Parent Essay critical of DCI

[Anonymous]

First of all, DCI needs to get rid of the stupid chrome books.

Second, tracking.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I had the same question about the reading list. My rising 6th grader asked why DCI was listing a book for summer reading that she had read at her charter elementary in 4th grade. We can't afford private and she didn't get in anywhere else so I guess we will have to supplement.

I suspect they don’t want to make it too hard. Just read over the summer. They don’t know any of the incoming kids so will likely sort them out as the year progresses - below grade level, at grade level, above, etc... I would imagine.

She was referring to lists for rising 7th and 8th graders. The 'incoming kids' excuse doesn't apply. And since 95% comes from feeders, DCI asks for and gets information from the elementary schools about levels.

I've heard versions of this from 6 other families at DCI. Their kids are happy, socially, but not working that hard (rising 8th/9th and 10th grade). The students are still there because their inbound schools are worse and they can't afford private.

I think it will probably get better over time. But it doesn't help current students there now.

I am not so sure it's all that clear (which suggests being kinder with your tone wouldn't hurt). These are the most recent 5th grade ELA scores from the feeder schools. Percent 4 and above and percent 3 and above.

Latin American Montessori Bilingual PCS 78.1% 93.8%
DC Bilingual PCS 50.0% 85.0%
Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom PCS 43.8% 75.0%
Mundo Verde Bilingual PCS 54.2% 79.2%
Washington Yu Ying PCS 73.3% 93.3%


You also have to consider that these kids are coming from Mundo Verde, one of the weakest links, if not the weakest link.

It’s DCB that is the weakest link with the lowest ELA scores not only on PARCC but also math. Get your data straight.

Looking at above, it looks like Stokes is weakest in ELA followed by DCB. Nevertheless, numbers above are far, far higher than other DCPS middle schools EOTP which are terrible.

4’s is what we look at. That is grade level. You should be looking at 4 and 5. The only reason DCPS does 3 and 4 is to show them in a better light. Many schools no one is at 5 and very small percentage of students at 4.

Okay, if you look at 4s and are looking at 5th grade math:

Latin American Montessori Bilingual PCS 46.9% 71.9%
DC Bilingual PCS 45.0% 82.5%
Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom PCS 22.9% 64.6%
Mundo Verde Bilingual PCS 45.8% 72.9%
Washington Yu Ying PCS 66.7% 85.6%

Yu Ying is clearly strongest, then Mundo/DCB/LAMB, then Stokes. So, saying she came from Mundo doesn't really make sense. I just didn't understand the point of that argument.

[Anonymous]

Doesn’t an IB program have a prescribed reading list or is it safe to assume that Its been dumbed down for DC kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had the same question about the reading list. My rising 6th grader asked why DCI was listing a book for summer reading that she had read at her charter elementary in 4th grade. We can't afford private and she didn't get in anywhere else so I guess we will have to supplement.

I suspect they don’t want to make it too hard. Just read over the summer. They don’t know any of the incoming kids so will likely sort them out as the year progresses - below grade level, at grade level, above, etc... I would imagine.

She was referring to lists for rising 7th and 8th graders. The 'incoming kids' excuse doesn't apply. And since 95% comes from feeders, DCI asks for and gets information from the elementary schools about levels.

I've heard versions of this from 6 other families at DCI. Their kids are happy, socially, but not working that hard (rising 8th/9th and 10th grade). The students are still there because their inbound schools are worse and they can't afford private.

I think it will probably get better over time. But it doesn't help current students there now.

I am not so sure it's all that clear (which suggests being kinder with your tone wouldn't hurt). These are the most recent 5th grade ELA scores from the feeder schools. Percent 4 and above and percent 3 and above.

Latin American Montessori Bilingual PCS 78.1% 93.8%
DC Bilingual PCS 50.0% 85.0%
Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom PCS 43.8% 75.0%
Mundo Verde Bilingual PCS 54.2% 79.2%
Washington Yu Ying PCS 73.3% 93.3%


You also have to consider that these kids are coming from Mundo Verde, one of the weakest links, if not the weakest link.

