Will Deal challenge a smart kid?

[Anonymous]

Sadly, the answer to your question is either no, or not really.

Short of moving to MoCo or Fairfax and testing into one of their several MS magnet programs, you're not going to find what you're looking for in the public school realm in this Metro area, other that at BASIS, where facilities and extra curriculars are weak. The only DC public school where your child would have access to seriously advanced math (e.g. 6th grade algebra or geometry on track to 8th or 9th grade calculus) is BASIS. It doesn't sound like you put in for BASIS in the lottery for 5th or 6th.

Why not supplement some more, e.g. through the Stanford Education Program for Gifted Youth. Their on-line classes aren't cheap, but in our experience, they're terrific.

It also sounds like you could do more with the Spanish instruction. We take our children to a language program in MoCo for several hours on Sun afternoons - great classes, many advanced kids we've known for years.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sadly, the answer to your question is either no, or not really.

Short of moving to MoCo or Fairfax and testing into one of their several MS magnet programs, you're not going to find what you're looking for in the public school realm in this Metro area, other that at BASIS, where facilities and extra curriculars are weak. The only DC public school where your child would have access to seriously advanced math (e.g. 6th grade algebra or geometry on track to 8th or 9th grade calculus) is BASIS. It doesn't sound like you put in for BASIS in the lottery for 5th or 6th.

Why not supplement some more, e.g. through the Stanford Education Program for Gifted Youth. Their on-line classes aren't cheap, but in our experience, they're terrific.

It also sounds like you could do more with the Spanish instruction. We take our children to a language program in MoCo for several hours on Sun afternoons - great classes, many advanced kids we've known for years.

Good luck.

What is the name of the Sunday MoCo Spanish program?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think this group of people is working closely with DCPS, so I would not write them off so quickly.

I took the DCPS Wilson feeder survey on relieving overcrowding, and it was one of the options they asked about. Here's the question:

Which of the following solutions do you find appealing or interesting? Check all that apply.

Modify existing facilities to add space
Partnerships or contracts to purchase or rent additional space
Open a new school or early childhood center
Use existing space more creatively (overlapping schedules, year-round use, utilize under-used portions of existing schools, etc.)
Limit out of boundary enrollment
Reduce pre-kindergarten in non-Title 1 elementary schools
Combine Deal MS and Hardy MS boundaries, possibly using Hardy for 6th grade and Deal for 7th and 8th
Dual feeder rights for MS and HS for schools in the Wilson feeder pattern
Increase investment in schools outside the Wilson feeder pattern to make them more attractive
Other:

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think this group of people is working closely with DCPS, so I would not write them off so quickly.

I took the DCPS Wilson feeder survey on relieving overcrowding, and it was one of the options they asked about. Here's the question:

Which of the following solutions do you find appealing or interesting? Check all that apply.

Modify existing facilities to add space
Partnerships or contracts to purchase or rent additional space
Open a new school or early childhood center
Use existing space more creatively (overlapping schedules, year-round use, utilize under-used portions of existing schools, etc.)
Limit out of boundary enrollment
Reduce pre-kindergarten in non-Title 1 elementary schools
Combine Deal MS and Hardy MS boundaries, possibly using Hardy for 6th grade and Deal for 7th and 8th
Dual feeder rights for MS and HS for schools in the Wilson feeder pattern
Increase investment in schools outside the Wilson feeder pattern to make them more attractive
Other:

It is worth reminding everyone that conducting a re-do of the pitiful boundary review process was prevented from being considered by DCPS.

[Anonymous]

Many people wrote it in but I doubt there it will be considered.

[Anonymous]

Only one way to find out, OP. Send her and if it's not the right fit, go from there and make a change of yourself have to. It would be preemptive for you to pull her without her experiencing it. I can see this if you feel she would fail, but having a high flier in 6th grade (the toughest year in school IMO) is not a horrible thing.

[Anonymous]

This past summer, Deal offered an accelerated math program; my kid took Math 7 last year as a 6th grader, then begged to be able to take Math 8 over the summer, so she's now in Algebra 1 with some fellow 7th-graders & a larger number of 8th-graders.

Good luck finding the right fit for your daughter!

[Anonymous]

PP, if you're concerned about challenge at Deal, why have you enrolled your kid? Why didn't you do what my sister did, moved to a suburban county for 5th grade so her child could take the test to enter an all-GT 6th-8th grade program (which the child cracked)? Alternatively, why didn't you apply her to private schools if you can afford private? Or homeschool if you can swing it?

