Reply to Middle school IB percentage low but few lottery spots offered?

Forum Index » DC Public and Public Charter Schools

Reply to "Middle school IB percentage low but few lottery spots offered?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The main problem isn't figuring it out - it's making it happen.

I'm in-boundary for SH and would enroll my kid for 6th grade there next year IF the school were offering honors classes not only in math and ELA, but in science and social studies.

No great shake-up in the Hill middle school configuration, or anything else, would be needed to offer honors classes in ELA and social studies at SH IN ADDITION TO honors classes in ELA and math.  All that's needed is a teeny policy shift that hasn't been made, and, at the rate things are going, probably won't be made in the next decade.  DCPS won't permit a full menu of honors classes at any DCPS middle school under any circumstances, period.

The fact is, Hobson has been offering advanced math and ELA for over a decade now, but there are no plans to offer advanced science and social studies.  The latter subjects are those of greatest interest to my kid -he works above grade level in both subjects with great enthusiasm.  I've toured the school, talked to admins, talked to the science and social studies teachers, and have come away with no confidence that he'd be consistently challenged in any subject at SH.  No good,[b] we're going to BASIS, Latin [/b]or going private by 6th grade.[/quote]

[b]There are not advanced or honors social studies or science or ELA classes at BASIS or Latin either.[/b] [/quote]

This statement is seriously disingenuous.  BASIS frightens away families whose kids perform below grade level with its pressure cooker environment.  I'm not judging BASIS, I'm stating the obvious.  BASIS then weeds out students who can't perform at grade level with end-of-the-year exams in every academic subject at the end of 6th grade, and again at the end of 7th grade and 8th grade.  Fail one "comp" and risk being forced to repeat the entire school year (with the message being, hit the road, Jack, don't come back).  Both BASIS and Washington Latin are in a strong position to offer smaller classes than DCPS middle schools, because the latter can't control the size of their school populations like charters can.  Unlike DCPS programs, charters can easily get rid of weak instructors, mainly because their teachers aren't protected by a teachers union.   All in all, higher overall performance results.  [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics