What schools should you "look past the scores"

[Anonymous]

Morning DCUM fam,

I've been doing my due diligence in looking at schools for the upcoming lottery selections (so early! I know, but work is boring sometimes and I like to imagine DD having fun at school). I read a lot of posts that say "these test scores need to be taken with a grain of salt" or "there are a lot of low SES, but if you are are smart kid you'll get a good education" or "montessori doesn't teach to the test" or "this school is only good because they teach to the test".

It makes sorting through schools difficult! So, maybe people who have experiences at schools with "high" test scores or "low" test scores can chime in on the quality of the education, and why the DC School Report Card is superficial (or maybe its not!)

FWIW, I'm in ward 4, Whittier IB.

[Anonymous]

LAMB

[Anonymous]

Agree with LAMB even though scores are quite good.

Visit schools and talk to parents. Not all Montessori schools are equally good.

[Anonymous]

Whittier is great! You would not be disappointed with this school (current parent here).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Morning DCUM fam,

I've been doing my due diligence in looking at schools for the upcoming lottery selections (so early! I know, but work is boring sometimes and I like to imagine DD having fun at school). I read a lot of posts that say "these test scores need to be taken with a grain of salt" or "there are a lot of low SES, but if you are are smart kid you'll get a good education" or "montessori doesn't teach to the test" or "this school is only good because they teach to the test".

It makes sorting through schools difficult! So, maybe people who have experiences at schools with "high" test scores or "low" test scores can chime in on the quality of the education, and why the DC School Report Card is superficial (or maybe its not!)

FWIW, I'm in ward 4, Whittier IB.

I'm a West (soon to be Lewis elementary) stan. The community, the teachers, the progress they're making YoY, the new beautiful campus. They don't have the best test scores of elementary schools in the district, but they're making measurable progress, and for a title 1 school they're doing wonderful.

Truly wish I had a crystal ball to see if all of these engaged and enthusiastic parents would stay, would happily send my kids on to the other feeders in the chain.

[Anonymous]

Looking past the scores IMO means that you should:

1) Recognize that the scores are very out of date due to the pandemic, and that even in normal times, what's available to review at this time of year is almost two years old as well.

2) Recognize that testing of 3rd-5th graders doesn't tell you much about the preschool program. Many people, myself included, have had a great preschool/K experience at a school with atrocious test scores. There are many other things to consider, such as special programming, the quality of the facility and outdoor space, and student and teacher retention rates. For charters, you can review the QSRs and review/renewal reports. Test scores are just one piece of the puzzle.

3) Be mathematically savvy and use the OSSE PARCC data spreadsheets rather than just looking at the total test scores. DCPS elementary schools, in particular, host self-contained classrooms of students whose special needs warrant a specially designed classroom and specially trained teacher. Some schools have several. If you're enrolling your child in the general education program (i.e. not a self-contained classroom), use the OSSE data to look at general education scores, so that you don't penalize a school for offering more self-contained classrooms. Also, learn what Median Growth Percentile is and take it into account. And remember that some schools don't have enough kids in the testing grades to create a meaningful data set at all. DCPS does parents a disservice when it presents information as statistically meaningful when the data sets are so tiny.

4) Some schools are gentrifying and their test scores are likely to improve (slowly) with time, if the school can retain its high performers into the testing grades. Other schools are already high-SES and test scores are unlikely to show significant improvement over time. It really, really puts me off when a school has mostly non-at-risk students yet the test scores are really bad. As for Montessori schools, you can compare them to each other.

5) Whittier is a good school, and their scores for at-risk kids are impressively high. I would be delighted to send my kid there if we lived that far north. If you need something to do, go ahead and join the Whittier parent organization and you can write grants or something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Morning DCUM fam,

I've been doing my due diligence in looking at schools for the upcoming lottery selections (so early! I know, but work is boring sometimes and I like to imagine DD having fun at school). I read a lot of posts that say "these test scores need to be taken with a grain of salt" or "there are a lot of low SES, but if you are are smart kid you'll get a good education" or "montessori doesn't teach to the test" or "this school is only good because they teach to the test".

It makes sorting through schools difficult! So, maybe people who have experiences at schools with "high" test scores or "low" test scores can chime in on the quality of the education, and why the DC School Report Card is superficial (or maybe its not!)

FWIW, I'm in ward 4, Whittier IB.

