Reply to Parent Essay critical of DCI

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I don’t think it’s about “low expectations” I think it’s about reality.  Many many kids in DC, including those at DCI are below grade level. The problem is parents can’t believe it because the test scores are their achool arwmatill better compared to other DC schools. But most of these kids wouldn’t cut it in Arlington gifted classrooms. DCI, like everybschool, is teaching to middle/bottom of the cohort.[/quote]

OK, but DCI could track for a lot more than math and language, like some of other DC public middle schools.
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Yes and with so many kids at grade level and above, [b]it’s probably going to be just a matter of time in my opinion.  [/b]

I find it hilarious that all the people on here ( with new school/program, new curriculum, new administration, new teachers who might not all have experience with IB etc..] expect everyone to know exactly everything they are doing, have rigor to challenge all students, be able to have students not even at grade level get the IB diploma, and on and on.

Welcome to DCUM!

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Don't hold your breath, PP.  Some of us lobbied for over a decade to get honors humanities and science classes at Stuart Hobson.[/quote]

That’s because SH did not have a high cohort of grade level or above kids for a long, long time....... unlike DCI.

It’s also because you can make changes, especially with curriculum, much faster at a charter and why their curriculum is much more progressive than DCPS schools.  We all also know how huge, terrible, and inefficient the bureaucracy is especially in DCPS.  A system that only cares about narrowing the achievement gap and gives families messages that their grade level or above kid doesn’t need anything and will be fine.....and people are surprised when families bail DCPS for charters.

There is only so much you can do at the local school level.  When SH numbers show that the at risk kids improvement goes down or you develop a school within a school like Wilson, don’t be surprised that they will try to convert it to honors for all.....just like Wilson.[/quote]

Most of this sounds good but just isn't true. SH had a "high cohort" of students working at or above grade level grade for more than 20 years before the school/the Capitol Cluster first offered honors classes a decade ago.  In fact, ten years ago, before Washington Latin took off and BASIS opened, SH enrolled more white kids than it does today.  In some respects, DCPS is more progressive than charters e.g. offering language immersion lotteries for native speakers, helping explain why Oyster is a much higher-performing immersion program than the Spanish immersion charters.  Washington Latin didn't start teaching 7th grade algebra until several years ago, despite years of parents clamoring for it, while Deal has been teaching 7th grade algebra for at least 15 years.  BASIS still doesn't track for ELA or social studies at the middle level, and has no plans to, after almost a decade in DC.  SH isn't at risk of "honors for all" under the current head - he adds an honors class or two every year, to great applause from his teachers and parents.

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Oh my God Oyster is highly performing bc they’re WOTP and kick out children with disabilities- not because the school is special. If anything they use a traditional (old) curriculum and lots of screaming, military style discipline. Pretty easy to do well on test scores when all the kids who dOnt test well are kicked out!

Don’t discuss things you don’t understand. Furthermore, the language immersion charters used to have native language preference until that was removed by law. Mediocre oyster and other dcps immersion schools still have that option bc they can offer to place students in another school. [/quote]

Oh nooo someone said the magic word Oyster and it summoned te oyster “screaming” stalker from the depths! FWIW I have no info on or experience of oyster whatsoever I just want to know one thing: how did they set up some kind of auto alert so they can know any time oyster comes up? Can you show me how to do that too so I can know when my kids school is mentioned?  Thanks, stalker![/quote]

Lol—exactly!  The Oyster Stalker must receive an alert anytime the school’s name is posted on DCUM.  I must say, her hatred for Oyster is deep and consistent. [/quote]

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