Mundo Verde principal resigning

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People who don’t think peer group is important are deluding themselves. This starts in elementary and becomes even more important as you advance up to middle and high school.

I am from a poor minority family (had free lunches) but was placed in G & T in elementary, tracked in the highest level courses in middle and high school, to AP courses/AP test and college credit. I got a full 4 year academic scholarship in college. Now I have an advance degree and a successful career. If I wasn’t in G & T with similar academic peers, I might not be where I am today. If the people around you are motivated to do well, you also become motivated to do well and are challenged to your fullest potential. If I was in the general class, bored, and did not have to work hard to do well, I likely would not have reached the potential that I did.

DCPS is terrible because there is no G & T in elementary and hardly any tracking in middle or high school with the exception of a few schools and the test in high schools. So you bet to compensate for this deficiency, I’m going to be looking at PARCC scores in elementary school for my child. If there is a sizable cohort of kids doing well, great. The teacher will likely teach and challenge these kids. If there is only 2 or 3 kids doing well, forget about it. I don’t care if the teacher is giving them harder assignments. They will likely be on chrome books most of the day while the teacher is actively trying to bring the rest of the class up to grade level. That’s not my definition of active learning. I can put my child on a chrome book at home.

I agree that PARCC scores are not the be all and end all as someone mentioned, but it’s pretty important in giving you an idea about peer groups.

Correct. The lack of tracking in most DCPS elementaries caps how good the school can get.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People who don’t think peer group is important are deluding themselves. This starts in elementary and becomes even more important as you advance up to middle and high school.

I am from a poor minority family (had free lunches) but was placed in G & T in elementary, tracked in the highest level courses in middle and high school, to AP courses/AP test and college credit. I got a full 4 year academic scholarship in college. Now I have an advance degree and a successful career. If I wasn’t in G & T with similar academic peers, I might not be where I am today. If the people around you are motivated to do well, you also become motivated to do well and are challenged to your fullest potential. If I was in the general class, bored, and did not have to work hard to do well, I likely would not have reached the potential that I did.

DCPS is terrible because there is no G & T in elementary and hardly any tracking in middle or high school with the exception of a few schools and the test in high schools. So you bet to compensate for this deficiency, I’m going to be looking at PARCC scores in elementary school for my child. If there is a sizable cohort of kids doing well, great. The teacher will likely teach and challenge these kids. If there is only 2 or 3 kids doing well, forget about it. I don’t care if the teacher is giving them harder assignments. They will likely be on chrome books most of the day while the teacher is actively trying to bring the rest of the class up to grade level. That’s not my definition of active learning. I can put my child on a chrome book at home.

I agree that PARCC scores are not the be all and end all as someone mentioned, but it’s pretty important in giving you an idea about peer groups.

Sure. The point is MV only has 6% of its kids that would even be eligible for G&T. PP started it by assuming MV has a crazy amount of kids that are above grade level. That’s just not true. There are 12 students out of 200 in testing grades (3rd-5th) so about 1 kid per classroom that are testing advanced.

No PP’s definition was PARCC 4 for above grade level, not PARCC 5. PARCC 4 is ready for the next grade. Common core might not agree that it’s above grade level, but I am not going to argue details.

You are missing the whole point. It’s not about G & T. The point is the charters EOTP all have much better performing peer groups than DCPS schools EOTP unless you live in Capital Hill. That’s the environment I want my child in, not an environment where the majority of kids are at below grade level.

PP is wrong. 4 does not equal above grade level, it is grade level.

Charters are just whiter/wealthier. Also, there are other EOTP DCPS schools other than Cap Hill that perform better than MV. Marie Reed and Shepherd come to mind.

And you think Shepherd Park is a poor area where homes go for over 1 million?? Their at risk is low and they are not even a title 1 school. If we lived there, sure no issues with sending our child there. As a minority, I don’t care about the demographics or socioeconomic makeup of a school, I care about peer groups.

I didn’t say any of that. I simply corrected PP that said only good EOTP DCPS schools were in Capitol Hill. Calm down. If you're happy with MV so be it.

