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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]DD is registered for them next year (at Swanson)-- what should we expect? More homework? More tests? 
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Hi OP. My kid just finished 7th at Swanson and was in all 3 intensified classes (English, Science, & Civics). It sounds like you are asking about those classes and not math...? So here are my observations...

Science- The intensified kids definitely went more in depth on the material (and I am basing that on talking to another parent who regretted not signing their kid up for intensified science). That also meant more content to study for the tests though, which could be harder at times. My kid absolutely loved science this year. All 3 teachers seemed great. There were lots of hands on experiments too.

English- As a PP noted, there were two major writing assignments this year (based on books they read) + a speech at the end of the year. The intensified kids had to do more things on the rubric to get an A, but the basic assignments were the same. There are two great 7th grade English teachers at Swanson, and one who was truly awful. If you get the truly awful one, you will know it. That particular teacher couldn't teach the content and would get hostile with the kids when they asked for clarification on assignments. She also didn't hand out the rubric until after the assignment was graded. English was my kid's least favorite class this year, but that was entirely because of the teacher.

Civics- From what I could tell, there was no difference in Civics in intensified vs not. At Back to School Night, one of the Civics teachers was open about the fact that they didn't support intensified classes because of the potential to make kids feel like they were not as smart as the kids in the regular class. I don't think the teachers did much to differentiate anything on the curriculum. There was some extension busywork offered, but it wasn't meaningful and was probably developed by the teachers under duress. (One other thing to note about 7th grade Civics at Swanson is that the teachers each specialize in a unit and then rotate, so your kid will get all three Swanson Civics teachers at some point during the year, regardless of what team they get put on.) Honestly, the VA Civics content is pretty boring, and a disappointment after coming off 6th grade US history. My kid noted (I think correctly) that most 7th graders in the DC area could probably pass the VA Civics SOL at the beginning of the year, even before taking the class-- the content is very basic and stuff that you just know from having family members and neighbors who work in the federal government. 
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