Ludlow-Taylor getting a new a new Principal

[Anonymous]

+1000.

LT obviously cheated before so we won't be shocked, shocked, shocked if they're back at it.

[Anonymous]

Sorry, but wasn't LT slightly better than Maury in the past one or two years anyway? Sour grapes suck! Signed, charter school parent who is rooting for LT

[Anonymous]

I mean slightly better-scoring

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
http://dcps.dc.gov/DCPS/About+DCPS/Press+Releases+and+Announcements/Press+Releases/DCPS+Students+Continue+to+Demonstrate+Growth
School Level DC CAS Highlights
Eleven schools, representing nearly all wards in the city, made double-digit gains in math. These schools are Amidon-Bowen Elementary School (10.4), Capitol Hill Montessori (12.9), Drew Elementary School (34.0), Ketcham Elementary School (11.3), Kimball Elementary School (10.6), Ludlow-Taylor Elementary School (15.3), Raymond Education Campus (15.3), Ross Elementary School (13.3), SWW@FS (11.0), Truesdell (14.2) and Whittier Education Campus. (13.3).

Yeah, L-T!!!

GASP! What happened? Ludlow-Taylor is mentioned here, yet no mention of.... MAURY?! Must be a misprint!

Maury parent here, just to disclose my inherent bias. Maury's scores (modest gains) actually make me more confident in the school than L-T's massive jump. A massive jump to me signals some kind of potential instability and/or cheating. Possibly the L-T students just weren't being prepped properly before - that's the most innocent explanation. In any event, I don't think the scores really reflect that much about the learning that goes on in the schools and the learning environment, except for in broad strokes -- e.g., a 30% proficient school is very different from a 80% proficient school. But the difference between 80 and 90 is not all that big.

Maury parents were ebullient, some cried, when last year's scores were announced. Seems a little disingenuous to discard the importance of scores when they don't break your way.

And I think the reason for LT's increase is that it has a smaller population and thus, the improved test performance of a handful of students causes a large swing in average scores. Plus, they have pretty good teachers and administration, and an enrollment that is skewing towards a higher SES. But mostly because its kids are learning.

[Anonymous]

Another possible, non-nefarious explanation for the LT jump: Cobbs was at LT six years. My understanding is that she did some housecleaning when she arrived. This year would be the first year all the testing grades have been taught under her leadership & by her hires all the way from K on up.

[Anonymous]

I think pp makes a very good point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
http://dcps.dc.gov/DCPS/About+DCPS/Press+Releases+and+Announcements/Press+Releases/DCPS+Students+Continue+to+Demonstrate+Growth
School Level DC CAS Highlights
Eleven schools, representing nearly all wards in the city, made double-digit gains in math. These schools are Amidon-Bowen Elementary School (10.4), Capitol Hill Montessori (12.9), Drew Elementary School (34.0), Ketcham Elementary School (11.3), Kimball Elementary School (10.6), Ludlow-Taylor Elementary School (15.3), Raymond Education Campus (15.3), Ross Elementary School (13.3), SWW@FS (11.0), Truesdell (14.2) and Whittier Education Campus. (13.3).

Yeah, L-T!!!

GASP! What happened? Ludlow-Taylor is mentioned here, yet no mention of.... MAURY?! Must be a misprint!

Maury parent here, just to disclose my inherent bias. Maury's scores (modest gains) actually make me more confident in the school than L-T's massive jump. A massive jump to me signals some kind of potential instability and/or cheating. Possibly the L-T students just weren't being prepped properly before - that's the most innocent explanation. In any event, I don't think the scores really reflect that much about the learning that goes on in the schools and the learning environment, except for in broad strokes -- e.g., a 30% proficient school is very different from a 80% proficient school. But the difference between 80 and 90 is not all that big.

Maury parents were ebullient, some cried, when last year's scores were announced. Seems a little disingenuous to discard the importance of scores when they don't break your way.

And I think the reason for LT's increase is that it has a smaller population and thus, the improved test performance of a handful of students causes a large swing in average scores. Plus, they have pretty good teachers and administration, and an enrollment that is skewing towards a higher SES. But mostly because its kids are learning.

+100. L-T deserves kudos not suspicion.

[Anonymous]

They can have my kudos next year, if they knock it out of the park again. For now, I'm going with suspicion.

[Anonymous]

Not wanting to fan flames here, and I'm hopeful for L-Ts future prospects and hope these scores create even more of an environment for it to become a highly-coveted DCPS, but this brings to mind a comment I read on one of the other L-T threads not long ago and I'm curious about current families' thoughts.