And by the way, Shepherd’s at risk is higher than MV’s and they score 10-15 points higher. Marie Reed’s at risk is 3 times the amount of MV’s and also about 10 points higher. MV is a solid choice for those that don’t have better options, they certainly are not a school with advanced scoring peers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People who don’t think peer group is important are deluding themselves. This starts in elementary and becomes even more important as you advance up to middle and high school.

I am from a poor minority family (had free lunches) but was placed in G & T in elementary, tracked in the highest level courses in middle and high school, to AP courses/AP test and college credit. I got a full 4 year academic scholarship in college. Now I have an advance degree and a successful career. If I wasn’t in G & T with similar academic peers, I might not be where I am today. If the people around you are motivated to do well, you also become motivated to do well and are challenged to your fullest potential. If I was in the general class, bored, and did not have to work hard to do well, I likely would not have reached the potential that I did.

DCPS is terrible because there is no G & T in elementary and hardly any tracking in middle or high school with the exception of a few schools and the test in high schools. So you bet to compensate for this deficiency, I’m going to be looking at PARCC scores in elementary school for my child. If there is a sizable cohort of kids doing well, great. The teacher will likely teach and challenge these kids. If there is only 2 or 3 kids doing well, forget about it. I don’t care if the teacher is giving them harder assignments. They will likely be on chrome books most of the day while the teacher is actively trying to bring the rest of the class up to grade level. That’s not my definition of active learning. I can put my child on a chrome book at home.

I agree that PARCC scores are not the be all and end all as someone mentioned, but it’s pretty important in giving you an idea about peer groups.

Correct. The lack of tracking in most DCPS elementaries caps how good the school can get.

DCPS is never going to do any type of systemwide tracking in all of their schools. They are way behind VA & MD which has tracking. What DCPS cares about is closing the achievement gap. If they did tracking, the gap would likely widen further.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She's been at the school a while and didn't make it a year as principal.

It seems like a move that was in the works before the union conversation came from teachers, so my guess is that it comes from the same (or similar) root causes around transparency or autonomy or trust.

One thing she brought was an understanding of the demands of teaching at MV into her administrative role. I wish the school well in finding someone for those shoes!

And I hope they may have learned some lessons in needing to empower administrators if they want to keep them.

Where is she going? LAMB?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She's been at the school a while and didn't make it a year as principal.

It seems like a move that was in the works before the union conversation came from teachers, so my guess is that it comes from the same (or similar) root causes around transparency or autonomy or trust.

One thing she brought was an understanding of the demands of teaching at MV into her administrative role. I wish the school well in finding someone for those shoes!

And I hope they may have learned some lessons in needing to empower administrators if they want to keep them.

Where is she going? LAMB?

Looks like Cap City hires her? From another thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People who don’t think peer group is important are deluding themselves. This starts in elementary and becomes even more important as you advance up to middle and high school.

I am from a poor minority family (had free lunches) but was placed in G & T in elementary, tracked in the highest level courses in middle and high school, to AP courses/AP test and college credit. I got a full 4 year academic scholarship in college. Now I have an advance degree and a successful career. If I wasn’t in G & T with similar academic peers, I might not be where I am today. If the people around you are motivated to do well, you also become motivated to do well and are challenged to your fullest potential. If I was in the general class, bored, and did not have to work hard to do well, I likely would not have reached the potential that I did.

DCPS is terrible because there is no G & T in elementary and hardly any tracking in middle or high school with the exception of a few schools and the test in high schools. So you bet to compensate for this deficiency, I’m going to be looking at PARCC scores in elementary school for my child. If there is a sizable cohort of kids doing well, great. The teacher will likely teach and challenge these kids. If there is only 2 or 3 kids doing well, forget about it. I don’t care if the teacher is giving them harder assignments. They will likely be on chrome books most of the day while the teacher is actively trying to bring the rest of the class up to grade level. That’s not my definition of active learning. I can put my child on a chrome book at home.

I agree that PARCC scores are not the be all and end all as someone mentioned, but it’s pretty important in giving you an idea about peer groups.

Sure. The point is MV only has 6% of its kids that would even be eligible for G&T. PP started it by assuming MV has a crazy amount of kids that are above grade level. That’s just not true. There are 12 students out of 200 in testing grades (3rd-5th) so about 1 kid per classroom that are testing advanced.

No PP’s definition was PARCC 4 for above grade level, not PARCC 5. PARCC 4 is ready for the next grade. Common core might not agree that it’s above grade level, but I am not going to argue details.

