Would you live in Takoma Park, MD with young family?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:@TPES the number of students per grade has allowed them to provide differentiated math and reading in a positive way. This would not be possible at a smaller school. I imagine this would be true for PBES as well.

That doesn't quite answer the question, though. Unless you assume that the only kids that need advanced differentiation are middle class and white.

If you believe that poor kids might also be gifted, and that Black kids might also need acceleration, then the presence of differentiation at PBES should mean that kids of color and poor kids at PBES would do *better,* not worse than at smaller schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:@TPES the number of students per grade has allowed them to provide differentiated math and reading in a positive way. This would not be possible at a smaller school. I imagine this would be true for PBES as well.

That doesn't quite answer the question, though. Unless you assume that the only kids that need advanced differentiation are middle class and white.

If you believe that poor kids might also be gifted, and that Black kids might also need acceleration, then the presence of differentiation at PBES should mean that kids of color and poor kids at PBES would do *better,* not worse than at smaller schools.

Exactly. And DD, who is black and gifted, received a lot of differentiation and acceleration at a smaller SS school with similar demographics..

[Anonymous]

I would never listen to what people on DCUM about any of the places East of Rock Creek Park. Many people who post are racists (but don't consider themselves racist). They consider all of Silver Spring or Takoma Park to be ghettos. Don't listen to DCUM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would never listen to what people on DCUM about any of the places East of Rock Creek Park. Many people who post are racists (but don't consider themselves racist). They consider all of Silver Spring or Takoma Park to be ghettos. Don't listen to DCUM.

In general, you are right. In specifics, though, there's an interesting discussion going on about how Takoma Park schools (which are whiter than a lot of other schools in the area) may or may not be serving the needs of poor kids and kids of color, assuming we can take test scores to mean anything. That's a conversation that matters whether you have a white kid or a kid of color, and whether your family is middle class or poor/working class.

Your comment is generally true of DCUM but not of this specific conversation at this point in time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would never listen to what people on DCUM about any of the places East of Rock Creek Park. Many people who post are racists (but don't consider themselves racist). They consider all of Silver Spring or Takoma Park to be ghettos. Don't listen to DCUM.

Noo...I think some of them know they're racist

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would never listen to what people on DCUM about any of the places East of Rock Creek Park. Many people who post are racists (but don't consider themselves racist). They consider all of Silver Spring or Takoma Park to be ghettos. Don't listen to DCUM.

In general, you are right. In specifics, though, there's an interesting discussion going on about how Takoma Park schools (which are whiter than a lot of other schools in the area) may or may not be serving the needs of poor kids and kids of color, assuming we can take test scores to mean anything. That's a conversation that matters whether you have a white kid or a kid of color, and whether your family is middle class or poor/working class.

Your comment is generally true of DCUM but not of this specific conversation at this point in time.

Takoma Park schools are 37% white!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:@TPES the number of students per grade has allowed them to provide differentiated math and reading in a positive way. This would not be possible at a smaller school. I imagine this would be true for PBES as well.

That doesn't quite answer the question, though. Unless you assume that the only kids that need advanced differentiation are middle class and white.

If you believe that poor kids might also be gifted, and that Black kids might also need acceleration, then the presence of differentiation at PBES should mean that kids of color and poor kids at PBES would do *better,* not worse than at smaller schools.

No, it doesn't assume that at all. I'd imagine that differentiation is based on the results of basic assessments, but the school doesn't tell us this so I can only speak to my personal experience.

I am a minority. My child is in an enriched math class at TPES. The class composition is diverse and seems similar to the school's overall demographic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would never listen to what people on DCUM about any of the places East of Rock Creek Park. Many people who post are racists (but don't consider themselves racist). They consider all of Silver Spring or Takoma Park to be ghettos. Don't listen to DCUM.

In general, you are right. In specifics, though, there's an interesting discussion going on about how Takoma Park schools (which are whiter than a lot of other schools in the area) may or may not be serving the needs of poor kids and kids of color, assuming we can take test scores to mean anything. That's a conversation that matters whether you have a white kid or a kid of color, and whether your family is middle class or poor/working class.

Your comment is generally true of DCUM but not of this specific conversation at this point in time.

Takoma Park schools are 37% white!!