It’s DCB that is the weakest link with the lowest ELA scores not only on PARCC but also math. Get your data straight.

Looking at above, it looks like Stokes is weakest in ELA followed by DCB. Nevertheless, numbers above are far, far higher than other DCPS middle schools EOTP which are terrible.

4’s is what we look at. That is grade level. You should be looking at 4 and 5. The only reason DCPS does 3 and 4 is to show them in a better light. Many schools no one is at 5 and very small percentage of students at 4.

Okay, if you look at 4s and are looking at 5th grade math:

Latin American Montessori Bilingual PCS 46.9% 71.9%
DC Bilingual PCS 45.0% 82.5%
Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom PCS 22.9% 64.6%
Mundo Verde Bilingual PCS 45.8% 72.9%
Washington Yu Ying PCS 66.7% 85.6%

Yu Ying is clearly strongest, then Mundo/DCB/LAMB, then Stokes. So, saying she came from Mundo doesn't really make sense. I just didn't understand the point of that argument.

It’s obvious the poster that keeps on saying Mundo has a chip on their shoulder. Maybe they did not get in and got into another language immersion school. Who knows but it is getting old.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had the same question about the reading list. My rising 6th grader asked why DCI was listing a book for summer reading that she had read at her charter elementary in 4th grade. We can't afford private and she didn't get in anywhere else so I guess we will have to supplement.

I suspect they don’t want to make it too hard. Just read over the summer. They don’t know any of the incoming kids so will likely sort them out as the year progresses - below grade level, at grade level, above, etc... I would imagine.

She was referring to lists for rising 7th and 8th graders. The 'incoming kids' excuse doesn't apply. And since 95% comes from feeders, DCI asks for and gets information from the elementary schools about levels.

I've heard versions of this from 6 other families at DCI. Their kids are happy, socially, but not working that hard (rising 8th/9th and 10th grade). The students are still there because their inbound schools are worse and they can't afford private.

I think it will probably get better over time. But it doesn't help current students there now.

I am not so sure it's all that clear (which suggests being kinder with your tone wouldn't hurt). These are the most recent 5th grade ELA scores from the feeder schools. Percent 4 and above and percent 3 and above.

Latin American Montessori Bilingual PCS 78.1% 93.8%
DC Bilingual PCS 50.0% 85.0%
Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom PCS 43.8% 75.0%
Mundo Verde Bilingual PCS 54.2% 79.2%
Washington Yu Ying PCS 73.3% 93.3%


You also have to consider that these kids are coming from Mundo Verde, one of the weakest links, if not the weakest link.

It’s DCB that is the weakest link with the lowest ELA scores not only on PARCC but also math. Get your data straight.

Looking at above, it looks like Stokes is weakest in ELA followed by DCB. Nevertheless, numbers above are far, far higher than other DCPS middle schools EOTP which are terrible.

4’s is what we look at. That is grade level. You should be looking at 4 and 5. The only reason DCPS does 3 and 4 is to show them in a better light. Many schools no one is at 5 and very small percentage of students at 4.

Okay, if you look at 4s and are looking at 5th grade math:

Latin American Montessori Bilingual PCS 46.9% 71.9%
DC Bilingual PCS 45.0% 82.5%
Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom PCS 22.9% 64.6%
Mundo Verde Bilingual PCS 45.8% 72.9%
Washington Yu Ying PCS 66.7% 85.6%

Yu Ying is clearly strongest, then Mundo/DCB/LAMB, then Stokes. So, saying she came from Mundo doesn't really make sense. I just didn't understand the point of that argument.

Wow Elsie Stokes is really low and an outlier at 22%. So basically only 1 out of 5 kids are at grade level. They need to re-asses that aspect of their program big time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had the same question about the reading list. My rising 6th grader asked why DCI was listing a book for summer reading that she had read at her charter elementary in 4th grade. We can't afford private and she didn't get in anywhere else so I guess we will have to supplement.

I suspect they don’t want to make it too hard. Just read over the summer. They don’t know any of the incoming kids so will likely sort them out as the year progresses - below grade level, at grade level, above, etc... I would imagine.

