If you have a kid in MCPS ES now, would you recommend it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We also love it. We live in Takoma. Our kids went through the TPES STEM magnet and had math enrichment starting in first. Both went through CES before it was CES and local. One is in Blair SMCS and our youngest is currently at the TPMS STEM magnet.

Also recommend Takoma for non-magnet. Went to Piney Branch and TPMS non-magnet and had a great experience. DC is now in the magnet for high school.

[Anonymous]

Focus and Title 1 schools have significantly smaller class sizes. If you're involved in your child's education, they'll do well at any school and likely better in a school where they can occasionally get individual attention. The myth of good and bad schools is based on test averages, not individual outcomes.

To be honest though those lower ratios evaporate by 3rd grade. The smaller class benefit in the early years is offset on teachers that have to fill in huge gaps for many kids who are below grade level. Behavior starts getting bad around 4th and 5th grade. I have volunteered in a FOCUS school and there are more negatives than people care to admit. I do agree though that if you supplement your kid can do fine. Elementary school is about reading, writing and math. Any educated parent can fill in gaps and keep kids working about grade level.

There is LOTS of supplementing, enrichment and prep going on among the more well off in Focus schools. Its weird though because everyone does it and talks quietly among friends about which workbooks or online programs to use but its sort of a taboo. The same people supplementing like crazy and ordering the books on Amazon to prep for the CoGat will publicly make snide comments about prepping.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Focus and Title 1 schools have significantly smaller class sizes. If you're involved in your child's education, they'll do well at any school and likely better in a school where they can occasionally get individual attention. The myth of good and bad schools is based on test averages, not individual outcomes.

To be honest though those lower ratios evaporate by 3rd grade. The smaller class benefit in the early years is offset on teachers that have to fill in huge gaps for many kids who are below grade level. Behavior starts getting bad around 4th and 5th grade. I have volunteered in a FOCUS school and there are more negatives than people care to admit. I do agree though that if you supplement your kid can do fine. Elementary school is about reading, writing and math. Any educated parent can fill in gaps and keep kids working about grade level.

There is LOTS of supplementing, enrichment and prep going on among the more well off in Focus schools. Its weird though because everyone does it and talks quietly among friends about which workbooks or online programs to use but its sort of a taboo. The same people supplementing like crazy and ordering the books on Amazon to prep for the CoGat will publicly make snide comments about prepping.

Oh please. We moved from a focus school to a W feeder ES and the amount of supplementing happening at the wealthier school is way beyond what was happening at the Focus school.

[Anonymous]

Our oldest child will be starting Oakland Terrace ES. We are beyond thrilled that our child will be attending a bilingual school. We did not have to deal with the lottery this way. Other parents in the neighborhood love this school, though their kids were in it prior to the bilingual program.

We are teachers (new to MontCo) and researched the h*ll out of schools before purchasing our home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Focus and Title 1 schools have significantly smaller class sizes. If you're involved in your child's education, they'll do well at any school and likely better in a school where they can occasionally get individual attention. The myth of good and bad schools is based on test averages, not individual outcomes.

To be honest though those lower ratios evaporate by 3rd grade. The smaller class benefit in the early years is offset on teachers that have to fill in huge gaps for many kids who are below grade level. Behavior starts getting bad around 4th and 5th grade. I have volunteered in a FOCUS school and there are more negatives than people care to admit. I do agree though that if you supplement your kid can do fine. Elementary school is about reading, writing and math. Any educated parent can fill in gaps and keep kids working about grade level.

There is LOTS of supplementing, enrichment and prep going on among the more well off in Focus schools. Its weird though because everyone does it and talks quietly among friends about which workbooks or online programs to use but its sort of a taboo. The same people supplementing like crazy and ordering the books on Amazon to prep for the CoGat will publicly make snide comments about prepping.

Actually, the ratios don't evaporate by 3rd grade, but if that's what you need to tell yourself...

[Anonymous]

No.

MCPS ES is not a big issue from KG to 1st grade. Then the same stuff get repeated from 2nd to 3rd grade. The ball is dropped in 4-5 grade. MS is a shit show. Kids do terribly in HS as compared to better school districts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our oldest child will be starting Oakland Terrace ES. We are beyond thrilled that our child will be attending a bilingual school. We did not have to deal with the lottery this way. Other parents in the neighborhood love this school, though their kids were in it prior to the bilingual program.

We are teachers (new to MontCo) and researched the h*ll out of schools before purchasing our home.

Good luck.. Many happy and many unhappy families there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Focus and Title 1 schools have significantly smaller class sizes. If you're involved in your child's education, they'll do well at any school and likely better in a school where they can occasionally get individual attention. The myth of good and bad schools is based on test averages, not individual outcomes.

