Lee Montessori for Black Children

[Anonymous]

The other thing to recognize about Montessori is that PK3 and 1st (and 4th) are "entry" grades into the class, so it's easier to add new kids in those grades to make a full class rather than, say, replacing a 2nd grader who leaves with another 2nd grader.

(PP noted this when she mentioned leading grades, but I'm not sure that everyone realizes that Montessori classes are mixed age, so kids stay in the same class for 3 years.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lee parent here. The test scores don’t reflect the amazing work the kids are doing at this school, regardless of race. It’s also a very small testing cohort. VERY small esp in grades 4 and 5. There are many educated, professional, involved black parents at Lee (as with white parents) but less so in the upper grades. When you have less than ten kids taking a test and a couple of them have learning difficulties or special ed challenges AND the school does not teach to the test, the percentiles are meaningless. Lee parents can look at how engaged their kids are and what they are learning and how they are learning to gauge the success of the school.

I’d also recommend looking at other measures. There are other tests the younger kids take and much more data. Are racial breakdowns available? If so, I’d wager they show a different picture. The PARCC is a flawed test that has been dropped in almost every other state. If you can’t type well and aren’t taught the tricks, you aren’t going to score as well as kids who are.

Why so few kids in the cohort?

Lee made 61 first grade offers this year. Do you know why so many?

They are the leading grades. The school started about five years ago with about 10 or so kids in each of K and 1st kids who were in 4th and 5th last year. They typically have not added kids lost due to moving away, though a couple of kids have joined in higher grades due to being staff member’s kids. Not sure about the numbers of third graders (now 4th) but only 15 took the test. The current third graders are the first cohort to have started at Lee in PK3 and been there all the way through primary and now in their last year in lower el, but they have yet to take PARCC.

For first grade, they opened a new lower el class this year so that might account for the number of offers. There are now 4 lower el classes. Plus if offers are made late in the game it can take several offers to get a taker, esp if people apply without much interest in Montessori or if they are largely happy where they are.

Oh wow. I bet a lot of SSMA kids came over.

Or CHML.

I don't really get how a middle school in addition to CHML is needed when SSMA can't even fill up and Lee is making so many offers. I know people leave in the upper grades due to lack of a middle school, but that's not aj excuse for Primary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The other thing to recognize about Montessori is that PK3 and 1st (and 4th) are "entry" grades into the class, so it's easier to add new kids in those grades to make a full class rather than, say, replacing a 2nd grader who leaves with another 2nd grader.

(PP noted this when she mentioned leading grades, but I'm not sure that everyone realizes that Montessori classes are mixed age, so kids stay in the same class for 3 years.)

I’m PP and while this is also true what I meant by leading grades is that they are the highest grades in the school. The fifth graders who took the PARCC last year joined the school as first graders when it opened as the oldest kids. There were never any older kids. This year is the first year that Lee has built to its full capacity of PK3 through 6th, though there are only about six sixth graders.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lee parent here. The test scores don’t reflect the amazing work the kids are doing at this school, regardless of race. It’s also a very small testing cohort. VERY small esp in grades 4 and 5. There are many educated, professional, involved black parents at Lee (as with white parents) but less so in the upper grades. When you have less than ten kids taking a test and a couple of them have learning difficulties or special ed challenges AND the school does not teach to the test, the percentiles are meaningless. Lee parents can look at how engaged their kids are and what they are learning and how they are learning to gauge the success of the school.

I’d also recommend looking at other measures. There are other tests the younger kids take and much more data. Are racial breakdowns available? If so, I’d wager they show a different picture. The PARCC is a flawed test that has been dropped in almost every other state. If you can’t type well and aren’t taught the tricks, you aren’t going to score as well as kids who are.

Why so few kids in the cohort?

Lee made 61 first grade offers this year. Do you know why so many?

