Dual language middle school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you missed the point of the earlier SH poster. SH offers a short commute. Period. There is a point where for a lot of people a really long commute is not likely to be worth it if there is another reasonably okay option nearby.

I think you are missing the point that SH is not considered a reasonable option for families that prioritize academics over saving a commute of 15/20 minutes each morning.

SH is 6 minutes from our place by car, even walkable. But I’ll take the extra 20 minutes to DCI.

It is also very short sighted to not consider high school when it is just 3 years away which your kid will have to commute to anyway, if they get in which is a bigger if now than ever before.

Be ready to move after middle.

SH is a 5 minute walk from my front door. The idea that it's 20 extra minutes to DCI (not to mention the x2) is bonkers. It's about 1.5 extra hours per day for me, if not more because you also need to build in a little cushion if you have a lengthy commute. For an 11-13 year old, we can agree to disagree about whether the extra 1.5-2 hours PER DAY is enough to make up for whatever you think the benefits of DCI are. Absolutely you do you and your choice is a perfectly valid one, but this ridiculous tone you adopt that your view is the only correct one for anyone who cares about academics is wrong. My family cares about and is accomplished in academics by any measure. We made and are happy with the opposite choice you did.

I am the PP and yes, it is 6 minutes by car (not walking) to SH or about 26 minutes to drive to NOMA and take train/bus. I don’t need to drive my 11 year old to school. He can take metro by himself.

Sure if you actually want to dive to DCI, that is another story.

I never said families don’t care about academics. But i stand that you are prioritizing a shorter commute over better academics. That is what we are talking about.

BTW, PP again and it is 7 minutes drive by car to NOMA from SH. From there it is 20 minute train/bus ride if they come right away.

DP and I don't think SH is an equivalent option to DCI, but--

This statement about commutes is one of most wildly ignorant things on this thread. That's just not how a cross town commute works I'm DC, ever. It also ignores that when traffic is bad, the SH commute can be easily and quickly done on foot or bike, making it reliably short. The DCI commute is reliant on either a multi-modal commute or a car commute through a know rush hour nightmare. It will never take you less than 40 minutes, and it will regularly take you over an hour. You will need to structure your life around it because your kid can't be 20 minutes late to school all the time, so you'll have to start earlier than you need every day to build in a buffer.

I absolutely think DCI could be worth this for some families, but don't sugarcoat it. Also, you have to take into account your specific kid. Some kids will be fine with that commute, others will not. One of my kids would be really unhappy doing that every day because she does WAY better with simple schedule that doesn't involve tons of travel. I would also worry about her on the metro or bus on her own in middle school, at least to start.

[Anonymous]

Someone needs to report DCPS to the US Department of Education for having dual language schools where it is required to speak Spanish. This type of program is clearly discriminating against children who only speak English. This is also teetering on racial discrimination as white and black students who do not speak Spanish are being locked out of attending these schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Someone needs to report DCPS to the US Department of Education for having dual language schools where it is required to speak Spanish. This type of program is clearly discriminating against children who only speak English. This is also teetering on racial discrimination as white and black students who do not speak Spanish are being locked out of attending these schools.

Oh please. It is not required to speak spanish. You can come in with no language background. But you will be in level 1 language and not level 6.

DCI was created as a middle/high school option for the immersion charters. It was approved and created specifically for this so feeders have preference. You can get in without being in a feeder but chances are very small. There is no chance for spanish because many more kids from feeders.

There is Mcfarland where anyone can get in for dual language. Send the kid there if you want.

