Starting Fourth Grade at DCPS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is OP, thanks to everyone for weighing in. I'm surprised that Inspired Teaching PCS wasn't at all on my radar. I'm familiar with Two Rivers, though.

Anyone knows how many Jefferson 6th graders from Brent returned for 7th grade? Just curious.

You mean in-boundary, UMC students, correct? I believe eight, down from about twice that many at the start of 6th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP, thanks to everyone for weighing in. I'm surprised that Inspired Teaching PCS wasn't at all on my radar. I'm familiar with Two Rivers, though.

Anyone knows how many Jefferson 6th graders from Brent returned for 7th grade? Just curious.

ITS has only recently become acceptable for middle school IMO. That's probably why. And for obvious reasons it's more popular with Senate side folks.

The ITS middle school is tiny, has a pretty long WL and doesn't get great results.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you've got the basics. Tour at Latin and Basis, with the understanding that Latin is truly a lottery (about 1 in 10 chance of getting in) and there are also kids who did not get in to Basis last year (I think 70-80 still on the waitlist). I don't think Stuart Hobson let in any out of bounds kids this year (and that would include proximity preference). You might want to also take a look at Two Rivers for 5th grade/middle school. And, there are a (very) few Brent kids who have gone on to Jefferson and seem to be happy/doing well there. My kid is at Basis now and enjoying it, for the most part.

Thanks so much for your response! Do people have better luck with Two Rivers in fifth versus sixth grade?

I am actually wondering if it would make sense for my kid to go to Basis for 5th and then Jefferson for 6th, if she decides Basis isn't for her. I feel like it would give her a better transition year. Or maybe she'll prefer to stay. In general, how much of the decision was yours versus your child's?

OP, whatever you decide regarding how much weight to give to your child's opinion, please don't factor in whether or not her friends are going to a particular school. I've seen so many parents talk up our charter feeder MS/HS then play the lottery every year in hopes of going somewhere else. Just be prepared for kids not showing up there even if they talk a good game about wanting to go there. Then suddenly we heard oh, we're going to Latin/Basis/Private/Moving.

Also, friends generally change in middle school. Just pick the school that seems best for your kid. Everyone else will be doing the same.

Yeah, I realize we can't know where my child's friends will end up, but I'm just wondering how much weight to give to general opinions about the schools. I mean, on one hand it would help to have buy-in, right? On the other hand, a fourth grader may not be best as making this decision. So I'm just wondering what the balance is and how much to override a kid's opinion...

Sorry OP, but you're unlikely to have the luxury of your child following friends to any middle school, other than perhaps to BASIS. You may just have one option in the public system - Jefferson Academy, with few or none of the 4th grade friends going. The numbers for Jefferson just aren't there. Around 10 UMC students coming out of Brent are likely to start there in 6th grade next year, and probably fewer the following year with a new Wash Latin campus opening in 2020.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP, thanks to everyone for weighing in. I'm surprised that Inspired Teaching PCS wasn't at all on my radar. I'm familiar with Two Rivers, though.

Anyone knows how many Jefferson 6th graders from Brent returned for 7th grade? Just curious.

ITS has only recently become acceptable for middle school IMO. That's probably why. And for obvious reasons it's more popular with Senate side folks.

Sorry, what are Senate side folks and why is it popular with them?

Senate side is NE. Ludlow-Taylor and Maury. It is more convenient the closer you live.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP, thanks to everyone for weighing in. I'm surprised that Inspired Teaching PCS wasn't at all on my radar. I'm familiar with Two Rivers, though.

Anyone knows how many Jefferson 6th graders from Brent returned for 7th grade? Just curious.

You mean in-boundary, UMC students, correct? I believe eight, down from about twice that many at the start of 6th grade.

Yes, I guess I did primarily mean that, but if you have information on former Brent students who don't fit that description, I'd be curious to know as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP, thanks to everyone for weighing in. I'm surprised that Inspired Teaching PCS wasn't at all on my radar. I'm familiar with Two Rivers, though.

Anyone knows how many Jefferson 6th graders from Brent returned for 7th grade? Just curious.

ITS has only recently become acceptable for middle school IMO. That's probably why. And for obvious reasons it's more popular with Senate side folks.

The ITS middle school is tiny, has a pretty long WL and doesn't get great results.

It is getting bigger, they are growing it to full size of 40-50 kids per grade. I liked the changes that were announced recently. I wouldn't put an 8th grader in but if you have a 4th grader right now it would likely be okay. People do come from Brent, I have met them.

