Why are HRCS so popular? Test scores stink.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because lots of adults value living in the city, being really close to work, and being able to walk to urban amenities. In order to get that they're willing to compromise and send their kids to schools that are so-so when compared to the overall Washington metro area, but "good" for DC.

I'm sincerely not trying to be judgmental. But I think that's the main reason.

Have you seen MoCo's scores? It makes most of DCPS Ward 3 look great!

Sure but those MoCo schools aren't the ones parents who aim for HRCSs would move for.

BS. You compared DC to "overall metro area", when you do so, they are all so-so if your only measure is % that scored 4+. Thus, why not have the best of both worlds and go to a school in the 40% AND be able to walk to urban amenities? Your jealousy is showing.

I'm not jealous. I've sent my kid to all of the above (charter, DCPS, MCPS) and was lucky enough to be able to move where I thought was best. Though it's a stone's throw from the district with all the same amenities, I am no longer in DC.

Assuming one has the freedom to move and isn't committed to the absolute shortest commute possible, I think there is a lot to be said for living in a boundary where you know what you're getting, the scores and the feel of the school remain relatively consistent without fear of lottery-concerns and huge shifts in the population of the school, and you don't have to wonder what is next when the time comes. There are certainly a few Wilson-zoned neighborhoods where that is possible, but there are also a few more that are quite comparable but not in DC proper. I can't afford to live in a house like I want in-bound for JKLMM, so I chose to move to TKPK instead where I reap the same good school benefits, my commute is about 10 minutes longer, and the class sizes are markedly smaller by any measure (sub-20 kids). Works for me!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The test scores for MV, CMI, and IT. There are a number of DCPS Title I schools with huge populations of ELL and at-risk kids doing better. So why are these charters so popular?

CMI scores are twice as good as Bruce Monroe (our IB) so its all relative and why everyone in our neighborhood applied to CMI.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For Yu Ying:

All students: 51% ELA/59% Math

3rd Grade: 31/46
4th Grade: 69/68
5th Grade: 69/73

What is going on with 3rd grade which is the current 4th?!?

Two things:
1. Re ELA, the current 4th are the first cohort to receive 100% Chinese instruction in PK4. Previous years used the day of Chinese/day of English model. One year less of English instruction = lessened English proficiency.
2. This is the bubble class--6 (now 5) classes in the grade rather than 4 (as for all other grades K & above). This means that at least two classes each year are getting teachers who didn't teach that grade the previous year. Again, it's easy to imagine that these kids with less-experienced teachers learned less.

We're in a younger grade at YY and I agree with this. Less English instruction makes a difference - but it tends to even out later, research shows.

Also, this is the year for which YY went through its entire waitlist (hard to imagine at this point, I know). So there's less self-selectivity.

I don't know how third grade does in general with such tests (are they usually worse than older grades). Have a current third grader who is not terribly proficient with mice (used to iPads).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For Yu Ying:

All students: 51% ELA/59% Math

3rd Grade: 31/46
4th Grade: 69/68
5th Grade: 69/73

What is going on with 3rd grade which is the current 4th?!?

Two things:
1. Re ELA, the current 4th are the first cohort to receive 100% Chinese instruction in PK4. Previous years used the day of Chinese/day of English model. One year less of English instruction = lessened English proficiency.
2. This is the bubble class--6 (now 5) classes in the grade rather than 4 (as for all other grades K & above). This means that at least two classes each year are getting teachers who didn't teach that grade the previous year. Again, it's easy to imagine that these kids with less-experienced teachers learned less.

We're in a younger grade at YY and I agree with this. Less English instruction makes a difference - but it tends to even out later, research shows.

Also, this is the year for which YY went through its entire waitlist (hard to imagine at this point, I know). So there's less self-selectivity.

I don't know how third grade does in general with such tests (are they usually worse than older grades). Have a current third grader who is not terribly proficient with mice (used to iPads).

Do you hear yourself? Yuk.

[Anonymous]

My very young kids attend one of the so-called HRC's and are too young to take the PARCC. Test scores are extremely important to me and one of several reasons we did not send our kids to our IB school (which has terrible scores). I am disappointed in my school's test scores this year, but expect those numbers to continue to trend upward, for a number of reasons. If that doesn't happen, we'll have some tough decisions to make in the next couple of years.