They are the leading grades. The school started about five years ago with about 10 or so kids in each of K and 1st kids who were in 4th and 5th last year. They typically have not added kids lost due to moving away, though a couple of kids have joined in higher grades due to being staff member’s kids. Not sure about the numbers of third graders (now 4th) but only 15 took the test. The current third graders are the first cohort to have started at Lee in PK3 and been there all the way through primary and now in their last year in lower el, but they have yet to take PARCC.

For first grade, they opened a new lower el class this year so that might account for the number of offers. There are now 4 lower el classes. Plus if offers are made late in the game it can take several offers to get a taker, esp if people apply without much interest in Montessori or if they are largely happy where they are.

Oh wow. I bet a lot of SSMA kids came over.

A WHOLE lot

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lee parent here. The test scores don’t reflect the amazing work the kids are doing at this school, regardless of race. It’s also a very small testing cohort. VERY small esp in grades 4 and 5. There are many educated, professional, involved black parents at Lee (as with white parents) but less so in the upper grades. When you have less than ten kids taking a test and a couple of them have learning difficulties or special ed challenges AND the school does not teach to the test, the percentiles are meaningless. Lee parents can look at how engaged their kids are and what they are learning and how they are learning to gauge the success of the school.

I’d also recommend looking at other measures. There are other tests the younger kids take and much more data. Are racial breakdowns available? If so, I’d wager they show a different picture. The PARCC is a flawed test that has been dropped in almost every other state. If you can’t type well and aren’t taught the tricks, you aren’t going to score as well as kids who are.

Why so few kids in the cohort?

Lee made 61 first grade offers this year. Do you know why so many?

They are the leading grades. The school started about five years ago with about 10 or so kids in each of K and 1st kids who were in 4th and 5th last year. They typically have not added kids lost due to moving away, though a couple of kids have joined in higher grades due to being staff member’s kids. Not sure about the numbers of third graders (now 4th) but only 15 took the test. The current third graders are the first cohort to have started at Lee in PK3 and been there all the way through primary and now in their last year in lower el, but they have yet to take PARCC.

For first grade, they opened a new lower el class this year so that might account for the number of offers. There are now 4 lower el classes. Plus if offers are made late in the game it can take several offers to get a taker, esp if people apply without much interest in Montessori or if they are largely happy where they are.

Oh wow. I bet a lot of SSMA kids came over.

Or CHML.

I don't really get how a middle school in addition to CHML is needed when SSMA can't even fill up and Lee is making so many offers. I know people leave in the upper grades due to lack of a middle school, but that's not aj excuse for Primary.

This is not just meant for feeders but it is a different model of middle school. If done well it could serve the needs of many kinds of kids in an arena where there are so few good middle schools. I have not heard great things about CHML middle, especially whether it does Montessori well. I know also, LAMB folks are looking at it closely. Middle school is a good time to use experimental or alternative education models, in my view, since often times so little learning happens and kids are just distracted by their new adolescence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lee parent here. The test scores don’t reflect the amazing work the kids are doing at this school, regardless of race. It’s also a very small testing cohort. VERY small esp in grades 4 and 5. There are many educated, professional, involved black parents at Lee (as with white parents) but less so in the upper grades. When you have less than ten kids taking a test and a couple of them have learning difficulties or special ed challenges AND the school does not teach to the test, the percentiles are meaningless. Lee parents can look at how engaged their kids are and what they are learning and how they are learning to gauge the success of the school.

I’d also recommend looking at other measures. There are other tests the younger kids take and much more data. Are racial breakdowns available? If so, I’d wager they show a different picture. The PARCC is a flawed test that has been dropped in almost every other state. If you can’t type well and aren’t taught the tricks, you aren’t going to score as well as kids who are.

Why so few kids in the cohort?

Lee made 61 first grade offers this year. Do you know why so many?

