OP, I have a child like you describe who did well at Westland and at BCC. I chose the neighborhood in part because I wanted the IB track for him, as his greatest academic strength is his writing and I believe that IB is better than AP for kids like that. I also wanted more diversity than exists at Whitman. I had other reasons for wanting to stay in the Western part of the county, mainly that I work from home and my clientele is in Bethesda, as are my elderly parents who sometimes need help quickly.

Having said that, I think the kind of child you describe is also the kind of kid who would do well in an even more diverse setting. I think there are some kids who need the peer pressure of a place like Whitman or BCC where working above level and taking honors classes is simply an expectation. On the other hand, I think that internally motivated kids can set their own course, even when kids around them are on different paths. I think that if I didn't have the other factors that keep me in Bethesda, I'd look at the neighborhood that feeds to Einstein or Kennedy or Rockville, where you can get IB and much more house for your money, plus a more diverse experience for your child. That is, of course, assuming that you have a child old enough to make judgments about their academic aptitudes and learning styles. If you're a parent of a kid in elementary, then I'd be hesitant to draw conclusions that what you see now will predict what you'll see in 11th grade.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, MCPS (along with other school districts in the area) has shifted to standards-based grading for elementary schools (K-5). Previously, K-2 got O/S/N (I think it was N), and 3-5 got letter grades. Now, the grades are P (proficient at grade-level standard), I (in progress towards proficiency), and N (not yet making progress towards proficiency), plus also ES, which doesn't stand for Extra Super, but might as well. You can read more about it here:

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/2.0/reportcardfaq.aspx

In general, people who think that elementary students should be motivated by grades do not like standards-based grading, and people who don't particularly care about grades in elementary school are fine with it.

Don't forget to add those of us who don't understand the grading system because it's not even used in a uniform manner between teachers in the same school (our school admitted they are still trying to figure out how to make the grading system uniform across teachers in the same grade). So a P for one teacher is an ES for another and vice versa.

I didn't forget you -- you go into the first group (people who think that elementary students should be motivated by grades). If you didn't particularly care about grades in elementary school, you wouldn't spend a lot of time trying to figure out why one teacher gave a P and another teacher gave an ES.

Grades don't and shouldn't count in elementary school. However, grades can be an indicator if your child has a particular strength or more importantly, flag a problem or issue. The problem with schools giving P's in everything is that a child could have hidden learning disabilities masked by the grading. My friend did not realize how severe her son's reading problems were/undiagnosed dyslexia until fifth grade because he's a good kid and teachers graded him too easily and passed him through MCPS.

He is now in private school where they are buttressing his weaknesses and celebrating his strengths.

If your child academically struggled pre-2.0 and is now "magically" ok -- look deeper.

So this child was failed by MCPS pre-2.0, who overlooked the fact that he hadn't mastered grade level expectations, and that's evidence that 2.0, which was introduced in part to address the fact that letter grades often graded behavior and not the mastery, is a failure?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, MCPS (along with other school districts in the area) has shifted to standards-based grading for elementary schools (K-5). Previously, K-2 got O/S/N (I think it was N), and 3-5 got letter grades. Now, the grades are P (proficient at grade-level standard), I (in progress towards proficiency), and N (not yet making progress towards proficiency), plus also ES, which doesn't stand for Extra Super, but might as well. You can read more about it here:

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/2.0/reportcardfaq.aspx

In general, people who think that elementary students should be motivated by grades do not like standards-based grading, and people who don't particularly care about grades in elementary school are fine with it.

Don't forget to add those of us who don't understand the grading system because it's not even used in a uniform manner between teachers in the same school (our school admitted they are still trying to figure out how to make the grading system uniform across teachers in the same grade). So a P for one teacher is an ES for another and vice versa.

I didn't forget you -- you go into the first group (people who think that elementary students should be motivated by grades). If you didn't particularly care about grades in elementary school, you wouldn't spend a lot of time trying to figure out why one teacher gave a P and another teacher gave an ES.

Grades don't and shouldn't count in elementary school. However, grades can be an indicator if your child has a particular strength or more importantly, flag a problem or issue. The problem with schools giving P's in everything is that a child could have hidden learning disabilities masked by the grading. My friend did not realize how severe her son's reading problems were/undiagnosed dyslexia until fifth grade because he's a good kid and teachers graded him too easily and passed him through MCPS.

He is now in private school where they are buttressing his weaknesses and celebrating his strengths.

If your child academically struggled pre-2.0 and is now "magically" ok -- look deeper.

A huge contingent of kids at our HGC are from Wayside and Lakelands. The parents rave about their home school and I see their kids are happy, bright learners who have also been academically well-prepared.

Back to the original post - any of the schools serving the west side of Bethesda fit your criteria - I think Westbrook the most but Bannockburn, too. Wood Acres is too big.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, MCPS (along with other school districts in the area) has shifted to standards-based grading for elementary schools (K-5). Previously, K-2 got O/S/N (I think it was N), and 3-5 got letter grades. Now, the grades are P (proficient at grade-level standard), I (in progress towards proficiency), and N (not yet making progress towards proficiency), plus also ES, which doesn't stand for Extra Super, but might as well. You can read more about it here:

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/2.0/reportcardfaq.aspx

In general, people who think that elementary students should be motivated by grades do not like standards-based grading, and people who don't particularly care about grades in elementary school are fine with it.

