top private for those first rwo years of HS. Maybe you are thinking more like junior year? Maybe you are thinking about your own kids experience? Were they as efficient as you really think? It’s a meaningful difference between public and privates for OP to consider. Plus, of course, the writing.

So your kids *did* have homework in MS; they just finished it at school, as many kids do.

Yes, I don’t believe you that your kids’ friends were in AP/IB in 9th/10th and had no homework.

It’s disingenuous to say that APS doesn’t assign homework in MS/HS.

The point of homework is to reinforce a lesson that was taught earlier in the day to evaluate and build retention and independent understanding. Finishing it in class when you JUST had the lesson defeats the purpose of it -- they should be using class time for instruction or seminars on the material, and then have independent home work derived from work that shows mastery and capable with synthesis of other academic skills.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:We sent our kids to APS all the way through 8th and then private Big3 HS. Our kids did very well and had no issue coming from APS, they were well prepared. But, our private HS experience was vastly different than our public school friend at W&L and Yorktown. To each their own, but we were very happy for the children to experience the rigor of private for the HS years. I would not send my kids to private ES and expect some big difference…unless I was at a not great ES or alternatively my kid had a lot of needs. Just my two cents.

Was it mostly a difference in academic rigor between your experience and your friends W&L/Yorktown experiences?

Academic and social differences. I wouldn’t pay for private school for a different social experience, however. Plenty of great/bright kids in APS that I would’ve been more than happy for my kids to socialize with. Some weirdos in both systems so whatever; sort of a wash and kid dependent.

Academically, there were many differences but two biggest for us were: (1) amount of homework and (2) writing. My kids were doing 1.5-3 hours of homework starting in 9. Nothing like this for kids’ APS peers. Freshman/sophomore years in APS, kids peers in APS were still not really doing homework. This meant there lives were very different. My kids didn’t have free time in the same way that APS kids do. Many families don’t want this, I get it. Next, the writing. My kids were writing many page papers starting in 9, many times per year, with significant feedback/editing from their teachers with multiple rounds of submission. This wasn’t possible in APS and wasn’t the experience of my children’s peers.

Weird. My kid in private had less homework than friends in public for 9th/10th. WL kids started doing APs in 9th and/or were doing IB.

By 11th, it seemed about the same.

My post was specific to my children’s experience at a Big3 private. I am certain you could find a range of different experiences at the various private schools across DC.

Your kids were doing APs in 9th?

That’s fairly common in APS, at least with families I know. It makes sense considering you can start high school credit classes in 7th grade.

Yes, very common in APS. Along with the hours of homework. On top of sports, activities, etc.

Maybe the PP doesn’t know any of the high-achieving kids in APS if he thinks they have lots of free time.

Agreed. I've heard complaints from APS parents about not enough writing instruction, but I haven't heard any complaints about lack of rigor elsewhere in high school. I'd expect APS HS science and math class offerings are likely more expansive than most private schools. The high achieving APS kids seem pretty darn busy with AP/IB classes and ECs.

Private schools seem primarily to offer more hand holding and writing instruction.

Do you have a kid at private? APS (like most publics) allows retakes, work to be turned in late (kids are literally doing assignments right up until the end of the marking period), and get minimum grades of 50%. I could go on and on about how public school kids are coddled. My kid at private doesn’t get retakes. If they fail a test; it stays a F. If you hand an assignment in a day late, it’s a zero. Not to mention that there is no hiding with the small class sizes. You must participate in class. We’ve been at APS and private, there is no comparison.

Flexibility around due dates and getting less attention in a large classroom isn’t exactly hand holding. It takes more initiative to stand out and be successful in a large school with limited supports.

Small classes with forced participation is handholding.

Agreed, I'd consider it more benign neglect. May the odds be ever in your favor...

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We sent our kids to APS all the way through 8th and then private Big3 HS. Our kids did very well and had no issue coming from APS, they were well prepared. But, our private HS experience was vastly different than our public school friend at W&L and Yorktown. To each their own, but we were very happy for the children to experience the rigor of private for the HS years. I would not send my kids to private ES and expect some big difference…unless I was at a not great ES or alternatively my kid had a lot of needs. Just my two cents.

Was it mostly a difference in academic rigor between your experience and your friends W&L/Yorktown experiences?

Academic and social differences. I wouldn’t pay for private school for a different social experience, however. Plenty of great/bright kids in APS that I would’ve been more than happy for my kids to socialize with. Some weirdos in both systems so whatever; sort of a wash and kid dependent.

Academically, there were many differences but two biggest for us were: (1) amount of homework and (2) writing. My kids were doing 1.5-3 hours of homework starting in 9. Nothing like this for kids’ APS peers. Freshman/sophomore years in APS, kids peers in APS were still not really doing homework. This meant there lives were very different. My kids didn’t have free time in the same way that APS kids do. Many families don’t want this, I get it. Next, the writing. My kids were writing many page papers starting in 9, many times per year, with significant feedback/editing from their teachers with multiple rounds of submission. This wasn’t possible in APS and wasn’t the experience of my children’s peers.