They are the leading grades. The school started about five years ago with about 10 or so kids in each of K and 1st kids who were in 4th and 5th last year. They typically have not added kids lost due to moving away, though a couple of kids have joined in higher grades due to being staff member’s kids. Not sure about the numbers of third graders (now 4th) but only 15 took the test. The current third graders are the first cohort to have started at Lee in PK3 and been there all the way through primary and now in their last year in lower el, but they have yet to take PARCC.

For first grade, they opened a new lower el class this year so that might account for the number of offers. There are now 4 lower el classes. Plus if offers are made late in the game it can take several offers to get a taker, esp if people apply without much interest in Montessori or if they are largely happy where they are.

Oh wow. I bet a lot of SSMA kids came over.

Or CHML.

I don't really get how a middle school in addition to CHML is needed when SSMA can't even fill up and Lee is making so many offers. I know people leave in the upper grades due to lack of a middle school, but that's not aj excuse for Primary.

This is not just meant for feeders but it is a different model of middle school. If done well it could serve the needs of many kinds of kids in an arena where there are so few good middle schools. I have not heard great things about CHML middle, especially whether it does Montessori well. I know also, LAMB folks are looking at it closely. Middle school is a good time to use experimental or alternative education models, in my view, since often times so little learning happens and kids are just distracted by their new adolescence.

Interestingly I knew of a few kids that came over from CHML to SSMA in Lower El. Which was a surprise to me. But I guess speaks either lack of interest in the middle school path (or issues with the swing space).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lee parent here. The test scores don’t reflect the amazing work the kids are doing at this school, regardless of race. It’s also a very small testing cohort. VERY small esp in grades 4 and 5. There are many educated, professional, involved black parents at Lee (as with white parents) but less so in the upper grades. When you have less than ten kids taking a test and a couple of them have learning difficulties or special ed challenges AND the school does not teach to the test, the percentiles are meaningless. Lee parents can look at how engaged their kids are and what they are learning and how they are learning to gauge the success of the school.

I’d also recommend looking at other measures. There are other tests the younger kids take and much more data. Are racial breakdowns available? If so, I’d wager they show a different picture. The PARCC is a flawed test that has been dropped in almost every other state. If you can’t type well and aren’t taught the tricks, you aren’t going to score as well as kids who are.

Why so few kids in the cohort?

Lee made 61 first grade offers this year. Do you know why so many?

They are the leading grades. The school started about five years ago with about 10 or so kids in each of K and 1st kids who were in 4th and 5th last year. They typically have not added kids lost due to moving away, though a couple of kids have joined in higher grades due to being staff member’s kids. Not sure about the numbers of third graders (now 4th) but only 15 took the test. The current third graders are the first cohort to have started at Lee in PK3 and been there all the way through primary and now in their last year in lower el, but they have yet to take PARCC.

For first grade, they opened a new lower el class this year so that might account for the number of offers. There are now 4 lower el classes. Plus if offers are made late in the game it can take several offers to get a taker, esp if people apply without much interest in Montessori or if they are largely happy where they are.

Oh wow. I bet a lot of SSMA kids came over.

Or CHML.

I don't really get how a middle school in addition to CHML is needed when SSMA can't even fill up and Lee is making so many offers. I know people leave in the upper grades due to lack of a middle school, but that's not aj excuse for Primary.

This is not just meant for feeders but it is a different model of middle school. If done well it could serve the needs of many kinds of kids in an arena where there are so few good middle schools. I have not heard great things about CHML middle, especially whether it does Montessori well. I know also, LAMB folks are looking at it closely. Middle school is a good time to use experimental or alternative education models, in my view, since often times so little learning happens and kids are just distracted by their new adolescence.

What is wrong with CHML middle? I just don't think there is enough demand for a Montessori middle to support the kind of school people think they are creating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lee parent here. The test scores don’t reflect the amazing work the kids are doing at this school, regardless of race. It’s also a very small testing cohort. VERY small esp in grades 4 and 5. There are many educated, professional, involved black parents at Lee (as with white parents) but less so in the upper grades. When you have less than ten kids taking a test and a couple of them have learning difficulties or special ed challenges AND the school does not teach to the test, the percentiles are meaningless. Lee parents can look at how engaged their kids are and what they are learning and how they are learning to gauge the success of the school.

