Einstein vs. Northwood, and how does school choice in the DCC work?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a little confused now about which responses have come from OP. Perhaps a better word than peers is “cohort.” All of humanity are our peers, but for the time being, we get to choose our kids’ cohort. This has nothing to do with race; there are students of color in the IB and AP classes. Many of them are first-generation.

Same PP. If your child has had a fantastic experience in on-level or below-level classes at Einstein or any other DCC school, speak up.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:OP, I'm sorry that I misread your previous statement about 9th grade classes. My worry for a student taking Algebra 1 and Foreign Language 1 in 9th grade in MCPS would be that your student may be in classes with a lot of students who are academic strugglers, troublemakers, or very new to the English language. This might be non-PC of me to say. My DC started a new language in 9th grade and was really disappointed. It's not like Foreign Language 1 in any private school I know of. The strong MCPS students already took Foreign Language 1 in 6th or 7th grade. The weaker students wait to take it in 9th. Some older students are retaking Foreign Language 1 for the 2nd or 3rd time in order to pass. I am not making this up. The exception would be Japanese 1, which will have motivated 9th graders who haven't studied it before.

It will likely be a similar situation in Algebra 1, which is not available as an honors class. The worst math students in the entire high school are going to be in Algebra 1. Likely, some are retaking it in order to pass.

I have known students who were behind in math, with other academic strengths. I have known students who were behind in foreign language (often with learning disabilities), who had other academic strengths. I would worry about a former private school student who has to take the lower level offerings in both.

Have you considered Duke Ellington in DC (costs less than a private) or DeMatha in Hyattsville? At both schools, there should be a strong work ethic demanded of academically average students while providing an excellent music education.

I'd love to see the Einstein band gain your son, but I would want to make sure that he is going to get the academic atmosphere that you are looking for.

I think it's odd that, without knowing anything about my kid other than that his parent thinks he's fantastic and he plays an instrument you assume that other kids on his level are terrible, but he's not and should be rescued from them.

This person is just giving you a heads up that your child's peers (we are assuming college bound students) will likely be in APUSH, Geometry or higher, and World Language 2 or higher. You also want to put your kid in Pre-IB English. On level and honors classes (because MCPS mixes honors and on level at most schools) are going to be filled with kids who are not college bound (maybe you don't care, I get it), and there are more likely to be disruptive kids (you should care, teachers have no ability to discipline kids under current mcps disciplinary policies, it's a problem).

I still don’t get why you assume that my kid must be “peers” with kids in APUSH. You clearly have this view of the kids in Algebra 1, but I don’t understand why, since you clearly don’t give them any benefit of the doubt, I am not sure why my kid gets it. Because he plays an instrument? Because the fact that I managed to pay for Catholic school means I must be middle class and therefore my kid must be somehow superior?

I really don’t mean to be obtuse. Clearly, my kid hasn’t moved fast academically. There are reasons, but lots of low income kids have the same reasons apply to them. And others have some better reasons, like the fact that their whole life got turned upside down by the need to flee to a new country. Why do you assume my kid’s reasons are legit?

Maybe the question is, OP, who do you want your kids' peers to be? Maybe you think that being in public school will be a great wakeup call for him. There are wonderful immigrant students at Einstein. My DC has friends among them. There are also the kids who get in fights in hallways. In my time at Einstein, there has been a stabbing in the woods, a kid who brought had a stolen gun in a stolen car, and another child who decided to brandish a gun on Zoom. I honestly would prefer for my child not to be in class with these kids. I would probably be even more careful if I had a son.

These things happen at every school and at other schools far worse. Why are your kids there if you are so unhappy and racist.

The academics will be an issue but mcps early on is painfully slow too.

How can I be a racist if I recommended two schools that are minority-majority: Duke Ellington and DeMatha? I just honestly don’t know any high school parents in MCPS who rave about the on-level academics. My firiends whose kids are “average” tend to choose private. If OP could see her son doing well in on-level or below-level classes in her own DCPS school, then she knows what she’s getting into.

I'm not OP. I am going to say that using the term "peers" for some kids and not for others really rubs me the wrong way. I am not going to go so far as to say racist, but it's a way of referring to someone that makes me very uncomfortable.