[Anonymous]

Capitol Hill family with a MS student at DCI. FWIW we were terrified about the commute but it’s been surprisingly smooth — but only on public transport. Driving to and from is not doable unless you are a caregiver who is willing to spend three hours in your car each day. Or maybe DCI is en route to your office. The new private bus is hopefully going to remain an option for some families; it’s multi-stop and still small. Lots of mentions re Union Station and red line; for us that is circuitous. Take blue/orange/silver to McPherson and the 5X bus drops your kids off at the front door to the middle school. It’s a very easy and direct option. Most days it is 45 minutes door-to-door.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Capitol Hill family with a MS student at DCI. FWIW we were terrified about the commute but it’s been surprisingly smooth — but only on public transport. Driving to and from is not doable unless you are a caregiver who is willing to spend three hours in your car each day. Or maybe DCI is en route to your office. The new private bus is hopefully going to remain an option for some families; it’s multi-stop and still small. Lots of mentions re Union Station and red line; for us that is circuitous. Take blue/orange/silver to McPherson and the 5X bus drops your kids off at the front door to the middle school. It’s a very easy and direct option. Most days it is 45 minutes door-to-door.

I would also add if you live in CH in SE by Eastern market, the shuttle will be easy.

If you live in the NE section of CH, Union station is quick and easy if it’s walkable or just 5 min drive to drop off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Someone needs to report DCPS to the US Department of Education for having dual language schools where it is required to speak Spanish. This type of program is clearly discriminating against children who only speak English. This is also teetering on racial discrimination as white and black students who do not speak Spanish are being locked out of attending these schools.

Oh please. It is not required to speak spanish. You can come in with no language background. But you will be in level 1 language and not level 6.

DCI was created as a middle/high school option for the immersion charters. It was approved and created specifically for this so feeders have preference. You can get in without being in a feeder but chances are very small. There is no chance for spanish because many more kids from feeders.

There is Mcfarland where anyone can get in for dual language. Send the kid there if you want.

If you didn’t go to a DL elementary school, you need to pass a test to get into the MacFarland program. It is idiotic to have non-DL schools feed into the DCPS DL middle school. Why have a specialized program only open to half the student body.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Capitol Hill family with a MS student at DCI. FWIW we were terrified about the commute but it’s been surprisingly smooth — but only on public transport. Driving to and from is not doable unless you are a caregiver who is willing to spend three hours in your car each day. Or maybe DCI is en route to your office. The new private bus is hopefully going to remain an option for some families; it’s multi-stop and still small. Lots of mentions re Union Station and red line; for us that is circuitous. Take blue/orange/silver to McPherson and the 5X bus drops your kids off at the front door to the middle school. It’s a very easy and direct option. Most days it is 45 minutes door-to-door.

Is it still the 5X? Or did it change with the relabeling of the routes? My kid is in 6th next year, 5th at a feeder and I have yet to plan the route.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child has been in a Spanish dual language program since pre k but now as we prepare for middle school it doesn’t seem like that many options. The only school I really hear given as best choice is DCI however it is so far. Is there any talks of them getting a bus from eastern market like other schools? What is everyone take on the few other dual language middle schools? I would hate to abandon language immersion.

DCI is the only charter/public school in the city with serious language programming and an IB diploma in high school.

But you won’t get in the Spanish track since you are not in a feeder.

The only other serious option is private which is WIS.

Oyster is a much better middle school language option. DCI middle is language light in comparison. If you are in 3rd-4th you can probably get a spot at a DCI feeder since most people don’t want to start DL in upper elementary. You can also try for Oyster if your kid can pass the proficiency test. The Jefferson program seems promising and if you live on the hill I would consider it. I don’t think DCI is worth the commute (I have kids there).

I have a kid at DCI middle. No the language model is not light. I am assuming your kid is in the lower language level tracks then. If so, then yes limited course options. They are not going to put a kid in many classes in the language if they are not even proficient yet.

My kid is in the highest track and so has lots of classes in the language. DCI has 6, yes six, levels of language classes and they test the kids every year with STAMP to know where they are and to place them. Kids in the highest track not only has language classes but also other subject like social studies actually taught in the language. Electives can also be in the language if you are in the higher track. Also exchange programs late middle are optiins if you are in the higher track. Lots of kids with native speaking families in this track also. Also if you are in the highest track, you can take a 2nd language starting as early as 7th and work towards an IB bilingual diploma.

I can’t comment on Oyster since I don’t have a kid there, but since you seem to know, you can let us know how extensive is the offerings in languages.and courses are there.

