It seems to me that it would be a big help to add another pre-K class so that more kids could get a head start on the Spanish. A lot of effort is spent in the early grades tryng to make up for lost time with English language kids who have a later start on the Spanish. The Spanish language instruction in the early grades seems haphazard but with a pre-K class for everyone, the weaknesses of the Spanish teachers becomes less important.

There are things that our family misses about OA, but on the whole, the chaos and the lack of quality in the Spanish in several of the lower grades combined with the lack of academic rigor brought us to the decision to leave. I think the program was better before it stretched itself so thin to include the middle school. There were also higher quality teachers 8 to 10 years ago in the lower grades. They retired or moved on and the holes were not filled with proper replacements.

So, what is the solution to this problem?

I also don't think you can solely focus on test scores to show academic rigor. I look at the quality of the assignment or program and the ability of the child to grow in such a way to meet or exceed the expectations set by the teacher. Having been part of both OA and Deal, I think the expectations at Deal are higher and the quality of the assignments are more challenging. Multiplying that across several content areas means more academic rigor. There are things that our family misses about OA, but on the whole, the chaos and the lack of quality in the Spanish in several of the lower grades combined with the lack of academic rigor brought us to the decision to leave. I think the program was better before it stretched itself so thin to include the middle school. There were also higher quality teachers 8 to 10 years ago in the lower grades. They retired or moved on and the holes were not filled with proper replacements.

Reading this has made me feel very dejected. I've been an OA parent for 8 years now, and have seen a real decline in the school between my first and second child. It could be so much better, and this we know because it WAS better in the past.

Re: DCCAS scores being higher at Adams than at Deal--DCCAS doesn't assess whether or not a program has academic rigor. I don't think that's a good way to compare the schools.

Re: trading off more Spanish vs. differentiated math--I hear you. It is a trade off, but it shouldn't have to be. Why do we accept that as a given? In any case, the trade-off flips, and math becomes more important than a language. Of course you could argue that it's equally important, but if you poll parents who are deserting OA for just that reason, you will see that many disagree. 6th grade is when parents start to become concerned about it, which fuels a large exodus each year to Deal, Basis and a small number to privates. I really wish the administration would listen to this VERY FIXABLE issue. I understand and, to some extent, admire the principal's dedication to serve underperforming students. But you can't teach only to those kids and expect everyone to stay. The school benefits from having both types of students, but when the kids who are performing well and want more can't get it, then they go somewhere else. This isn't rocket science. It's cause and effect.

Anonymous wrote:I could have written that post, 9:09. Every single word.

Me too (parent of OA 5th grader).

Agree almost entirely. However, I would point out that Adams middle school’s DC CAC scores are higher than Deals. So I do not agree that the middle school is abysmal or that Adams lacks academic rigor. I think it is just that the program is simply too small to differentiate to the extent that parents would like (ie: there are not enough teachers or students to offer the most advanced classes as Deal, Basis and the Privates do). I think parents (and their kids) have to balance what is most important to them and what best meets the needs of the individual child. I would choose the Spanish over the more advance math. I can supplement math at home, and I feel Spanish is a skill my child will not get elsewhere that will prepare him for his life in a very important way. For me - it's the total chaos and total lack of leadership that has me considering other options. Which is sad - that's the easiest thing to fix.

I could have written that post, 9:09. Every single word.

Agree with PP 17:54. The problems PP highlights are the reasons families leave O/A. The most disappointing area for our family was the low expectations both in the English and Spanish curriculums. I spent years listening to people say how they were trading learning Spanish for math or other academic areas. It would be one thing if the Spanish that is taught was consistent good throughout the school, including grammar, but it isn't. And then there is the chaos of everyday life at O/A. At the lower grades very little information comes home. No agendas. Assemblies and field trips are organized at the last minute and there is a desperate plea for parent participation/attendance. Nothing ever starts on time. There is good access to the teachers and many are loving individuals. The teachers are under enormous pressure to bring up the test scores of the under performing kids so the higher achieving kids just orbit through the day or are called on to tutor their peers during class time. All of this said, I am happy that DCs speak Spanish, but by the time the middle school years rolled around, it was time to get the other core academic areas on target for preparation for high school and Deal could offer that academic rigor while O/A could not. As for behavior issues, there are cliques and bullying just like any other school. The administration often talks the talk on shutting down bullying and other poor behavior but there is very little follow through to ensure that consequences are carried out to the tune of the handbook. I often hear O/A parents who go on tours at potential middle schools remark how surprised they are at the classroom control. Perhaps what parents can put up with also changes as their kids get older.