Some are much, much less. The middle school which doesn't even pull from the worst parts of TP is only 30%

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:@TPES the number of students per grade has allowed them to provide differentiated math and reading in a positive way. This would not be possible at a smaller school. I imagine this would be true for PBES as well.

That doesn't quite answer the question, though. Unless you assume that the only kids that need advanced differentiation are middle class and white.

If you believe that poor kids might also be gifted, and that Black kids might also need acceleration, then the presence of differentiation at PBES should mean that kids of color and poor kids at PBES would do *better,* not worse than at smaller schools.

No, it doesn't assume that at all. I'd imagine that differentiation is based on the results of basic assessments, but the school doesn't tell us this so I can only speak to my personal experience.

I am a minority. My child is in an enriched math class at TPES. The class composition is diverse and seems similar to the school's overall demographic.

I agree! These statistics don't tell the whole story. Sure, some kids may not be living up to their potentials, but it seems likely the reasons for this are larger societal problems that can't simply be laid at the school's door.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would never listen to what people on DCUM about any of the places East of Rock Creek Park. Many people who post are racists (but don't consider themselves racist). They consider all of Silver Spring or Takoma Park to be ghettos. Don't listen to DCUM.

In general, you are right. In specifics, though, there's an interesting discussion going on about how Takoma Park schools (which are whiter than a lot of other schools in the area) may or may not be serving the needs of poor kids and kids of color, assuming we can take test scores to mean anything. That's a conversation that matters whether you have a white kid or a kid of color, and whether your family is middle class or poor/working class.

Your comment is generally true of DCUM but not of this specific conversation at this point in time.

Takoma Park schools are 37% white!!

Some are much, much less. The middle school which doesn't even pull from the worst parts of TP is only 30%

What are these "worst parts" of Takoma Park that don't go to the TP middle school?

[Anonymous]

Regardless, it's a safe bet that PBES will be an 8 by next year and a 9 by 2019.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:@TPES the number of students per grade has allowed them to provide differentiated math and reading in a positive way. This would not be possible at a smaller school. I imagine this would be true for PBES as well.

That doesn't quite answer the question, though. Unless you assume that the only kids that need advanced differentiation are middle class and white.

If you believe that poor kids might also be gifted, and that Black kids might also need acceleration, then the presence of differentiation at PBES should mean that kids of color and poor kids at PBES would do *better,* not worse than at smaller schools.

No, it doesn't assume that at all. I'd imagine that differentiation is based on the results of basic assessments, but the school doesn't tell us this so I can only speak to my personal experience.

I am a minority. My child is in an enriched math class at TPES. The class composition is diverse and seems similar to the school's overall demographic.

I agree! These statistics don't tell the whole story. Sure, some kids may not be living up to their potentials, but it seems likely the reasons for this are larger societal problems that can't simply be laid at the school's door.

It sounds like you are missing the point. Why would those larger societal problems be more evident at PBES than they are at ESS or other local schools with similar or more challenging demographics? Kids dealing with those larger societal problems do better at other schools than they do at PBES.

[Anonymous]

It sounds like you are missing the point. Why would those larger societal problems be more evident at PBES than they are at ESS or other local schools with similar or more challenging demographics? Kids dealing with those larger societal problems do better at other schools than they do at PBES.

+1 No one is attacking PBES (or TPES), and no one is promoting another school instead. Piney Branch is a great school, but we cannot pretend that the achievement gap doesn't exist. I'm not an idiot - I know the achievement gap may never fully close, but test scores suggest that poor and working class kids, as well as non-Asian kids of color, do worse at Piney Branch than at other schools in the larger neighborhood. That matters. Or, it should matter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Regardless, it's a safe bet that PBES will be an 8 by next year and a 9 by 2019.

Or a 7...6. 8 seems to be a blip not a historical average.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Regardless, it's a safe bet that PBES will be an 8 by next year and a 9 by 2019.

Or a 7...6. 8 seems to be a blip not a historical average.

I suspect it will go up, actually. GS scores are based on test scores, and PBES will soon be keeping all of their HGC kids instead of giving those kids (and their test scores) to Pine Crest and Oak View. Now, whether that score increase will actually mean anything for kids not in the HGC classroom?