Anonymous wrote:I think all Bethesda and Potomac schools do ability grouping for math and history. I think the other schools are supposed to do that too but I'm not sure all of them offer HIGH and the other cohorted social studies.

Anonymous wrote:My son is currently in fifth grade at a DCPS elementary school that feeds into Deal and Jackson-Reid. He does well in school and scored in the 99th percentile on his fourth grade PARCC tests in both math and ELA.

We are committed to public school as opposed to privates or DC charters. We would love for son to attend School Without Walls for high school, but I am skeptical of his admission chances because demand is so high and son fits a very typical white, upper middle class profile.

Son is the kind of kid who craves validation from peers. To increase the odds of that working in his favor, I would like him to be surrounded by other high-ability kids who prioritize academic performance. For that reason, we were disappointed to learn that Deal does not group students by ability, except for the option to test into pre-algebra in grade 6.

We are thinking of moving to Montgomery County to find a middle and high school pyramid that still groups students by ability for ELA, social studies, and ideally, science. An IB program would be great. We're open to pursuing a magnet program, but would be just as happy at a neighborhood school that groups kids by ability outside of math.

Can anyone tell me what specific middle and high schools in Bethesda and Potomac fit these criteria?

Are there any web sites or publications that outline all the magnet programs and ability-based learning tracks in the county?

What's the deal with Poolesville schools? I understand that there is a county magnet program there, but what does that mean for kids who actually live in Poolesville?

Can anyone recommend a consultant who can help us find the right program and sort out the testing and admissions process?

Thank you!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think all Bethesda and Potomac schools do ability grouping for math and history. I think the other schools are supposed to do that too but I'm not sure all of them offer HIGH and the other cohorted social studies.

As do all schools in MCPS.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son is currently in fifth grade at a DCPS elementary school that feeds into Deal and Jackson-Reid. He does well in school and scored in the 99th percentile on his fourth grade PARCC tests in both math and ELA.

We are committed to public school as opposed to privates or DC charters. We would love for son to attend School Without Walls for high school, but I am skeptical of his admission chances because demand is so high and son fits a very typical white, upper middle class profile.

Son is the kind of kid who craves validation from peers. To increase the odds of that working in his favor, I would like him to be surrounded by other high-ability kids who prioritize academic performance. For that reason, we were disappointed to learn that Deal does not group students by ability, except for the option to test into pre-algebra in grade 6.

We are thinking of moving to Montgomery County to find a middle and high school pyramid that still groups students by ability for ELA, social studies, and ideally, science. An IB program would be great. We're open to pursuing a magnet program, but would be just as happy at a neighborhood school that groups kids by ability outside of math.

Can anyone tell me what specific middle and high schools in Bethesda and Potomac fit these criteria?

Are there any web sites or publications that outline all the magnet programs and ability-based learning tracks in the county?

What's the deal with Poolesville schools? I understand that there is a county magnet program there, but what does that mean for kids who actually live in Poolesville?

Can anyone recommend a consultant who can help us find the right program and sort out the testing and admissions process?

Thank you!

ELA is probably the weakest link in MS. For example, DC's 4th grade CES program was far more challenging than advanced English in 6, 7 and 8. Further, MCPS is a school system with consistent standards and opportunities across all schools.

Anonymous wrote:My son is currently in fifth grade at a DCPS elementary school that feeds into Deal and Jackson-Reid. He does well in school and scored in the 99th percentile on his fourth grade PARCC tests in both math and ELA.

We are committed to public school as opposed to privates or DC charters. We would love for son to attend School Without Walls for high school, but I am skeptical of his admission chances because demand is so high and son fits a very typical white, upper middle class profile.

Son is the kind of kid who craves validation from peers. To increase the odds of that working in his favor, I would like him to be surrounded by other high-ability kids who prioritize academic performance. For that reason, we were disappointed to learn that Deal does not group students by ability, except for the option to test into pre-algebra in grade 6.

We are thinking of moving to Montgomery County to find a middle and high school pyramid that still groups students by ability for ELA, social studies, and ideally, science. An IB program would be great. We're open to pursuing a magnet program, but would be just as happy at a neighborhood school that groups kids by ability outside of math.

Can anyone tell me what specific middle and high schools in Bethesda and Potomac fit these criteria?

Are there any web sites or publications that outline all the magnet programs and ability-based learning tracks in the county?

What's the deal with Poolesville schools? I understand that there is a county magnet program there, but what does that mean for kids who actually live in Poolesville?

Can anyone recommend a consultant who can help us find the right program and sort out the testing and admissions process?

Thank you!

Anonymous wrote:Poolesville HS hosts 2-3 magnets and it's supposed to be a really great school.

The accelerated social studies classes at DC's MS are my child's favorite classes. There are not a lot of sections so they do really have high performing kids. Math has been really good too. The advanced or cohorted pre-algebra was called AIM but I think they changed the math sequence recently.