What is the function of a 50:50 split exactly? Fifty percent spanish dominant playdates, luncheon chats?

I wonder how many schools in the world are able to maintain a bilingual program with exactly 50 percent dominant
in each language? Maybe the 50:50 was the original model for Oyster-Adams but how realistic is it, and how justified?

Generations of European school kids learned Latin and Ancient Greek without having the benefit of a class composition
made up of fifty percent Athenians or ancient Romans, let alone one such pupil.

...oh wait...they're about to try the same thing with Francis-Stevens, I mean, the soon to be re-opened and deservedly named "School Without Walls Pre-K to 8". Oh Brother.

I can't believe she's still in charge there. The right leadership could have taken great advantage of the swelling lower school numbers and and kept to the original inspiration for expanding into 8th -- because it was such a good education and language program happy parents couldn't imagine not trying to find a way to expand the best bilingual public school into middle school. So they did, Rhee came on board touting Oyster as a great example of one DCPS that was excellent, and the rest is history. Monica. What a waste of several years and tons of DC tax dollars. Handed a blue ribbon program, thousands of eager enrollees, then let the grade 6 to 8 ship sink so fast that they couldn't keep half of the original founders of the expansion from fleeing to Deal or to shell out $$$ to privates. Monica.

Anonymous wrote:What does it matter if a child achieved native fluency at daycare vs. home? Is there a rule against this?

Yes, per OA's guidelines, a Spanish-dominant child is supposed to come from a Spanish speaking home. A child who is Spanish dominant will have, and be able to model, vocabulary that an English-dominant child who is bilingual simply cannot. And that child can/will provide a cultural context for the language as well.

This is important to understand b/c Monica says that there are too many English-dominant children in the lower grades at OA. Well, a bilingual English-dominant child is still English dominant, thus compounding the language balance problem. She can solve a big part of the problem by doing her job and eliminating lottery cheats.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I'm not sure why this principal feels the need to hijack the school and move it. She should feel free to open her own charter wherever she wants.

This.

Hijack is the correct word. I showed up at the original LSAT mtg. last month to only discuss boundaries (per the notice in the bulletin), and the next thing I know, the principal is talking about moving the whole damn school. Apparently, running two campuses is expensive and too much work for her. So obviously, DCPS needs to hire a principal who is up to the job--this one clearly is not!

Btw, OA is the only public bilingual school in Ward 3--good luck moving it elsewhere. I think Monica will be looking for a new job before that happens.

What does it matter if a child achieved native fluency at daycare vs. home? Is there a rule against this?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I'm not sure why this principal feels the need to hijack the school and move it. She should feel free to open her own charter wherever she wants.

This.

+1000. This principal should leave OA and start her own charter, since she clearly has no commitment to improving the school where it is currently. If she's so concerned about language balance, she should stop letting in kids she knows are not Spanish dominant. I have first hand knowledge of two families who were accepted OOB on the Spanish dominant side. Neither of these kids has a Spanish speaking parent at home (they just attended bilingual preschools). This principal is an absolute failure!

Yep, we go to a bilingual day care in the neighborhood and it is a open secret that families lie about being Spanish dominant to get in Oyster OOB. The kids can easily pass the test they give them because they are used to speaking Spanish at school, but there is absolutely no Spanish spoken in these homes. I know of at least 3 families from my day care who have done this.