I noticed some people coming in from CMI this year as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP, thanks to everyone for weighing in. I'm surprised that Inspired Teaching PCS wasn't at all on my radar. I'm familiar with Two Rivers, though.

Anyone knows how many Jefferson 6th graders from Brent returned for 7th grade? Just curious.

ITS has only recently become acceptable for middle school IMO. That's probably why. And for obvious reasons it's more popular with Senate side folks.

The ITS middle school is tiny, has a pretty long WL and doesn't get great results.

It is getting bigger, they are growing it to full size of 40-50 kids per grade. I liked the changes that were announced recently. I wouldn't put an 8th grader in but if you have a 4th grader right now it would likely be okay. People do come from Brent, I have met them.

I noticed some people coming in from CMI this year as well.

Is your child in an earlier grade? Do you feel like they handle middle school years well? I went and looked at their site, but I can't really get a good handle on what their angle is. Thanks in advance for indulging my curiosity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP, thanks to everyone for weighing in. I'm surprised that Inspired Teaching PCS wasn't at all on my radar. I'm familiar with Two Rivers, though.

Anyone knows how many Jefferson 6th graders from Brent returned for 7th grade? Just curious.

You mean in-boundary, UMC students, correct? I believe eight, down from about twice that many at the start of 6th grade.

Yes, I guess I did primarily mean that, but if you have information on former Brent students who don't fit that description, I'd be curious to know as well.

We've had kids at Brent for 8 years. To my knowledge, every year we've been at Brent, somewhere between half a dozen and and a dozen OOB low SES AA 5th grade students have gone on to Jefferson. Some of these kids only attend Brent for 5th for Brent mainly because the parents want the Jefferson feed. The parents may have attended Jefferson themselves for middle school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP, thanks to everyone for weighing in. I'm surprised that Inspired Teaching PCS wasn't at all on my radar. I'm familiar with Two Rivers, though.

Anyone knows how many Jefferson 6th graders from Brent returned for 7th grade? Just curious.

ITS has only recently become acceptable for middle school IMO. That's probably why. And for obvious reasons it's more popular with Senate side folks.

The ITS middle school is tiny, has a pretty long WL and doesn't get great results.

It is getting bigger, they are growing it to full size of 40-50 kids per grade. I liked the changes that were announced recently. I wouldn't put an 8th grader in but if you have a 4th grader right now it would likely be okay. People do come from Brent, I have met them.

I noticed some people coming in from CMI this year as well.

Is your child in an earlier grade? Do you feel like they handle middle school years well? I went and looked at their site, but I can't really get a good handle on what their angle is. Thanks in advance for indulging my curiosity.

1st grade. There was a meeting in April where the school announced some changes to middle school, like having a single point of contact for parents of each child (like a lead teacher for that child) and giving 5th and 6th fewer transitions to make a more age-appropriate experience. I came away thinking they are trying very hard to make a small-concept middle school work.

It isn't everyone's cup of tea, but if you are making your lottery list it would be good to consider a school you can get into without a great number.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP, thanks to everyone for weighing in. I'm surprised that Inspired Teaching PCS wasn't at all on my radar. I'm familiar with Two Rivers, though.

Anyone knows how many Jefferson 6th graders from Brent returned for 7th grade? Just curious.

You mean in-boundary, UMC students, correct? I believe eight, down from about twice that many at the start of 6th grade.

Yes, I guess I did primarily mean that, but if you have information on former Brent students who don't fit that description, I'd be curious to know as well.

We've had kids at Brent for 8 years. To my knowledge, every year we've been at Brent, somewhere between half a dozen and and a dozen OOB low SES AA 5th grade students have gone on to Jefferson. Some of these kids only attend Brent for 5th for Brent mainly because the parents want the Jefferson feed. The parents may have attended Jefferson themselves for middle school.

How do you know the SES of these children?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP, thanks to everyone for weighing in. I'm surprised that Inspired Teaching PCS wasn't at all on my radar. I'm familiar with Two Rivers, though.

Anyone knows how many Jefferson 6th graders from Brent returned for 7th grade? Just curious.

You mean in-boundary, UMC students, correct? I believe eight, down from about twice that many at the start of 6th grade.

Yes, I guess I did primarily mean that, but if you have information on former Brent students who don't fit that description, I'd be curious to know as well.

We've had kids at Brent for 8 years. To my knowledge, every year we've been at Brent, somewhere between half a dozen and and a dozen OOB low SES AA 5th grade students have gone on to Jefferson. Some of these kids only attend Brent for 5th for Brent mainly because the parents want the Jefferson feed. The parents may have attended Jefferson themselves for middle school.

How do you know the SES of these children?

