| How does a parent get their kid into one of the enriched classes if they were not selected? Who are they talking to/what are they saying to get their child in the class? |
Well you can move to a school that just let's everyone in, even if the kid does not speak a word of english! |
sp. - lets |
which school is that? |
From the other thread: Hoover and Cabin John |
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Have you been pleased with the teacher instruction for the enriched classes? At our W cluster middle and high schools, I hear that it's often the weaker teachers who are placed in the higher level classes - I've assumed the rationale is that the kids are perceived as "advanced" so they don't need much instruction or curriculum resources?
When students drop down a level, they often find more instruction and more helpful handouts or other resources. I wonder if these students actually needed to drop down a level or simply better instruction? |
| Anyone? |
Do they teach cognitive dissonance at this school? |
I can only discuss MS experiences and that has not been the case. There is no pattern--it's a mixed bag. My child in the new enriched classes does have strong teachers, but I think this is because the principal decided that the last minute pilot needed stronger teachers to succeed. |
I hear the teachers are quite good for both enriched classes. YMMV. Yes, the lower level has more supports. Some kids find that helpful, others find it frustrating. Glad there are the different classes. |
| There are several teachers for each program at our MS. I know one math teacher is really weak and at least one humanities teacher is great. |
| At our MS 6th grade "magnet" classes, the math teacher is weak - it's not even clear that she understands the material herself, and the history teacher doesn't even pay attention to the class's dozing and doodling. It's a joke. |
| Would it be better to be in the non-magnet classes with better teachers? Or can you just supplement at home to make up for the poor instruction? |
| My child is in the enriched history class at Silver Creek MS. It is wonderful. The teacher is fabulous. She didn't get invited to be in the math so no opinion on that. Her teacher previously taught high school students on the AP track and she is really assigning lots of writing assignments. |
There is usually an assistant principal or curriculum person in charge of the enriched classes at every MS. If your child is on the borderline with scores you can talk about motivation, work habits and interest in the subject. I know at least one child whose parents are lobbying really hard to get their child into the math one. Not sure if it has been successful. The parents are very type A and bent out of shape their child might be left behind if he's not in it. I don't think her child especially interested in the subject, but he's a good student who works hard and I'm guessing his scores are close. They did the same thing a few years ago to get their child in to compacted 4/5 math and they told me he did well in that class and in 5/6. |