Anonymous
Post 05/25/2014 10:31     Subject: Why does DCPS ignore advanced learners in ES?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My kid is not being challenged = my kid is around too many other kids with behavior issues. As a teacher what I love this year is that all my high SES parents threaten to leave because of lack of rigor- when the only truly advanced kid I have is FARMS. The real question is , if DCPs really did g&t how would all the parents react when they realized their kid was just average.


LOVE IT!!!!

Thanks for posting this.

The funny things is...some of the parents high SES kids are the kids with the behavior issues.
Anonymous
Post 05/25/2014 10:25     Subject: Why does DCPS ignore advanced learners in ES?
Anonymous wrote:My kid is not being challenged = my kid is around too many other kids with behavior issues. As a teacher what I love this year is that all my high SES parents threaten to leave because of lack of rigor- when the only truly advanced kid I have is FARMS. The real question is , if DCPs really did g&t how would all the parents react when they realized their kid was just average.


LOVE IT!!!!

Thanks for posting this.

The funny things is...some of the parents SES kids are the kids with the behavior issues.
Anonymous
Post 05/25/2014 09:59     Subject: Why does DCPS ignore advanced learners in ES?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My kid is not being challenged = my kid is around too many other kids with behavior issues. As a teacher what I love this year is that all my high SES parents threaten to leave because of lack of rigor- when the only truly advanced kid I have is FARMS. The real question is , if DCPs really did g&t how would all the parents react when they realized their kid was just average.

Just happens to be that Farms are G&T and others are just average?! Not even one G&T among non-FARMS? I don't need a person like you on FARM side.
Signed by a G&T farm kid mother.


Huh?
Anonymous
Post 05/25/2014 09:59     Subject: Why does DCPS ignore advanced learners in ES?
I was in DCPS' G&T growing up in the 80s and 90s. Honestly, we didn't do anything to justify it. Of course that doesn't have to be the case now, but that may be why they got rid of it. Back then, they'd take us out of class once a week and we'd do brain teasers. For the most part, we just went on field trips: the movies, Kennedy Center, Mexican restaurant, museums, etc. I can't say we actually learned anything really.

My only child just started PS3 this year. She's the only one in her class who can read. I've observed the class a few times, and she looks bored. I know that she's learning social skills more than anything else at this age, so I'm not sweating it. I do, however, wonder what my options would be down the road if this were consistent. When I was in G&T, I was still bored in my regular classroom. It wasn't until high school that I felt challenged. By then, I didn't have much interest in school anymore.
Anonymous
Post 05/25/2014 09:34     Subject: Why does DCPS ignore advanced learners in ES?
How much does it matter to be 'challenged' at school as a kid?
I feel like I was never really challenged until grad school, and it was fine for me. I had more time to do other things, reading other books I liked, going places with my parents w/o stressing about homework, etc.
Anonymous
Post 05/25/2014 09:32     Subject: Why does DCPS ignore advanced learners in ES?
Anonymous wrote:My kid is not being challenged = my kid is around too many other kids with behavior issues. As a teacher what I love this year is that all my high SES parents threaten to leave because of lack of rigor- when the only truly advanced kid I have is FARMS. The real question is , if DCPs really did g&t how would all the parents react when they realized their kid was just average.

Just happens to be that Farms are G&T and others are just average?! Not even one G&T among non-FARMS? I don't need a person like you on FARM side.
Signed by a G&T farm kid mother.
Anonymous
Post 05/25/2014 09:21     Subject: Why does DCPS ignore advanced learners in ES?
Anonymous wrote:My kid is in DCPS EOTP, reading 2 years ahead of grade level, and I have every confidence she is being challenged appropriately.

I really question the assumption that good differentiation is somehow impossible to achieve. I attended a Montessori school through 4th grade. In my Montessori junior class, we had kids from ages 6 through 9 in one classroom -- certainly as wide a range of abilities as you're likely to find in a single-grade classroom -- and the teachers managed to meet every kid at his or her level.

So I know it can be done, and in my experience DCPS can do it.


I am in the same type of school and have a child doing the same type of thing wrt reading and math, albeit at a really young grade. We've observed good differentiation in the classroom, and expect that that's the path our DC will follow next year. It isn't pull out or separate site G&T, but what we've seen and what we expect is individual instruction from time to time that addresses the specific needs of our child (and a few others like our child).

