Best Charter High School

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, maybe what I’m saying is we need some more quality HS options. Maybe the way to get there is more selective DCPS HS options. Would love to see Walls clone itself in a different part of the city like Ward 5 or 7.

You mean like Bard (Ward 8) or the new Banneker building (Ward 2, but on the edge of Ward 5)?

I think DCPS is thinking the same way you are: create more quality high school seats by creating more seats in selective DCPS high schools and programs throughout the city. It’s just that it’s not that easy to stand up a new school, and even expansions can be tricky.

How selective is this?:

The Bard High School Early College admissions process includes participation in an open house or admission session, an individual interview with a Bard staff member, our writing assessment, and a math and English teacher recommendation. Bard DC does not review middle school records or standardized tests as part of admissions for the 9th grade. However, for transfer 11th grade students we do review 9th and first semester 10th grade report cards at your current school. In addition to our internal admissions process, students are also required to complete the MySchoolDC application for the 2024-2025 SY.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, maybe what I’m saying is we need some more quality HS options. Maybe the way to get there is more selective DCPS HS options. Would love to see Walls clone itself in a different part of the city like Ward 5 or 7.

You mean like Bard (Ward 8) or the new Banneker building (Ward 2, but on the edge of Ward 5)?

I think DCPS is thinking the same way you are: create more quality high school seats by creating more seats in selective DCPS high schools and programs throughout the city. It’s just that it’s not that easy to stand up a new school, and even expansions can be tricky.

How selective is this?:

The Bard High School Early College admissions process includes participation in an open house or admission session, an individual interview with a Bard staff member, our writing assessment, and a math and English teacher recommendation. Bard DC does not review middle school records or standardized tests as part of admissions for the 9th grade. However, for transfer 11th grade students we do review 9th and first semester 10th grade report cards at your current school. In addition to our internal admissions process, students are also required to complete the MySchoolDC application for the 2024-2025 SY.

I'd want to know what they are selecting for. Students start college after sophomore year, but there are no grades or standardized tests reviewed? At least there is a writing assessment, but what about math? Recommendation only??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCI is pretty good

+1. IB program is rigorous. Great facilities, beautiful campus, lots of extracurriculars, clubs, sports - similar to your typical suburban school.

The issue is that it’s very difficult to get in.

Sort of. DCI has often been boring for my 8th grader, who excels at STEM and doesn't want to stay for HS. Admins insist on lumping kids who work years behind grade level into the same MS English, science and social studies classes as advanced students. The arrangement leads to many classroom disruptions. 8th grade has been better than 6th and 7th because social studies classes are taught in the target language and she's finally being allowed to take more challenging math. Most of the other families don't take language as seriously as we'd like, e.g. few of the high SES families paying for summer immersion camps, and we've had good teachers quit during the school year. The HS is getting better but isn't great. Their clueless college counselors don't seem to know the basics about IBD for Americans, like doubling up on AP tests that correspond to IB subjects so kids have standardized subject test scores to submit with college applications (IBD exams aren't taken until June of senior year).

Definitely not going to disagree with your experience, but if your child tests into accelerated math and language, you can take social studies in your target language starting in 6th. My kids were placed in 7th grade math in 6th grade, and dci did a good job IMO of ensuring that only high performers are kept in that class.

Where do all the low-performing 7th grade math students go?

There is a remedial math option. If your accelerated math student can handle it, you are put in accelerated math. Otherwise you’re in regular math. If you need extra help there is remedial math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCI is pretty good

+1. IB program is rigorous. Great facilities, beautiful campus, lots of extracurriculars, clubs, sports - similar to your typical suburban school.

The issue is that it’s very difficult to get in.

Sort of. DCI has often been boring for my 8th grader, who excels at STEM and doesn't want to stay for HS. Admins insist on lumping kids who work years behind grade level into the same MS English, science and social studies classes as advanced students. The arrangement leads to many classroom disruptions. 8th grade has been better than 6th and 7th because social studies classes are taught in the target language and she's finally being allowed to take more challenging math. Most of the other families don't take language as seriously as we'd like, e.g. few of the high SES families paying for summer immersion camps, and we've had good teachers quit during the school year. The HS is getting better but isn't great. Their clueless college counselors don't seem to know the basics about IBD for Americans, like doubling up on AP tests that correspond to IB subjects so kids have standardized subject test scores to submit with college applications (IBD exams aren't taken until June of senior year).

