CMIs special needs population is performing at a lower level than at most other schools.

I’m glad the PPP is pleased, but it isn’t necessarily a reason to keep the school open. Unless something dramatic happens quickly it will be facing closure in a few years. The model isn’t working.

Anonymous wrote:I get defensive about CMI because it has a unique inclusive program for children with special needs. I know my child is “underperforming”. I have tried other charters, talked to other parents, other SPED directors, DCPS, and various therapists/professionals. As a result, CMI was our first choice school. If you don’t like it, fine. You have other fine options. We don’t.

That is quite fine. I’m glad you like the school for that need. You are not part of the problem whatsoever. Issue is ratings take into account sped students. It is the typical needs kids that are not being served. The school is failing those kids, they are failing AA kids, they are failing low income students, they are really failing white kids. In fact, the only segment that has higher than 50% is students with disabilities. White students are getting a whopping 22% (same as at risk).

https://storage.googleapis.com/osse-essa-pdfs/169-3069_EN.pdf

I get defensive about CMI because it has a unique inclusive program for children with special needs. I know my child is “underperforming”. I have tried other charters, talked to other parents, other SPED directors, DCPS, and various therapists/professionals. As a result, CMI was our first choice school. If you don’t like it, fine. You have other fine options. We don’t.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My friend pulled her AA child from the school. In Pre-K3, her kid was one of 3 AA kids in the class. I got the impression that the younger grades were not reflective of the makeup of the city's demographics.

Yes, there are more white kids in the younger grades. There are a few vocal CMI-haters on here who seem to think any school that is Tier 2 and popular with white families should be abolished. I don't really get it. If CMI's numbers aren't good enough for you, you can go to one of the better rated but less popular DCPS in NE or SE, or try getting into a better charter. Good luck to you.

Why does one have to be a hater by pointing out that there are hypocrites in DC? CMI is not just a tier 2 school. They are one of the worst performing schools in the city. Once you account for the % of non low income students, they have got to be THE worse performing school. Is there any other school that is not title 1 that performs as low as CMI? Seriously. That coupled with their horrible finances should lead anyone to question why so many white families continue to apply to it. At least this year they had a 50% reduction in applicants which shows they are waking up that the emperor has no clothes. Why must current families get so defensive when this is questioned? Are you not confidant in the reasons you're choosing to stay despite your kid not performing or being in a classroom where 2/3-3/4 of his peers are not performing?

Are you really surprised that people get their hackles up when they are called out for being racist? Of course they are going to freak out. That's what people who do racist things do. Honestly, I never realized how racist this city was until I had to navigate my way through school choice in DC. It's jaw dropping. And I'm sure I have been guilty of biased decision making as well despite my best efforts to fight those impulses. But OF COURSE no one likes when you point it out. It conflicts with their image of themselves. Everyone knows why people continue to choose CMI. Hopefully the school will either improve or people will improve their decision making or, optimally both, but expecting current families to acknowledge their racism is a fools errand. Of course, if they actually LIE about the school's performance or demographic makeup, that should certainly be called out emphatically.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My friend pulled her AA child from the school. In Pre-K3, her kid was one of 3 AA kids in the class. I got the impression that the younger grades were not reflective of the makeup of the city's demographics.

Yes, there are more white kids in the younger grades. There are a few vocal CMI-haters on here who seem to think any school that is Tier 2 and popular with white families should be abolished. I don't really get it. If CMI's numbers aren't good enough for you, you can go to one of the better rated but less popular DCPS in NE or SE, or try getting into a better charter. Good luck to you.

Why does one have to be a hater by pointing out that there are hypocrites in DC? CMI is not just a tier 2 school. They are one of the worst performing schools in the city. Once you account for the % of non low income students, they have got to be THE worse performing school. Is there any other school that is not title 1 that performs as low as CMI? Seriously. That coupled with their horrible finances should lead anyone to question why so many white families continue to apply to it. At least this year they had a 50% reduction in applicants which shows they are waking up that the emperor has no clothes. Why must current families get so defensive when this is questioned? Are you not confidant in the reasons you're choosing to stay despite your kid not performing or being in a classroom where 2/3-3/4 of his peers are not performing?