I’d also recommend looking at other measures. There are other tests the younger kids take and much more data. Are racial breakdowns available? If so, I’d wager they show a different picture. The PARCC is a flawed test that has been dropped in almost every other state. If you can’t type well and aren’t taught the tricks, you aren’t going to score as well as kids who are.

Why so few kids in the cohort?

Lee made 61 first grade offers this year. Do you know why so many?

They are the leading grades. The school started about five years ago with about 10 or so kids in each of K and 1st kids who were in 4th and 5th last year. They typically have not added kids lost due to moving away, though a couple of kids have joined in higher grades due to being staff member’s kids. Not sure about the numbers of third graders (now 4th) but only 15 took the test. The current third graders are the first cohort to have started at Lee in PK3 and been there all the way through primary and now in their last year in lower el, but they have yet to take PARCC.

For first grade, they opened a new lower el class this year so that might account for the number of offers. There are now 4 lower el classes. Plus if offers are made late in the game it can take several offers to get a taker, esp if people apply without much interest in Montessori or if they are largely happy where they are.

Oh wow. I bet a lot of SSMA kids came over.

Or CHML.

I don't really get how a middle school in addition to CHML is needed when SSMA can't even fill up and Lee is making so many offers. I know people leave in the upper grades due to lack of a middle school, but that's not aj excuse for Primary.

This is not just meant for feeders but it is a different model of middle school. If done well it could serve the needs of many kinds of kids in an arena where there are so few good middle schools. I have not heard great things about CHML middle, especially whether it does Montessori well. I know also, LAMB folks are looking at it closely. Middle school is a good time to use experimental or alternative education models, in my view, since often times so little learning happens and kids are just distracted by their new adolescence.

What is wrong with CHML middle? I just don't think there is enough demand for a Montessori middle to support the kind of school people think they are creating.

I too am very interested in seeing how Truth shakes out and what kind of demand it gets. I know the people behind it are putting in a ton of up front work and seem to have great ideas. But execution is always another story.

I hear from parents in my neighborhood that they are interested in Montessori, but either can't get into Lee, don't trust SSMA, don't want to commute to Breakthrough, etc.

Will CHML kids leave to go to Truth at middle for a path to HS? Will LAMB kids look to Truth if they are more interested in Montessori than language moving forward?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lee parent here. The test scores don’t reflect the amazing work the kids are doing at this school, regardless of race. It’s also a very small testing cohort. VERY small esp in grades 4 and 5. There are many educated, professional, involved black parents at Lee (as with white parents) but less so in the upper grades. When you have less than ten kids taking a test and a couple of them have learning difficulties or special ed challenges AND the school does not teach to the test, the percentiles are meaningless. Lee parents can look at how engaged their kids are and what they are learning and how they are learning to gauge the success of the school.

I’d also recommend looking at other measures. There are other tests the younger kids take and much more data. Are racial breakdowns available? If so, I’d wager they show a different picture. The PARCC is a flawed test that has been dropped in almost every other state. If you can’t type well and aren’t taught the tricks, you aren’t going to score as well as kids who are.

Why so few kids in the cohort?

Lee made 61 first grade offers this year. Do you know why so many?

They are the leading grades. The school started about five years ago with about 10 or so kids in each of K and 1st kids who were in 4th and 5th last year. They typically have not added kids lost due to moving away, though a couple of kids have joined in higher grades due to being staff member’s kids. Not sure about the numbers of third graders (now 4th) but only 15 took the test. The current third graders are the first cohort to have started at Lee in PK3 and been there all the way through primary and now in their last year in lower el, but they have yet to take PARCC.

