Langley Academic Rigor

[Anonymous]

To 12:14 (3/19) you mention you have two very different learners and say it's been a better fit for one than the other. We are a prospective family. Could you tell me more about which qualities make it better for one and less so for the other? Also, has anyone joined for middle school? How are the kids at accepting and including new students at those grades? MS parents, what do you wish you'd asked (but didn't know) before you signed on?

[Anonymous]

If you are a prospective parent, I'd highly recommend asking the school to connect you to another parent that is in a similar situation as yours. For example, another parent who entered in Middle School. That sort of honest phone conversation will give you much better information than any online thread with varying, and often extreme levels of experience. I did that and not only did I get all my questions answered and accurately answered, but I also made a new friend.

[Anonymous]

I think you will be fine to join in Middle School. There is a parent Ambassador or two for each class and they sometimes have play dates or parties over the summer so the kids get to know each other a bit. Also there is a Class Parent who will welcome you and help answer questions. There usually aren't too many new kids so the existing students are interested in them. The soccer teams starts up right away in the Fall and is a way to get to know other kids as well, as is the school play. Also, chances are you already know a family or have something in common with an existing parent there. Church, sports team, country club, neighborhood, commute, work place/job, etc. You'll find the parents often have an informal get-together in the first days of school plus you'll meet people pretty quickly. The middle school isn't very large so the kids will have friends in no time. Especially in 6th, all the kids are trying to figure out class schedules and new lockers anyway, so they will fit right in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for the advice to find a new crowd. Frankly, I have enough interesting friends and colleagues outside of Langley, so I don't feel the need to make an extra effort. The only thing that bugs me is that my (well-behaved and sweet) kid is occasionally excluded from parties. But I guess I should use that as a teaching moment.

I am sorry that has happened to your child. That really is not supposed to happen at Langley. I would be upset too.

I hope things get better.

[Anonymous]

To the families who are dissatisfied with the Math program, did your complaints fall on deaf ears? Is the math program not challenging? Do the teachers need more training to adequately teach the lessons? I read in another Langley post a while back that they were supposed to address the math program -- not so?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To the families who are dissatisfied with the Math program, did your complaints fall on deaf ears? Is the math program not challenging? Do the teachers need more training to adequately teach the lessons? I read in another Langley post a while back that they were supposed to address the math program -- not so?

They have addressed the math curriculum. They hired an amazing lower school math assistant. However, some of it is too little too late. Ask how many girls are in the high math group in the middle school. Hardly any. Many girls feel as though they're not good at math. Math facts are not drilled. Mad minutes were removed because parents complained that it was too much pressure on their kids. Kids come home with multiple choice everyday math worksheets. Math in the lower school isn't taught as bring applicable to everyday life so it can get boring for kids.

[Anonymous]

To prospective parents: ask current parents if their son or daughter has a math tutor.

[Anonymous]

Current parent of 6th grader. DS has always been in the accelerated group and is taking pre-algebra this year and is on track to take geometry in 8th grade. I actually think Langley's math program is quite good. DS has always gotten 9 stanines on the math ERBs and I attribute at least some of that to the math program at Langley. To be blunt, my experience has been that the parents who complain the most about the school's math program are (ironically) math -challenged themselves. I am in a quantitative field professionally and not so humbly submit that I am in a better position to evaluate. Many of the parents who complained typically took no math in college and some never even took calculus in high school. honestly, many of these parents are so removed from math, themselves, I think it best to discount their views. My perspective is that the kids who were in the fast track math at Langley went on to do very well in high school at places like STA, NCS, TJ, Potomac, GDS among other schools. The 6th grade pre-algebra class is excellent at Langley. Granted my DS is a very math-oriented kid and I actively engage him in math subjects, but he is getting a lot out of the math program at Langley and I think the school gets a bit of a raw deal when people claim Langley has a math problem. Just wanted to offer another perspective.

[Anonymous]

00:37 here again. And, no, DS has never had a tutor and I don't get the impression that a lot of kids in his class have them, although I could be wrong.

[Anonymous]

It is technically correct to say langley kids get offers from all the top schools but note those offers all go to the same couple/few kids in each graduating class. The langley graduation list shows all the schools that made offers but then you see only a couple/few kids going to top schools and some of the top schools that made offers have no one going. IMO, the kids getting top school offers would have done well wherever they went k-8.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:00:37 here again. And, no, DS has never had a tutor and I don't get the impression that a lot of kids in his class have them, although I could be wrong.

You have a son, right? How many girls are in the accelerated math?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Current parent of 6th grader. DS has always been in the accelerated group and is taking pre-algebra this year and is on track to take geometry in 8th grade. I actually think Langley's math program is quite good. DS has always gotten 9 stanines on the math ERBs and I attribute at least some of that to the math program at Langley. To be blunt, my experience has been that the parents who complain the most about the school's math program are (ironically) math -challenged themselves. I am in a quantitative field professionally and not so humbly submit that I am in a better position to evaluate. Many of the parents who complained typically took no math in college and some never even took calculus in high school. honestly, many of these parents are so removed from math, themselves, I think it best to discount their views. My perspective is that the kids who were in the fast track math at Langley went on to do very well in high school at places like STA, NCS, TJ, Potomac, GDS among other schools. The 6th grade pre-algebra class is excellent at Langley. Granted my DS is a very math-oriented kid and I actively engage him in math subjects, but he is getting a lot out of the math program at Langley and I think the school gets a bit of a raw deal when people claim Langley has a math problem. Just wanted to offer another perspective.

To be blunt, you are incorrect. I can't be specific without revealing my identity but yeah no sorry. Your hypothesis is incorrect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is technically correct to say langley kids get offers from all the top schools but note those offers all go to the same couple/few kids in each graduating class. The langley graduation list shows all the schools that made offers but then you see only a couple/few kids going to top schools and some of the top schools that made offers have no one going. IMO, the kids getting top school offers would have done well wherever they went k-8.

You are correct. It only takes 1 kid to be accepted at multiple top tier schools. You must look at where the kids attend school for 9th grade. That data is carefully guarded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:00:37 here again. And, no, DS has never had a tutor and I don't get the impression that a lot of kids in his class have them, although I could be wrong.

I know of several who have tutors. Ask around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
It is technically correct to say langley kids get offers from all the top schools but note those offers all go to the same couple/few kids in each graduating class. The langley graduation list shows all the schools that made offers but then you see only a couple/few kids going to top schools and some of the top schools that made offers have no one going. IMO, the kids getting top school offers would have done well wherever they went k-8.

You are correct. It only takes 1 kid to be accepted at multiple top tier schools. You must look at where the kids attend school for 9th grade. That data is carefully guarded.


They used to list where the kids were going in 9th. As a former parent, it was easy to see only a couple got the top offers.