You're obviously not going to find appropriate challenge across the board for a really smart kid in public school in a city that has long eschewed formal K-8th GT programs due to obnoxious racial politics. So what's keeping you in the DC public system?

Hint: Wilson won't offer appropriate challenge either. It's honors for everybody in 9th grade there now.

You have a choice, you can make do by making the effort, and spending the dough, to supplement extensively, or you can bail. Sorry, but you can't find appropriate challenge across the board at any DC public school because it's not there.

[Anonymous]

PP hasn't enrolled yet; kid is in 5th grade. Valid points - move to the burbs if you feel you need a bona fide GT program and can't afford private. You won't find true MS GT in DC public outside the BASIS math and science curriculum.

[Anonymous]

OK, so the people who are actually at Deal say yes, and a bunch who have not disclosed a connection to Deal say no.

OP, you have to talk to people in real life to get your answer. Talk to classmates' parents who have older kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OK, so the people who are actually at Deal say yes, and a bunch who have not disclosed a connection to Deal say no.

OP, you have to talk to people in real life to get your answer. Talk to classmates' parents who have older kids.

Agree with this! I talked with a neighbor over a year ago about Deal. They were relocating to Europe so she was completely honest with me. My kids were in private school too. I have no worries about my children going to Deal next year.

[Anonymous]

I have a 7th grader at Deal. He likes the school and his friends. I liked the curriculum they presented at the back to school night last year. The teachers are great and really care about the kids in my experience.
He is an average kid, but willing to put extra effort when he needs to. He learns plenty in my opinion and he will be joining at least 2 clubs, at my urging. So yes, he is "challenged".

My other DC is like your daughter and will also be going to Deal. The school is what you make of it, you can coast by or you can really take advantage of their curriculum, in which case, as I have observed with my son, the teachers will be more than willing to lend you a hand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP, if you're concerned about challenge at Deal, why have you enrolled your kid? Why didn't you do what my sister did, moved to a suburban county for 5th grade so her child could take the test to enter an all-GT 6th-8th grade program (which the child cracked)? Alternatively, why didn't you apply her to private schools if you can afford private? Or homeschool if you can swing it?

You're obviously not going to find appropriate challenge across the board for a really smart kid in public school in a city that has long eschewed formal K-8th GT programs due to obnoxious racial politics. So what's keeping you in the DC public system?

Hint: Wilson won't offer appropriate challenge either. It's honors for everybody in 9th grade there now.

You have a choice, you can make do by making the effort, and spending the dough, to supplement extensively, or you can bail. Sorry, but you can't find appropriate challenge across the board at any DC public school because it's not there.

Wow, you must have significant, wide-ranging, first-hand experience with DCPS. Can you tell us about it? I have a kid at Deal (and another in ES), but I wouldn't feel comfortable speaking with this level of confidence about Deal, much less the school system at large. Please share--we'd love to learn from your obviously extensive experience!

[Anonymous]

Actually, I have wide-ranging experience as a HS guidance counselor at DC privates and MoCo test-in publics. DC parents (or ex DC parents) I deal with who've come through Deal tend to assume that their students are as well-prepared as the strongest students coming out of top privates and suburban MS GT programs. In my experience, this is very seldom the case. Unless parents have supplemented extensively from the upper elementary grades, or their kids are geniuses, there's catching up to do. The fact is that Deal doesn't offer formal pullout groups, or advanced classes for advanced students, in any subject but math, which generally isn't well taught in even the best DCPS elementary schools. Deal certainly isn't a bad school, but it's not set up to cater to the strongest students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Actually, I have wide-ranging experience as a HS guidance counselor at DC privates and MoCo test-in publics. DC parents (or ex DC parents) I deal with who've come through Deal tend to assume that their students are as well-prepared as the strongest students coming out of top privates and suburban MS GT programs. In my experience, this is very seldom the case. Unless parents have supplemented extensively from the upper elementary grades, or their kids are geniuses, there's catching up to do. The fact is that Deal doesn't offer formal pullout groups, or advanced classes for advanced students, in any subject but math, which generally isn't well taught in even the best DCPS elementary schools. Deal certainly isn't a bad school, but it's not set up to cater to the strongest students.

You are talking about top privates and MS GT programs. Do you have experience with kids from average MS suburban schools?