Creative Minds for Uppler El & Middle?

[Anonymous]

Hi, we are considering entering the lottery for CMI this year for our upcoming 3rd grader and Preschooler. Could anyone let me know how their upper elementary and middle school is? The open house focused so much on Preschool but my older child is my primary concern and having the eduction be huge quality. Would love input from former and/or current parents.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi, we are considering entering the lottery for CMI this year for our upcoming 3rd grader and Preschooler. Could anyone let me know how their upper elementary and middle school is? The open house focused so much on Preschool but my older child is my primary concern and having the eduction be huge quality. Would love input from former and/or current parents.

Thanks!

"...and having the eduction be huge quality." meant to say that a quality education is a huge factor. Thx!

[Anonymous]

You should go to a middle school open house if you can. The issuebwith CMI is that it is in a state of growth--they will add 100 students next year--so the dust has to settle before one can truly say what the upper el and middle school will be. If you can deal with the experimental nature of things, then def rank it high.

[Anonymous]

I think if you search back on this forum, parents start bailing and getting unhappy around 3rd grade because the lovely sweet community starts not being enough academically. CMI had no middle school waitlist this year, but it was the first year. As parents start staying (or not), the proof will be in the pudding. This is only the second year at the permanent location.

[Anonymous]

I am looking for middle school, too, and am hearing very mixed things about CMI. And, then I heard that there are behavior/discipline issues, at least in the elementary school. Are there discipline concerns at the middle school and what are the academics like? I am not at all suggesting that my child is academically gifted - but she can fairly easily meet basic standards and needs to be challenged by her teachers. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

You need to visit the school. The cohort of middle schoolers is different than the lower elementary. For instance, there are more students with IEPs per capita in the middle school. As the school grows things will change in terms of the students that come in and the offerings in terms of curriculum. Sadly money is tied to number of students so more students means more offerings. As for the community, it continues to be wonderful and the administration is responsive to parent concerns.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think if you search back on this forum, parents start bailing and getting unhappy around 3rd grade because the lovely sweet community starts not being enough academically. CMI had no middle school waitlist this year, but it was the first year. As parents start staying (or not), the proof will be in the pudding. This is only the second year at the permanent location.

This is not true--I have heard of no parents who are bailing because of academics.

[Anonymous]

Actually, I have repeatedly heard parents say that the academics are not challenging enough and there seems to be quite a bit of turmoil in the third grade this year, which is a critical grade. What I have heard about the administration's response to parent concerns is quite mixed. CMI's community seems wonderful but the jury is still out on the delivery of education to the older students. Of course, this is the case with any new/newly expanding charter school - they will all experience growing pains and one rough year does not tell the whole story. Being at a new or expanding charter is not always going to be easy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think if you search back on this forum, parents start bailing and getting unhappy around 3rd grade because the lovely sweet community starts not being enough academically. CMI had no middle school waitlist this year, but it was the first year. As parents start staying (or not), the proof will be in the pudding. This is only the second year at the permanent location.

This is not true--I have heard of no parents who are bailing because of academics.

CMI parent, it is true.

[Anonymous]

CMI parent here. We are looking to bail for DS in first grade because of poor upper academics. Figure it may take a few years to get into another charter we want. School isn't great for creativity, etc., but have found basic learning to be underwhelming.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:CMI parent here. We are looking to bail for DS in first grade because of poor upper academics. Figure it may take a few years to get into another charter we want. School isn't great for creativity, etc., but have found basic learning to be underwhelming.

Meant school *is* great for creativity

[Anonymous]

Well this is fascinating because I am a parent in an upper grade and I have not heard of anyone wanting to bail because of purely academics. .

[Anonymous]

And I am another upper elementary parent who also hasn't seen or heard this. PP with the first grader, please speak with parents in the upper grades. There are children in the upper grades doing very advanced work...you simply have to talk to those parents. Also, realize we follow Common Core. All DCPS and MCPS schools have to teach the same basic things, but there is wiggle room to give advanced work to those kids who need it.

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone! We are currently in a DCPS school which is close to home and DS is very happy there. Really, we are all happy there socially and logistically, but I just feel like the education would likely be better elsewhere. CMI has always been on my radar, but it kind of seems like we would be making a lateral move academically. Its tough because I don't want to lock ourselves into moving for middle school by not looking carefully at charter options that offer it, but I also don't want to uproot my sons life unless its for a solid reason. We will likely stay put, but its a tough decision.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well this is fascinating because I am a parent in an upper grade and I have not heard of anyone wanting to bail because of purely academics. .

Well, we left for this reason. Just because you didn't hear about it doesn't mean it isn't true.