pros and cons of CES?

[Anonymous]

First world problems. So we are actually debating declining CES (got the acceptance letter today). I know I'm going to get flamed (WHY WOULD YOU TURN THIS DOWN) but I would really love to hear from other parents who declined, or who at least thought about declining (and now are glad that they didn't), or maybe accepted and then regretted it.

Pros:
DC is consistently a straight-A student and it's clear that they are not being challenged in the home school environment. We haven't been super impressed with the teacher this year, so that could be a factor.
I was an excelling, not-challenged kid all the way through grade school and I was SO UNPREPARED for college, where I actually had to work hard and TRY and actually fail sometimes. You know, like LIFE. I was totally unprepared because I spent years thinking that I was hot $hit.
I am speculating that CES classes may be getting more out of this whole distance learning thing... don't know if that's actually true... and I really suspect we are in for another round of closures this fall.
DC is a smart kid and I want them to get the most out of life that they possibly can. And they EARNED this.

Cons:
It's further away from the house and the logistics get tougher, especially assuming there's a return to evening sports practices and such. The parent who handles the dropoffs and pickups is not excited.
DC2 will be at the home school this year so we'd have two ES's for... what exactly?
DC likes the home school and has developed a great group of friends. We have a community, a bit of a village, that we fear may dry up a little without the consistent interactions. DH moved in ES and wound up with no ES community at all, and blames his socialization issues on the fact that he spent "formative years" not having neighborhood friends (and this was back in the days before driving around to "playdates").
Is there a reason to disrupt things now, when DC could always switch to a magnet middle for 6th?

I am thinking that I might try to talk to the home school principal and find out what Grade 4 might look like... if there's compacted math and some kind of accelerated reading/writing I think that might be a really attractive option. But are we CRAZY for even thinking about declining this? We have not discussed with DC, and not sure that their opinion at age 9 is really going to be a huge consideration.

[Anonymous]

What is CES ?

[Anonymous]

Your pros and cons lists make a lot of sense. It's too bad that there won't be the in-person CES visit/open house this year; that really sealed the deal for my kid. I hope that there's a virtual open house, and I'd recommend going into that with an open mind and listening to see if it seems like this is the right program for your child. Talking to the home school prinicipal is a good idea, too. There are real trade-offs logistically and with neighborhood friendships. That said, the CES was an amazing program and perfect fit for my older child. We did a COSA to move our younger child to the school, which simplified logistics; younger kid is now also in the CES and it is the right place for them, too.

You have some time to decide, so gather information, talk to others (especially if you know people from your home school who are at the CES and can give comparisons and details), and see what feels right.

Congratulations!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is CES ?

Centers for Enriched Studies

[Anonymous]

Try it, OP. If your child is not happy, they can always return to their home school.

My DD’s best friend is at our home school, but despite this, and the longer, more annoying commute, she LOVES the more stimulating atmosphere and the fact that school time isn’t filled with too much boring repetition and class management issues.

Please try!!!

[Anonymous]

What sports programs would you have to return to? I don't think there are any at elementary schools other than something that might happen right after normal school, no?

My DD really liked CES. The teachers knew how to teach at a higher level, and the thing DD liked best was the peer group of much more academic-minded kids. They were still normal kids, but the percentage was much lower of goof-offs and slow kids and kids who just hated school. This meant the pace was faster and the atmosphere was more peaceful and efficient. Sure there was lots of fooling around, since kids are kids, but the overall tenor of the classroom was different. They did a LOT of work at school, so there wasn't that lull time where you sit there trying to keep yourself busy while the rest of the class finishes. The math was still boring and ridiculous, and DD hated the babyish music class. But the rest of it was a great experience.

That said, the commute issue wasn't that bad for us. I would up driving her most of the time since that was better for our morning schedule and the school was only an easy 15 minutes from us. And DD didn't have a huge friend community at the home school, so it was easier to switch. If you're ok with your DS being less than optimally challenged in ES, and the other things are very important, you can always and should supplement the academics. How close are you to the middle school magnet program your child would possibly go to? For us it was too far, unfortunately, so we had to forego that opportunity.

[Anonymous]

^ oops, sorry, meant to say that DD is at a CES and her best friend is at our home school. Not CES material, me!

[Anonymous]

We're debating it too. People can flame if they want, but you're not the only one, OP.

[Anonymous]

My kid had the best of both worlds: our home ES has it’s own local CES, so dd didn’t have to switch schools. For her, the value of the CES was in cool group projects, class discussions, and advanced reading materials. While distance learning is going on, I seriously doubt CES students are getting those perks. Of course, we’re all hoping that next year won’t involve distance learning, and certainly not the year after.

DD is now a 6th grader in a MS humanities magnet. She’s not doing particularly interesting or advanced work during distance learning. Before the schools closed, she felt that the magnet was not interesting enough or challenging enough to justify the commute. She also didn’t think her magnet classmates seemed any smarter or more advanced than her classmates from her local CES. She has complained numerous times that I told her the CES would be challenging and then it wasn’t, that I told her the MS magnet would be more challenging and it isn’t. She says there’s no way she’d consider a HS magnet, and she’s glad she didn’t have the commute for her CES. As a parent, I’m glad she got to be in the CES because she was much less frustrated by the pace in 4th grade than she had been in 3rd, when she was miserable. I still think she’s getting some value from the humanities magnet, too. The curricula for English, History and Media are tied together. Media is every quarter for 3 years instead of a one quarter art elective, so it’s much more in-depth.

I would caution you against thinking that your dc could always switch to a magnet for 6th. There are fewer seats at the MS level and many, many more qualified kids than seats.

[Anonymous]

We’re likely going to stay in a language immersion program rather than accept the CES...immersion seems challenging enough to me!

[Anonymous]

Which CES?

The PP talks about a local CES, which would be a much different experience (especially socially) than a regional CES.

My kid attended the Barnsley CES, and if you are able to say which one, you might get more specific feedback.

FWIW, we knew of two parents who declined their Barnsley CES spot and were happy with that decision. We compared experiences and while my kid has a positive experience at Barnsley, the kid who stayed at the home school also had a good experience - with a shorter commute and more stability.

Lots of the 5th graders at the CES also declined a Magnet MS spot, and chose to stick with their home MSs.

[Anonymous]

Out of curiosity, what was the percentiles for kids who got into the program?

[Anonymous]

Thank you all so much!
This is OP. We would be at Mill Creek Towne, so a regional CES (right?). We feed into Gaithersburg.
The closure is definitely making this harder bc I think that open house would really be ideal. Interesting point about the lower amount of goofing off and review, etc.
GAH will be setting something up with the principal next week I guess.
MCPS 87% and National 97%

[Anonymous]

A key point of CES that many parents forget is that only the reading/writing is enriched. It is essentially a humanities based program. The math is compacted and is the same level/material as any other local elementary school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A key point of CES that many parents forget is that only the reading/writing is enriched. It is essentially a humanities based program. The math is compacted and is the same level/material as any other local elementary school.

Science and social studies are enriched, and, at our center, all the CES kids are in the same math classes. Thus, your kid is with a highly motivated peer group all day.