Weird. My kid in private had less homework than friends in public for 9th/10th. WL kids started doing APs in 9th and/or were doing IB.

By 11th, it seemed about the same.

My post was specific to my children’s experience at a Big3 private. I am certain you could find a range of different experiences at the various private schools across DC.

Your kids were doing APs in 9th?

That’s fairly common in APS, at least with families I know. It makes sense considering you can start high school credit classes in 7th grade.

Yes, very common in APS. Along with the hours of homework. On top of sports, activities, etc.

Maybe the PP doesn’t know any of the high-achieving kids in APS if he thinks they have lots of free time.

Look, I get that you all feel defensive about your own child’s experience. I do know high achieving kids, taking all your will APs. And, unfortunately, the work at the Cathedral Schools/Sidwell/GDS/Potomac is significantly more difficult and robust. You a pretend otherwise if it helps you sleep. You can also tell yourself that it’s better for your kid to enjoy HS and “find their interests.” All of that is justifiable. But pretending the workload is similar for the brightest kids is incorrect.

I'm not defensive at all. Just trying to understand how you have such a skewed perception about the amount of homework and free time in APS high schools: "Freshman/sophomore years in APS, kids peers in APS were still not really doing homework"

While that may be true for your kid's friends, many freshman/sophomores in APS do have solid amounts of homework; they are taking APs, etc.

Look, I get that there are kids doing homework in APS. My kids friends were doing homework in MS, but that’s only because they didn’t finish the work in class. My kids never had homework because they finished. This is true for my kids friend in IB and APs at YHS and W&L freshman and sophomore year. These are the top kids, sorry you don’t believe me. It’s nothing like the every night 1.5-3 hrs at a top private for those first rwo years of HS. Maybe you are thinking more like junior year? Maybe you are thinking about your own kids experience? Were they as efficient as you really think? It’s a meaningful difference between public and privates for OP to consider. Plus, of course, the writing.

I’m not sure how old your kids are (maybe some of them are now in college), but I can attest that aps does have a significant amount of homework in middle school and highschool now. In middle school, my middle child has actual projects that are not given time in class to work on. There is weekly math, science, English, and language work that is legitimate homework— time is not given in class to start it. They have their home room as study hall, but it’s not just goofing off leads to homework. That may be different from when you knew middle schoolers!
Similarly, my very smart 9th grader has about 1.5-3 hours of homework a night. She is taking an ap class so it kind of ebbs and wanes, but a lot of what you described she has in that class. Socratic seminars. Weekly essays that are graded very harshly. It’s good preparation for college. She is very efficient and still is working away at home. I’m just saying that your kids peers experiences may not be consistent with how it is now. I think they only started the ap class for freshmen maybe three years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We sent our kids to APS all the way through 8th and then private Big3 HS. Our kids did very well and had no issue coming from APS, they were well prepared. But, our private HS experience was vastly different than our public school friend at W&L and Yorktown. To each their own, but we were very happy for the children to experience the rigor of private for the HS years. I would not send my kids to private ES and expect some big difference…unless I was at a not great ES or alternatively my kid had a lot of needs. Just my two cents.

Was it mostly a difference in academic rigor between your experience and your friends W&L/Yorktown experiences?

Academic and social differences. I wouldn’t pay for private school for a different social experience, however. Plenty of great/bright kids in APS that I would’ve been more than happy for my kids to socialize with. Some weirdos in both systems so whatever; sort of a wash and kid dependent.

Academically, there were many differences but two biggest for us were: (1) amount of homework and (2) writing. My kids were doing 1.5-3 hours of homework starting in 9. Nothing like this for kids’ APS peers. Freshman/sophomore years in APS, kids peers in APS were still not really doing homework. This meant there lives were very different. My kids didn’t have free time in the same way that APS kids do. Many families don’t want this, I get it. Next, the writing. My kids were writing many page papers starting in 9, many times per year, with significant feedback/editing from their teachers with multiple rounds of submission. This wasn’t possible in APS and wasn’t the experience of my children’s peers.

Weird. My kid in private had less homework than friends in public for 9th/10th. WL kids started doing APs in 9th and/or were doing IB.

By 11th, it seemed about the same.

My post was specific to my children’s experience at a Big3 private. I am certain you could find a range of different experiences at the various private schools across DC.

Your kids were doing APs in 9th?

That’s fairly common in APS, at least with families I know. It makes sense considering you can start high school credit classes in 7th grade.

Public is more advanced in math, though the quality of instruction is a concern. But the curriculum is well defined.

But it is “toss into deep end” from no-homework MS to AP HS.

Which MS did your kids attend?

Our kids have/had homework at DHMS.

