MS/HS recommendations for artsy kid

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Anonymous wrote:Einstein is academically weak.

Other than math, we’ve been pleased. English and history instruction have been stellar. IB diploma kid.

PP with kid at Einstein. DD is not in the IB program and we’re a bit disappointed about lack of AP science. Otherwise, we’ve been ok with the academics.

The lack of aps and advance math and science classes is our biggest issue. They have some very bright and capable teachers who can teach them but the principal will not allocate classes to aps.

Einstein still has AP classes, just not in science, because they have IB science instead.

The IB is different from AP classes, and there is no advanced math after Calc BC (i.e., linear algebra or multivariable). They are taught very differntly. So, your option is to take AB and BC, then Stat's or IB, which is lower than BC. A lot of kids would prefer AP Science classes. Some colleges don't take IB credits and prefer AP. Or, you have to go to MC, which either requires a car/transportation or online (and the times offered are usually at night, which rules out sports or other activities). Many of the high-achieving kids go to Wheaton or Blair, which is unfortunate, as they'd probably get more high-achieving kids if they offered more AP, computer science, and engineering classes. The AP computer science teacher is very good (or at least our experience). A lot of parents and students complain about the lack of AP classes but the principal refuses to add more.

Einstein used to have both AP and IB science classes, but they had a hard time getting enough students to enroll to justify both, and they need to have IB classes because they're an IB school.

They have a hard time as the guidance counselors discourage it and it’s not offered so many smart kids go to other schools or are forced to take classes at Mc.

No, they used to offer both AP and IB science several years ago, but there were only so many students interested in the advanced courses, and they had trouble filling both, so they went with IB for science.

If they offered it, more kids might go to Einstein, which would improve test scores and ratings. They don’t encourage anything it, or at least our experience.

Einstein is seriously overcrowded already, so seems to have no trouble attracting students.

The brighter students are going to other schools if they can due to the lack of course offering. They have a lots of great kids there but you are entirely missing the point. It’s not about attracting students as kids will be assigned there regardless, it’s about the brighter students who can are choosing to go to other schools and the ones at Einstein go without the classes and clubs they need to be competitive to get into colleges. If you are arts or humanities, you’ll be fine. If you are stem, there is very limited courses and clubs. Given the size of the school they could offer a few science aps, higher math, computer science and engineering classes to attract the high achievers. That would also bring up test scores and school rating. We are talking less than a dozen classes.

One of the features of the DCC is that the different schools have different focuses. Students interested in AP science classes can find them at other schools.

The problem is families are not fully explained this and it’s a lottery or application so if you don’t get in too bad and you cannot easily transfer later. You cannot just take classes at other schools.

I think it's definitely explained in terms of which courses are available where. I agree there's less discussion in the MS years about the potential college impact of what path you choose for HS. But I do feel, living in the DCC, that STEM is all I hear about most of the time. If you want lots of that, you apply for Blair or Wheaton or even Northwood (for the MC2 program and other MC connections). I'm on the other side of the fence: extremely artsy kid who is made for the arts and IB programming at Einstein, but who is out-of-bounds DCC and will not automatically get in. When the arts and humanities programming is at the same level in all the other schools, then I'm open to thinking about (for example) whether Einstein really needs multivariable calculus when Wheaton is so close by.

You are entirely missing the point. Not all kids get those special programs even in bounds and go to what ever school they are assigned to. Arts are not the same at all schools either. So, if an Einstein child needs multivariable it’s not simple to just go to Wheaton as they are overcapacity so it’s no to a cosa.

Out of bounds is not relevant. If you choose to live out of bounds you should not be allowed in the DCC and take our kids spots when you have your own schools that have more anyway.

Oh, no, we're in the DCC. But Einstein is not our home school so its not guaranteed for our student.

It makes no sense in these large schools that they cannot have more offerings. Einstein is a good school, but it very much holds back smart kids and doesn't attract them if not in bounds because of the lack of offerings. Then parents comment about test scores and test scores for a school like Einstein can only go up if they have more course offerings to attract the smarter students. Being an arts school, they don't even have AP music theory.

According to the presentation the Einstein band director shared on his Canvas page for auditions they do offer AP Music Theory. Maybe kids just are r signing up for it.

They are not offering it next year. They offered it in the past.

