APS 2022-2023 — Back to normal High School

[Anonymous]

So our DD is having a miserable time at WMS, mostly just bored and checked out, but we know middle school can in general be awful.

I assume next year will be in person for 8th grade, but I expect it will be kind of a waste with all the test prep and remediation needed for the DL school year, so we are looking at High School in 2022 when things will hopefully be normal and DD can take classes that are Intensified or whatnot and feel more engaged.

Also, I think HS will offer a wider selection of extracurricular and sports activities; she is not competitive enough to make the limited selection of sports at WMS and the smattering of clubs in 6th were pretty limited. High school should have a wider array of activities, from what I understand.

We are worried about the overcrowding in High School (Yorktown and WL both are way overcapacity), but is it likely we will find high school offer the greater engagement we hope for? Or should we look at private or moving to FCPS?

[Anonymous]

How many complainer threads will you start next year? If >1, then definitely go private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How many complainer threads will you start next year? If >1, then definitely go private.

Huh? This is our first thread about this issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How many complainer threads will you start next year? If >1, then definitely go private.

Huh? This is our first thread about this issue.

How many threads have you started complaining about APS/WMS/teachers/etc.?

[Anonymous]

Honestly I would start looking at private. My W-L 9th grader left PRE COVID because she was so checked out and unchallenged. She could space out in class, do no homework and still has straight A's. She's now shocked that she actually has to work for good grades. If she's bored now I would absolutely start looking at private school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly I would start looking at private. My W-L 9th grader left PRE COVID because she was so checked out and unchallenged. She could space out in class, do no homework and still has straight A's. She's now shocked that she actually has to work for good grades. If she's bored now I would absolutely start looking at private school.

We had heard differentiation actually happens in high school, with intensified/honors for multiple core subjects not just math. Why did that not help? I remember AP history being pretty intense for example.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly I would start looking at private. My W-L 9th grader left PRE COVID because she was so checked out and unchallenged. She could space out in class, do no homework and still has straight A's. She's now shocked that she actually has to work for good grades. If she's bored now I would absolutely start looking at private school.

We had heard differentiation actually happens in high school, with intensified/honors for multiple core subjects not just math. Why did that not help? I remember AP history being pretty intense for example.

She was in AP and intensified classes. Still unchallenged. My older kid was also in AP, intensified and IB classes throughout all 4 years. She was plenty challenged but she's more of a good, not gifted student. Younger kid is gifted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly I would start looking at private. My W-L 9th grader left PRE COVID because she was so checked out and unchallenged. She could space out in class, do no homework and still has straight A's. She's now shocked that she actually has to work for good grades. If she's bored now I would absolutely start looking at private school.

We had heard differentiation actually happens in high school, with intensified/honors for multiple core subjects not just math. Why did that not help? I remember AP history being pretty intense for example.

She was in AP and intensified classes. Still unchallenged. My older kid was also in AP, intensified and IB classes throughout all 4 years. She was plenty challenged but she's more of a good, not gifted student. Younger kid is gifted.

How did they compare in middle school? Hard to know if truly gifted or just bright? So if kids are just bright and studious, good differentiation is available in high school? That would be great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly I would start looking at private. My W-L 9th grader left PRE COVID because she was so checked out and unchallenged. She could space out in class, do no homework and still has straight A's. She's now shocked that she actually has to work for good grades. If she's bored now I would absolutely start looking at private school.

We had heard differentiation actually happens in high school, with intensified/honors for multiple core subjects not just math. Why did that not help? I remember AP history being pretty intense for example.

She was in AP and intensified classes. Still unchallenged. My older kid was also in AP, intensified and IB classes throughout all 4 years. She was plenty challenged but she's more of a good, not gifted student. Younger kid is gifted.

How did she score on the AP tests?

[Anonymous]

Nothing in middle school (with the possible exception of some accelerated math classes) compares to the rigor of intensified and AP classes in high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly I would start looking at private. My W-L 9th grader left PRE COVID because she was so checked out and unchallenged. She could space out in class, do no homework and still has straight A's. She's now shocked that she actually has to work for good grades. If she's bored now I would absolutely start looking at private school.