She was referring to lists for rising 7th and 8th graders. The 'incoming kids' excuse doesn't apply. And since 95% comes from feeders, DCI asks for and gets information from the elementary schools about levels.

I've heard versions of this from 6 other families at DCI. Their kids are happy, socially, but not working that hard (rising 8th/9th and 10th grade). The students are still there because their inbound schools are worse and they can't afford private.

I think it will probably get better over time. But it doesn't help current students there now.

I am not so sure it's all that clear (which suggests being kinder with your tone wouldn't hurt). These are the most recent 5th grade ELA scores from the feeder schools. Percent 4 and above and percent 3 and above.

Latin American Montessori Bilingual PCS 78.1% 93.8%
DC Bilingual PCS 50.0% 85.0%
Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom PCS 43.8% 75.0%
Mundo Verde Bilingual PCS 54.2% 79.2%
Washington Yu Ying PCS 73.3% 93.3%


You also have to consider that these kids are coming from Mundo Verde, one of the weakest links, if not the weakest link.

It’s DCB that is the weakest link with the lowest ELA scores not only on PARCC but also math. Get your data straight.

Looking at above, it looks like Stokes is weakest in ELA followed by DCB. Nevertheless, numbers above are far, far higher than other DCPS middle schools EOTP which are terrible.

4’s is what we look at. That is grade level. You should be looking at 4 and 5. The only reason DCPS does 3 and 4 is to show them in a better light. Many schools no one is at 5 and very small percentage of students at 4.

Okay, if you look at 4s and are looking at 5th grade math:

Latin American Montessori Bilingual PCS 46.9% 71.9%
DC Bilingual PCS 45.0% 82.5%
Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom PCS 22.9% 64.6%
Mundo Verde Bilingual PCS 45.8% 72.9%
Washington Yu Ying PCS 66.7% 85.6%

Yu Ying is clearly strongest, then Mundo/DCB/LAMB, then Stokes. So, saying she came from Mundo doesn't really make sense. I just didn't understand the point of that argument.

It’s obvious the poster that keeps on saying Mundo has a chip on their shoulder. Maybe they did not get in and got into another language immersion school. Who knows but it is getting old.

No chip! We declined mundo for another feeder. Did not realize stokes was so weak too. Wow.

Mundo should be better. I think current parents would agree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Doesn’t an IB program have a prescribed reading list or is it safe to assume that Its been dumbed down for DC kids?

IB does not have a prescribed reading list. It has objectives and an approach, but it is implemented independently at each school; the IBO reviews and works with each school to ensure they are living up to the IBO standards.

it would be really weird for IB students in France, Germany and the US to be reading the same books.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had the same question about the reading list. My rising 6th grader asked why DCI was listing a book for summer reading that she had read at her charter elementary in 4th grade. We can't afford private and she didn't get in anywhere else so I guess we will have to supplement.

I suspect they don’t want to make it too hard. Just read over the summer. They don’t know any of the incoming kids so will likely sort them out as the year progresses - below grade level, at grade level, above, etc... I would imagine.

She was referring to lists for rising 7th and 8th graders. The 'incoming kids' excuse doesn't apply. And since 95% comes from feeders, DCI asks for and gets information from the elementary schools about levels.

I've heard versions of this from 6 other families at DCI. Their kids are happy, socially, but not working that hard (rising 8th/9th and 10th grade). The students are still there because their inbound schools are worse and they can't afford private.

I think it will probably get better over time. But it doesn't help current students there now.

I am not so sure it's all that clear (which suggests being kinder with your tone wouldn't hurt). These are the most recent 5th grade ELA scores from the feeder schools. Percent 4 and above and percent 3 and above.

Latin American Montessori Bilingual PCS 78.1% 93.8%
DC Bilingual PCS 50.0% 85.0%
Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom PCS 43.8% 75.0%
Mundo Verde Bilingual PCS 54.2% 79.2%
Washington Yu Ying PCS 73.3% 93.3%


You also have to consider that these kids are coming from Mundo Verde, one of the weakest links, if not the weakest link.

It’s DCB that is the weakest link with the lowest ELA scores not only on PARCC but also math. Get your data straight.

