WES v Norwood

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Can you name one school that provides a "on grade level" rigorous and challenging mathematics education for elementary school students for advanced pupil?

Correction

Can you name one school that provides an "on grade level" rigorous and challenging mathematics education for elementary school students -- and for the advanced pupil?

Very good question.
No I can not.

[Anonymous]

It is strange, I can think of many schools that do it for reading or literature, but not math.

[Anonymous]

Very good question.
No I can not.

I was surprised on my school tours several years back and we arrived at the above conclusion. This explains the choices our family made for the boys at the elementary school phase. Subject acceleration in Math is not perfect but we felt it was the best option for our 2 children that are advanced. We wanted to ensure they boarded the train when it left the station. We prefer not to play catch up and remedial math training in middle and high school school. We supplement with problem solving practice they get in math competitions, completely unrelated to what they are doing in their accelerated classes.

[Anonymous]

Reading and literature are easier to provide children for most parents -- regardless of what the school chooses or doesn't choose to offer. One doesn't require bricks and mortar -- or even a teacher. Kids that love to read voraciously and widely are rarely left behind at the station. This is true whether they are in public or private school. Where private schools have an edge is an earlier introduction to formal writing and debating/public speaking skills.

[Anonymous]

I was surprised on my school tours several years back and we arrived at the above conclusion. This explains the choices our family made for the boys at the elementary school phase. Subject acceleration in Math is not perfect but we felt it was the best option for our 2 children that are advanced. We wanted to ensure they boarded the train when it left the station. We prefer not to play catch up and remedial math training in middle and high school school. We supplement with problem solving practice they get in math competitions, completely unrelated to what they are doing in their accelerated classes.

Please don't get me wrong. WES and Norwood are fine institutions. I can attest to this since these were the 2 schools the eldest boy liked the best of all the schools we toured and eventually submitted applications.

We did not accept their admission offers because of our own unique academic circumstances and went with the better fit.

[Anonymous]

That said, math at WES and Norwood is not much different than the other local private schools in the DC area.

[Anonymous]

I don't know about Norwood's math, but the WES math is not very competitive. It is the source of many complaints at the school.

[Anonymous]

Many children in this area with parents that are scientists, engineers, physicians or who work for the biotechnology industry recognize the shortcomings in the elementary school math curricula at private schools. This provides a source of conflict for some of us. Some of us opt for public education in elementary school for the flexibility in math and science education postponing the cross over to private schools at a later point further downstream.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many children in this area with parents that are scientists, engineers, physicians or who work for the biotechnology industry recognize the shortcomings in the elementary school math curricula at private schools. This provides a source of conflict for some of us. Some of us opt for public education in elementary school for the flexibility in math and science education postponing the cross over to private schools at a later point further downstream.

I agree, but I think it is also marginal at the public schools. The privates all use the same curricula as the publics in MC.

[Anonymous]

Try Montessori -- kids work at their own pace -- many are doing algebra and geometry by 6th or 7th grade.

[Anonymous]

12:42, I hear you. The private schools seem to have a disproportionate number of children of lawyers. They seem skewed towards the literary education that would appeal to those families. But I will say that the trend continues through high school. The best public HS science/math programs in the area can easily compete with and top the best private HSs.
But public schools have their share of issues with reading and so on. I have yet to see a child come out of a top private school who can't write a decent essay. On top of that, few in public schools learn foreign languages well (FWIW).

[Anonymous]

I agree with the observation that area private schools are dominated, at least in the early grades, by children of lawyers, lobbyists and politicians. I am not sure what appreciation exists for the fundamental importance of math (statistics and probability), science and technology in the 21st century world...even if one's life's work is not as an expert in any of these areas.

[Anonymous]

I've got a child who went to Norwood who was very strong in Math. They do accelerate kids but do it within their ability math groupings. It isn't until 7th grade that you might formally notice it with another name to the class (ie Algebra 1). When my child was in 4th grade, he was not using a 4th grade text but a higher level textbook. It doesn't do anybody any good, except the parents for bragging rights, to call a 4th grade group a fifth grade group. My child knew he was really strong at math and got challenged appropriately. He had a solid foundation (or so we were told by his high school teacher) which I think those who just think of math as a ladder don't get.

[Anonymous]

As someone with very deep training and expertise in math and science I do not see math as a ladder.
I glad to hear your child was appropriately challenged in Math all the way through at Norwood. That was not the case with our children. We took action.
They are challenged now. And they have a great fit just like your child.
No one here cares what you want to call your challenge...algebra1,2,3,4,5, Grade 4, 5, 8 or infinity.
The key is appropriate challenge along with problem solving skills.
It sounds like your child found a great fit with Norwood.
That's great. That's what education is all about, but don't presume that because Norwood was a great fit for your child in Math that it therefore is a great fit in Math for all children

[Anonymous]

I've got a child who went to Norwood who was very strong in Math. They do accelerate kids but do it within their ability math groupings. It isn't until 7th grade that you might formally notice it with another name to the class (ie Algebra 1). When my child was in 4th grade, he was not using a 4th grade text but a higher level textbook. It doesn't do anybody any good, except the parents for bragging rights, to call a 4th grade group a fifth grade group. My child knew he was really strong at math and got challenged appropriately. He had a solid foundation (or so we were told by his high school teacher) which I think those who just think of math as a ladder don't get.

Nice anecdote. Any other evidence?
We can all site anecdotes.