I also concur with a PP's observation that some of us with "advanced" kids would be shocked to see that in a higher-achieving school our child would be average or above average and not exceptional. I don't know what reading/writing/doing math a few grade levels ahead means, but I expect that in a high SES suburban school there are MANY more kids doing this as opposed to the 2 or 3 in my child's class.
Anonymous
Post 05/25/2014 09:17     Subject: Why does DCPS ignore advanced learners in ES?
Anonymous wrote:My kid is not being challenged = my kid is around too many other kids with behavior issues. As a teacher what I love this year is that all my high SES parents threaten to leave because of lack of rigor- when the only truly advanced kid I have is FARMS. The real question is , if DCPs really did g&t how would all the parents react when they realized their kid was just average.


I think it is a shame that that one advanced child in your class doesn't get additional resources. My suspicion is that the powers that be at DCPS think that the G&T classes would be filled with white kids. I'm pretty certain they would be the opposite. I wish they would try this out -- it would shut up the helicopter parents and give some students from hard backgrounds a real chance to excel.
Anonymous
Post 05/25/2014 08:53     Subject: Why does DCPS ignore advanced learners in ES?
My kid is in DCPS EOTP, reading 2 years ahead of grade level, and I have every confidence she is being challenged appropriately.

I really question the assumption that good differentiation is somehow impossible to achieve. I attended a Montessori school through 4th grade. In my Montessori junior class, we had kids from ages 6 through 9 in one classroom -- certainly as wide a range of abilities as you're likely to find in a single-grade classroom -- and the teachers managed to meet every kid at his or her level.

So I know it can be done, and in my experience DCPS can do it.
Anonymous
Post 05/25/2014 08:41     Subject: Why does DCPS ignore advanced learners in ES?
Maybe this is why there are teacher recommendations for the next grade.
Anonymous
Post 05/25/2014 08:40     Subject: Why does DCPS ignore advanced learners in ES?
Anonymous wrote:My kid is not being challenged = my kid is around too many other kids with behavior issues. As a teacher what I love this year is that all my high SES parents threaten to leave because of lack of rigor- when the only truly advanced kid I have is FARMS. The real question is , if DCPs really did g&t how would all the parents react when they realized their kid was just average.


LOL! Good one, PP. I can only imagine! (And I'm including myself in that, too!)
Anonymous
Post 05/25/2014 08:32     Subject: Why does DCPS ignore advanced learners in ES?
Anonymous wrote:PP, I am curious about your perspective as a teacher. Let's say you are the parent of a kid who is average academically, but there are lots of behavior issues in the classroom, so the teacher is forced to spend a lot of time dealing with that instead of teaching. So the need for the average well-behaved kid is not for algebra in 1st grade or whatever, but just to be taught appropriately... Is this an impossible situation? And of course the kids with behavior issues have to learn too... The job of a teacher is not easy and my hat is off to all good teachers !!!!


DC teachers are called upon to do differentiated learning -- which means addressing different levels of kids in the same classroom. Obviously, even if the teacher is very good, if there are several different levels , this means less time spent with each differentiated set of kids. Even less time if there are kids with behavior problems.

As long as DCPS management won't admit that there are serious learning differences among kids that can't be addressed by even the best teacher in one classroom, then the situation will continue.

This is addressed better in JH and HS when instead of acknowledging different learning levels, kids can choose different courses e.g. IB or AP, that covertly address the concept of separating kids based on ability.
Anonymous
Post 05/25/2014 07:22     Subject: Why does DCPS ignore advanced learners in ES?
PP, I am curious about your perspective as a teacher. Let's say you are the parent of a kid who is average academically, but there are lots of behavior issues in the classroom, so the teacher is forced to spend a lot of time dealing with that instead of teaching. So the need for the average well-behaved kid is not for algebra in 1st grade or whatever, but just to be taught appropriately... Is this an impossible situation? And of course the kids with behavior issues have to learn too... The job of a teacher is not easy and my hat is off to all good teachers !!!!
Anonymous
Post 05/25/2014 07:11     Subject: Why does DCPS ignore advanced learners in ES?
My kid is not being challenged = my kid is around too many other kids with behavior issues. As a teacher what I love this year is that all my high SES parents threaten to leave because of lack of rigor- when the only truly advanced kid I have is FARMS. The real question is , if DCPs really did g&t how would all the parents react when they realized their kid was just average.
Anonymous
Post 05/25/2014 04:42     Subject: Why does DCPS ignore advanced learners in ES?
Lot's of families leave DC for the 'burbs because their kids in ES aren't being challenged. Why is G & T or honors programs seemingly abhorred? Why is DC hell-bent on losing its tax base?