Looking at above, it looks like Stokes is weakest in ELA followed by DCB. Nevertheless, numbers above are far, far higher than other DCPS middle schools EOTP which are terrible.

4’s is what we look at. That is grade level. You should be looking at 4 and 5. The only reason DCPS does 3 and 4 is to show them in a better light. Many schools no one is at 5 and very small percentage of students at 4.

Okay, if you look at 4s and are looking at 5th grade math:

Latin American Montessori Bilingual PCS 46.9% 71.9%
DC Bilingual PCS 45.0% 82.5%
Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom PCS 22.9% 64.6%
Mundo Verde Bilingual PCS 45.8% 72.9%
Washington Yu Ying PCS 66.7% 85.6%

Yu Ying is clearly strongest, then Mundo/DCB/LAMB, then Stokes. So, saying she came from Mundo doesn't really make sense. I just didn't understand the point of that argument.

It’s obvious the poster that keeps on saying Mundo has a chip on their shoulder. Maybe they did not get in and got into another language immersion school. Who knows but it is getting old.

No chip! We declined mundo for another feeder. Did not realize stokes was so weak too. Wow.

Mundo should be better. I think current parents would agree.

Mundo is on par with LAMB give or take 1% so if that’s your “take”, then you should include LAMB. Stokes is really the weak link when you look at 4’s. Yu Ying is the strongest but probably the weakest when it comes to students being truly proficient in another language.

[Anonymous]

This isn’t about the feeders. What feeder you came from is irrelevant once you get to DCI, save for your language track.

DCI does track math, and language by ability. Like every other charter there is no tracking for English and Science. That should be abundantly clear to anyone enrolling. If you don’t like it, then choose something else.

Cue ‘but we were promised,’ ‘it’s so hard EOTP.’

The ‘guarantee of DCI’ everyone mentions really only means you have a seat. You can’t assume it is going to work for your kid. People should choose their elementary schools and do ANOTHER deep and serious evaluation of all options starting when their kids are rising 4th graders.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This isn’t about the feeders. What feeder you came from is irrelevant once you get to DCI, save for your language track.

DCI does track math, and language by ability. Like every other charter there is no tracking for English and Science. That should be abundantly clear to anyone enrolling. If you don’t like it, then choose something else.

Cue ‘but we were promised,’ ‘it’s so hard EOTP.’

The ‘guarantee of DCI’ everyone mentions really only means you have a seat. You can’t assume it is going to work for your kid. People should choose their elementary schools and do ANOTHER deep and serious evaluation of all options starting when their kids are rising 4th graders.

Not quite true: BASIS offers advanced science options to a minority of students starting in 8th grade.

The mom who wrote the article sounds a bit unrealistic, but she also sounds legitimately frustrated, given how DCI and the feeders pitch their programs to parents. MV, YY etc. loved to convince parents that the kids can learn to speak languages well without native speakers in the home (invariably untrue), that they teach advanced math, that their ELA programs are first-rate etc.

We know a number of immersion charter parents whose wake-up call came when they didn't send their children to DCI. It took admins and teachers at privates, Deal and suburban schools to convince them that the kids weren't doing nearly as well academically as the parents had been encouraged to assume lower down the chain. I liked the mom's point about how her boys feel that the program "works" for them, because they don't need to work hard at DCI.

The mom wasn't just unhappy about DCI's lame academics, she was lamenting a generalized situation for middle school in DC public. Good for her because she's right, and political momentum to change this calculus hasn't kept pace with UMC parent expectations City-wide.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This isn’t about the feeders. What feeder you came from is irrelevant once you get to DCI, save for your language track.

DCI does track math, and language by ability. Like every other charter there is no tracking for English and Science. That should be abundantly clear to anyone enrolling. If you don’t like it, then choose something else.

Cue ‘but we were promised,’ ‘it’s so hard EOTP.’

The ‘guarantee of DCI’ everyone mentions really only means you have a seat. You can’t assume it is going to work for your kid. People should choose their elementary schools and do ANOTHER deep and serious evaluation of all options starting when their kids are rising 4th graders.