For first grade, they opened a new lower el class this year so that might account for the number of offers. There are now 4 lower el classes. Plus if offers are made late in the game it can take several offers to get a taker, esp if people apply without much interest in Montessori or if they are largely happy where they are.

Oh wow. I bet a lot of SSMA kids came over.

Or CHML.

I don't really get how a middle school in addition to CHML is needed when SSMA can't even fill up and Lee is making so many offers. I know people leave in the upper grades due to lack of a middle school, but that's not aj excuse for Primary.

This is not just meant for feeders but it is a different model of middle school. If done well it could serve the needs of many kinds of kids in an arena where there are so few good middle schools. I have not heard great things about CHML middle, especially whether it does Montessori well. I know also, LAMB folks are looking at it closely. Middle school is a good time to use experimental or alternative education models, in my view, since often times so little learning happens and kids are just distracted by their new adolescence.

What is wrong with CHML middle? I just don't think there is enough demand for a Montessori middle to support the kind of school people think they are creating.

I too am very interested in seeing how Truth shakes out and what kind of demand it gets. I know the people behind it are putting in a ton of up front work and seem to have great ideas. But execution is always another story.

I hear from parents in my neighborhood that they are interested in Montessori, but either can't get into Lee, don't trust SSMA, don't want to commute to Breakthrough, etc.

Will CHML kids leave to go to Truth at middle for a path to HS? Will LAMB kids look to Truth if they are more interested in Montessori than language moving forward?

If you can't commute to Breakthrough how can you commute to ST? ("Truth" is a pretentious name, especially for a school that will no doubt be predominately high-income.)

[Anonymous]

The commute consideration is different when you're considering PK3-5 (Breakthrough) versus 6-12 (ST). Even if your kid can't do it by themselves right away, you may be willing to commute with them for one year (as opposed to 8).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lee parent here. The test scores don’t reflect the amazing work the kids are doing at this school, regardless of race. It’s also a very small testing cohort. VERY small esp in grades 4 and 5. There are many educated, professional, involved black parents at Lee (as with white parents) but less so in the upper grades. When you have less than ten kids taking a test and a couple of them have learning difficulties or special ed challenges AND the school does not teach to the test, the percentiles are meaningless. Lee parents can look at how engaged their kids are and what they are learning and how they are learning to gauge the success of the school.

I’d also recommend looking at other measures. There are other tests the younger kids take and much more data. Are racial breakdowns available? If so, I’d wager they show a different picture. The PARCC is a flawed test that has been dropped in almost every other state. If you can’t type well and aren’t taught the tricks, you aren’t going to score as well as kids who are.

Why so few kids in the cohort?

Lee made 61 first grade offers this year. Do you know why so many?

They are the leading grades. The school started about five years ago with about 10 or so kids in each of K and 1st kids who were in 4th and 5th last year. They typically have not added kids lost due to moving away, though a couple of kids have joined in higher grades due to being staff member’s kids. Not sure about the numbers of third graders (now 4th) but only 15 took the test. The current third graders are the first cohort to have started at Lee in PK3 and been there all the way through primary and now in their last year in lower el, but they have yet to take PARCC.

For first grade, they opened a new lower el class this year so that might account for the number of offers. There are now 4 lower el classes. Plus if offers are made late in the game it can take several offers to get a taker, esp if people apply without much interest in Montessori or if they are largely happy where they are.

Oh wow. I bet a lot of SSMA kids came over.

Or CHML.

I don't really get how a middle school in addition to CHML is needed when SSMA can't even fill up and Lee is making so many offers. I know people leave in the upper grades due to lack of a middle school, but that's not aj excuse for Primary.

This is not just meant for feeders but it is a different model of middle school. If done well it could serve the needs of many kinds of kids in an arena where there are so few good middle schools. I have not heard great things about CHML middle, especially whether it does Montessori well. I know also, LAMB folks are looking at it closely. Middle school is a good time to use experimental or alternative education models, in my view, since often times so little learning happens and kids are just distracted by their new adolescence.