Also I agree with another poster that doubtful the Jefferson program will be successful when you have so little students coming in with proficiency in the language. Also majority of kids are not even on grade level in ELA, so I don’t see how they will be able to master a 2nd language.

Hey DCI booster. I am PP and we are native Spanish speakers and have been at DCI a lot longer than you. So, we are especially critical of the language classes. Yes. DCI has a lot of options but the kids in those higher classes aren’t really as proficient as I would expect. Most of the DCI feeders don’t have very high percentages of native Spanish speakers except possibly DCB which doesn’t even do full immersion in prek so the English speaking kids aren’t really challenged to learn Spanish. The advanced kids aren’t really that advanced. Adams has a large cohort of native speakers and Spanish is spoken outside of academic settings. All of the kids at Adams are highly proficient in Spanish. If OP wants a strong Spanish program Adams is the way to go if they can swing it. And I definitely wouldn’t travel from the hill to DCI. I would shoot for Stuart Hobson and supplement with language classes.

I’m the PP and what exactly is not true about my post??

So your kid is not even in the middle school to speak of? Your experience is how many years old from middle if you are even for real and not a troll?

Our feeder had plenty of native speaking families. My kids spanish class at DCI currently has a lots of native speaking families who were at back to school night. And my kid scored high on STAMP so yes objective data.

BTW data doesn’t lie and both schools have similar percentages of spanish families.

If you look at absolute numbers, DCI actually has many more spanish families because Oyster is so small.

This is correct. DCI has more students. However, There are many coming from feeders that identify as Hispanic but speak English at home. My kids came from a feeder and they never had more than 2 or 3 kids that actually spoke Spanish at home consistently.

True, if the kids were born here or having moved to the US after 2-3 years, they will want to speak English at home and not spanish. It is not going to be any different at Adams with similar kids and profiles.

But what I noticed at our feeder which consisted of UMC educated spanish families who were fluent in English, is that parents spoke to the kids only in spanish and they chose a spanish immersion school because they prioritize their kids knowing spanish. And you can bet these kids read, wrote, and spoke spanish grammatically better than the ESL kids.

The bottom line is that if you prioritize spanish then it is a no brainer that DCI is the best choice, because it offers a strong language program all the way thru 12th. It is also offers the IB curriculum from middle to high school with the option of getting an IB diploma at graduation. This opens so many doors if your kid is interested at all in going to college abroad. It also sets your kid to stand out in applying to colleges here where AP kids are a dime a dozen.

BTW, my kid’s strength is math and science and we have found STEM to be very good at DCI. Math tracking is great. Science teachers strong and great clubs and EC in STEM.

I don’t think this is true of Oyster Adams or other schools that prioritize language proficiency for participation. OA kids have to pass a proficiency test and over half of the students in each class have passed this assessment. 50% of a class that consistently speaks Spanish versus 5-10% is a big deal when considering overall language development. I am a teacher in a DL program in the suburbs and we have similar requirement to DCPS programs and the kids speak in Spanish throughout the day. The level Spanish is so much higher than at my kids DCI feeder. It’s a little disheartening but there are other great things about the school so we plug away and work on Spanish at home.

What are you taking about? 5-10% of the kids at DCI are not speaking spanish. Everyone is speaking spanish in the spanish classes.

If you have kids in a classroom and only 50% are proficient, the other 50% are not. Then you are going to be teaching to the lower 50%. You also might have a wide range of abilities in the 50% who are proficient. Some of these kids are advance and can move faster but the teacher is not going to do that when 1/2 the class is not proficient.

Tracking is so much better. The kids are in the right level all together and the classes can move at different speeds with different depths based on the kids abilities. So the advance kids are moving much faster and covering more depth. The lower level kids are moving slower and things are being repeated if necessary.

You misunderstood PP’s point. She meant 50% of the kids are Spanish dominant - meaning their first language is Spanish and they speak Spanish at home. At least, that’s the relevant point for Adams.