To be honest though those lower ratios evaporate by 3rd grade. The smaller class benefit in the early years is offset on teachers that have to fill in huge gaps for many kids who are below grade level. Behavior starts getting bad around 4th and 5th grade. I have volunteered in a FOCUS school and there are more negatives than people care to admit. I do agree though that if you supplement your kid can do fine. Elementary school is about reading, writing and math. Any educated parent can fill in gaps and keep kids working about grade level.

There is LOTS of supplementing, enrichment and prep going on among the more well off in Focus schools. Its weird though because everyone does it and talks quietly among friends about which workbooks or online programs to use but its sort of a taboo. The same people supplementing like crazy and ordering the books on Amazon to prep for the CoGat will publicly make snide comments about prepping.

Actually, the ratios don't evaporate by 3rd grade, but if that's what you need to tell yourself...

At our school they did change in 3rd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Focus and Title 1 schools have significantly smaller class sizes. If you're involved in your child's education, they'll do well at any school and likely better in a school where they can occasionally get individual attention. The myth of good and bad schools is based on test averages, not individual outcomes.

To be honest though those lower ratios evaporate by 3rd grade. The smaller class benefit in the early years is offset on teachers that have to fill in huge gaps for many kids who are below grade level. Behavior starts getting bad around 4th and 5th grade. I have volunteered in a FOCUS school and there are more negatives than people care to admit. I do agree though that if you supplement your kid can do fine. Elementary school is about reading, writing and math. Any educated parent can fill in gaps and keep kids working about grade level.

There is LOTS of supplementing, enrichment and prep going on among the more well off in Focus schools. Its weird though because everyone does it and talks quietly among friends about which workbooks or online programs to use but its sort of a taboo. The same people supplementing like crazy and ordering the books on Amazon to prep for the CoGat will publicly make snide comments about prepping.

Actually, the ratios don't evaporate by 3rd grade, but if that's what you need to tell yourself...

At our school they did change in 3rd.

Yes, class sizes in 3rd-5th are larger than K-2 across the board. But Focus/Title I class sizes are still smaller comparatively.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No.

MCPS ES is not a big issue from KG to 1st grade. Then the same stuff get repeated from 2nd to 3rd grade. The ball is dropped in 4-5 grade. MS is a shit show. Kids do terribly in HS as compared to better school districts.

Source? Schools you were at?

[Anonymous]

Agree that the MS curriculum is a sh*t show.
Would not recommend my overcrowded ES anymore (with the old Principal, absolutely. This one plus overcrowding, hell no).
The changes I have seen in 15 years with MCPS, I would not recommend it to anyone. No final exams. No discipline. Class sizes too large. Hallways to crowded (direct result of overcrowded schools). Counseling non-existent unless you are in a full on crisis, which means many more kids get to full on crisis. And so on...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No.

MCPS ES is not a big issue from KG to 1st grade. Then the same stuff get repeated from 2nd to 3rd grade. The ball is dropped in 4-5 grade. MS is a shit show. Kids do terribly in HS as compared to better school districts.

Source? Schools you were at?

People love to say sh*t without substantiating their sh*t.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Focus and Title 1 schools have significantly smaller class sizes. If you're involved in your child's education, they'll do well at any school and likely better in a school where they can occasionally get individual attention. The myth of good and bad schools is based on test averages, not individual outcomes.

To be honest though those lower ratios evaporate by 3rd grade. The smaller class benefit in the early years is offset on teachers that have to fill in huge gaps for many kids who are below grade level. Behavior starts getting bad around 4th and 5th grade. I have volunteered in a FOCUS school and there are more negatives than people care to admit. I do agree though that if you supplement your kid can do fine. Elementary school is about reading, writing and math. Any educated parent can fill in gaps and keep kids working about grade level.

There is LOTS of supplementing, enrichment and prep going on among the more well off in Focus schools. Its weird though because everyone does it and talks quietly among friends about which workbooks or online programs to use but its sort of a taboo. The same people supplementing like crazy and ordering the books on Amazon to prep for the CoGat will publicly make snide comments about prepping.

Actually, the ratios don't evaporate by 3rd grade, but if that's what you need to tell yourself...

At our school they did change in 3rd.

They are still proportionally smaller than the alternative.

[Anonymous]

Hell, no!!!!

I am sending all my peeps to HoCo now. (Since Clarksburg got shat upon with the boundary redistribution!!)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hell, no!!!!

I am sending all my peeps to HoCo now. (Since Clarksburg got shat upon with the boundary redistribution!!)

Isn't HoCo just as bad or worse of a commute than upcounty (for those who work in DC, that is)