[Anonymous]

Fwiw AP music theory is no measure of arts excellence. It contains a lot of information and material that most serious musicians should have been exposed to years before they might take either the course or the exam. First semester of college theory at best, and maybe not even that. Don't benchmark by it.

[Anonymous]

Not sure if it was this thread or another one that said Einstein doesn’t have AP science classes. I absolutely see it on the list to choose from, along with AP Music theory. So who do I complain to about false advertising if they aren’t actually offering these courses? A big bait and switch to get kids to make certain choices in the lottery or just incompetence?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not sure if it was this thread or another one that said Einstein doesn’t have AP science classes. I absolutely see it on the list to choose from, along with AP Music theory. So who do I complain to about false advertising if they aren’t actually offering these courses? A big bait and switch to get kids to make certain choices in the lottery or just incompetence?

Not sure what list you're seeing, but this is the course bulletin from Einstein's website:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ahQmKa3acSRnJPnTI4UnQ23eQj5GXYUFaBQio0PtgfI/edit?usp=sharing

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fwiw AP music theory is no measure of arts excellence. It contains a lot of information and material that most serious musicians should have been exposed to years before they might take either the course or the exam. First semester of college theory at best, and maybe not even that. Don't benchmark by it.

Agree, but it’s an elective kids want and will enjoy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not sure if it was this thread or another one that said Einstein doesn’t have AP science classes. I absolutely see it on the list to choose from, along with AP Music theory. So who do I complain to about false advertising if they aren’t actually offering these courses? A big bait and switch to get kids to make certain choices in the lottery or just incompetence?

Maybe they added it but we were told they were not having it this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My Einstein DC is a STEM kid in the VAC who wants to do something design-engineering-ish. Taking BC Calc and AP Stats is fine - no one needs MV Calc in high school - but an AP Science would be nice in place of a random, one-off IB class. Ah, well. Tradeoffs. We’re still happy with Einstein overall.

Wouldn’t it be nice if they offered it to make your smart child more competitive for college?

I don’t think taking AP physics instead of IB physics would make her more competitive for college. I don’t think kids are penalized for not taking what their schools don’t offer. But I do think AP course design is a better fit for her for other reasons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is what the ongoing academic programs analysis is meant to address:

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/academic-programs-analysis/

Not saying that shouldn't be done, but it's mindboggling that they can't simply have made a spreadsheet built from catalogs for theoretical offerings and from course registrations for active classes and made that public semester by semester. Years ago. Decades, at this point.

[Anonymous]

einstein parent here, and I agree that the lack of science AP's is the weak spot. Math is great, however! We love the AP Calc teacher who is also head of the department.

it's true there is no MV calc or higher--but there aren't close to enough kids to fill a class. 30 kids have taken the BC exam in the past three years combined, and of those, only 5 students got a 4 or 5. Just one five. In three years.

https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/data/LAR-charts/AP-Exam-by-Subject.html

It's trending upwards, and that's good. But it's wise to ensure the existing options are serving students before considering options that would serve only a tiny minority--and I say that as the parent of one of that tiny minority.

Class offerings notwithstanding, we really like the community at Einstein. For my student, the low-key vibe and supportive, relatively low-drama, chill social environment has been as instrumental to their success as this or that course offering. That might just be us, but I'm really glad my kid is there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not sure if it was this thread or another one that said Einstein doesn’t have AP science classes. I absolutely see it on the list to choose from, along with AP Music theory. So who do I complain to about false advertising if they aren’t actually offering these courses? A big bait and switch to get kids to make certain choices in the lottery or just incompetence?

We’ve all complained. They don’t care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:einstein parent here, and I agree that the lack of science AP's is the weak spot. Math is great, however! We love the AP Calc teacher who is also head of the department.

it's true there is no MV calc or higher--but there aren't close to enough kids to fill a class. 30 kids have taken the BC exam in the past three years combined, and of those, only 5 students got a 4 or 5. Just one five. In three years.

https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/data/LAR-charts/AP-Exam-by-Subject.html

It's trending upwards, and that's good. But it's wise to ensure the existing options are serving students before considering options that would serve only a tiny minority--and I say that as the parent of one of that tiny minority.

Class offerings notwithstanding, we really like the community at Einstein. For my student, the low-key vibe and supportive, relatively low-drama, chill social environment has been as instrumental to their success as this or that course offering. That might just be us, but I'm really glad my kid is there.