I confess I don’t really understand this point about tracking. How do you have an immersion school where anything less than at least 95% of the kids are proficient in at least speaking and understanding the language? How would you have math and science classes in the target language if not all the kids are proficient? PP - are you saying that DCI needs tracking because they admit kids who are NOT able to do the math and science at grade level in the target language? That doesn’t seem like an immersion school.

To be clear about Adams, kids must pass a proficiency test if they didn’t go through the school from early elementary. When DS was there, there just weren’t many (I didn’t encounter any) kids who weren’t proficient enough in both languages to understand content and other daily activities in both languages. For example, the basketball team was coached in Spanish when my kid was there. The language is just assumed — there’s not special tracking to divert a subset of the kids to an immersion experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child has been in a Spanish dual language program since pre k but now as we prepare for middle school it doesn’t seem like that many options. The only school I really hear given as best choice is DCI however it is so far. Is there any talks of them getting a bus from eastern market like other schools? What is everyone take on the few other dual language middle schools? I would hate to abandon language immersion.

DCI is the only charter/public school in the city with serious language programming and an IB diploma in high school.

But you won’t get in the Spanish track since you are not in a feeder.

The only other serious option is private which is WIS.

Oyster is a much better middle school language option. DCI middle is language light in comparison. If you are in 3rd-4th you can probably get a spot at a DCI feeder since most people don’t want to start DL in upper elementary. You can also try for Oyster if your kid can pass the proficiency test. The Jefferson program seems promising and if you live on the hill I would consider it. I don’t think DCI is worth the commute (I have kids there).

I have a kid at DCI middle. No the language model is not light. I am assuming your kid is in the lower language level tracks then. If so, then yes limited course options. They are not going to put a kid in many classes in the language if they are not even proficient yet.

My kid is in the highest track and so has lots of classes in the language. DCI has 6, yes six, levels of language classes and they test the kids every year with STAMP to know where they are and to place them. Kids in the highest track not only has language classes but also other subject like social studies actually taught in the language. Electives can also be in the language if you are in the higher track. Also exchange programs late middle are optiins if you are in the higher track. Lots of kids with native speaking families in this track also. Also if you are in the highest track, you can take a 2nd language starting as early as 7th and work towards an IB bilingual diploma.

I can’t comment on Oyster since I don’t have a kid there, but since you seem to know, you can let us know how extensive is the offerings in languages.and courses are there.

Also I agree with another poster that doubtful the Jefferson program will be successful when you have so little students coming in with proficiency in the language. Also majority of kids are not even on grade level in ELA, so I don’t see how they will be able to master a 2nd language.

Hey DCI booster. I am PP and we are native Spanish speakers and have been at DCI a lot longer than you. So, we are especially critical of the language classes. Yes. DCI has a lot of options but the kids in those higher classes aren’t really as proficient as I would expect. Most of the DCI feeders don’t have very high percentages of native Spanish speakers except possibly DCB which doesn’t even do full immersion in prek so the English speaking kids aren’t really challenged to learn Spanish. The advanced kids aren’t really that advanced. Adams has a large cohort of native speakers and Spanish is spoken outside of academic settings. All of the kids at Adams are highly proficient in Spanish. If OP wants a strong Spanish program Adams is the way to go if they can swing it. And I definitely wouldn’t travel from the hill to DCI. I would shoot for Stuart Hobson and supplement with language classes.

I’m the PP and what exactly is not true about my post??

So your kid is not even in the middle school to speak of? Your experience is how many years old from middle if you are even for real and not a troll?

Our feeder had plenty of native speaking families. My kids spanish class at DCI currently has a lots of native speaking families who were at back to school night. And my kid scored high on STAMP so yes objective data.

BTW data doesn’t lie and both schools have similar percentages of spanish families.

If you look at absolute numbers, DCI actually has many more spanish families because Oyster is so small.

This is correct. DCI has more students. However, There are many coming from feeders that identify as Hispanic but speak English at home. My kids came from a feeder and they never had more than 2 or 3 kids that actually spoke Spanish at home consistently.