Anonymous wrote:My friend pulled her AA child from the school. In Pre-K3, her kid was one of 3 AA kids in the class. I got the impression that the younger grades were not reflective of the makeup of the city's demographics.

Yes, there are more white kids in the younger grades. There are a few vocal CMI-haters on here who seem to think any school that is Tier 2 and popular with white families should be abolished. I don't really get it. If CMI's numbers aren't good enough for you, you can go to one of the better rated but less popular DCPS in NE or SE, or try getting into a better charter. Good luck to you.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Langdon is 4 star school with a final grade of 72% and has a PK3 waitlist of 10.
Bunker Hill is a 3 star school with a final grade of 49% and a PK3 waitlist of 2.
CMI is basically a 2 star school with a final grade of 40% and has a PK3 waitlist of 212.

Anyone care to guess why the difference?

It's right in front of your face as hard as it may take you to spit it out.

I was being sarcastic. I obviously know the reason.

My friend pulled her AA child from the school. In Pre-K3, her kid was one of 3 AA kids in the class. I got the impression that the younger grades were not reflective of the makeup of the city's demographics.

Anonymous wrote:Seriously, the poster with the fixation on race at CMI seems to lack actual experience or participation in the school. There are a lot of ways in which the school deserves criticism (I’m a white CMI parent who has been trying to lottery out) but the school is very diverse in the sense that it is not predominantly AA, or Latino, etc the way many other schools are. As a matter of fact my IB DCPS elementary and middle schools are less diverse than CMI. And my IB middle school manages to perform and test even worse than CMI.

I’m not sure what you are trying to say here, but it didn’t help.

Seriously, the poster with the fixation on race at CMI seems to lack actual experience or participation in the school. There are a lot of ways in which the school deserves criticism (I’m a white CMI parent who has been trying to lottery out) but the school is very diverse in the sense that it is not predominantly AA, or Latino, etc the way many other schools are. As a matter of fact my IB DCPS elementary and middle schools are less diverse than CMI. And my IB middle school manages to perform and test even worse than CMI.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Creative Minds seems to be tanking (rightfully so IMO).
2016-17 PK3 433
2017-18 PK3 394
2018-19 PK3 406
2019-20 PK3 212

PK4 also went from 278 last year to 177 this year
K went from 255 to 134

Wow!

Seriously.

+1 so glad and grateful that we got out of there

Same, the only parents who are still there are either SN parents or white folks who fear their IB school. The people I know still there are typical folks who move here from the Midwest for the city feel, but don’t actually want to mix with city people.

This seems to be a really bitter poster, I'm not sure why. The only family I know at CMI is a middle class AA family. They like it. And I've been trying to get in for 3 years with no luck.

The poster is not only bitter but knowingly posts false info. There are actually more AA students than while students at CMI. Whites comprise only a little more than a third (34.5%) of the student body. As to why s/he does it, I cannot say, but the poster lacks credibility in my mind since because of total lack of actual experience with the school . Clearly, there is an agenda going on here.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Question: I'm in the 40s for Bridges, but the MSDC data says the wait list length is 35. How is this possible?

What was your number the day the results came out?

46

Call MSDC and ask. That is unusual and doesn’t make sense but Bridges works a little differently due to the separate SN lottery.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Question: I'm in the 40s for Bridges, but the MSDC data says the wait list length is 35. How is this possible?

What was your number the day the results came out?

46

Anonymous wrote:Question: I'm in the 40s for Bridges, but the MSDC data says the wait list length is 35. How is this possible?

What was your number the day the results came out?

Question: I'm in the 40s for Bridges, but the MSDC data says the wait list length is 35. How is this possible?