You are missing the whole point. It’s not about G & T. The point is the charters EOTP all have much better performing peer groups than DCPS schools EOTP unless you live in Capital Hill. That’s the environment I want my child in, not an environment where the majority of kids are at below grade level.

PP is wrong. 4 does not equal above grade level, it is grade level.

Charters are just whiter/wealthier. Also, there are other EOTP DCPS schools other than Cap Hill that perform better than MV. Marie Reed and Shepherd come to mind.

And you think Shepherd Park is a poor area where homes go for over 1 million?? Their at risk is low and they are not even a title 1 school. If we lived there, sure no issues with sending our child there. As a minority, I don’t care about the demographics or socioeconomic makeup of a school, I care about peer groups.

I didn’t say any of that. I simply corrected PP that said only good EOTP DCPS schools were in Capitol Hill. Calm down. If you're happy with MV so be it.

And by the way, Shepherd’s at risk is higher than MV’s and they score 10-15 points higher. Marie Reed’s at risk is 3 times the amount of MV’s and also about 10 points higher. MV is a solid choice for those that don’t have better options, they certainly are not a school with advanced scoring peers.

Np here. I get the impression from talking to a few families that they aren't interested in MV for grades as that's not their focus in elementary. They seek it out for the Spanish immersion, the whiter peer group, and the expeditionary learning. In fact for some they are not interested in an academically rigorous program in elementary.

[Anonymous]

My goodness. This school feels like its imploding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People who don’t think peer group is important are deluding themselves. This starts in elementary and becomes even more important as you advance up to middle and high school.

I am from a poor minority family (had free lunches) but was placed in G & T in elementary, tracked in the highest level courses in middle and high school, to AP courses/AP test and college credit. I got a full 4 year academic scholarship in college. Now I have an advance degree and a successful career. If I wasn’t in G & T with similar academic peers, I might not be where I am today. If the people around you are motivated to do well, you also become motivated to do well and are challenged to your fullest potential. If I was in the general class, bored, and did not have to work hard to do well, I likely would not have reached the potential that I did.

DCPS is terrible because there is no G & T in elementary and hardly any tracking in middle or high school with the exception of a few schools and the test in high schools. So you bet to compensate for this deficiency, I’m going to be looking at PARCC scores in elementary school for my child. If there is a sizable cohort of kids doing well, great. The teacher will likely teach and challenge these kids. If there is only 2 or 3 kids doing well, forget about it. I don’t care if the teacher is giving them harder assignments. They will likely be on chrome books most of the day while the teacher is actively trying to bring the rest of the class up to grade level. That’s not my definition of active learning. I can put my child on a chrome book at home.

I agree that PARCC scores are not the be all and end all as someone mentioned, but it’s pretty important in giving you an idea about peer groups.

Sure. The point is MV only has 6% of its kids that would even be eligible for G&T. PP started it by assuming MV has a crazy amount of kids that are above grade level. That’s just not true. There are 12 students out of 200 in testing grades (3rd-5th) so about 1 kid per classroom that are testing advanced.

No PP’s definition was PARCC 4 for above grade level, not PARCC 5. PARCC 4 is ready for the next grade. Common core might not agree that it’s above grade level, but I am not going to argue details.

You are missing the whole point. It’s not about G & T. The point is the charters EOTP all have much better performing peer groups than DCPS schools EOTP unless you live in Capital Hill. That’s the environment I want my child in, not an environment where the majority of kids are at below grade level.

PP is wrong. 4 does not equal above grade level, it is grade level.

Charters are just whiter/wealthier. Also, there are other EOTP DCPS schools other than Cap Hill that perform better than MV. Marie Reed and Shepherd come to mind.

And you think Shepherd Park is a poor area where homes go for over 1 million?? Their at risk is low and they are not even a title 1 school. If we lived there, sure no issues with sending our child there. As a minority, I don’t care about the demographics or socioeconomic makeup of a school, I care about peer groups.

I didn’t say any of that. I simply corrected PP that said only good EOTP DCPS schools were in Capitol Hill. Calm down. If you're happy with MV so be it.