True, if the kids were born here or having moved to the US after 2-3 years, they will want to speak English at home and not spanish. It is not going to be any different at Adams with similar kids and profiles.

But what I noticed at our feeder which consisted of UMC educated spanish families who were fluent in English, is that parents spoke to the kids only in spanish and they chose a spanish immersion school because they prioritize their kids knowing spanish. And you can bet these kids read, wrote, and spoke spanish grammatically better than the ESL kids.

The bottom line is that if you prioritize spanish then it is a no brainer that DCI is the best choice, because it offers a strong language program all the way thru 12th. It is also offers the IB curriculum from middle to high school with the option of getting an IB diploma at graduation. This opens so many doors if your kid is interested at all in going to college abroad. It also sets your kid to stand out in applying to colleges here where AP kids are a dime a dozen.

BTW, my kid’s strength is math and science and we have found STEM to be very good at DCI. Math tracking is great. Science teachers strong and great clubs and EC in STEM.

I don’t think this is true of Oyster Adams or other schools that prioritize language proficiency for participation. OA kids have to pass a proficiency test and over half of the students in each class have passed this assessment. 50% of a class that consistently speaks Spanish versus 5-10% is a big deal when considering overall language development. I am a teacher in a DL program in the suburbs and we have similar requirement to DCPS programs and the kids speak in Spanish throughout the day. The level Spanish is so much higher than at my kids DCI feeder. It’s a little disheartening but there are other great things about the school so we plug away and work on Spanish at home.

What are you taking about? 5-10% of the kids at DCI are not speaking spanish. Everyone is speaking spanish in the spanish classes.

If you have kids in a classroom and only 50% are proficient, the other 50% are not. Then you are going to be teaching to the lower 50%. You also might have a wide range of abilities in the 50% who are proficient. Some of these kids are advance and can move faster but the teacher is not going to do that when 1/2 the class is not proficient.

Tracking is so much better. The kids are in the right level all together and the classes can move at different speeds with different depths based on the kids abilities. So the advance kids are moving much faster and covering more depth. The lower level kids are moving slower and things are being repeated if necessary.

You misunderstood PP’s point. She meant 50% of the kids are Spanish dominant - meaning their first language is Spanish and they speak Spanish at home. At least, that’s the relevant point for Adams.

I confess I don’t really understand this point about tracking. How do you have an immersion school where anything less than at least 95% of the kids are proficient in at least speaking and understanding the language? How would you have math and science classes in the target language if not all the kids are proficient? PP - are you saying that DCI needs tracking because they admit kids who are NOT able to do the math and science at grade level in the target language? That doesn’t seem like an immersion school.

To be clear about Adams, kids must pass a proficiency test if they didn’t go through the school from early elementary. When DS was there, there just weren’t many (I didn’t encounter any) kids who weren’t proficient enough in both languages to understand content and other daily activities in both languages. For example, the basketball team was coached in Spanish when my kid was there. The language is just assumed — there’s not special tracking to divert a subset of the kids to an immersion experience.

I don’t understand what you mean by immersion at the middle school level that is happening at Adams.

Are you saying the kids are in the same class learning all subjects each day and 1/2 of the day is taught in spanish and the other english? Or are they all in the same class and the whole day is taught in spanish?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child has been in a Spanish dual language program since pre k but now as we prepare for middle school it doesn’t seem like that many options. The only school I really hear given as best choice is DCI however it is so far. Is there any talks of them getting a bus from eastern market like other schools? What is everyone take on the few other dual language middle schools? I would hate to abandon language immersion.

DCI is the only charter/public school in the city with serious language programming and an IB diploma in high school.

But you won’t get in the Spanish track since you are not in a feeder.

The only other serious option is private which is WIS.

Oyster is a much better middle school language option. DCI middle is language light in comparison. If you are in 3rd-4th you can probably get a spot at a DCI feeder since most people don’t want to start DL in upper elementary. You can also try for Oyster if your kid can pass the proficiency test. The Jefferson program seems promising and if you live on the hill I would consider it. I don’t think DCI is worth the commute (I have kids there).

