Hi all, has anyone here have the update about to opt out language immersion program at Brown Station Elementary School? Do we need to apply via COSA or just contact Brown Station for alternative school? thanks

Anonymous wrote:

I really appreciate these details! My gut feeling has been not to bother with giving our home school a try because she's already lost so much with covid. I've worked so hard to "catch her up" and have taken her all over the place to get services when nothing was open in person due to covid. I just don't want to take any chances on what could be another setback. I'm assuming you can't get bus services when your switch schools and transportation is on you?

No, you do not get any transportation of you are on a COSA. We were lucky, however, because PCES has a CES magnet bus, and we live close to the central stop at KMES, the principal gave us permission to use the magnet bus. But we rarely used it when our child was in 3rd grade, and he stayed at aftercare until we could pick him up after work. (He takes the bus most days now in 5th grade, but he's in the CES, so he's legitimately a magnet student anyway.)

Anonymous wrote:You need to request a COSA. You will likely be placed at Glen Haven if your home school is Kemp Mill.

My kids were at Kemp Mill when it was converted into 100% dual language, but with one week in one language, the next week continuing the lessons in the other language, with no overlap in instructions. In other words, if you didn't understand the week of Spanish, you got no help in figuring it out the next week when it was taught in English. When my kids were there, there was only one native Spanish speaking student who did not speak English fluently (recent immigrant), and she was given LOADS of help with the English week, but native English speakers (~30% of the class), even in kindergarten, were expected to get by on the hand-waving by the Spanish-speaking teachers.

My oldest had already been in the dual language for K-3, but was going to the Pine Crest CES for the next year. Due to the change in principal, the dual language basically didn't exist when he was in 2nd grade, then went to the week on/week off schedule for 3rd grade. After a year of no Spanish, it was like getting dropped into a week of a language he couldn't understand, followed by a week of catching up based on clues he picked up during the English-language lessons.

When he was in kindergarten and 1st grade, it was a morning/afternoon language switch, with at least some overlap in instruction to help those, mostly English-speakers, understand what had happened in the Spanish class. By the end of first grade, he was able to hold basic conversations in Spanish and was reading above grade level in Spanish. He's in Spanish 3 now in 8th grade, but Spanish 1-3 in middle school is a whole different animal, focusing on vocabulary and grammar even more than English classes. (He'd never heard of past participles or other weird verb tenses in any English class.)

As for my youngest, he basically lost half a year of instruction during kindergarten because he couldn't follow anything in Spanish, and just learned in the English weeks. We had to get him out of there, and we were offered Glen Haven for 1st grade, and we were told that's where they usually send those who do not want to do dual language at Kemp Mill. However, since his older brother was attending the Pine Crest CES the next year, we were allowed to do a COSA to bring the younger sibling to Montgomery Knolls (the lower school K-2 paired with Pine Crest's 3-5) for 1st grade. He tested in as being a semester behind in reading, but after one quarter with a reading specialist at MKES, he was a semester ahead in reading, and no longer needed reading support. He thrived there, moved to Pine Crest for 3rd grade (on an automatically-approved COSA), and is now in the 5th grade at the CES and compacted math there. He was in the lotteries for both Eastern and TPMS magnets this year.

I really appreciate these details! My gut feeling has been not to bother with giving our home school a try because she's already lost so much with covid. I've worked so hard to "catch her up" and have taken her all over the place to get services when nothing was open in person due to covid. I just don't want to take any chances on what could be another setback. I'm assuming you can't get bus services when your switch schools and transportation is on you?

You need to request a COSA. You will likely be placed at Glen Haven if your home school is Kemp Mill.

My kids were at Kemp Mill when it was converted into 100% dual language, but with one week in one language, the next week continuing the lessons in the other language, with no overlap in instructions. In other words, if you didn't understand the week of Spanish, you got no help in figuring it out the next week when it was taught in English. When my kids were there, there was only one native Spanish speaking student who did not speak English fluently (recent immigrant), and she was given LOADS of help with the English week, but native English speakers (~30% of the class), even in kindergarten, were expected to get by on the hand-waving by the Spanish-speaking teachers.