And I still am unclear about why, if you feel that certain kids aren't worthy of the term "peer", why you seem to extend that term to mine? If keeping your kid away from kids who aren't their "peers" is so important, then why are you providing me hints for getting my kid into classes that your kid is in? Is it because you imagined him as middle class when I first posted (before I mentioned that I'm a teacher)? Is it because you buy into the really racist/classist narrative that certain categories parents don't care about their kid, and therefore because I clearly do you judge my kid differently?

I'm OP, I want to say that this last post WAS me. I meant to write "I'm not the PP" but I got distracted by the kids.

Sorry, I think that was super confusing.

Other than the actual first post, which was obviously me, and the one where I said my kid was fantastic but not taking geometry, and this mess above, I think I have identified all the posts that come from me. I didn't mean to sock puppet here, but I can see why one would scratch their head.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a little confused now about which responses have come from OP. Perhaps a better word than peers is “cohort.” All of humanity are our peers, but for the time being, we get to choose our kids’ cohort. This has nothing to do with race; there are students of color in the IB and AP classes. Many of them are first-generation.

Same PP. If your child has had a fantastic experience in on-level or below-level classes at Einstein or any other DCC school, speak up.

Most kids in regular classes at any school are largely ignored. This is not anything new. The sad part is many of those kids were failed by the schools and others early on in life.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:OP, I'm sorry that I misread your previous statement about 9th grade classes. My worry for a student taking Algebra 1 and Foreign Language 1 in 9th grade in MCPS would be that your student may be in classes with a lot of students who are academic strugglers, troublemakers, or very new to the English language. This might be non-PC of me to say. My DC started a new language in 9th grade and was really disappointed. It's not like Foreign Language 1 in any private school I know of. The strong MCPS students already took Foreign Language 1 in 6th or 7th grade. The weaker students wait to take it in 9th. Some older students are retaking Foreign Language 1 for the 2nd or 3rd time in order to pass. I am not making this up. The exception would be Japanese 1, which will have motivated 9th graders who haven't studied it before.

It will likely be a similar situation in Algebra 1, which is not available as an honors class. The worst math students in the entire high school are going to be in Algebra 1. Likely, some are retaking it in order to pass.

I have known students who were behind in math, with other academic strengths. I have known students who were behind in foreign language (often with learning disabilities), who had other academic strengths. I would worry about a former private school student who has to take the lower level offerings in both.

Have you considered Duke Ellington in DC (costs less than a private) or DeMatha in Hyattsville? At both schools, there should be a strong work ethic demanded of academically average students while providing an excellent music education.

I'd love to see the Einstein band gain your son, but I would want to make sure that he is going to get the academic atmosphere that you are looking for.

I think it's odd that, without knowing anything about my kid other than that his parent thinks he's fantastic and he plays an instrument you assume that other kids on his level are terrible, but he's not and should be rescued from them.

This person is just giving you a heads up that your child's peers (we are assuming college bound students) will likely be in APUSH, Geometry or higher, and World Language 2 or higher. You also want to put your kid in Pre-IB English. On level and honors classes (because MCPS mixes honors and on level at most schools) are going to be filled with kids who are not college bound (maybe you don't care, I get it), and there are more likely to be disruptive kids (you should care, teachers have no ability to discipline kids under current mcps disciplinary policies, it's a problem).

I still don’t get why you assume that my kid must be “peers” with kids in APUSH. You clearly have this view of the kids in Algebra 1, but I don’t understand why, since you clearly don’t give them any benefit of the doubt, I am not sure why my kid gets it. Because he plays an instrument? Because the fact that I managed to pay for Catholic school means I must be middle class and therefore my kid must be somehow superior?

I really don’t mean to be obtuse. Clearly, my kid hasn’t moved fast academically. There are reasons, but lots of low income kids have the same reasons apply to them. And others have some better reasons, like the fact that their whole life got turned upside down by the need to flee to a new country. Why do you assume my kid’s reasons are legit?