What is wrong with CHML middle? I just don't think there is enough demand for a Montessori middle to support the kind of school people think they are creating.

I too am very interested in seeing how Truth shakes out and what kind of demand it gets. I know the people behind it are putting in a ton of up front work and seem to have great ideas. But execution is always another story.

I hear from parents in my neighborhood that they are interested in Montessori, but either can't get into Lee, don't trust SSMA, don't want to commute to Breakthrough, etc.

Will CHML kids leave to go to Truth at middle for a path to HS? Will LAMB kids look to Truth if they are more interested in Montessori than language moving forward?

If you can't commute to Breakthrough how can you commute to ST? ("Truth" is a pretentious name, especially for a school that will no doubt be predominately high-income.)

Does ST have a location?

[Anonymous]

My experience with a different Montessori school in DCPS is that there was no teaching to the test. It is contrary to what is a Montessori education. I suspect that Montessori students that do well on the PARCC are being enriched by what goes on in their homes or are supplemented in other ways by their families. I would be curious to see disaggregated scores by race and education level of the mother before I passed as the parent of an AA child on Lee.

[Anonymous]

Look at the struggles of ITS, CMI, and Two Rivers in creating an acceptable middle school even when co-located with a thriving (arguably) elementary school. Lee is doing well, but SSMA is in crisis, Breakthrough is a baby, and CHML has a ton of problems and a lot of kids who are IB for Stuart-Hobson and/or can more easily commute to TRY or ITS than they can to the new ST location.

I just don't see how you get enough kids to financially operate in a manner people will like, without admitting a ton of kids with no Montessori background, which will put off the people who really care about fidelity to Montessori.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Look at the struggles of ITS, CMI, and Two Rivers in creating an acceptable middle school even when co-located with a thriving (arguably) elementary school. Lee is doing well, but SSMA is in crisis, Breakthrough is a baby, and CHML has a ton of problems and a lot of kids who are IB for Stuart-Hobson and/or can more easily commute to TRY or ITS than they can to the new ST location.

I just don't see how you get enough kids to financially operate in a manner people will like, without admitting a ton of kids with no Montessori background, which will put off the people who really care about fidelity to Montessori.

I think this is the plan, actually. I don’t know if it will put off those Montessori folks. But I do think any middle school that gets any traction for being decent will fare well and attract many. I guess it’s not a good look if it’s mostly white given the name though.

ST has no location yet I thought, but supposed to be in ward 5?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look at the struggles of ITS, CMI, and Two Rivers in creating an acceptable middle school even when co-located with a thriving (arguably) elementary school. Lee is doing well, but SSMA is in crisis, Breakthrough is a baby, and CHML has a ton of problems and a lot of kids who are IB for Stuart-Hobson and/or can more easily commute to TRY or ITS than they can to the new ST location.

I just don't see how you get enough kids to financially operate in a manner people will like, without admitting a ton of kids with no Montessori background, which will put off the people who really care about fidelity to Montessori.

I think this is the plan, actually. I don’t know if it will put off those Montessori folks. But I do think any middle school that gets any traction for being decent will fare well and attract many. I guess it’s not a good look if it’s mostly white given the name though.

ST has no location yet I thought, but supposed to be in ward 5?

Look at ITS. It is only now, after 5 years of existence, that there is any significant middle school waitlist. And that is on-site, convenient if you have siblings in elementary, with a known and trusted leader and team. Same for TR, they started middle school before ITS but it took years to attract a lot of people. And the middle school test scores still aren't very good, at either school. Because that is what happens when you backfill with kids who are mostly below grade level. Same will happen at ST, except worse because for most families the commute is bad if you have one kid at a feeder and one at ST.

Apparently the location plan is to rent in the new Rocketship building up in Ward 4. Ideally they could get something closer to Lee/SSMA/CHML in the long run, but so far there is no plan for it.