Definitely not going to disagree with your experience, but if your child tests into accelerated math and language, you can take social studies in your target language starting in 6th. My kids were placed in 7th grade math in 6th grade, and dci did a good job IMO of ensuring that only high performers are kept in that class.

Where do all the low-performing 7th grade math students go?

There is a remedial math option. If your accelerated math student can handle it, you are put in accelerated math. Otherwise you’re in regular math. If you need extra help there is remedial math.

Looking at DCI abs that is what we have heard is that there is tracking in math, language, social studies in 6th.

Also a few kids now can take math 2 years ahead instead of just 1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Latin is obviously the best hands down, unless your kid is a math whiz who isn't prone to claustrophobia, so can handle the bad BASIS building.

Problem is the odds of being admitted to Latin are bad in every grade. Without an older sibling to pull your kid in, your chances are miniscule.

This really speaks to me, bc I think both our kids may be math whizzes who are not prone to claustrophobia, and I think that means that we really need to consider BASIS. Is it crazy to consider it?

If your kid is good at math you’d be crazy not to consider it.

Latin, DCI, and the like are terrible at teaching math.

I don't have an opinion on how terribly or not DCI teaches math *in general*. But this year the MS double accelerated a handful of 7th graders taking IM1 (9th) and a smaller handful of 8th graders taking IM2 (10th). Kids seem appropriately challenged with the mix of individual and collaborative work.

[Anonymous]

Offering acceleration isn’t the same as being good at teaching math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Latin is obviously the best hands down, unless your kid is a math whiz who isn't prone to claustrophobia, so can handle the bad BASIS building.

Problem is the odds of being admitted to Latin are bad in every grade. Without an older sibling to pull your kid in, your chances are miniscule.

This really speaks to me, bc I think both our kids may be math whizzes who are not prone to claustrophobia, and I think that means that we really need to consider BASIS. Is it crazy to consider it?

If your kid is good at math you’d be crazy not to consider it.

Latin, DCI, and the like are terrible at teaching math.

I don't have an opinion on how terribly or not DCI teaches math *in general*. But this year the MS double accelerated a handful of 7th graders taking IM1 (9th) and a smaller handful of 8th graders taking IM2 (10th). Kids seem appropriately challenged with the mix of individual and collaborative work.

Yes, the math acceleration situation at DCI is improving. It's the English and science middle school classes that still stink. Rowdy classes, insufficient challenge, weak curriculum, teachers quitting mid year. Social studies taught in the target language sounds fantastic, but it's not a great way to actually learn social studies, at least for Chinese and French, because hardly any of the kids have the language skills to cope.

[Anonymous]

There is not really a “remedial” math class at DCI. There is the accelerated math class, the on grade level math class which everyone takes if they’re not in accelerated, and a math support class some students take in addition to the standard math class based on a variety of factors.

Instruction varies by teacher, and the curriculum used is really only done well by strong teachers. Strong math teachers are very hard to find since they have to have a combination of math content knowledge, instructional knowledge, and classroom management.

[Anonymous]

Above is right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCI is pretty good

+1. IB program is rigorous. Great facilities, beautiful campus, lots of extracurriculars, clubs, sports - similar to your typical suburban school.

The issue is that it’s very difficult to get in.

Sort of. DCI has often been boring for my 8th grader, who excels at STEM and doesn't want to stay for HS. Admins insist on lumping kids who work years behind grade level into the same MS English, science and social studies classes as advanced students. The arrangement leads to many classroom disruptions. 8th grade has been better than 6th and 7th because social studies classes are taught in the target language and she's finally being allowed to take more challenging math. Most of the other families don't take language as seriously as we'd like, e.g. few of the high SES families paying for summer immersion camps, and we've had good teachers quit during the school year. The HS is getting better but isn't great. Their clueless college counselors don't seem to know the basics about IBD for Americans, like doubling up on AP tests that correspond to IB subjects so kids have standardized subject test scores to submit with college applications (IBD exams aren't taken until June of senior year).

Middle school is typically the weak link in DC. Starting grade with 6th grade with lots of different kids coming in is like a transiting year at most school. I would expect 7th and 8th to be better. We are in a feeder and following closely.. We know families with older siblings at the school and we have talked to parents and actual students and although anecdotal they are all happy.

Feedback from high school that I have gotten is that if your kid is in the IB program it’s pretty rigorous and the highest track. Also the Spanish track of course is the strongest track with the most fluent students and families who take the language seriously.

