I do not hate DCI, and we went in not expecting too much, but still, certain aspects have been frustrating.

Please. The clearest message of this thread seems to be that charters like DCI should be better funded, so teachers and families alike aren't tempted to run off to DCPS WotP, the burbs and privates in search of greener school pastures. More academic challenge for high achievers wouldn't hurt either.

These are suggested TWEAKS from ed stakeholders vs. messages of....hate.

I will never understand why DCI or its feeders get so much hate here, because they are charters? It is evident that thousand of parents disagree with DCUM.

Anonymous wrote:OK, so why offer AP or IB Diploma classes in high schools if differentiation within the classroom is the best solution all the way from K to 12th grade?

Why do many of the suburban schools in our metro area offer tracked academic classes in core subjects as early as 4th grade? My sibling's children attended a 4th-5th grade Center for the Highly Gifted in MoCo, where I'm told that almost half of the students are children of color and almost one quarter are low SES.

When you push differentiation within the classroom in all core subjects after elementary school in gentrifying neighborhoods where the achieve gap is vast, you get segregation, lots of it. Look at the demographics of DCPS middle schools EotP if you doubt this.

Those things are offered since they were created as a loophole to mandated integration. They serve primarily to segregate students. Even within those classes, teachers HAVE to differentiate in order to actually allow for
maximum student growth. The high quality instruction that is supposedly offered in those classes should be open to all students.

OK, so why offer AP or IB Diploma classes in high schools if differentiation within the classroom is the best solution all the way from K to 12th grade?

Why do many of the suburban schools in our metro area offer tracked academic classes in core subjects as early as 4th grade? My sibling's children attended a 4th-5th grade Center for the Highly Gifted in MoCo, where I'm told that almost half of the students are children of color and almost one quarter are low SES.

When you push differentiation within the classroom in all core subjects after elementary school in gentrifying neighborhoods where the achieve gap is vast, you get segregation, lots of it. Look at the demographics of DCPS middle schools EotP if you doubt this.

Anonymous wrote:A bigger part of the problem is that DCI doesn't offer tough enough classes for high achievers at both the middle school and high school levels.

Why should teachers be forced to differentiate to educate students working one, two, even three years ahead of grade level sitting in the same classes as kids working, one, two even three years behind grade level in both the DCI middle school and high school? With social promotion, DCI passes the stragglers up the chain, so gap widens as you go up, particularly for ELA, social studies and science.

There's even too little challenge too late for the strongest students in high school IB Diploma classes. The arrangement motivates the highest achievers to leave along the way. It also motivates the better teachers, who aren't paid as much in DCPS or the burbs, to leave. You see the writing on the wall for your high achiever and start eyeing suburban real estate.

There are many reasons why teachers should differentiate. It’s what is best for students. Having tracked classes is not an actual solution and only serves as segregation. This prevents students from receiving the instruction they actually need based at a broken down standards-based level since there is no one who is a uniform “one/two/three/etc year” ahead or below grade level in all aspects of a subject area. Having students in heterogenous classes allows for flexibility day to day so students aren’t tracked for the entirety of a year. There could be a student who needs work 5 years above/below grade level for a particular topic and having a tracked class will not address this issue.

It’s a teacher’s job to differentiate. The issue is teachers are not necessarily taught how to do it, and aren’t given the coaching necessary to meet their students’ needs.

DCPS/Adams keeps teachers in its highest performing schools by paying them decently.

Charter schools don't have the resources to compete. But BASIS doesn't socially promote after 6th grade, so it's an easier place to teach than DCI. Latin's been around much longer than DCI and offers tougher math and stronger humanities.

A bigger part of the problem is that DCI doesn't offer tough enough classes for high achievers at both the middle school and high school levels.

Why should teachers be forced to differentiate to educate students working one, two, even three years ahead of grade level sitting in the same classes as kids working, one, two even three years behind grade level in both the DCI middle school and high school? With social promotion, DCI passes the stragglers up the chain, so gap widens as you go up, particularly for ELA, social studies and science.

There's even too little challenge too late for the strongest students in high school IB Diploma classes. The arrangement motivates the highest achievers to leave along the way. It also motivates the better teachers, who aren't paid as much in DCPS or the burbs, to leave. You see the writing on the wall for your high achiever and start eyeing suburban real estate.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not a YY troll and I disagree. My daughter has been bored at DCI, particularly in math in 7th grade (in top math section). We're not sure if we will be back for 8th grade and we definitely won't be back for HS.

Are you me? I came to post the same thing...

We may feel alone, but aren't. I talk to other parents of high achievers about how lack of rigor is baked into the mentality of admins. The further you go, the more you want a school where you don't have to be play the drill sergeant pushing the kid to reach their potential. You get fed up with trying to bribe a recalcitrant 12 or 13 year-old to aim higher than the middle school expects in almost every subject. The bar isn't set high enough, not even for language. Admins try to hold the credibility high ground where rigor is concerned, but can't. The focus is firmly on bringing up the middle, not the top. Plus the school is too far from home for us to get too involved, even if admins were open to addressing our concerns.