There are a handful of kids to take Mv. They don’t allow kids to take BC without AB in less you fight for it. If they offered it, more smart kids might choose Einstein.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:einstein parent here, and I agree that the lack of science AP's is the weak spot. Math is great, however! We love the AP Calc teacher who is also head of the department.

it's true there is no MV calc or higher--but there aren't close to enough kids to fill a class. 30 kids have taken the BC exam in the past three years combined, and of those, only 5 students got a 4 or 5. Just one five. In three years.

https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/data/LAR-charts/AP-Exam-by-Subject.html

It's trending upwards, and that's good. But it's wise to ensure the existing options are serving students before considering options that would serve only a tiny minority--and I say that as the parent of one of that tiny minority.

Class offerings notwithstanding, we really like the community at Einstein. For my student, the low-key vibe and supportive, relatively low-drama, chill social environment has been as instrumental to their success as this or that course offering. That might just be us, but I'm really glad my kid is there.

If kids aren’t getting high marks, maybe the teacher is the issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:einstein parent here, and I agree that the lack of science AP's is the weak spot. Math is great, however! We love the AP Calc teacher who is also head of the department.

it's true there is no MV calc or higher--but there aren't close to enough kids to fill a class. 30 kids have taken the BC exam in the past three years combined, and of those, only 5 students got a 4 or 5. Just one five. In three years.

https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/data/LAR-charts/AP-Exam-by-Subject.html

It's trending upwards, and that's good. But it's wise to ensure the existing options are serving students before considering options that would serve only a tiny minority--and I say that as the parent of one of that tiny minority.

Class offerings notwithstanding, we really like the community at Einstein. For my student, the low-key vibe and supportive, relatively low-drama, chill social environment has been as instrumental to their success as this or that course offering. That might just be us, but I'm really glad my kid is there.

There are a handful of kids to take Mv. They don’t allow kids to take BC without AB in less you fight for it. If they offered it, more smart kids might choose Einstein.

I wonder if that’s changing. My current 10th grader had to ask the math teacher and counselor to enroll in BC after Pre-Calc, but it was approved. I was not involved at all, and, knowing DC, I find it hard to believe they “fought” for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:einstein parent here, and I agree that the lack of science AP's is the weak spot. Math is great, however! We love the AP Calc teacher who is also head of the department.

it's true there is no MV calc or higher--but there aren't close to enough kids to fill a class. 30 kids have taken the BC exam in the past three years combined, and of those, only 5 students got a 4 or 5. Just one five. In three years.

https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/data/LAR-charts/AP-Exam-by-Subject.html

It's trending upwards, and that's good. But it's wise to ensure the existing options are serving students before considering options that would serve only a tiny minority--and I say that as the parent of one of that tiny minority.

Class offerings notwithstanding, we really like the community at Einstein. For my student, the low-key vibe and supportive, relatively low-drama, chill social environment has been as instrumental to their success as this or that course offering. That might just be us, but I'm really glad my kid is there.

There are a handful of kids to take Mv. They don’t allow kids to take BC without AB in less you fight for it. If they offered it, more smart kids might choose Einstein.

I wonder if that’s changing. My current 10th grader had to ask the math teacher and counselor to enroll in BC after Pre-Calc, but it was approved. I was not involved at all, and, knowing DC, I find it hard to believe they “fought” for it.

You can get an override from the BC teacher/math head, but it wasn't easy to do as they push you to do AB first. Doing AB and BC is silly as the differerence is maybe a dozen chapters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:einstein parent here, and I agree that the lack of science AP's is the weak spot. Math is great, however! We love the AP Calc teacher who is also head of the department.

it's true there is no MV calc or higher--but there aren't close to enough kids to fill a class. 30 kids have taken the BC exam in the past three years combined, and of those, only 5 students got a 4 or 5. Just one five. In three years.

https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/data/LAR-charts/AP-Exam-by-Subject.html

It's trending upwards, and that's good. But it's wise to ensure the existing options are serving students before considering options that would serve only a tiny minority--and I say that as the parent of one of that tiny minority.

Class offerings notwithstanding, we really like the community at Einstein. For my student, the low-key vibe and supportive, relatively low-drama, chill social environment has been as instrumental to their success as this or that course offering. That might just be us, but I'm really glad my kid is there.

There are a handful of kids to take Mv. They don’t allow kids to take BC without AB in less you fight for it. If they offered it, more smart kids might choose Einstein.

There are smart kids at Einstein. They just don't get their needs met.