What happened to Oakland Terrace?

[Anonymous]

Greater schools reduced Oakland Terrace's ES rating from 8 to 6. What do you think is behind this downgrade? It's hard to make sense of their data.

[Anonymous]

GS has started giving more weight to equity. So, a school like Oakland Terrace where the white non FARMS kids do well, but Latino kids and kids receiving FARMS do only a little better than the state average is going to result in a ding to the score.

[Anonymous]

Who gives a darn about GS.
Five out what the parents and students think.

[Anonymous]

The VA school forum had a pretty long thread on this topic (obviously not specific to Oakland Terrace)

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/692864.page

[Anonymous]

Maybe it has to do with Flora Singer opening? I know the school went through major staffing changes. Many of our favorite teachers left and the whole school dynamic may have changed with half the school leaving?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe it has to do with Flora Singer opening? I know the school went through major staffing changes. Many of our favorite teachers left and the whole school dynamic may have changed with half the school leaving?

No, it’s the change in GS methodology.

Our oldest is in K there and we love it so far.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe it has to do with Flora Singer opening? I know the school went through major staffing changes. Many of our favorite teachers left and the whole school dynamic may have changed with half the school leaving?

No, it’s the change in GS methodology.

Our oldest is in K there and we love it so far.

Kids don’t really pick up on SES differences or hard core bullying in K. Give it a few years, your impressions might change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe it has to do with Flora Singer opening? I know the school went through major staffing changes. Many of our favorite teachers left and the whole school dynamic may have changed with half the school leaving?

No, it’s the change in GS methodology.

Our oldest is in K there and we love it so far.

Kids don’t really pick up on SES differences or hard core bullying in K. Give it a few years, your impressions might change.

Dear previous pro-segregation poster,

My kids have only ever been bullied/excluded by other rich white kids.

- signed DCC parent

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe it has to do with Flora Singer opening? I know the school went through major staffing changes. Many of our favorite teachers left and the whole school dynamic may have changed with half the school leaving?

No, it’s the change in GS methodology.

Our oldest is in K there and we love it so far.

Kids don’t really pick up on SES differences or hard core bullying in K. Give it a few years, your impressions might change.

What, you think the GS rating picks up bullying and SES differences? Please.

My K does pick up on SES differences, and has experienced some less than fun interpersonal dynamics (not to the level of bullying). Which, you know exist at every freaking school out there. So really, let's call a racist a racist.

[Anonymous]

SES is not an issue at Oakland Terrace. None of the kid are generally particularly well dressed or in fancy clothing/belongings.

The principal, teachers and other stuff are probably a bigger factor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:SES is not an issue at Oakland Terrace. None of the kid are generally particularly well dressed or in fancy clothing/belongings.

The principal, teachers and other stuff are probably a bigger factor.

What on earth are you talking about?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Kids don’t really pick up on SES differences or hard core bullying in K. Give it a few years, your impressions might change.

Kids don't notice when they or their classmates are being bullied? But you do?

[Anonymous]

Whatever, lady. My kid *is* a Blake and has lots of Javier friends (and Alex and Daniel and Brayden) and we have loved our years at OTES. You're just some random person on the internet with an unfounded opinion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:GS has started giving more weight to equity. So, a school like Oakland Terrace where the white non FARMS kids do well, but Latino kids and kids receiving FARMS do only a little better than the state average is going to result in a ding to the score.

I truly do not understand why this is a metric that would take a score down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GS has started giving more weight to equity. So, a school like Oakland Terrace where the white non FARMS kids do well, but Latino kids and kids receiving FARMS do only a little better than the state average is going to result in a ding to the score.

I truly do not understand why this is a metric that would take a score down.

Oakland Terrace didn't get dinged that hard, but look at a school like Piney Branch ES, which got dinged hard because kids of color and low income kids do WORSE than the state average while middle class white and Asian kids do significantly better. That poor kids do much worse than the state average suggests there could be an actual problem, and that the success of middle class kids has less to do with the school and more to do with outside enrichment/instruction.

Basically, everyone knows you can't completely close the achievement gap, but if a school has a bigger achievement gap than even Maryland as a whole, that's a danger sign.