I have a kid at DCI middle. No the language model is not light. I am assuming your kid is in the lower language level tracks then. If so, then yes limited course options. They are not going to put a kid in many classes in the language if they are not even proficient yet.

My kid is in the highest track and so has lots of classes in the language. DCI has 6, yes six, levels of language classes and they test the kids every year with STAMP to know where they are and to place them. Kids in the highest track not only has language classes but also other subject like social studies actually taught in the language. Electives can also be in the language if you are in the higher track. Also exchange programs late middle are optiins if you are in the higher track. Lots of kids with native speaking families in this track also. Also if you are in the highest track, you can take a 2nd language starting as early as 7th and work towards an IB bilingual diploma.

I can’t comment on Oyster since I don’t have a kid there, but since you seem to know, you can let us know how extensive is the offerings in languages.and courses are there.

Also I agree with another poster that doubtful the Jefferson program will be successful when you have so little students coming in with proficiency in the language. Also majority of kids are not even on grade level in ELA, so I don’t see how they will be able to master a 2nd language.

Hey DCI booster. I am PP and we are native Spanish speakers and have been at DCI a lot longer than you. So, we are especially critical of the language classes. Yes. DCI has a lot of options but the kids in those higher classes aren’t really as proficient as I would expect. Most of the DCI feeders don’t have very high percentages of native Spanish speakers except possibly DCB which doesn’t even do full immersion in prek so the English speaking kids aren’t really challenged to learn Spanish. The advanced kids aren’t really that advanced. Adams has a large cohort of native speakers and Spanish is spoken outside of academic settings. All of the kids at Adams are highly proficient in Spanish. If OP wants a strong Spanish program Adams is the way to go if they can swing it. And I definitely wouldn’t travel from the hill to DCI. I would shoot for Stuart Hobson and supplement with language classes.

I’m the PP and what exactly is not true about my post??

So your kid is not even in the middle school to speak of? Your experience is how many years old from middle if you are even for real and not a troll?

Our feeder had plenty of native speaking families. My kids spanish class at DCI currently has a lots of native speaking families who were at back to school night. And my kid scored high on STAMP so yes objective data.

BTW data doesn’t lie and both schools have similar percentages of spanish families.

If you look at absolute numbers, DCI actually has many more spanish families because Oyster is so small.

This is correct. DCI has more students. However, There are many coming from feeders that identify as Hispanic but speak English at home. My kids came from a feeder and they never had more than 2 or 3 kids that actually spoke Spanish at home consistently.

True, if the kids were born here or having moved to the US after 2-3 years, they will want to speak English at home and not spanish. It is not going to be any different at Adams with similar kids and profiles.

But what I noticed at our feeder which consisted of UMC educated spanish families who were fluent in English, is that parents spoke to the kids only in spanish and they chose a spanish immersion school because they prioritize their kids knowing spanish. And you can bet these kids read, wrote, and spoke spanish grammatically better than the ESL kids.

The bottom line is that if you prioritize spanish then it is a no brainer that DCI is the best choice, because it offers a strong language program all the way thru 12th. It is also offers the IB curriculum from middle to high school with the option of getting an IB diploma at graduation. This opens so many doors if your kid is interested at all in going to college abroad. It also sets your kid to stand out in applying to colleges here where AP kids are a dime a dozen.

BTW, my kid’s strength is math and science and we have found STEM to be very good at DCI. Math tracking is great. Science teachers strong and great clubs and EC in STEM.

I don’t think this is true of Oyster Adams or other schools that prioritize language proficiency for participation. OA kids have to pass a proficiency test and over half of the students in each class have passed this assessment. 50% of a class that consistently speaks Spanish versus 5-10% is a big deal when considering overall language development. I am a teacher in a DL program in the suburbs and we have similar requirement to DCPS programs and the kids speak in Spanish throughout the day. The level Spanish is so much higher than at my kids DCI feeder. It’s a little disheartening but there are other great things about the school so we plug away and work on Spanish at home.

