Was told by principal that they are not adding ANY students into grades other than 6th.

The plan is to have about 110 students in each of 4 grades (6th to 9th) in fall 2015. So new students will come in the 6th grade and perhaps some (20-25) in the 9th grade, largely because of some leaving for ERHS STEM program. Sibling preference will add a few new students in grades 7 and 8.

Does anyone know if they are accepting new students for 7th grade 2015-2016 school year?

They are not admitting any new 7th graders next year- only those that were in 6th grade this year will move on to the 7th grade.

The current students were admitted via lottery. It will be a lottery entry school in any year in which there are more applicants than available seats.

Is it expected that there is going to be a lottery to get into this school. I'd love to send our kid there eventually but I am worried about having to rely on winning a lottery. We live in University Park, MD.

They do have guidance from teachers, but I think it's true that students who are able to organize themselves are better equipped to succeed. My daughter came from a Montessori school which has a similar model of self-directed learning and small group lessons, so working independently was not new to her. There is plenty of teacher-student interaction and student-student interaction. I'm not a huge fan of the copious multiple choice assessments but there have been plenty of opportunities for really neat offline and/or holistic projects. I also like that they are adding more and more interesting extra-curriculars and have a strong partnership with UMD. So far so good.

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is there. It would not be a good fit for everyone but she is thriving. So far, I'm very happy.

I would be interested in hearing more about your experiences. A friend told me it requires a lot of self-discipline as the students are expected to work independently. Is that correct?

My daughter is there. It would not be a good fit for everyone but she is thriving. So far, I'm very happy.

Not a parent, but a board member of the CPA. Opening the school had many challenges, but it is operating well. The vast majority of students and parents are happy from the feedback I have received. Governor O"Malley is visiting us next Monday.

No one? I drove past it the other day and was wondering the same.

Anybody here sending their kid to this charter school? It sounded very interesting and innovative. If so, how is it?