Anonymous
05/27/2025 12:08
Subject: Re:MS/HS recommendations for artsy kid
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:If you want to know what a given school does, ultimately your best source is to contact that school directly. Presumably your DC is not headed directly to Loiederman this fall or you'd already have their math placement. You can call and ask to speak to the counselor who is assigned to rising 6th graders in order to find out what they are doing right now and how it works.
The catch is that what is available next year may vary according to everything from student needs to teacher availability. Anything you learn now will only be possible for next year, not guaranteed. And that is still likely to be true when school requests are placed in November and when school assignments are posted in the spring.
My DC was placed in something with an acronym in 6th (AMP, maybe?) and is in algebra in 7th. More than enough for DC and for us. What was important for us is that DC's 6th grade course contained 6th graders who were willing to work, not 8th graders (for example) who had fallen behind. For us the social cohort was more important than the mathematical content.
Or one might ask here, since the poster who noted Algebra in 6th at Loiederman presumably has exposure to the topic and MCPS, both local-school and central, is rather reticent about it. Non-Loiederman families have an advocacy interest in the practices employed there, but not at their home school, that better would meet the academic needs of their DCs.
A common understanding of specifics helps with that. Keeping the information occult facilitates opportunity hoarding.
You are exhausting. This is a low income school that uses the arts to draw students for higher test scores. It’s hit or miss. Our year multiple parents pulled out and sent kids to their home school, including us.
Anonymous
05/27/2025 10:22
Subject: Re:MS/HS recommendations for artsy kid
Anonymous wrote:If you want to know what a given school does, ultimately your best source is to contact that school directly. Presumably your DC is not headed directly to Loiederman this fall or you'd already have their math placement. You can call and ask to speak to the counselor who is assigned to rising 6th graders in order to find out what they are doing right now and how it works.
The catch is that what is available next year may vary according to everything from student needs to teacher availability. Anything you learn now will only be possible for next year, not guaranteed. And that is still likely to be true when school requests are placed in November and when school assignments are posted in the spring.
My DC was placed in something with an acronym in 6th (AMP, maybe?) and is in algebra in 7th. More than enough for DC and for us. What was important for us is that DC's 6th grade course contained 6th graders who were willing to work, not 8th graders (for example) who had fallen behind. For us the social cohort was more important than the mathematical content.
Or one might ask here, since the poster who noted Algebra in 6th at Loiederman presumably has exposure to the topic and MCPS, both local-school and central, is rather reticent about it. Non-Loiederman families have an advocacy interest in the practices employed there, but not at their home school, that better would meet the academic needs of their DCs.
A common understanding of specifics helps with that. Keeping the information occult facilitates opportunity hoarding.
Anonymous
05/27/2025 09:36
Subject: Re:MS/HS recommendations for artsy kid
If you want to know what a given school does, ultimately your best source is to contact that school directly. Presumably your DC is not headed directly to Loiederman this fall or you'd already have their math placement. You can call and ask to speak to the counselor who is assigned to rising 6th graders in order to find out what they are doing right now and how it works.
The catch is that what is available next year may vary according to everything from student needs to teacher availability. Anything you learn now will only be possible for next year, not guaranteed. And that is still likely to be true when school requests are placed in November and when school assignments are posted in the spring.
My DC was placed in something with an acronym in 6th (AMP, maybe?) and is in algebra in 7th. More than enough for DC and for us. What was important for us is that DC's 6th grade course contained 6th graders who were willing to work, not 8th graders (for example) who had fallen behind. For us the social cohort was more important than the mathematical content.
The catch is that what is available next year may vary according to everything from student needs to teacher availability. Anything you learn now will only be possible for next year, not guaranteed. And that is still likely to be true when school requests are placed in November and when school assignments are posted in the spring.
My DC was placed in something with an acronym in 6th (AMP, maybe?) and is in algebra in 7th. More than enough for DC and for us. What was important for us is that DC's 6th grade course contained 6th graders who were willing to work, not 8th graders (for example) who had fallen behind. For us the social cohort was more important than the mathematical content.
Anonymous
05/26/2025 12:35
Subject: MS/HS recommendations for artsy kid
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:A thread on schools with strong performing arts devolved into snobby parents arguing about MVC.
Stay classy, DCUM
Our kids deserve the same strong academics as your kids get. Kids can be smart and academic and be into arts.
+1
Wondering about Loiederman MS rigor?
Every school depends more on the actual teachers. Loiederman is one school that starts algebra in 6th.
How do they assign 6th graders to that? Do they use a MAP-M cutoff? Is there a feeder elementary regularly providing acceleration beyond Math 5/6 (e.g., a Loiederman math teacher walking over to Weller Road) that completes the preAlgebra curriculum in 5th? Does Wheaton send someone to Loiederman to teach Algebra 2 in 8th, or do the kids get bussed the other way for that?
Either they bus the kids or have a teacher teach. It depends on the year how many.
OK, that may be how they teach the class (either preAlgebra in ES or Algebra 2 in MS).
How do they identify 6th graders for Algebra 1? Do they use a MAP-M cutoff? Alternately, is there a feeder ES regularly offering acceleration beyond Math 5/6 that completes the lead-up to Algebra 1? If so, which ES?
You go from compacted mat to algebra. Nothing more in es.
Thanks. How do they determine eligibility for Algebra 1, then, vs. placement in AIM/AMP7+/PreAlgebra in 6th? MAP-M score? Separate Loiederman-administered assessment? Choice for any who complete Math 5/6 with an A? Combo?
Anonymous
05/26/2025 11:37
Subject: MS/HS recommendations for artsy kid
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:A thread on schools with strong performing arts devolved into snobby parents arguing about MVC.