We love our school, but I hope all schools, including our IB school, continue to improve. I wish people would stop pitting charter schools against neighborhood schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My very young kids attend one of the so-called HRC's and are too young to take the PARCC. Test scores are extremely important to me and one of several reasons we did not send our kids to our IB school (which has terrible scores). I am disappointed in my school's test scores this year, but expect those numbers to continue to trend upward, for a number of reasons. If that doesn't happen, we'll have some tough decisions to make in the next couple of years.

We love our school, but I hope all schools, including our IB school, continue to improve. I wish people would stop pitting charter schools against neighborhood schools.

I hope you are at my school. And thank you for caring about education for all kids - and not rooting against other people's kids. Some of you are really horrible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My very young kids attend one of the so-called HRC's and are too young to take the PARCC. Test scores are extremely important to me and one of several reasons we did not send our kids to our IB school (which has terrible scores). I am disappointed in my school's test scores this year, but expect those numbers to continue to trend upward, for a number of reasons. If that doesn't happen, we'll have some tough decisions to make in the next couple of years.

We love our school, but I hope all schools, including our IB school, continue to improve. I wish people would stop pitting charter schools against neighborhood schools.

I hope you are at my school. And thank you for caring about education for all kids - and not rooting against other people's kids. Some of you are really horrible.

Even the most self-interested among us should be rooting our IB schools to improve -- better schools will improve all our property values and help with neighborhood stability. Sadly the scores at our IB DCPS went down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My very young kids attend one of the so-called HRC's and are too young to take the PARCC. Test scores are extremely important to me and one of several reasons we did not send our kids to our IB school (which has terrible scores). I am disappointed in my school's test scores this year, but expect those numbers to continue to trend upward, for a number of reasons. If that doesn't happen, we'll have some tough decisions to make in the next couple of years.

We love our school, but I hope all schools, including our IB school, continue to improve. I wish people would stop pitting charter schools against neighborhood schools.

I hope you are at my school. And thank you for caring about education for all kids - and not rooting against other people's kids. Some of you are really horrible.

Even the most self-interested among us should be rooting our IB schools to improve -- better schools will improve all our property values and help with neighborhood stability. Sadly the scores at our IB DCPS went down.

Rooting by the sidelines is not going to do a thing for your IB school. Enrolling your kid, volunteering, and donating to your IB will help. Mostly, enroll your kid. Test scores are not going to magically improve by sending positive energy their way.

[Anonymous]

Yes, this is from FOCUS (the charter advocacy / lobbying group) so it has a point of view.

But it has some interesting cuts on the data with a particular eye toward disadvantaged students.

http://focusdc.org/sites/focusdc.org/files/FOCUS%20Press%20Release%20Final.pdf

Is this a fair analysis? What are they missing or what did they get wrong?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My very young kids attend one of the so-called HRC's and are too young to take the PARCC. Test scores are extremely important to me and one of several reasons we did not send our kids to our IB school (which has terrible scores). I am disappointed in my school's test scores this year, but expect those numbers to continue to trend upward, for a number of reasons. If that doesn't happen, we'll have some tough decisions to make in the next couple of years.

We love our school, but I hope all schools, including our IB school, continue to improve. I wish people would stop pitting charter schools against neighborhood schools.

I hope you are at my school. And thank you for caring about education for all kids - and not rooting against other people's kids. Some of you are really horrible.

Even the most self-interested among us should be rooting our IB schools to improve -- better schools will improve all our property values and help with neighborhood stability. Sadly the scores at our IB DCPS went down.

Rooting by the sidelines is not going to do a thing for your IB school. Enrolling your kid, volunteering, and donating to your IB will help. Mostly, enroll your kid. Test scores are not going to magically improve by sending positive energy their way.

My kids were too old for the school when we moved to our current neighborhood - not going to adopt or try to give birth at 47 to show my commitment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because lots of adults value living in the city, being really close to work, and being able to walk to urban amenities. In order to get that they're willing to compromise and send their kids to schools that are so-so when compared to the overall Washington metro area, but "good" for DC.

I'm sincerely not trying to be judgmental. But I think that's the main reason.

I agree, but I would describe it thus: my husband & I live by a certain set of values that we hope to pass along to our kids. We chose our location in DC because it embodies our values. We've chosen the best available school for our kids, with the full knowledge that it's not the Absolute Best. We're fine with second/third/etc best, education-wise--what our kids learn in school is not the most important aspect of what we as parents are giving them.