Maybe the question is, OP, who do you want your kids' peers to be? Maybe you think that being in public school will be a great wakeup call for him. There are wonderful immigrant students at Einstein. My DC has friends among them. There are also the kids who get in fights in hallways. In my time at Einstein, there has been a stabbing in the woods, a kid who brought had a stolen gun in a stolen car, and another child who decided to brandish a gun on Zoom. I honestly would prefer for my child not to be in class with these kids. I would probably be even more careful if I had a son.

These things happen at every school and at other schools far worse. Why are your kids there if you are so unhappy and racist.

The academics will be an issue but mcps early on is painfully slow too.

How can I be a racist if I recommended two schools that are minority-majority: Duke Ellington and DeMatha? I just honestly don’t know any high school parents in MCPS who rave about the on-level academics. My firiends whose kids are “average” tend to choose private. If OP could see her son doing well in on-level or below-level classes in her own DCPS school, then she knows what she’s getting into.

Op did not say music was everything to her child. Duke Ellington is a test in for kids who only want music and has really poor academics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I'm sorry that I misread your previous statement about 9th grade classes. My worry for a student taking Algebra 1 and Foreign Language 1 in 9th grade in MCPS would be that your student may be in classes with a lot of students who are academic strugglers, troublemakers, or very new to the English language. This might be non-PC of me to say. My DC started a new language in 9th grade and was really disappointed. It's not like Foreign Language 1 in any private school I know of. The strong MCPS students already took Foreign Language 1 in 6th or 7th grade. The weaker students wait to take it in 9th. Some older students are retaking Foreign Language 1 for the 2nd or 3rd time in order to pass. I am not making this up. The exception would be Japanese 1, which will have motivated 9th graders who haven't studied it before.

It will likely be a similar situation in Algebra 1, which is not available as an honors class. The worst math students in the entire high school are going to be in Algebra 1. Likely, some are retaking it in order to pass.

I have known students who were behind in math, with other academic strengths. I have known students who were behind in foreign language (often with learning disabilities), who had other academic strengths. I would worry about a former private school student who has to take the lower level offerings in both.

Have you considered Duke Ellington in DC (costs less than a private) or DeMatha in Hyattsville? At both schools, there should be a strong work ethic demanded of academically average students while providing an excellent music education.

I'd love to see the Einstein band gain your son, but I would want to make sure that he is going to get the academic atmosphere that you are looking for.

I think it's odd that, without knowing anything about my kid other than that his parent thinks he's fantastic and he plays an instrument you assume that other kids on his level are terrible, but he's not and should be rescued from them.

This person is just giving you a heads up that your child's peers (we are assuming college bound students) will likely be in APUSH, Geometry or higher, and World Language 2 or higher. You also want to put your kid in Pre-IB English. On level and honors classes (because MCPS mixes honors and on level at most schools) are going to be filled with kids who are not college bound (maybe you don't care, I get it), and there are more likely to be disruptive kids (you should care, teachers have no ability to discipline kids under current mcps disciplinary policies, it's a problem).

I still don’t get why you assume that my kid must be “peers” with kids in APUSH. You clearly have this view of the kids in Algebra 1, but I don’t understand why, since you clearly don’t give them any benefit of the doubt, I am not sure why my kid gets it. Because he plays an instrument? Because the fact that I managed to pay for Catholic school means I must be middle class and therefore my kid must be somehow superior?

I really don’t mean to be obtuse. Clearly, my kid hasn’t moved fast academically. There are reasons, but lots of low income kids have the same reasons apply to them. And others have some better reasons, like the fact that their whole life got turned upside down by the need to flee to a new country. Why do you assume my kid’s reasons are legit?

Maybe the question is, OP, who do you want your kids' peers to be? Maybe you think that being in public school will be a great wakeup call for him. There are wonderful immigrant students at Einstein. My DC has friends among them. There are also the kids who get in fights in hallways. In my time at Einstein, there has been a stabbing in the woods, a kid who brought had a stolen gun in a stolen car, and another child who decided to brandish a gun on Zoom. I honestly would prefer for my child not to be in class with these kids. I would probably be even more careful if I had a son.

These things happen at every school and at other schools far worse. Why are your kids there if you are so unhappy and racist.

The academics will be an issue but mcps early on is painfully slow too.