Homework at DHMS is just classwork that is not finished. My kid always completed it in the allotted classtime.

Do they assign class-wide novels now? It was all "readers choice" and excerpts then. We were there in earlier years when it was a bit unpolished (but Principal was and is a gem).

What about weeks long projects, such as researching a topic and building a display and presenting on it?

Yes— my kid has had all of those (class wide novels, papers, weeks long projects) that have to be done at home. The intensified classes are more work than the classes used to be.

Yes, they started intensified this year at DHMS right? That is great. We are considering what to do for our elementary, and were hoping to stay with DHMS and then figure out high school.

How well does DHMS coach on executive function (such as setuping binder folders for every class, running a daily planner and calendar, setting due dates and breaking up projects into smaller manageable dated tasks)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We sent our kids to APS all the way through 8th and then private Big3 HS. Our kids did very well and had no issue coming from APS, they were well prepared. But, our private HS experience was vastly different than our public school friend at W&L and Yorktown. To each their own, but we were very happy for the children to experience the rigor of private for the HS years. I would not send my kids to private ES and expect some big difference…unless I was at a not great ES or alternatively my kid had a lot of needs. Just my two cents.

Was it mostly a difference in academic rigor between your experience and your friends W&L/Yorktown experiences?

Academic and social differences. I wouldn’t pay for private school for a different social experience, however. Plenty of great/bright kids in APS that I would’ve been more than happy for my kids to socialize with. Some weirdos in both systems so whatever; sort of a wash and kid dependent.

Academically, there were many differences but two biggest for us were: (1) amount of homework and (2) writing. My kids were doing 1.5-3 hours of homework starting in 9. Nothing like this for kids’ APS peers. Freshman/sophomore years in APS, kids peers in APS were still not really doing homework. This meant there lives were very different. My kids didn’t have free time in the same way that APS kids do. Many families don’t want this, I get it. Next, the writing. My kids were writing many page papers starting in 9, many times per year, with significant feedback/editing from their teachers with multiple rounds of submission. This wasn’t possible in APS and wasn’t the experience of my children’s peers.

Weird. My kid in private had less homework than friends in public for 9th/10th. WL kids started doing APs in 9th and/or were doing IB.

By 11th, it seemed about the same.

My post was specific to my children’s experience at a Big3 private. I am certain you could find a range of different experiences at the various private schools across DC.

Your kids were doing APs in 9th?

That’s fairly common in APS, at least with families I know. It makes sense considering you can start high school credit classes in 7th grade.

Public is more advanced in math, though the quality of instruction is a concern. But the curriculum is well defined.

But it is “toss into deep end” from no-homework MS to AP HS.

Which MS did your kids attend?

Our kids have/had homework at DHMS.

Homework at DHMS is just classwork that is not finished. My kid always completed it in the allotted classtime.

I’m not sure why this myth about no homework at APS middle schools persists. My kid was at a different MS, but he had homework. As in, the math teacher teaches for the whole period, then assigns homework to do later. In Spanish (immersion), there was lots of reading, plus long projects, to be done at home. Now, my kid might sometimes do math homework during homeroom, but it wasn’t enough time to do it all, and it wasn’t unfinished class work.

I think the reason the “myth” (for you) persists is that two families can have very different experiences in the same school/classes. Our kids never had homework; that is, they never had work that they had to finish at home. That is not to say they weren’t assigned “homework” nor is it to say that other kids weren’t doing this same work at home. Accordingly, two families/two kids and yet different experiences. 99% of the time our kids finished the purported “home” work during the remainder of the block period. Infrequently, they would have to finish during homeroom or the miscellaneous SEL time. We have very driven, academically oriented kids.

Most MS kids spend significant time in school goofing off. It’s totally normal and healthy and absolutely zero indication of how smart the kids are or how successful they will be in HS or beyond. I absolutely am not criticizing the kids nor was it a problem for our family that my kids weren’t doing homework. They did other things. Happily. As I posted earlier, my kids went on to Big3 private HS and have been very successful. I feel like APS prepared them just fine and they weren’t missing something that private MS couldn’t afforded them.

The "myth" arose because many elementary schools adopted a NO HOMEWORK POLICY as part of an equity issue -- there was no way to be sure a child would have a reasonable environment or time to complete said homework depending on their family circumstances. I thought that discussion was also on-going in regards to Middle and High school students (since again because of inequity some students may be watching younger siblings or working a family business or not have a quiet and suitable place to work on homework).

Equity was a very much discussed topic for the past 5 years, and has bled into homework policy, standards based grading (like, why exactly did we get rid of letter grades -- I still don't understand), transportation policy etc. Our Superintendent was a Chief Equity Office for FCPS -- so clearly the School Board has prioritized it. Maybe public opinion has swayed away from equity concerns, and differentiation, challenging homework to be done at home, etc can be restore to the APS academic experience.