Walter Reed transfer back on schedule for DCI

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And most students don't get anywhere near 50% instruction at this point. Maybe language class plus an elective. Not much more than kids taking a language at other schools get.

This sounds discouraging. You can get that type of instruction at a regular MS.

Not necessarily. There are no middle schools in DC that offer high enough level Chinese for YY students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And most students don't get anywhere near 50% instruction at this point. Maybe language class plus an elective. Not much more than kids taking a language at other schools get.

This sounds discouraging. You can get that type of instruction at a regular MS.

Not necessarily. There are no middle schools in DC that offer high enough level Chinese for YY students.

Well, that's the only exception.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And most students don't get anywhere near 50% instruction at this point. Maybe language class plus an elective. Not much more than kids taking a language at other schools get.

This sounds discouraging. You can get that type of instruction at a regular MS.

Not necessarily. There are no middle schools in DC that offer high enough level Chinese for YY students.

Well, that's the only exception.

We're not interested in French, but I suspect the Stokes French-track students are similarly too advanced for anything DCPS has to offer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. We are at DCI and disappointed with this. Leaving our elementary feeder, I was expecting many more classes being taught in the second language. That is what they hyped to us, but have yet to deliver.

It's hard because there are 3 languages and the school isn't that large.

If they wanted to make math a course taught in the target language they'd have to hire IM 6, 7, 8 and 9 (and so on) teachers fluent in all of the target languages, plus English for the kids who are coming new to the school. Or for science. It gets complicated and expensive fast.

[Anonymous]

Then they should not have given us at the feeders the impression that it was going to be full immersion. Only one extra class in the language does not describe what we were told years ago. This can't be new information that it would be hard and expensive to do so. They gave us false expectations knowing they'd never be able to fulfill.

[Anonymous]

DCI could greatly simplify what it's doing by electing to become an "IB Diploma-only School." In that case, the curriculum would be streamlined with the goal of enabling all juniors and seniors to earn the full IB Diploma.

To earn the Diploma, students must achieve IB points pass total of at least 24-26 points on a 45-point scale. To earn enough points, students must do reasonably well in the equivalent of 6 AP courses, a Theory of Knowledge Class (a combination of research methods, logic and philosophy), a Community Action Service (CAS) requirement, and researching and writing an IB Extended Essay (30-page dissertation). Full IB schools prepare most students to pass Higher Level IB (1-2 years beyond AP) IBD language exams.

This is the way the strongest suburban IB programs in this Metro area work. If an upper-class student demonstrates that she or he can't, or won't, do the work to earn the full Diploma over time, they are counseled out. The bar isn't actually set all that high to earn the full Diploma, but a student needs to be an industrious A or B student to pull it off.

No public school can do a good job being everything to every sort of student who might rock in. Give the polyglots, especially hard workers, and high fliers at DCI, and those coming up in the chain in the feeders, the resources, structure and support they need to excel academically and grow personally. Absent the international focus, this is no different from what BASIS and Latin are doing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DCI could greatly simplify what it's doing by electing to become an "IB Diploma-only School." In that case, the curriculum would be streamlined with the goal of enabling all juniors and seniors to earn the full IB Diploma.

To earn the Diploma, students must achieve IB points pass total of at least 24-26 points on a 45-point scale. To earn enough points, students must do reasonably well in the equivalent of 6 AP courses, a Theory of Knowledge Class (a combination of research methods, logic and philosophy), a Community Action Service (CAS) requirement, and researching and writing an IB Extended Essay (30-page dissertation). Full IB schools prepare most students to pass Higher Level IB (1-2 years beyond AP) IBD language exams.

This is the way the strongest suburban IB programs in this Metro area work. If an upper-class student demonstrates that she or he can't, or won't, do the work to earn the full Diploma over time, they are counseled out. The bar isn't actually set all that high to earn the full Diploma, but a student needs to be an industrious A or B student to pull it off.

No public school can do a good job being everything to every sort of student who might rock in. Give the polyglots, especially hard workers, and high fliers at DCI, and those coming up in the chain in the feeders, the resources, structure and support they need to excel academically and grow personally. Absent the international focus, this is no different from what BASIS and Latin are doing.

Well they'd have to amend their charter agreement to 'simplify' as it was granted with the understanding that students could pursue either the IB Diploma or the IB Career-Related Certificate.

http://www.dcpcsb.org/sites/default/files/report/DCI%20Restated%20Agreement%202014.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Then they should not have given us at the feeders the impression that it was going to be full immersion. Only one extra class in the language does not describe what we were told years ago. This can't be new information that it would be hard and expensive to do so. They gave us false expectations knowing they'd never be able to fulfill.

Sometimes it's 2.25 or 2.5 -- if you count an elective like PE or Drama which might be offered in your DC's target language.

We chose not to send our DC to DCI, but it was very clear at the open house I attended in winter 2015 that my 6th grader would have 2 classes in the target language taught at an advanced level and maybe a part-year elective in addition to that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And most students don't get anywhere near 50% instruction at this point. Maybe language class plus an elective. Not much more than kids taking a language at other schools get.

This sounds discouraging. You can get that type of instruction at a regular MS.

Not necessarily. There are no middle schools in DC that offer high enough level Chinese for YY students.

This is really disappointing, and personally is probably a deal-breaker for even bothering with the attempt to get into the school. It seems like a great school, but with my personal priorities the seemingly strong language instruction was a strong draw.

[Anonymous]

You can't guarantee what electives you will get and sounds like choice was eliminated last year. In addition, I am pretty sure I heard at the open house that advanced language offerings would be less when kids get into high school- maybe just language class? Correct me if I am wrong because I may have misunderstood

[Anonymous]

My son is in Chinese and he takes Chinese language daily, one elective in Chinese and Geography in Chinese.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DCI could greatly simplify what it's doing by electing to become an "IB Diploma-only School." In that case, the curriculum would be streamlined with the goal of enabling all juniors and seniors to earn the full IB Diploma.

To earn the Diploma, students must achieve IB points pass total of at least 24-26 points on a 45-point scale. To earn enough points, students must do reasonably well in the equivalent of 6 AP courses, a Theory of Knowledge Class (a combination of research methods, logic and philosophy), a Community Action Service (CAS) requirement, and researching and writing an IB Extended Essay (30-page dissertation). Full IB schools prepare most students to pass Higher Level IB (1-2 years beyond AP) IBD language exams.

This is the way the strongest suburban IB programs in this Metro area work. If an upper-class student demonstrates that she or he can't, or won't, do the work to earn the full Diploma over time, they are counseled out. The bar isn't actually set all that high to earn the full Diploma, but a student needs to be an industrious A or B student to pull it off.

No public school can do a good job being everything to every sort of student who might rock in. Give the polyglots, especially hard workers, and high fliers at DCI, and those coming up in the chain in the feeders, the resources, structure and support they need to excel academically and grow personally. Absent the international focus, this is no different from what BASIS and Latin are doing.

Which is superior to anything DCPS is offering.

[Anonymous]

16:45, so kids can take 3 classes/day? That's not bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:16:45, so kids can take 3 classes/day? That's not bad.

Most electives are for just one quarter - so not necessarily 3 classes in Chinese all year long.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:16:45, so kids can take 3 classes/day? That's not bad.

Most electives are for just one quarter - so not necessarily 3 classes in Chinese all year long.

I'm a previous disappointed poster. Actually, I will say that a 2 classes in the language a day is still pretty great, given the alternatives.