English should be tracked, wtf. Also I hated every. Single. Non-tracked class I had to sit through when I was in middle and high school, except like art or music or psych. I can’t imagine putting my kids through that. I am currently unconvinced on DCI and a bit disapppinted as my understanding is that IB is super rigorous.

[Anonymous]

I feel bad for the kids that now have to go to this school knowing that their mom is a lazy complainer. I’d kill my mom had she made this all about her and wrote about my school and all the “dumb” kids I go to school with that hold me back. The lady needs to be a better parent..period. No way I could tell my mom these books are so basic. She would have forced me to read all of them and added four of her own....

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:In theory, you'd promptly push back, but in practice, tangling with a school constantly is exhausting and often pointless. '

I sympathize with the mom and think she makes valid points in her article. In fact, I thought that the article was brave, given that it's really easy to figure out that she's writing about experiences with a DCI education.

There's far too much whitewashing of glaring rigor issues in our public middle schools, other than at BASIS, with it hopeless facilities (no real gym, stage, outdoor space or even a school library).

DCI is printed right at the end of the article. I appreciated her willingness to publicly call out the school. Far too often parents are afraid of doing so.

She was a coward. She didn’t address the problem with her kids, just wrote an article wondering why dci didn’t do her part in raising her kids.

It is exhausting to motivate kids, especially after a hard day at work, but you have to do it.

So what you are saying is that teachers are useless and add almost most value to in classroom education? Parents just need to supplement, make the lesson plans, choose all the reading materials, quiz their kids etc. Teachers keep telling us how critical their job is but according to you, they are pointless. Its up to parents to do all the teaching. No degree needed.

That’s not what I’m saying at all.

I said address the problem by speaking to the teachers about your concern and the fact that your kids aren’t motivated. If they’re not responsive, go up the chain. And as a parent, both mom and dad should be motivating their kids on their end. No one in my family went to college and I have a PhD. The kids are ultimately responsible for their lives and if they don’t understand the consequences of not working hard, then they will be the only one to pay. Writing a poorly written article about how the school is racist doesn’t help anyone. Maybe mom should focus less on her headshot and more on prodding her kids. Dad seems totally checked out.

Did you even read the article? The parents, both of them, did speak to the teachers. They do check the assignments. She cites multiple problems: the work is not challenging, the material is not engaging, the teachers aren't holding kids accountable, and the teachers aren't bringing issues with the kids' performance to the attention of the parents in time to make corrections.

I am so grateful to the parent for this point of view--we are an upper elementary family at a DCI feeder and this article is giving me serious pause. I get that DCI needs to address the needs of kids who aren't on grade level, but there are scores of feeder kids coming up every year who ARE on grade level and are going to need more rigor and better accountability from DCI staff and administration.

Everything PP said in the above paragraphs, parents would already know without depending on the teacher if they are actively following their kids work. If a teacher has 25-40 kids in the classroom, how do you expect them to hold each and every kid accountable? It starts at home.

I hold her accountable for letting things slide with her kids and them being lazy doing the minimum which by the way she accepts. If you can’t handle the the reality of what it’s like in DC schools, then move or go private.

NP: She is complaining that her kids can watch YouTube videos and be generally uninterested during school, and it is just fine with the teachers and doesn’t impact their performance. That is on the school!

She and her husband pay attention and push the kids at home, but she can’t control the school’s requirements and expectations.

Meanwhile, her sons were engaged students until DCI. Her parenting practices didn’t change — the school did.

I think it is an insightful, well-written, and troubling essay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel bad for the kids that now have to go to this school knowing that their mom is a lazy complainer. I’d kill my mom had she made this all about her and wrote about my school and all the “dumb” kids I go to school with that hold me back. The lady needs to be a better parent..period. No way I could tell my mom these books are so basic. She would have forced me to read all of them and added four of her own....

The books are basic.

[Anonymous]

It’s only 5 years old and they started a middle school in ADDITION to a high school. I’m sure not everything is perfect and they are still learning and working on the IB program. It’s not easy to implement IB and they are doing both middle and high school.

I think it’s going to get better and better. Many parents like us have young children and years before they start DCI.