How can I be a racist if I recommended two schools that are minority-majority: Duke Ellington and DeMatha? I just honestly don’t know any high school parents in MCPS who rave about the on-level academics. My firiends whose kids are “average” tend to choose private. If OP could see her son doing well in on-level or below-level classes in her own DCPS school, then she knows what she’s getting into.

Op did not say music was everything to her child. Duke Ellington is a test in for kids who only want music and has really poor academics.

OP here. My kid is definitely not an Ellington kid. He likes music, but he also likes sport, and right now his career plans involve neither so he needs time for academics too.

He could be a DeMatha kid, but it's quite a commute, and a lot of tuition. Right now, he's saying he'd rather not have a commute, and have more neighborhood friends, so we aren't really considering it. He could change his mind in the fall, but I don't think he will.

I could absolutely see him in the on-level classes in my DC Charter, like MCPS we don't have "below level" classes unless you mean something like reading intervention, which he doesn't need.He does well with a diverse peer group, he makes friends easily. I'd be happy and proud to have him at my school, but it's not an option because of where we live, and I think that having your own mom there is probably not any teenager's first choice. If we need to supplement at home because his teachers are giving more attention to peers who don't have the advantages he has, we can do that.

I am confused though about this notion of cohort. My kid will, presumably take 7 classes, not 2. Won't those kids who are taking Algebra 1, or the first year of a language, still be in your kid's PE class, or English class (honors for all)? Kids don't really go through with a cohort do they? That is something that would make me reconsider, because the diversity is one of the things that draws us to public school.

[Anonymous]

Op, he will be fine but I would try to step up the math by a year and do algebra in 8th at least. Can he do a summer program to bump ahead. Ignore the negativity of the one poster. Einstein is the best choice for a kid who enjoys music. Dematha would be a miserable commute.

[Anonymous]

Last I knew, freshman English was divided into on-level, honors, and pre-IB. Many of the pre-IB kids are taking APUSH. I know that last year’s principal eliminated on level classes in some subjects, but I’m not sure how many. She didn’t publicize the change. In PE, kids tend to hang out with the people they know from other classes. Sports would definitely expose your son to a wider group. Unfortunately, Algebra 1 might be viewed as remedial.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op, he will be fine but I would try to step up the math by a year and do algebra in 8th at least. Can he do a summer program to bump ahead. Ignore the negativity of the one poster. Einstein is the best choice for a kid who enjoys music. Dematha would be a miserable commute.

If he is in a parochial k-8, they are very rigid and unlikely to allow that. But he could perhaps take Algebra 1 prior to 9th. OP, please don’t box your child in as a bad student at 12. He could be ready for Apush by high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Last I knew, freshman English was divided into on-level, honors, and pre-IB. Many of the pre-IB kids are taking APUSH. I know that last year’s principal eliminated on level classes in some subjects, but I’m not sure how many. She didn’t publicize the change. In PE, kids tend to hang out with the people they know from other classes. Sports would definitely expose your son to a wider group. Unfortunately, Algebra 1 might be viewed as remedial.

Yes, there are 3 levels for English in 9th. Same for History. They are putting all 9th graders in Honors Biology. See the 20-21 course selection form here:

https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/siteassets/schools/high-schools/a-j/einsteinhs/2020-2021-9th-grade-registration-card-final.pdf

Of course a new principal will be starting at Einstein in July, so things could change going forward.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm pretty sure that you get your home school if you rank it number 2 and don't get your first choice. For musical theater, singing, and brass instruments, I would pick Einstein all the way. The jazz band at Einstein has a very good reputation and an excellent director. The musical theater director at Einstein has been there for decades and has a true gift. Norwood is supposed to have a musical theater "Academy," but I have not heard from talented musical theatre students that they have been disappointed in it over the past three years or so. I'm pretty sure that there has been a lot of turnover in staff in the performing arts department. Einstein was very well represented at the Montgomery County Youth Chorus last year (an auditioned honors chorus for the county). It was the best-represented school in the DCC because the director prepared the students well. Several students from the Einstein chorus have made the All-State Chorus as well each year. You can ask the Northwood Performing Arts program about their participation in these two programs and if they tell you that they are in a "rebuilding" phase, there you go.

Additionally, Einstein has a dedicated performing arts "Boosters Club" for parents called PACE, which has been very successful over the last few years in raising needed funds. The arts are strongly represented at Einstein.