Does the DCCAS data speak to L-T teaching to the test" in a way that may be great for some kids and not ideal for others? I recall one person stating that she felt the teachers were overly regimented with the upper-classes: repeating instructions 4-5 times, little to no differentiation, lots of work-book work, pretty rigid (perhaps strict) environment. She made it feel like a KIPP-lite. I suppose, if this method works, it shouldn't be questioned, but I'm also thinking perhaps the very reason for success is one of the reasons the neighbors felt the school was a little off-putting for their families, and may not be a good fit?

[Anonymous]

Bump

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not wanting to fan flames here, and I'm hopeful for L-Ts future prospects and hope these scores create even more of an environment for it to become a highly-coveted DCPS, but this brings to mind a comment I read on one of the other L-T threads not long ago and I'm curious about current families' thoughts.

Does the DCCAS data speak to L-T teaching to the test" in a way that may be great for some kids and not ideal for others? I recall one person stating that she felt the teachers were overly regimented with the upper-classes: repeating instructions 4-5 times, little to no differentiation, lots of work-book work, pretty rigid (perhaps strict) environment. She made it feel like a KIPP-lite. I suppose, if this method works, it shouldn't be questioned, but I'm also thinking perhaps the very reason for success is one of the reasons the neighbors felt the school was a little off-putting for their families, and may not be a good fit?

It kinda sounds good to me. And discipline in a city school is a whole lot better than the alternative ..... Life is a test. SAT's for college, GREs/LSAT/MCAT thereafter. National Merit Scholar is just a test. I think the results say the kids actually know something. That's a lot better than "free thinkers" who look up at the ceiling and read at three grade levels below.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Life is a test. SAT's for college, GREs/LSAT/MCAT thereafter. National Merit Scholar is just a test. I think the results say the kids actually know something. That's a lot better than "free thinkers" who look up at the ceiling and read at three grade levels below.

Most colleges evaluate on far more than a test, for many reasons, but test prep is one of them.

And national merit scholarship requires a full application. Test score alone will not get you the money.

Of course kids who are reading three grades below may require a focus on basic schools. Some other kids really do require free thinking. I do not know what that says for the future of DCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Life is a test. SAT's for college, GREs/LSAT/MCAT thereafter. National Merit Scholar is just a test. I think the results say the kids actually know something. That's a lot better than "free thinkers" who look up at the ceiling and read at three grade levels below.

Most colleges evaluate on far more than a test, for many reasons, but test prep is one of them.

And national merit scholarship requires a full application. Test score alone will not get you the money.

Of course kids who are reading three grades below may require a focus on basic schools. Some other kids really do require free thinking. I do not know what that says for the future of DCPS.

People are touting that L-T beat Brent, but I don't know a single Brent family that doesn't think their kid is getting exactly what they need. I don't think the test score are going to make parents rethink that. "Life is a test," and even "test scores alone won't get you the money" are both quotes that depress me. What about what will make kids while and happy? What about making happy adults? People want their kids to be brilliant and successful, but maybe we can't all have both. I'll choose the happy if I have to make a choice, and I don think this is a DCPS problem it's a US problem.

[Anonymous]

Good Lord, people. It's elementary school, not prison. Your child's happiness as an adult does not hinge on whether they went to Ludlow Taylor versus Brent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Life is a test. SAT's for college, GREs/LSAT/MCAT thereafter. National Merit Scholar is just a test. I think the results say the kids actually know something. That's a lot better than "free thinkers" who look up at the ceiling and read at three grade levels below.

Most colleges evaluate on far more than a test, for many reasons, but test prep is one of them.

And national merit scholarship requires a full application. Test score alone will not get you the money.

Of course kids who are reading three grades below may require a focus on basic schools. Some other kids really do require free thinking. I do not know what that says for the future of DCPS.

People are touting that L-T beat Brent, but I don't know a single Brent family that doesn't think their kid is getting exactly what they need. I don't think the test score are going to make parents rethink that. "Life is a test," and even "test scores alone won't get you the money" are both quotes that depress me. What about what will make kids while and happy? What about making happy adults? People want their kids to be brilliant and successful, but maybe we can't all have both. I'll choose the happy if I have to make a choice, and I don think this is a DCPS problem it's a US problem.

I agree that education is about more than career prep, etc. I just wanted to respond to the poster who thought NMSC is only about the test - having sat with a teen who had to fill out a scholarship app, including an essay, right in the middle of college app season IIRC, that's hard to forget.