Stay classy, DCUM
Our kids deserve the same strong academics as your kids get. Kids can be smart and academic and be into arts.
+1
Wondering about Loiederman MS rigor?
Every school depends more on the actual teachers. Loiederman is one school that starts algebra in 6th.
How do they assign 6th graders to that? Do they use a MAP-M cutoff? Is there a feeder elementary regularly providing acceleration beyond Math 5/6 (e.g., a Loiederman math teacher walking over to Weller Road) that completes the preAlgebra curriculum in 5th? Does Wheaton send someone to Loiederman to teach Algebra 2 in 8th, or do the kids get bussed the other way for that?
Either they bus the kids or have a teacher teach. It depends on the year how many.
OK, that may be how they teach the class (either preAlgebra in ES or Algebra 2 in MS).
How do they identify 6th graders for Algebra 1? Do they use a MAP-M cutoff? Alternately, is there a feeder ES regularly offering acceleration beyond Math 5/6 that completes the lead-up to Algebra 1? If so, which ES?
You go from compacted mat to algebra. Nothing more in es.
Anonymous
05/26/2025 11:08
Subject: MS/HS recommendations for artsy kid
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:A thread on schools with strong performing arts devolved into snobby parents arguing about MVC.
Stay classy, DCUM
Our kids deserve the same strong academics as your kids get. Kids can be smart and academic and be into arts.
+1
Wondering about Loiederman MS rigor?
Every school depends more on the actual teachers. Loiederman is one school that starts algebra in 6th.
How do they assign 6th graders to that? Do they use a MAP-M cutoff? Is there a feeder elementary regularly providing acceleration beyond Math 5/6 (e.g., a Loiederman math teacher walking over to Weller Road) that completes the preAlgebra curriculum in 5th? Does Wheaton send someone to Loiederman to teach Algebra 2 in 8th, or do the kids get bussed the other way for that?
Either they bus the kids or have a teacher teach. It depends on the year how many.
OK, that may be how they teach the class (either preAlgebra in ES or Algebra 2 in MS).
How do they identify 6th graders for Algebra 1? Do they use a MAP-M cutoff? Alternately, is there a feeder ES regularly offering acceleration beyond Math 5/6 that completes the lead-up to Algebra 1? If so, which ES?
Anonymous
05/26/2025 01:28
Subject: MS/HS recommendations for artsy kid
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:A thread on schools with strong performing arts devolved into snobby parents arguing about MVC.
Stay classy, DCUM
Our kids deserve the same strong academics as your kids get. Kids can be smart and academic and be into arts.
+1
Wondering about Loiederman MS rigor?
Every school depends more on the actual teachers. Loiederman is one school that starts algebra in 6th.
How do they assign 6th graders to that? Do they use a MAP-M cutoff? Is there a feeder elementary regularly providing acceleration beyond Math 5/6 (e.g., a Loiederman math teacher walking over to Weller Road) that completes the preAlgebra curriculum in 5th? Does Wheaton send someone to Loiederman to teach Algebra 2 in 8th, or do the kids get bussed the other way for that?
Either they bus the kids or have a teacher teach. It depends on the year how many.
Anonymous
05/25/2025 21:39
Subject: MS/HS recommendations for artsy kid
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:A thread on schools with strong performing arts devolved into snobby parents arguing about MVC.
Stay classy, DCUM
Our kids deserve the same strong academics as your kids get. Kids can be smart and academic and be into arts.
+1
Wondering about Loiederman MS rigor?
Every school depends more on the actual teachers. Loiederman is one school that starts algebra in 6th.
How do they assign 6th graders to that? Do they use a MAP-M cutoff? Is there a feeder elementary regularly providing acceleration beyond Math 5/6 (e.g., a Loiederman math teacher walking over to Weller Road) that completes the preAlgebra curriculum in 5th? Does Wheaton send someone to Loiederman to teach Algebra 2 in 8th, or do the kids get bussed the other way for that?
Anonymous
05/25/2025 13:22
Subject: Re:MS/HS recommendations for artsy kid
Chorus and Theatre are especially strong at Loiederman, by any standard. The new choral director just finished his 2nd year and the ensembles just keep getting better and better. More and more kids seeking out additional opportunities, too - the school even has an a cappella group now. And the drama productions are terrific. Anyone thinking about sending a kid there should attend a show and see. Spoken-word productions are in the fall, musicals in the spring, and even an academic course on technical theatre. We're actually concerned about HS having enough opportunities for DC to live up to MS, and I think that's a pretty wonderful problem to have.
Anonymous
05/25/2025 11:37
Subject: MS/HS recommendations for artsy kid
Anonymous wrote:Kids can be smart and academic and be into arts.
+1
Wondering about Loiederman MS rigor?
Every school depends more on the actual teachers. Loiederman is one school that starts algebra in 6th.
My Loiederman DC was in compacted math in elementary and has received excellent math instruction at Loiederman. HIGH has also been really impressive. Science isn't tracked in MS and while the English _teachers_ have been good, I'm not a fan of the curriculum (doesn't require much of the students at all). But that's not Loiederman, that's across all MS. A particular strength of Loiederman is the commitment of the faculty - they're terrific.
Thank you PP, this is reassuring!
The problem with algebra in 6th is you then need to go to Wheaton, Blair or another school that has more advanced math classes or come hs you have to slow things down. Everywhere really depends on the luck of the teacher you get and are they a good fit for your child. We’ve had teachers others loved and we could not figure out why and ones others did not like we thought were great so it’s very subjective.
Hopefully Loiederman has improved. We thought most of the academics were good but not the arts.