And by the way, Shepherd’s at risk is higher than MV’s and they score 10-15 points higher. Marie Reed’s at risk is 3 times the amount of MV’s and also about 10 points higher. MV is a solid choice for those that don’t have better options, they certainly are not a school with advanced scoring peers.

Np here. I get the impression from talking to a few families that they aren't interested in MV for grades as that's not their focus in elementary. They seek it out for the Spanish immersion, the whiter peer group, and the expeditionary learning. In fact for some they are not interested in an academically rigorous program in elementary.

That’s because they know that a language immersion program in itself is already challenging. The child is learning vocabulary, reading, writing, etc. in 2 completely different languages and to learn the ability to go back and forth between the languages which helps develop executive functioning skills.

I know families who have said that their advance child would be bored in a traditional school and glad they went with language immersion. We have also talked to a friend who went to a language immersion school in Canada when he was young. He said absolutely that the challenge helped him develop
important skills that contributed to where he is today in his successful career.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My goodness. This school feels like its imploding.

Its in a precarious position, not imploding. The teachers supported my kids amazingly over the past few months, even with the unionization going on. Both kids had a great year, including the older one who is scoring above grade level in reading/writing/math in both English and Spanish. I prioritize both academics and language immersion, and most of the MV parents I know feel the same way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My goodness. This school feels like its imploding.

Its in a precarious position, not imploding. The teachers supported my kids amazingly over the past few months, even with the unionization going on. Both kids had a great year, including the older one who is scoring above grade level in reading/writing/math in both English and Spanish. I prioritize both academics and language immersion, and most of the MV parents I know feel the same way.

We know someone whose child is in a Spanish immersion program elsewhere, and he is 2 grade levels above everything in both languages. Parent also said the parents at their school are very involved and place a high importance on their child’s academic performance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My goodness. This school feels like its imploding.

Its in a precarious position, not imploding. The teachers supported my kids amazingly over the past few months, even with the unionization going on. Both kids had a great year, including the older one who is scoring above grade level in reading/writing/math in both English and Spanish. I prioritize both academics and language immersion, and most of the MV parents I know feel the same way.

This isn't a surprise. Teachers are professionals, unionized or not. Their beef was with the Administration, never with the children, and you would expect them to compartmentalize.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My goodness. This school feels like its imploding.

Its in a precarious position, not imploding. The teachers supported my kids amazingly over the past few months, even with the unionization going on. Both kids had a great year, including the older one who is scoring above grade level in reading/writing/math in both English and Spanish. I prioritize both academics and language immersion, and most of the MV parents I know feel the same way.

This isn't a surprise. Teachers are professionals, unionized or not. Their beef was with the Administration, never with the children, and you would expect them to compartmentalize.

It would seem to be a surprise to the PP that said the school was imploding...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My goodness. This school feels like its imploding.

Its in a precarious position, not imploding. The teachers supported my kids amazingly over the past few months, even with the unionization going on. Both kids had a great year, including the older one who is scoring above grade level in reading/writing/math in both English and Spanish. I prioritize both academics and language immersion, and most of the MV parents I know feel the same way.

We know someone whose child is in a Spanish immersion program elsewhere, and he is 2 grade levels above everything in both languages. Parent also said the parents at their school are very involved and place a high importance on their child’s academic performance.

It sounds as if this child attends Oyster Adams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My goodness. This school feels like its imploding.

Its in a precarious position, not imploding. The teachers supported my kids amazingly over the past few months, even with the unionization going on. Both kids had a great year, including the older one who is scoring above grade level in reading/writing/math in both English and Spanish. I prioritize both academics and language immersion, and most of the MV parents I know feel the same way.

We know someone whose child is in a Spanish immersion program elsewhere, and he is 2 grade levels above everything in both languages. Parent also said the parents at their school are very involved and place a high importance on their child’s academic performance.

It sounds as if this child attends Oyster Adams.

No this is someone that is not in the area that we talked to in regards to their experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My goodness. This school feels like its imploding.

Its in a precarious position, not imploding. The teachers supported my kids amazingly over the past few months, even with the unionization going on. Both kids had a great year, including the older one who is scoring above grade level in reading/writing/math in both English and Spanish. I prioritize both academics and language immersion, and most of the MV parents I know feel the same way.

but is your kid who is above grade level being appropriately challenged in math?