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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]no,  i didnt mean what is EOTP---  i see how it reads like that

i just asked, if you live EOTP, what is best MS ?  [/quote]

Personally I think it's Inspired Teaching, but if you're looking for a bigger school check out Stuart-Hobson.  And some of the Friendship charter schools are solid.[/quote]

ITS is too small, doesn’t offer large variety classes, and lacking in sports and extracurriculars.

What exactly is your definition of best overall to say ITS?[/quote]

I think the extracurriculars are reasonable given the size of the school, and there are plenty of other opportunities to do sports.  In pre-pandemic times, my kids did pottery, Lego robotics, choir, dance, and various other things.

Best overall doesn't mean best for every child.  If your DC would enjoy a larger school and wants to do sports through the school system, by all means choose a bigger school.  If you like a small, nurturing, progressive school and get your extracurriculars elsewhere, I believe ITS is the best one in the DC public system.  My DCs' passion activities are not things they would be able to do at really any big middle school anyway.

Here's what I find impressive about ITS:

*Personalized approach where every child is well-known to the faculty.  No kid can slide by or fall through the cracks.  Things like portfolio defense in 8th grade are really valuable experiences.  Opportunity to pursue more individualized projects.

*Friendly to special needs and non-NT kids.  Progressive approach makes it a welcoming place for LGBTQIA+ kids as well.

*Strong elementary academics produces a well-prepared cohort for middle school.  To be sure, some of the incoming kids are from lovely schools like Seaton and Ludlow-Taylor, others have not been well-served by their elementary schools.

*ITS middle school has pretty good test scores overall DESPITE taking a lot of new kids in 5th and 6th and being more economically diverse in the middle school.  Schools such as Latin and DCI have good scores too, but they don't take on very many new kids after the entry year-- in the case of Latin almost zero.  To have good results while also folding in new students who may be less prepared is impressive.

*Behavior isn't perfect, but it's not as bad as at some schools.

*Admissions to selective high schools have been strong-- I believe 7 to Walls this year out of 40-ish kids total.

*Other perks: Nice rec center adjacent, building is pretty good, the ability to have your preschool, elementary, and middle school children together in one school.

*If the goal is to identify a middle school *where your child might actually be admitted*, ITS is a strong contender.  Latin and DCI are very good schools, to be sure, but they (like ITS) are not a good fit for every child and if you're looking to place a 7th or 8th grader or have a bad lottery number, it's simply not going to happen.  [/quote]

ITS loses a lot of kids after elementary.  Most families don’t stay.  That is not good and why there are spots.[/quote]

For sure, it's not for everyone.  But many families who come in, come in because they very much want what ITS is offering.

What EOTP middle school that has more than a slight chance of admission would you recommend?[/quote]

You are right, families choose it because they don’t have options and want to stay in the city.  It’s unlikely they want very much what ITS offers.

We toured ITS and talked to the teachers. Facilities is bare bone.  40 kids is way too small for graduating class.  We specifically asked how a high performing kid will be challenged.  Answer was harder questions, problems.  Extracurriculars is minimum. We passed.

If you don’t have options and want to stay in the city, you can look at ITS.  If things don’t work out for MS for us, we would rather move to the burbs for a good known middle and high school track with a large selection of academic classes that comprises of a large peer group of high performing kids.[/quote]

Families value different things. We have an elementary kid at a Hill elementary and ITS might be our first choice for middle. This kid has been at a large, traditional elementary and down well academically, but is still pretty shy and sometimes feels a bit lost. I know ITS is small but we increasingly think that could be beneficial for DD. She's also very artistic and a sensitive kid, so the artsy, progressive bent of the school would suit her personality. I LOVE what the PP said about about all the teachers getting to know all the kids. And DD's main activities are dance, piano, and art -- she's not looking for a volleyball team or marching band. In other words, ITS could be a perfect fit.

Literally the only thing that would make us choose another school would be if we got into a MS we also liked but had a locked in HS option we liked (so basically -- Latin). Her feeder is Stuart-Hobson, which I actually like a lot, but I think could be too similar to elementary.

Not everyone is looking for the exact same things you are in a MS. The whole point is that different kids need different things. That's why charters exist.[/quote]

Your kid sounds like the artsy, creative type.  If so, I would not send to a very small school.  Higher chance she won’t find her niche of friends in such a small class.[/quote]

ITS attracts that kind of kid so there are plenty.  If your kid is not that type, then I'd think twice about ITS.[/quote]

Does ITS actually teach math & writing, or do they just let the kids be “artsy”?[/quote]

They very much do teach it.  Eureka math plus math enrichment with a special math teacher who uses a separate gifted curriculum.  Writing is emphasized and they do have spelling and grammar as separate topics as well.  It isn't some woo woo artsy school, it's a school with very solid core academics plus a lot of art specials.  I would say weak points are Spanish (they don't get much) and science.[/quote]

Do the MS kids all have to do art or do they get a choice?[/quote]

Also looks like math tops out at Algebra …[/quote]

It does say that, but I know of kids who needed more and they had sort of an independent study arrangement.  The math enrichment teacher is great, super knowledgeable and responsive.  ITS has truly awakened my daughter's love of math.[/quote]

Are they still requiring masks?[/quote]

They were inside but not outside.  Not sure about the coming year.[/quote]

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