If you have a kid in MCPS ES now, would you recommend it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Focus and Title 1 schools have significantly smaller class sizes. If you're involved in your child's education, they'll do well at any school and likely better in a school where they can occasionally get individual attention. The myth of good and bad schools is based on test averages, not individual outcomes.

To be honest though those lower ratios evaporate by 3rd grade. The smaller class benefit in the early years is offset on teachers that have to fill in huge gaps for many kids who are below grade level. Behavior starts getting bad around 4th and 5th grade. I have volunteered in a FOCUS school and there are more negatives than people care to admit. I do agree though that if you supplement your kid can do fine. Elementary school is about reading, writing and math. Any educated parent can fill in gaps and keep kids working about grade level.

There is LOTS of supplementing, enrichment and prep going on among the more well off in Focus schools. Its weird though because everyone does it and talks quietly among friends about which workbooks or online programs to use but its sort of a taboo. The same people supplementing like crazy and ordering the books on Amazon to prep for the CoGat will publicly make snide comments about prepping.

Oh please. We moved from a focus school to a W feeder ES and the amount of supplementing happening at the wealthier school is way beyond what was happening at the Focus school.

Oh please.

We moved from one W feeder ES to another W feeder ES and now in W high school.

No supplementing here. Sometimes, even in wealthier families and schools...it's just bright kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our oldest child will be starting Oakland Terrace ES. We are beyond thrilled that our child will be attending a bilingual school. We did not have to deal with the lottery this way. Other parents in the neighborhood love this school, though their kids were in it prior to the bilingual program.

We are teachers (new to MontCo) and researched the h*ll out of schools before purchasing our home.

Good luck.. Many happy and many unhappy families there.

PP here (teacher couple). How can you be unhappy with a program that has not even started yet? We talked to lots of parents in the various neighborhoods we looked at and parents seemed happiest in this one, school-wise. You just cannot beat a bilingual program starting in K in this day and age. Husband and i speak decent Spanish (and better French) and know we can give our children reinforcement at home ... Till they out-perform us by 3rd grade

We have been here only a year (we teach in local high schools) and are anxious to see our oldest child start school soon.

[Anonymous]

Yes, Bayard Rustin ES

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Focus and Title 1 schools have significantly smaller class sizes. If you're involved in your child's education, they'll do well at any school and likely better in a school where they can occasionally get individual attention. The myth of good and bad schools is based on test averages, not individual outcomes.

To be honest though those lower ratios evaporate by 3rd grade. The smaller class benefit in the early years is offset on teachers that have to fill in huge gaps for many kids who are below grade level. Behavior starts getting bad around 4th and 5th grade. I have volunteered in a FOCUS school and there are more negatives than people care to admit. I do agree though that if you supplement your kid can do fine. Elementary school is about reading, writing and math. Any educated parent can fill in gaps and keep kids working about grade level.

There is LOTS of supplementing, enrichment and prep going on among the more well off in Focus schools. Its weird though because everyone does it and talks quietly among friends about which workbooks or online programs to use but its sort of a taboo. The same people supplementing like crazy and ordering the books on Amazon to prep for the CoGat will publicly make snide comments about prepping.

Actually, the ratios don't evaporate by 3rd grade, but if that's what you need to tell yourself...

At our school they did change in 3rd.

Yes, class sizes in 3rd-5th are larger than K-2 across the board. But Focus/Title I class sizes are still smaller comparatively.

The difference is a lot greater in K-2 than in 3-5. In K it's the difference between a max of 18 (Focus/Title I) and a max of 25 (not). That's a 7 student difference. By 3rd grade I think it's a difference of a max of 26 v. a max of 28. Or it might be 25/27. Either way, it's a difference of about 2 students, not 7.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Focus and Title 1 schools have significantly smaller class sizes. If you're involved in your child's education, they'll do well at any school and likely better in a school where they can occasionally get individual attention. The myth of good and bad schools is based on test averages, not individual outcomes.

To be honest though those lower ratios evaporate by 3rd grade. The smaller class benefit in the early years is offset on teachers that have to fill in huge gaps for many kids who are below grade level. Behavior starts getting bad around 4th and 5th grade. I have volunteered in a FOCUS school and there are more negatives than people care to admit. I do agree though that if you supplement your kid can do fine. Elementary school is about reading, writing and math. Any educated parent can fill in gaps and keep kids working about grade level.

There is LOTS of supplementing, enrichment and prep going on among the more well off in Focus schools. Its weird though because everyone does it and talks quietly among friends about which workbooks or online programs to use but its sort of a taboo. The same people supplementing like crazy and ordering the books on Amazon to prep for the CoGat will publicly make snide comments about prepping.

Actually, the ratios don't evaporate by 3rd grade, but if that's what you need to tell yourself...

At our school they did change in 3rd.

Yes, class sizes in 3rd-5th are larger than K-2 across the board. But Focus/Title I class sizes are still smaller comparatively.

The difference is a lot greater in K-2 than in 3-5. In K it's the difference between a max of 18 (Focus/Title I) and a max of 25 (not). That's a 7 student difference. By 3rd grade I think it's a difference of a max of 26 v. a max of 28. Or it might be 25/27. Either way, it's a difference of about 2 students, not 7.

Not sure where you get this info but at our focus school 3rd+ typically has 20-23 students per class.

[Anonymous]

I'd recommend Beall ES

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our oldest child will be starting Oakland Terrace ES. We are beyond thrilled that our child will be attending a bilingual school. We did not have to deal with the lottery this way. Other parents in the neighborhood love this school, though their kids were in it prior to the bilingual program.

We are teachers (new to MontCo) and researched the h*ll out of schools before purchasing our home.

Good luck.. Many happy and many unhappy families there.

PP here (teacher couple). How can you be unhappy with a program that has not even started yet? We talked to lots of parents in the various neighborhoods we looked at and parents seemed happiest in this one, school-wise. You just cannot beat a bilingual program starting in K in this day and age. Husband and i speak decent Spanish (and better French) and know we can give our children reinforcement at home ... Till they out-perform us by 3rd grade

We have been here only a year (we teach in local high schools) and are anxious to see our oldest child start school soon.

NP, also an OTES parent: there's a PP on this board who really dislikes OTES and is quite vocal about it. Don't let that dampen your enthusiasm. Our middle starts K this year and we are SO excited about the bilingual program. We also really like the school in general (oldest is already there). Every school has its trade-offs, but we've been quite happy with the mix of kids and families and the strength of the teachers. Welcome!