I used to teach at DCI. Part of the issue is that not all teachers are content experts or have the knowledge and support necessary to be able to properly differentiate to meet ALL student’s needs. They do a lot of whole group instruction, and that simply doesn’t work. Unfortunately, this is the case with almost every public school. If you want a more individualized learning experience, I would look into Truth Montessori.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not a YY troll and I disagree. My daughter has been bored at DCI, particularly in math in 7th grade (in top math section). We're not sure if we will be back for 8th grade and we definitely won't be back for HS.

Are you me? I came to post the same thing...

We may feel alone, but aren't. I talk to other parents of high achievers about how lack of rigor is baked into the mentality of admins. The further you go, the more you want a school where you don't have to be play the drill sergeant pushing the kid to reach their potential. You get fed up with trying to bribe a recalcitrant 12 or 13 year-old to aim higher than the middle school expects in almost every subject. The bar isn't set high enough, not even for language. Admins try to hold the credibility high ground where rigor is concerned, but can't. The focus is firmly on bringing up the middle, not the top. Plus the school is too far from home for us to get too involved, even if admins were open to addressing our concerns.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When kids attended DCPS schools is also relevant. A few years ago, things were better at JR, and Adams, than they are now.

+1. With honors for all and the weak AP scores of JR, now is not then. DCPS is going in the wrong direction with de-tracking.

I also want to add the IB diploma requires a ton of writing. It is writing intensive. It is not optional or dependent on the luck of the draw with teachers. You also can’t grade inflate papers because it’s graded by 3rd party. In addition, the kids have to do a mini-thesis basically.

Writing is a strength in IB where it is a weakness in in DCPS and public schools overall.

That's great. Do they coach on the mechanics of writing? Grammar, etc?

By the time you are a junior and dong your IB diploma requirements, you already should have mastered all of the above. You need to be a strong writer and effective communicator to score well in the diploma.

IB curriculum is more interdisciplinary and writing is incorporated and weaved into everything and across all subjects. Your exams even in math and science require writing. You don’t just solve a math problem, you also write a summary of how you approach that problem and communicate in writing the process you used to get the answer. Answer a theory about science by writing a summary of how you actually approached the scientific method to get that answer. This is why IB fosters strong writing and strong analytical skills.

The link below is a good opinion piece from an actual student who then majored in science and how IB fosters and develops strong writing skills for interdisciplinary learning.

https://blogs.ibo.org/blog/2020/06/03/what-ib-taught-me-about-writing/

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Grow up. If you're hell bent on taking offense, you'll invariably read too much into any given post to get there.

-Parent of Color who Doesn't Think Either Oyster-Adams or DCI is Worth It

So why are you posting here? Im confused.

We have experience with both Adams & DCI. Supplementing wore us out & cost plenty. When we got to MoCo, kid struggled to work at grade level despite years of excellent grades in DC public schools.

We have nothing to do with LAMB.

Best not to kid yourselves, folks.

PP, sorry your kid struggled at first in MoCo. I’m sure their school there is great.

Another data point - our kid went to OA through 8th then JR. Graduated with 10 APs. Admitted to a highly selective LAC, where he currently has a 4.0. Unlike what many folks on this forum will post, our kid did a TON of writing at JR and is getting great feedback on his writing now in college (including being asked to turn one of his papers into an article for publication by a prof, and being offered a paid internship based largely on the strength of his writing).

I think many kids’ experiences are largely luck based on which teachers they have and which cohort they are in.

Congratulations on your son! I am super happy when I hear a dc kid succeeding anywhere.

Anonymous wrote:I'm not a YY troll and I disagree. My daughter has been bored at DCI, particularly in math in 7th grade (in top math section). We're not sure if we will be back for 8th grade and we definitely won't be back for HS.

Are you me? I came to post the same thing...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When kids attended DCPS schools is also relevant. A few years ago, things were better at JR, and Adams, than they are now.

+1. With honors for all and the weak AP scores of JR, now is not then. DCPS is going in the wrong direction with de-tracking.

I also want to add the IB diploma requires a ton of writing. It is writing intensive. It is not optional or dependent on the luck of the draw with teachers. You also can’t grade inflate papers because it’s graded by 3rd party. In addition, the kids have to do a mini-thesis basically.

Writing is a strength in IB where it is a weakness in in DCPS and public schools overall.

That's great. Do they coach on the mechanics of writing? Grammar, etc?

Anonymous wrote:When kids attended DCPS schools is also relevant. A few years ago, things were better at JR, and Adams, than they are now.

+1. With honors for all and the weak AP scores of JR, now is not then. DCPS is going in the wrong direction with de-tracking.

I also want to add the IB diploma requires a ton of writing. It is writing intensive. It is not optional or dependent on the luck of the draw with teachers. You also can’t grade inflate papers because it’s graded by 3rd party. In addition, the kids have to do a mini-thesis basically.

Writing is a strength in IB where it is a weakness in in DCPS and public schools overall.