Assessing proficiency in private schools

[Anonymous]

please end this discussion. If you want scores and the schools aren't giving them to you, as you all say it is a business so take your business elsewhere. You are getting what you want from the public schools which is the scores. Private can't meet your needs so really there is no reason for more discussion.

Our ERB comparison and experience with public school kids coming into DS school is that the the private school kids are more than matching the suburban schools abilities and in many cases, while the MoCo kids are "ahead" in math, many have trouble with math in DS school because they have width but no depth in their knowledge.
Yes a generalization but have seen it too many times.

[Anonymous]

you are saying the only value of a private school is test results. As many posters have pointed out, school is not only about results. In many cases, private and public are the same. (SAT's, college acceptance etc)

Many go private because they can provide small classes, teacher attentiveness, more music, art etc. This can't be measured and as many posters have pointed out is subjective.


AS many have said. Stay public. You will get what you want.

Nope. I am not saying the only value of a private school is test results. The private school is saying this; for if there are so many other more significant variables of importance there would be no reason to hide test results ... or perhaps only let you see them when you're hooked and in the system.

[Anonymous]

please end this discussion. If you want scores and the schools aren't giving them to you, as you all say it is a business so take your business elsewhere. You are getting what you want from the public schools which is the scores. Private can't meet your needs so really there is no reason for more discussion.

Our ERB comparison and experience with public school kids coming into DS school is that the the private school kids are more than matching the suburban schools abilities and in many cases, while the MoCo kids are "ahead" in math, many have trouble with math in DS school because they have width but no depth in their knowledge.
Yes a generalization but have seen it too many times.

I apologise the discussion makes you quiver and brings intellectual discomfort. What would you like to discuss instead?

[Anonymous]

I think we have a poster who is more interested in picking a fight than having a genuine discussion.

Just in case I'm wrong, I will add that the ERBs at our school (anecdotal sample of one, of course) are quite good. I suppose I would have liked to know that before applying, except I really felt like I DID know that going in. Maybe I was just being incredibly naive or believed the hype or whatever, but I assumed that the general feeling around town that this area has very good private schools (MANY of them, too, not just "three" or "five" or even "ten") meant that they probably produced reasonably high test scores. Given that they each cherry pick the best kids they can ... why on earth would their scores NOT be good, even if they provided lousy instruction??

Therefore, given my assumption regarding test scores, I was looking more at other differences between them ... those items that are definitely subjective and evaluated differently by each of us according to our preferences, values, and even such mundane criteria as driving distance and relative affordability.

If the test scores were awful ... would large numbers of parents leave their children in these schools and seek to have younger siblings admitted? Logic indicates no, at least to me.

I was not interested in comparing private to public ... perhaps that is why knowing test scores was not essential to me. Anyway, not releasing scores is different than "hiding" them ... at least for me.

[Anonymous]

By all means, let's have another go round of "private schools should publish test scores" followed by "they don't publish test scores," followed by "they should or they won't get me or any customers" followed by "they seem to be getting customers although maybe not you." It's a wonderfully stimulating discussion, fun to have over and over!

[Anonymous]

I think we have a poster who is more interested in picking a fight than having a genuine discussion.

Just in case I'm wrong, I will add that the ERBs at our school (anecdotal sample of one, of course) are quite good. I suppose I would have liked to know that before applying, except I really felt like I DID know that going in. Maybe I was just being incredibly naive or believed the hype or whatever, but I assumed that the general feeling around town that this area has very good private schools (MANY of them, too, not just "three" or "five" or even "ten") meant that they probably produced reasonably high test scores. Given that they each cherry pick the best kids they can ... why on earth would their scores NOT be good, even if they provided lousy instruction??

Therefore, given my assumption regarding test scores, I was looking more at other differences between them ... those items that are definitely subjective and evaluated differently by each of us according to our preferences, values, and even such mundane criteria as driving distance and relative affordability.

If the test scores were awful ... would large numbers of parents leave their children in these schools and seek to have younger siblings admitted? Logic indicates no, at least to me.

I was not interested in comparing private to public ... perhaps that is why knowing test scores was not essential to me. Anyway, not releasing scores is different than "hiding" them ... at least for me.

Tell us what you are doing then? Excusing yourself in advance.

[Anonymous]

9:28

I am neither quivering or have the least bit of discomfort. I am very happy with my choice to write checks for tuition. My kids are happy, thriving and doing well in their studies. As the PP and others have said, it is not hard to judge the quality of the school. What annoys me are the people who keep posting how the private schools are disingenuous by not releasing scores and their must be something sinister in their motives or they will all go out of business.

Private is a choice. No one is forcing you to write a check. If you don't like the methods or how they operate, they don't go. It is pretty simple. Private schools are no panacea. Neither is public. They each have their positive and negatives and each family can judge for themselves what is best for them.

[Anonymous]

By all means, let's have another go round of "private schools should publish test scores" followed by "they don't publish test scores," followed by "they should or they won't get me or any customers" followed by "they seem to be getting customers although maybe not you." It's a wonderfully stimulating discussion, fun to have over and over!

Have you ever considered moving on if you do not like a discussion and let others who prefer the topic and discussion at hand continue?
Or do you always want to control what others discuss?

[Anonymous]

I thought I said "by all means" That means, "please, go ahead and have this discussion."

[Anonymous]

what else is there to discuss?

Here is the summary

1) Private Schools don't release ERB's
2) Some posters think this is wrong
3) Other posters point out they have judged their private school with other factors
4) Poster's say private school is business, should release to the customers
5) Poster's point out that private is a choice, you don't have to like what the schools do
6) Poster's claim privates hurt themselves, may go out of business

If there is anything left that we might have missed by all means post it. Just not sure what more can be said.

[Anonymous]

One more thing that could be said is that the same things that may annoy you as an applicant (e.g. standardized test scores aren't public) may serve your children well if they enroll (e.g. no pressure on teachers to teach to the test, broad curriculum rather than one designed to maximize scores).

And a private school that is already getting the applicant pool it hopes to attract has no reason to privilege the preferences of potential applicants over those of its students and the parents already actually investing (in a variety of ways) in the school.

[Anonymous]

How do I know if this is good ice cream if it wasn't included in the Consumer Reports Taste Test? (um, you taste it -- and you know what? If *you* don't like how it tastes, what the tasting panel would have thought doesn't really matter.)

How do I know whether this is a good company to work for? (You talk to people who have worked there, you ask for what you think you need and see if you get it. You meet your future boss and size up whether this is someone you will work well with. And sometimes, even after you've done all that stuff, you just don't know until after you take the job. If you discover you guessed wrong, you leave.)

How do I know whether this person is smart if she won't tell me what her SAT scores were? (Odds are you wouldn't recognize smart if it hit you with a 2x4).

[Anonymous]

tee hee 10:41.

[Anonymous]

I think we have a poster who is more interested in picking a fight than having a genuine discussion.

[Anonymous]

I'm complaining because private school folks read DCUM and maybe they will take note. No, you're not my audience because obviously you've made up your mind on evidence that works for you. And good for you.

The attempt to shut down (dare I say "censor") this discussion makes me want to laugh, though! You do realize you are telling the schools that we don't even want to have this conversation....

Telling me you "think" "10 or 20" schools have good test results isn't particularly comforting, BTW. We're supposed to believe you in the face of schools refusing to publish for motives that have been rightly questioned here? And what about privates beyond these lucky 20 you postulate?