I'm a West (soon to be Lewis elementary) stan. The community, the teachers, the progress they're making YoY, the new beautiful campus. They don't have the best test scores of elementary schools in the district, but they're making measurable progress, and for a title 1 school they're doing wonderful.

Truly wish I had a crystal ball to see if all of these engaged and enthusiastic parents would stay, would happily send my kids on to the other feeders in the chain.

Um I guess. Not a fan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Morning DCUM fam,

I've been doing my due diligence in looking at schools for the upcoming lottery selections (so early! I know, but work is boring sometimes and I like to imagine DD having fun at school). I read a lot of posts that say "these test scores need to be taken with a grain of salt" or "there are a lot of low SES, but if you are are smart kid you'll get a good education" or "montessori doesn't teach to the test" or "this school is only good because they teach to the test".

It makes sorting through schools difficult! So, maybe people who have experiences at schools with "high" test scores or "low" test scores can chime in on the quality of the education, and why the DC School Report Card is superficial (or maybe its not!)

FWIW, I'm in ward 4, Whittier IB.

I'm a West (soon to be Lewis elementary) stan. The community, the teachers, the progress they're making YoY, the new beautiful campus. They don't have the best test scores of elementary schools in the district, but they're making measurable progress, and for a title 1 school they're doing wonderful.

Truly wish I had a crystal ball to see if all of these engaged and enthusiastic parents would stay, would happily send my kids on to the other feeders in the chain.

I'd say this about a lot of the Ward 1 and 4 DCPS elementaries. Mixed SES, so overall lower test scores compared to charters with much lower at-risk populations, but strong teachers and differentiation. It may feel strange that your high SES kid isn't in the highest group for every subject, but that means the school is actually challenging your child and they're working to their potential. It's uncomfortable, but better than being lumped into a broader small group and everyone getting less differentiation. OP, you REALLY need to talk to actual upper elementary parents (preferably 3rd grade or higher), and a variety of upper elementary parents. If your student is a solid B-C student, you'll probably be happy at most schools. If your child struggles to reach grade level, or is above grade level easily and can coast, then what you need out of a school is very different. And unfortunately none of us have a crystal ball, so it's important to take it year by year and not feel like where you end up in pre-k (even if you "win" the lottery), is where you have to stay forever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree with LAMB even though scores are quite good.

Visit schools and talk to parents. Not all Montessori schools are equally good.

This. You can look at student and teacher retention metrics, talk to current parents, and review QSRs and other docs on the DCPCSB website. Saying "we don't teach to the test" could maybe get me to accept a lot of 3s rather than 4s and 5s. But if you have a lot of kids scoring a 1, especially if they're not at-risk, that's just not okay. And to have a big racial achievement gap is also not something that can be waved away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Morning DCUM fam,

I've been doing my due diligence in looking at schools for the upcoming lottery selections (so early! I know, but work is boring sometimes and I like to imagine DD having fun at school). I read a lot of posts that say "these test scores need to be taken with a grain of salt" or "there are a lot of low SES, but if you are are smart kid you'll get a good education" or "montessori doesn't teach to the test" or "this school is only good because they teach to the test".

It makes sorting through schools difficult! So, maybe people who have experiences at schools with "high" test scores or "low" test scores can chime in on the quality of the education, and why the DC School Report Card is superficial (or maybe its not!)

FWIW, I'm in ward 4, Whittier IB.

I'm a West (soon to be Lewis elementary) stan. The community, the teachers, the progress they're making YoY, the new beautiful campus. They don't have the best test scores of elementary schools in the district, but they're making measurable progress, and for a title 1 school they're doing wonderful.

Truly wish I had a crystal ball to see if all of these engaged and enthusiastic parents would stay, would happily send my kids on to the other feeders in the chain.

I'd say this about a lot of the Ward 1 and 4 DCPS elementaries. Mixed SES, so overall lower test scores compared to charters with much lower at-risk populations, but strong teachers and differentiation. It may feel strange that your high SES kid isn't in the highest group for every subject, but that means the school is actually challenging your child and they're working to their potential. It's uncomfortable, but better than being lumped into a broader small group and everyone getting less differentiation. OP, you REALLY need to talk to actual upper elementary parents (preferably 3rd grade or higher), and a variety of upper elementary parents. If your student is a solid B-C student, you'll probably be happy at most schools. If your child struggles to reach grade level, or is above grade level easily and can coast, then what you need out of a school is very different. And unfortunately none of us have a crystal ball, so it's important to take it year by year and not feel like where you end up in pre-k (even if you "win" the lottery), is where you have to stay forever.