My oldest had already been in the dual language for K-3, but was going to the Pine Crest CES for the next year. Due to the change in principal, the dual language basically didn't exist when he was in 2nd grade, then went to the week on/week off schedule for 3rd grade. After a year of no Spanish, it was like getting dropped into a week of a language he couldn't understand, followed by a week of catching up based on clues he picked up during the English-language lessons.

When he was in kindergarten and 1st grade, it was a morning/afternoon language switch, with at least some overlap in instruction to help those, mostly English-speakers, understand what had happened in the Spanish class. By the end of first grade, he was able to hold basic conversations in Spanish and was reading above grade level in Spanish. He's in Spanish 3 now in 8th grade, but Spanish 1-3 in middle school is a whole different animal, focusing on vocabulary and grammar even more than English classes. (He'd never heard of past participles or other weird verb tenses in any English class.)

As for my youngest, he basically lost half a year of instruction during kindergarten because he couldn't follow anything in Spanish, and just learned in the English weeks. We had to get him out of there, and we were offered Glen Haven for 1st grade, and we were told that's where they usually send those who do not want to do dual language at Kemp Mill. However, since his older brother was attending the Pine Crest CES the next year, we were allowed to do a COSA to bring the younger sibling to Montgomery Knolls (the lower school K-2 paired with Pine Crest's 3-5) for 1st grade. He tested in as being a semester behind in reading, but after one quarter with a reading specialist at MKES, he was a semester ahead in reading, and no longer needed reading support. He thrived there, moved to Pine Crest for 3rd grade (on an automatically-approved COSA), and is now in the 5th grade at the CES and compacted math there. He was in the lotteries for both Eastern and TPMS magnets this year.

Anonymous wrote:Good luck and remember you can always appeal if they deny, anecdotally a lot of people win on appeal

Well, I'll put it another way. I don't know ANYONE got it approved that didn't win approval on appeal.

It feels like COSAs are the same as health insurance claims. They reject the first attempt no matter how valid and hope you don't appeal. Appeal is the only way to get an approval

Anonymous wrote:Thank you for all of the above info! Our school is Brown Station. I don't think there's an English-only program within the school, but I still need to reach out to the school or MCPS to learn more. I would try to get her into Diamond since it's pretty much the same distance from our house.

You do not need a cosa. You simply ask for the alternative school. There is one for every dual language school for parents who don’t want that program

Good luck and remember you can always appeal if they deny, anecdotally a lot of people win on appeal

Thank you for all of the above info! Our school is Brown Station. I don't think there's an English-only program within the school, but I still need to reach out to the school or MCPS to learn more. I would try to get her into Diamond since it's pretty much the same distance from our house.

It should not be a battle. There is a school nearby that your child can attend. As an example, Oakland terrace families opting out of dual immersion attend Rock View. This may vary based on numbers, but there would be a school made available.

Anonymous wrote:I can't find this documented anywhere, but I remember hearing that each dual-language immersion school had a nearby non-immersion school designated for those who wanted to opt out of the dual-language program.

I know dc did this for Oyster when I was growing up

I can't find this documented anywhere, but I remember hearing that each dual-language immersion school had a nearby non-immersion school designated for those who wanted to opt out of the dual-language program.

You should pursue the COSA, but also pursue this through the IEP process. The IEP team can place him in another school if it's determined that's the least restrictive environment, and he can't get a free appropriate education in a bilingual setting.

Does your neighborhood school have an English-only program? For example, Rock Creek Forest has one, and by default, that's what neighborhood kids attend.

It probably depends more on the school you’re trying to get into, OP, than the one you’re coming from. Your rationale sounds very reasonable. You might have to push MCPS, but it’s been done for less defensible reasons than that.

Take good care.

Does anyone have experience with getting a COSA approved to avoid attending your neighborhood's dual language immersion school? DD is in PEP for language delays. When we first moved here, I wasn't concerned about the kids going to a school with half the day in Spanish and half the day in English especially since they went to a bilingual daycare. Then covid happened + the speech issues, and I just don't think it will be a good fit.

Basically, I just want to know if I need to prepare for a battle or if it's common to opt out when your house is zoned for dual immersion.