BTW, even better than summer immersion camp is that DCI allows study abroad which is a rare opportunity for high school.

Meh. Average MS academics and ECs lead to middling HS academics and ECs. The highest-performing families we know at DCI appear to have payed plenty to supplement in every grade. Top 8th graders commonly seek an alternative HS option, particularly the STEM minded.

From what I've observed, the happiest families aren't the most ambitious ones. If you're shooting for elite college admissions, in this country or abroad, you're going to need a lot of hustle for DCI. Parents hire writing tutors, pay to supplement for math, schlep kids to heritage language classes in MoCo on weekends, fork out for Concordia camp ($6,000 for HS program this summer, 4 wks). Some hire private college counselors.

DCI is better than moving to the burbs for more serious IBD, but only marginally. One gratis summer immersion camp is nice, but won't cut it alone for high scores on IBD language exams.

I think you are the same poster that is always stating that the highest performing 8th graders leave for HS. I can attest from my DD's class 2 years ago, that the majority of the Valedictorians & Salutatorians (8 in total) all stayed for HS. Not all, but a clear majority did. And I know of other families whose children applied to Walls and were accepted, but decided not to go. DCI has a 90%+ retention rate, so with that rate, there can't be that many top-performing students leaving. My DD's close group of friends are all very smart, conscientious learners, and motivated and all have stayed into HS.

[Anonymous]

Top-performing at DCI, sure, high-performing in the DMV, think twice. If you're OK with IBD points totals in the 20s and low 30s for admission to 2nd and 3rd-tier colleges, DCI rocks. If you're looking for higher scores that might work for the most highly competitive colleges and your kid isn't an URM or first gen college you almost certainly either have to supplement plenty at DCI all the way up or leave. I wish things were different.

[Anonymous]

I'm not a DCI basher -- in fact, I think there's a lot to like about the school.

But the poster who mentioned that the top 8 kids (valedictorians and salutatorians) from 2 years ago all stayed at DCI for high school is incorrect. That is such an oddly specific thing to call out, but I'm positive it isn't true because my kid and several of their friends were among those 8 kids.

I'm not sure how many top kids stay each year and what direction its trending. I do know a lot of the current 8th graders are looking into admission high schools and privates, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not a DCI basher -- in fact, I think there's a lot to like about the school.

But the poster who mentioned that the top 8 kids (valedictorians and salutatorians) from 2 years ago all stayed at DCI for high school is incorrect. That is such an oddly specific thing to call out, but I'm positive it isn't true because my kid and several of their friends were among those 8 kids.

I'm not sure how many top kids stay each year and what direction its trending. I do know a lot of the current 8th graders are looking into admission high schools and privates, though.

Thanks for correcting the record.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Top-performing at DCI, sure, high-performing in the DMV, think twice. If you're OK with IBD points totals in the 20s and low 30s for admission to 2nd and 3rd-tier colleges, DCI rocks. If you're looking for higher scores that might work for the most highly competitive colleges and your kid isn't an URM or first gen college you almost certainly either have to supplement plenty at DCI all the way up or leave. I wish things were different.

Yes, because the DCI feeders don't challenge kids who can work above grade level, the DCI middle school doesn't challenge top kids outside classes taught in the target language, discipline isn't too hot at DCI, and the school doesn't push the language speaking skills the kids need to score high on IBD language off the Spanish track.

Pretending that it's all hunky dory, so DCI 8th graders don't shoot for admissions high schools, is to embrace fantasy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Top-performing at DCI, sure, high-performing in the DMV, think twice. If you're OK with IBD points totals in the 20s and low 30s for admission to 2nd and 3rd-tier colleges, DCI rocks. If you're looking for higher scores that might work for the most highly competitive colleges and your kid isn't an URM or first gen college you almost certainly either have to supplement plenty at DCI all the way up or leave. I wish things were different.

Yes, because the DCI feeders don't challenge kids who can work above grade level, the DCI middle school doesn't challenge top kids outside classes taught in the target language, discipline isn't too hot at DCI, and the school doesn't push the language speaking skills the kids need to score high on IBD language off the Spanish track.

Pretending that it's all hunky dory, so DCI 8th graders don't shoot for admissions high schools, is to embrace fantasy.

I do wonder if some of the disconnect between posters' experiences at DCI is just because of how much better the Spanish track functions than the others for all sorts of reasons.