+1000. Test scores really only count for so much. I went to a suburban elementary/middle school in the Midwest with zero diversity or appreciation for arts or sports other than football and baseball. Test scores for the school system were--and continue to be--off the charts high. But I honestly feel that my education was lacking in so many ways. Not to mention that many of the friends from this time period that I have kept in touch with on Facebook appear to be Trump supporters. Hmmm....

We all want our kids to receive the best education possible, and the struggle is real in DC. But I take heart that even if our school is sub-par according to test scores, the richness in culture and opportunities in DC provides educational benefits of its own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For Yu Ying:

All students: 51% ELA/59% Math

3rd Grade: 31/46
4th Grade: 69/68
5th Grade: 69/73

What is going on with 3rd grade which is the current 4th?!?

By race grades 3-5:

White: 59/74
AA: 34/39
Two or more races: 71/78

It's always been the "don't care about Chinese, as much as we are just happy to be here" class. They've always been the laziest, least generous and least productive group. It's the bubble class. Everyone hates them, but they did help pay for the facility.

Though I dislike your phrasing, you are correct. This is the class that ruined the small-school feeling. The fact that they exist causes upheaval for all of the teachers and classrooms every single year. I'm very glad to have a great facility, but it has been a bitter pill to swallow.

What? One class has ruined the school? Please.

+1. Hah! We love you too. You realize that many of the kids in the bubble class have siblings in other grades? Looks like "two or more races" in grades 3-5 is doing really well!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, this is from FOCUS (the charter advocacy / lobbying group) so it has a point of view.

But it has some interesting cuts on the data with a particular eye toward disadvantaged students.

http://focusdc.org/sites/focusdc.org/files/FOCUS%20Press%20Release%20Final.pdf

Is this a fair analysis? What are they missing or what did they get wrong?

The most struggling DCPS elementary schools show alarming results. There are dozens of schools where students testing at grade level can be counted on a single hand with fingers to spare. Any charter putting up those metrics would have trouble remaining operational without marked year over year improvement. There's not a huge difference among top charter achievers vs top DCPS achievers but you see different outcomes at the bottom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For Yu Ying:

All students: 51% ELA/59% Math

3rd Grade: 31/46
4th Grade: 69/68
5th Grade: 69/73

What is going on with 3rd grade which is the current 4th?!?

By race grades 3-5:

White: 59/74
AA: 34/39
Two or more races: 71/78

It's always been the "don't care about Chinese, as much as we are just happy to be here" class. They've always been the laziest, least generous and least productive group. It's the bubble class. Everyone hates them, but they did help pay for the facility.

Though I dislike your phrasing, you are correct. This is the class that ruined the small-school feeling. The fact that they exist causes upheaval for all of the teachers and classrooms every single year. I'm very glad to have a great facility, but it has been a bitter pill to swallow.

What? One class has ruined the school? Please.

+1. Hah! We love you too. You realize that many of the kids in the bubble class have siblings in other grades? Looks like "two or more races" in grades 3-5 is doing really well!

And at YY, 2 or more races are over 25% of the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For Yu Ying:

All students: 51% ELA/59% Math

3rd Grade: 31/46
4th Grade: 69/68
5th Grade: 69/73

What is going on with 3rd grade which is the current 4th?!?

Two things:
1. Re ELA, the current 4th are the first cohort to receive 100% Chinese instruction in PK4. Previous years used the day of Chinese/day of English model. One year less of English instruction = lessened English proficiency.
2. This is the bubble class--6 (now 5) classes in the grade rather than 4 (as for all other grades K & above). This means that at least two classes each year are getting teachers who didn't teach that grade the previous year. Again, it's easy to imagine that these kids with less-experienced teachers learned less.

We're in a younger grade at YY and I agree with this. Less English instruction makes a difference - but it tends to even out later, research shows.

Also, this is the year for which YY went through its entire waitlist (hard to imagine at this point, I know). So there's less self-selectivity.

I don't know how third grade does in general with such tests (are they usually worse than older grades). Have a current third grader who is not terribly proficient with mice (used to iPads).

Do you hear yourself? Yuk.[/qu

Seriously. As a parent in this cohorts class I find that statement ridiculous and offensive.