We had heard differentiation actually happens in high school, with intensified/honors for multiple core subjects not just math. Why did that not help? I remember AP history being pretty intense for example.

She was in AP and intensified classes. Still unchallenged. My older kid was also in AP, intensified and IB classes throughout all 4 years. She was plenty challenged but she's more of a good, not gifted student. Younger kid is gifted.

What private school offers a more challenging curriculum than AP, IB, and intensified classes? It has been my understanding that most area public schools offer more advanced and challenging classes than private schools, and that people choose private for a more personal touch and other perks rather than rigor.

Interested for my gifted, advanced 5th grader.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly I would start looking at private. My W-L 9th grader left PRE COVID because she was so checked out and unchallenged. She could space out in class, do no homework and still has straight A's. She's now shocked that she actually has to work for good grades. If she's bored now I would absolutely start looking at private school.

We had heard differentiation actually happens in high school, with intensified/honors for multiple core subjects not just math. Why did that not help? I remember AP history being pretty intense for example.

She was in AP and intensified classes. Still unchallenged. My older kid was also in AP, intensified and IB classes throughout all 4 years. She was plenty challenged but she's more of a good, not gifted student. Younger kid is gifted.

How did they compare in middle school? Hard to know if truly gifted or just bright? So if kids are just bright and studious, good differentiation is available in high school? That would be great.

Gifted kid didn't lift a book and had straight A's without trying. Other kid studied and kept on top of stuff and got good grades but not straight A's. Yes, if you're bright and studious there is good differentiation available. My oldest kid was definitely challenged and had to work for her grades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly I would start looking at private. My W-L 9th grader left PRE COVID because she was so checked out and unchallenged. She could space out in class, do no homework and still has straight A's. She's now shocked that she actually has to work for good grades. If she's bored now I would absolutely start looking at private school.

We had heard differentiation actually happens in high school, with intensified/honors for multiple core subjects not just math. Why did that not help? I remember AP history being pretty intense for example.

She was in AP and intensified classes. Still unchallenged. My older kid was also in AP, intensified and IB classes throughout all 4 years. She was plenty challenged but she's more of a good, not gifted student. Younger kid is gifted.

How did she score on the AP tests?

I believe she got a 4 but I don't remember 100%. Too many kids and too many tests to keep straight. She only took one her freshman year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly I would start looking at private. My W-L 9th grader left PRE COVID because she was so checked out and unchallenged. She could space out in class, do no homework and still has straight A's. She's now shocked that she actually has to work for good grades. If she's bored now I would absolutely start looking at private school.

We had heard differentiation actually happens in high school, with intensified/honors for multiple core subjects not just math. Why did that not help? I remember AP history being pretty intense for example.

She was in AP and intensified classes. Still unchallenged. My older kid was also in AP, intensified and IB classes throughout all 4 years. She was plenty challenged but she's more of a good, not gifted student. Younger kid is gifted.

What private school offers a more challenging curriculum than AP, IB, and intensified classes? It has been my understanding that most area public schools offer more advanced and challenging classes than private schools, and that people choose private for a more personal touch and other perks rather than rigor.

Interested for my gifted, advanced 5th grader.

Maderia, National Cathedral if you have a girl.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly I would start looking at private. My W-L 9th grader left PRE COVID because she was so checked out and unchallenged. She could space out in class, do no homework and still has straight A's. She's now shocked that she actually has to work for good grades. If she's bored now I would absolutely start looking at private school.

We had heard differentiation actually happens in high school, with intensified/honors for multiple core subjects not just math. Why did that not help? I remember AP history being pretty intense for example.

She was in AP and intensified classes. Still unchallenged. My older kid was also in AP, intensified and IB classes throughout all 4 years. She was plenty challenged but she's more of a good, not gifted student. Younger kid is gifted.

What private school offers a more challenging curriculum than AP, IB, and intensified classes? It has been my understanding that most area public schools offer more advanced and challenging classes than private schools, and that people choose private for a more personal touch and other perks rather than rigor.

Interested for my gifted, advanced 5th grader.

In normal times this is likely, but I don’t know if the pandemic deficit will eat up faculty time and energy making up, and the intensified subjects will be phoned by exhausted teachers. Or do the intensified teachers only teacher honor students etc?