FYI It's Northwood, Norwood is another school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Last I knew, freshman English was divided into on-level, honors, and pre-IB. Many of the pre-IB kids are taking APUSH. I know that last year’s principal eliminated on level classes in some subjects, but I’m not sure how many. She didn’t publicize the change. In PE, kids tend to hang out with the people they know from other classes. Sports would definitely expose your son to a wider group. Unfortunately, Algebra 1 might be viewed as remedial.

But his math class, and whether he chooses to start a new language or continue one he's studied has nothing to do with what English he's in right? I still am not sure I understand that whole cohort thing. Wouldn't my kid know some kids from math, and some kids from English, and thus want to hang out with all of them in PE?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm pretty sure that you get your home school if you rank it number 2 and don't get your first choice. For musical theater, singing, and brass instruments, I would pick Einstein all the way. The jazz band at Einstein has a very good reputation and an excellent director. The musical theater director at Einstein has been there for decades and has a true gift. Norwood is supposed to have a musical theater "Academy," but I have not heard from talented musical theatre students that they have been disappointed in it over the past three years or so. I'm pretty sure that there has been a lot of turnover in staff in the performing arts department. Einstein was very well represented at the Montgomery County Youth Chorus last year (an auditioned honors chorus for the county). It was the best-represented school in the DCC because the director prepared the students well. Several students from the Einstein chorus have made the All-State Chorus as well each year. You can ask the Northwood Performing Arts program about their participation in these two programs and if they tell you that they are in a "rebuilding" phase, there you go.

Additionally, Einstein has a dedicated performing arts "Boosters Club" for parents called PACE, which has been very successful over the last few years in raising needed funds. The arts are strongly represented at Einstein.

FYI It's Northwood, Norwood is another school

OP here, if you read my original question, comparing Einstein and Northwood was the point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, he will be fine but I would try to step up the math by a year and do algebra in 8th at least. Can he do a summer program to bump ahead. Ignore the negativity of the one poster. Einstein is the best choice for a kid who enjoys music. Dematha would be a miserable commute.

If he is in a parochial k-8, they are very rigid and unlikely to allow that. But he could perhaps take Algebra 1 prior to 9th. OP, please don’t box your child in as a bad student at 12. He could be ready for Apush by high school.

How is expecting that my kid will still benefit from high school level instruction as a ninth grader "boxing him in as a bad student"?

I could have pushed for my kid to take Algebra next year. As a high school teacher who sees the damage that comes when kids accelerate through math, or get pushed into things like APUSH, I chose not to, and instead followed the recommendations of his middle school math teachers. That has nothing to do when them being "rigid".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Last I knew, freshman English was divided into on-level, honors, and pre-IB. Many of the pre-IB kids are taking APUSH. I know that last year’s principal eliminated on level classes in some subjects, but I’m not sure how many. She didn’t publicize the change. In PE, kids tend to hang out with the people they know from other classes. Sports would definitely expose your son to a wider group. Unfortunately, Algebra 1 might be viewed as remedial.

But his math class, and whether he chooses to start a new language or continue one he's studied has nothing to do with what English he's in right? I still am not sure I understand that whole cohort thing. Wouldn't my kid know some kids from math, and some kids from English, and thus want to hang out with all of them in PE?

Lots of kids start a new language so that is fine. I would be worried more about math. More kids hang out via sports or music not pe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Last I knew, freshman English was divided into on-level, honors, and pre-IB. Many of the pre-IB kids are taking APUSH. I know that last year’s principal eliminated on level classes in some subjects, but I’m not sure how many. She didn’t publicize the change. In PE, kids tend to hang out with the people they know from other classes. Sports would definitely expose your son to a wider group. Unfortunately, Algebra 1 might be viewed as remedial.

But his math class, and whether he chooses to start a new language or continue one he's studied has nothing to do with what English he's in right? I still am not sure I understand that whole cohort thing. Wouldn't my kid know some kids from math, and some kids from English, and thus want to hang out with all of them in PE?

You're correct, OP. There is no official cohort system. People think that kids in advanced classes in one subject take advanced classes in other subjects, but that isn't a given.