This. Great advice all around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Morning DCUM fam,

I've been doing my due diligence in looking at schools for the upcoming lottery selections (so early! I know, but work is boring sometimes and I like to imagine DD having fun at school). I read a lot of posts that say "these test scores need to be taken with a grain of salt" or "there are a lot of low SES, but if you are are smart kid you'll get a good education" or "montessori doesn't teach to the test" or "this school is only good because they teach to the test".

It makes sorting through schools difficult! So, maybe people who have experiences at schools with "high" test scores or "low" test scores can chime in on the quality of the education, and why the DC School Report Card is superficial (or maybe its not!)

FWIW, I'm in ward 4, Whittier IB.

I'm a West (soon to be Lewis elementary) stan. The community, the teachers, the progress they're making YoY, the new beautiful campus. They don't have the best test scores of elementary schools in the district, but they're making measurable progress, and for a title 1 school they're doing wonderful.

Truly wish I had a crystal ball to see if all of these engaged and enthusiastic parents would stay, would happily send my kids on to the other feeders in the chain.

Not a fan...of what exactly? Someone that is happy with their Ward 4 school and providing their feedback per the original poster? Or not a fan of wishing that great parents and families that are engaged and want to improve their school/communities would stay in the feeder pattners? Regardless, we care very little about what some anonymous person on the internet is not a fan of.

Um I guess. Not a fan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Morning DCUM fam,

I've been doing my due diligence in looking at schools for the upcoming lottery selections (so early! I know, but work is boring sometimes and I like to imagine DD having fun at school). I read a lot of posts that say "these test scores need to be taken with a grain of salt" or "there are a lot of low SES, but if you are are smart kid you'll get a good education" or "montessori doesn't teach to the test" or "this school is only good because they teach to the test".

It makes sorting through schools difficult! So, maybe people who have experiences at schools with "high" test scores or "low" test scores can chime in on the quality of the education, and why the DC School Report Card is superficial (or maybe its not!)

FWIW, I'm in ward 4, Whittier IB.

I'm a West (soon to be Lewis elementary) stan. The community, the teachers, the progress they're making YoY, the new beautiful campus. They don't have the best test scores of elementary schools in the district, but they're making measurable progress, and for a title 1 school they're doing wonderful.

Truly wish I had a crystal ball to see if all of these engaged and enthusiastic parents would stay, would happily send my kids on to the other feeders in the chain.

I'd say this about a lot of the Ward 1 and 4 DCPS elementaries. Mixed SES, so overall lower test scores compared to charters with much lower at-risk populations, but strong teachers and differentiation. It may feel strange that your high SES kid isn't in the highest group for every subject, but that means the school is actually challenging your child and they're working to their potential. It's uncomfortable, but better than being lumped into a broader small group and everyone getting less differentiation. OP, you REALLY need to talk to actual upper elementary parents (preferably 3rd grade or higher), and a variety of upper elementary parents. If your student is a solid B-C student, you'll probably be happy at most schools. If your child struggles to reach grade level, or is above grade level easily and can coast, then what you need out of a school is very different. And unfortunately none of us have a crystal ball, so it's important to take it year by year and not feel like where you end up in pre-k (even if you "win" the lottery), is where you have to stay forever.

West parent from the PP here, and I totally agree with this. Sometimes the best advice you can get is from a current parent that has been the school through several years (good, bad, and pandemic) and can opine with some authority. Ultimately school is for 1) learning and 2) community, and I think there are so many great schools in W4. Powell, West, Whittier, Bruce Monroe, etc. All very different depending on what you want and need.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Whittier is great! You would not be disappointed with this school (current parent here).

+1. Our kids attend Whittier and we love it! Experienced teachers, great sense of community, and the principal is amazing!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whittier is great! You would not be disappointed with this school (current parent here).

+1. Our kids attend Whittier and we love it! Experienced teachers, great sense of community, and the principal is amazing!

I've heard this as well.

[Anonymous]

Piling on the Whittier love, from the upper elementary perspective. And yes the PTO will gladly take your help, OP!