I'm wondering too. Seriously, we get back to the basic point that most of the parents posting on here are more influenced by the number of brown faces in the classroom seats than anything else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP, thanks to everyone for weighing in. I'm surprised that Inspired Teaching PCS wasn't at all on my radar. I'm familiar with Two Rivers, though.

Anyone knows how many Jefferson 6th graders from Brent returned for 7th grade? Just curious.

You mean in-boundary, UMC students, correct? I believe eight, down from about twice that many at the start of 6th grade.

Yes, I guess I did primarily mean that, but if you have information on former Brent students who don't fit that description, I'd be curious to know as well.

We've had kids at Brent for 8 years. To my knowledge, every year we've been at Brent, somewhere between half a dozen and and a dozen OOB low SES AA 5th grade students have gone on to Jefferson. Some of these kids only attend Brent for 5th for Brent mainly because the parents want the Jefferson feed. The parents may have attended Jefferson themselves for middle school.

How do you know the SES of these children?

I'm wondering too. Seriously, we get back to the basic point that most of the parents posting on here are more influenced by the number of brown faces in the classroom seats than anything else.

I'm wondering the same thing. How do you know these children are are low SES. There seems to be an assumption that an AA face in this city means you are low SES. Absurd!

Fact: Not all AA families residing EOTR are low SES.

[Anonymous]

I have a 4th grader at Inspired. I know parents and kids in every grade 5th through 8th. The school will have a full middle school cohort (about 200 kids) for the first time next school year. We are planning to stay, but I know that 1) a small middle school isn't for everyone and 2) there are some parents who will jump at the chance to lock down a high school feed (Latin, Basis, Deal) as soon as they can.

The school has definitely had some growing pains with regard to middle school, but I am impressed with the way they've looked at what's working and what's not working and made thoughtful adjustments and changes. It's definitely a big challenge to incorporate a bunch of new kids coming from a really wide variety of elementary schools in 5th and 6th grades. The kids I know in the upper grades are overwhelmingly kind and thoughtful and engaged with the world. From what I have seen, the school is taking steps to improve targeted intervention, differentiation, and rigor.

Inspired's kids are achieving basically the same PARCC results (school-wide, by demographic cohort) as Two Rivers, but Inspired is 5 years "newer." Both Inspired and Two Rivers came close to clearing their 5th grade waitlists this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP, thanks to everyone for weighing in. I'm surprised that Inspired Teaching PCS wasn't at all on my radar. I'm familiar with Two Rivers, though.

Anyone knows how many Jefferson 6th graders from Brent returned for 7th grade? Just curious.

You mean in-boundary, UMC students, correct? I believe eight, down from about twice that many at the start of 6th grade.

Yes, I guess I did primarily mean that, but if you have information on former Brent students who don't fit that description, I'd be curious to know as well.

We've had kids at Brent for 8 years. To my knowledge, every year we've been at Brent, somewhere between half a dozen and and a dozen OOB low SES AA 5th grade students have gone on to Jefferson. Some of these kids only attend Brent for 5th for Brent mainly because the parents want the Jefferson feed. The parents may have attended Jefferson themselves for middle school.

How do you know the SES of these children?

I'm wondering too. Seriously, we get back to the basic point that most of the parents posting on here are more influenced by the number of brown faces in the classroom seats than anything else.

I am the OP. It's a lot more complicated than brown faces. I REALLY want to be OK with Jefferson, but I don't think my kid will manage it. I am going off very limited information, personal experiences, and yes, some biases.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is OP, thanks to everyone for weighing in. I'm surprised that Inspired Teaching PCS wasn't at all on my radar. I'm familiar with Two Rivers, though.

Anyone knows how many Jefferson 6th graders from Brent returned for 7th grade? Just curious.

You mean in-boundary, UMC students, correct? I believe eight, down from about twice that many at the start of 6th grade.

Yes, I guess I did primarily mean that, but if you have information on former Brent students who don't fit that description, I'd be curious to know as well.

We've had kids at Brent for 8 years. To my knowledge, every year we've been at Brent, somewhere between half a dozen and and a dozen OOB low SES AA 5th grade students have gone on to Jefferson. Some of these kids only attend Brent for 5th for Brent mainly because the parents want the Jefferson feed. The parents may have attended Jefferson themselves for middle school.

How do you know the SES of these children?

My kids were in class with many of these kids for years. We drop by their birthday parties at the Ellen Wilson project. I've tutored some of them as a parent volunteer. Like it or not, you get a read on the SES of Brenties in various ways if you're around long enough- you hear the way the way kids talk and what they talk about, you meet their parents and so forth.