Don't forget to add those of us who don't understand the grading system because it's not even used in a uniform manner between teachers in the same school (our school admitted they are still trying to figure out how to make the grading system uniform across teachers in the same grade). So a P for one teacher is an ES for another and vice versa.

I didn't forget you -- you go into the first group (people who think that elementary students should be motivated by grades). If you didn't particularly care about grades in elementary school, you wouldn't spend a lot of time trying to figure out why one teacher gave a P and another teacher gave an ES.

Anonymous wrote:My solidly average kid who is definitely more interested in sports and socializing and was struggling in mcps Pre-2.0 is magically doing great in 2.0 (which tells me that everyone is doing well/getting Ps and the standards must have been lowered). Does anyone who had a kid in mcps Pre 2.0 actually think their kid is being challenged at all under 2.0?

Why, yes -- I do! (Hi.) I think that 2.0 is an improvement over the previous curriculum.

My solidly average kid who is definitely more interested in sports and socializing and was struggling in mcps Pre-2.0 is magically doing great in 2.0 (which tells me that everyone is doing well/getting Ps and the standards must have been lowered). Does anyone who had a kid in mcps Pre 2.0 actually think their kid is being challenged at all under 2.0?

Anonymous wrote:Yes, MCPS (along with other school districts in the area) has shifted to standards-based grading for elementary schools (K-5). Previously, K-2 got O/S/N (I think it was N), and 3-5 got letter grades. Now, the grades are P (proficient at grade-level standard), I (in progress towards proficiency), and N (not yet making progress towards proficiency), plus also ES, which doesn't stand for Extra Super, but might as well. You can read more about it here:

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/2.0/reportcardfaq.aspx

In general, people who think that elementary students should be motivated by grades do not like standards-based grading, and people who don't particularly care about grades in elementary school are fine with it.

Don't forget to add those of us who don't understand the grading system because it's not even used in a uniform manner between teachers in the same school (our school admitted they are still trying to figure out how to make the grading system uniform across teachers in the same grade). So a P for one teacher is an ES for another and vice versa.

What about Rosemary Hills and Chevy chase ES? Do folks feel good about sending their kids there?

Yes, MCPS (along with other school districts in the area) has shifted to standards-based grading for elementary schools (K-5). Previously, K-2 got O/S/N (I think it was N), and 3-5 got letter grades. Now, the grades are P (proficient at grade-level standard), I (in progress towards proficiency), and N (not yet making progress towards proficiency), plus also ES, which doesn't stand for Extra Super, but might as well. You can read more about it here:

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/2.0/reportcardfaq.aspx

In general, people who think that elementary students should be motivated by grades do not like standards-based grading, and people who don't particularly care about grades in elementary school are fine with it.

OK, OP here-are the "P"s in elementary, then? I am in DC now and moving, so I have no idea about the grading system in Moco's differences. Please explain.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I have a child that is more motivated than they are bright (DC is smart enough but her work ethic is greater than her intelligence.) and a school that caters to that kind of student would be a better fit.

This is the type of kid that will not do well with the new MCPS system. Achievement is not recognized,rewarded or encouraged at all. If your child is gifted you can escape to the GT center and the gifted kids can get ES grades from time to time. Your child will figure out quickly that no matter how hard she works she will get the same "P" grade as if she put forth no effort at all. For kids that are more into sports or social activities, this is great. Its also great for students who struggle because they never know that they are at the bottom of the class. For kids with a strong work ethic it is very demoralizing.

Unfortunately this.

I'm 10:45 and while the above poster sounds bitter and has a decidedly negative view of affairs, I have to say this has been somewhat my son's experience (hoping he will get into a Highly Gifted Center next year in 4th grade, or at least a compacted math class in his home school). However, I do not view this as negatively as the above poster. Having never set foot in a public school myself, I was prepared for a less rigorous environment and went into this knowing I would supplement at home anyway. My son knows that although I value the social and community values of his school, my academic standards are higher than the teacher's, and that I can see at once which of his P grades he actually put effort into. We are a close-knit neighborhood, all the children on the street go to the same school and play in each others' yards. By the way, there are only a handful of private schools that DO offer a rigorous, advanced curriculum. The rest are all fluff and luxury sports complexes. You pay an arm, a leg and an eyeball for it too. So overall, I can't say I'm displeased. You just have to make the time to tweak the curriculum at home.

Find the neighborhood you like, not the school so much. I wish I did that. I looked just for school and my neighborhood is a ghost town and people barely know each other. Not a fun place to raise kids. Plus this so called great school is mediocre at best. The middle school is horrible. I much have a very involved neighborhood and send my kid to private if needed.

Anonymous wrote:

I have a child that is more motivated than they are bright (DC is smart enough but her work ethic is greater than her intelligence.) and a school that caters to that kind of student would be a better fit.

This is the type of kid that will not do well with the new MCPS system. Achievement is not recognized,rewarded or encouraged at all. If your child is gifted you can escape to the GT center and the gifted kids can get ES grades from time to time. Your child will figure out quickly that no matter how hard she works she will get the same "P" grade as if she put forth no effort at all. For kids that are more into sports or social activities, this is great. Its also great for students who struggle because they never know that they are at the bottom of the class. For kids with a strong work ethic it is very demoralizing.

Oh good grief.

OP, I hope that you will ignore this 2.0-hater.