What are you taking about? 5-10% of the kids at DCI are not speaking spanish. Everyone is speaking spanish in the spanish classes.

If you have kids in a classroom and only 50% are proficient, the other 50% are not. Then you are going to be teaching to the lower 50%. You also might have a wide range of abilities in the 50% who are proficient. Some of these kids are advance and can move faster but the teacher is not going to do that when 1/2 the class is not proficient.

Tracking is so much better. The kids are in the right level all together and the classes can move at different speeds with different depths based on the kids abilities. So the advance kids are moving much faster and covering more depth. The lower level kids are moving slower and things are being repeated if necessary.

You misunderstood PP’s point. She meant 50% of the kids are Spanish dominant - meaning their first language is Spanish and they speak Spanish at home. At least, that’s the relevant point for Adams.

I confess I don’t really understand this point about tracking. How do you have an immersion school where anything less than at least 95% of the kids are proficient in at least speaking and understanding the language? How would you have math and science classes in the target language if not all the kids are proficient? PP - are you saying that DCI needs tracking because they admit kids who are NOT able to do the math and science at grade level in the target language? That doesn’t seem like an immersion school.

To be clear about Adams, kids must pass a proficiency test if they didn’t go through the school from early elementary. When DS was there, there just weren’t many (I didn’t encounter any) kids who weren’t proficient enough in both languages to understand content and other daily activities in both languages. For example, the basketball team was coached in Spanish when my kid was there. The language is just assumed — there’s not special tracking to divert a subset of the kids to an immersion experience.

I don’t understand what you mean by immersion at the middle school level that is happening at Adams.

Are you saying the kids are in the same class learning all subjects each day and 1/2 of the day is taught in spanish and the other english? Or are they all in the same class and the whole day is taught in spanish?

Neither of these. It’s middle school. Kids have multiple classes and switch from class to class. All kids have one English language class (studying English language and literature) and one Spanish language class (Spanish language and literature). Of the remaining classes (e.g. biology, algebra, history, etc.), kids’ schedules are created so that half are in Spanish and half are in English. This is the case for all students.

The assumption is that all kids are able to read, write, and understand both languages at grade level to learn math, science, history, etc. Classes are taught by native speakers, and all work, lectures, class discussion, etc. is in the target language of the class.

[Anonymous]

Is it still the 5X? Or did it change with the relabeling of the routes? My kid is in 6th next year, 5th at a feeder and I have yet to plan the route.

Yes. The D5x and D50 are the new route numbers. Both are directly in front of McPherson and both drop off at 14th and Aspen. You can also use the D6x and D60 up 16th but you’d need to walk a little more.

[Anonymous]

Reminder that many teachers in dual language schools are here with H1B visas and now they need the community support to continue working for the district. Support International teachers by signing the petition

https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/support-dcps-international-educators-pathway-to-permanent-residency?source=direct_link&

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you missed the point of the earlier SH poster. SH offers a short commute. Period. There is a point where for a lot of people a really long commute is not likely to be worth it if there is another reasonably okay option nearby.

Stuart Hobson is a poor performing school. Unless your kid is seriously lazy there is seriously no comparison. You’re equating a “really long commute” as equally bad with a school that literally fails its students.

Do your own research, but the poor course offerings alone is enough to go elsewhere. I feel like I’m punching down since thankfully we got in elsewhere but new parents should know SH is where people who utterly wash out end up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child has been in a Spanish dual language program since pre k but now as we prepare for middle school it doesn’t seem like that many options. The only school I really hear given as best choice is DCI however it is so far. Is there any talks of them getting a bus from eastern market like other schools? What is everyone take on the few other dual language middle schools? I would hate to abandon language immersion.

DCI has a bus this year. It makes several stops, including Ward 7 and Brookland Metro, I think.

[Anonymous]

Has it been discussed that this kid wont get in?

It’s mathematically impossible to get into DCI’s spanish program without feeder or sibling preference.