Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are inbound for JO Wilson. Many of our neighbors are seriously considering JO but are trying for the nearby charters first - Two Rivers, SWS, etc.

We realize that those are long shots and would be happy if JO was the only good option.

I love how people consider SWS a charter...

It is a citywide draw, so practically speaking, it is.

Anonymous wrote:We are inbound for JO Wilson. Many of our neighbors are seriously considering JO but are trying for the nearby charters first - Two Rivers, SWS, etc.

We realize that those are long shots and would be happy if JO was the only good option.

I love how people consider SWS a charter...

I've toured both and it's a toss up for me.

I like the principal and teachers of JO Wilson better, but I also like the Reggio Amelia approach at Ludlow Taylor. So, I'm on the fence.

Also, as a plus, the upper grades at JO seemed (from the tour) more "academic" and "challenging" to me. In the 1st grade class we visited, the teacher was very good at fostering critical thinking and using advanced vocabulary words (more 3rd grade vocab vs. 1st grade). She called on about about 7 kids who provided thoughtful answers during the 10 min in the room. The teachers at JO are also lauded as some of the best in the system - according to other teachers and school board council who have visited.

When I toured Ludlow's 1st grade (and this may have just been the particular class and I time I went), the teacher seemed more focused on behavior modeling which took up a large portion of the time we were in the class.

Again, these were just first impressions from a quick tour of both schools. But overall I "felt better" about J.O. Wilson but thought Ludlow was a good safety school option too.

The parents I've talked to at both schools seem happy there, so I'll like put JO as 11 and Ludlow as 12.

Anyone trying to decide how to rank Wilson versus LUdlow as safeties?

This question solely relates to the current leadership. I doubt very seeiously that this administration would allow any cheating.

The PPs have likely not met the current principal. She is very direct and surprisingly addressed lots of the hearsay during the open house. She's also quite accessible.

If anyone has concerns about this, yes talk with the principal.

I'm sure your concerns would be allayed.

The current (new) principal is an open book and seems to be addressing EVERY school issue one by one. Again, just talk with her about how she addressed aftercare and her plans to improve everything she can.

Can anyone with a child over the age of 3-4 enrolled at JO Wilson chime in about academics in higher grades?

EXACTLY! The sham investigation, aka cover-up leaves all these questions hanging. Including about JO Wilson

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If there are teachers still in the classroom who were responsible for the sky-high erasure rates there it is still a problem. You really think it is ok to have adults who don't cheat only because testing protocols are tightened up a huge part of your kids' lives?

If I was looking at JO Wilson for the long term ( through 5th grade ). I would be asking lots of questions about that.

IIRC, they didn't suspect individual teachers of erasing answers, but folks in admin. One of the things they assessed in the aftermath, for example, was how well the rooms completed tests were stored in were secured. I don't think they thought streams of individual teachers were sneaking in to "correct" answer sheets.

Considering the scale of erasures at Wilson, I would be surprised if it was only a couple of administrators doing it. That would have taken them a helluva long time.

Not that we'll ever know, since DCPS didn't see fit to investigate.

Any current J.O. parents have thoughts on the 2008 testing scandal? Does that influence whether or not you will stay past early elementary?

Anonymous wrote:If there are teachers still in the classroom who were responsible for the sky-high erasure rates there it is still a problem. You really think it is ok to have adults who don't cheat only because testing protocols are tightened up a huge part of your kids' lives?

If I was looking at JO Wilson for the long term ( through 5th grade ). I would be asking lots of questions about that.

IIRC, they didn't suspect individual teachers of erasing answers, but folks in admin. One of the things they assessed in the aftermath, for example, was how well the rooms completed tests were stored in were secured. I don't think they thought streams of individual teachers were sneaking in to "correct" answer sheets.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If there are teachers still in the classroom who were responsible for the sky-high erasure rates there it is still a problem. You really think it is ok to have adults who don't cheat only because testing protocols are tightened up a huge part of your kids' lives?

If I was looking at JO Wilson for the long term ( through 5th grade ). I would be asking lots of questions about that.

Well, that was the 2008 DC CAS. Have there been any allegations of impropriety in the five years since? When do you think a school can move on? I'm not a J.O. parent, but I strongly dislike the DCUM mentality that a school is forever "good" or "bad" and doesn't reflect the experience of recent years.

A school can move on when the people responsible are gone. That was the PP's point. If the teachers in question are still there (and I have no idea if they are or aren't), would you really be a-ok with having your child in that person's classroom? I wouldn't. So I agree with the PP that I would be asking questions about that.

Anonymous wrote:If there are teachers still in the classroom who were responsible for the sky-high erasure rates there it is still a problem. You really think it is ok to have adults who don't cheat only because testing protocols are tightened up a huge part of your kids' lives?

If I was looking at JO Wilson for the long term ( through 5th grade ). I would be asking lots of questions about that.

Well, that was the 2008 DC CAS. Have there been any allegations of impropriety in the five years since? When do you think a school can move on? I'm not a J.O. parent, but I strongly dislike the DCUM mentality that a school is forever "good" or "bad" and doesn't reflect the experience of recent years.

If there are teachers still in the classroom who were responsible for the sky-high erasure rates there it is still a problem. You really think it is ok to have adults who don't cheat only because testing protocols are tightened up a huge part of your kids' lives?

If I was looking at JO Wilson for the long term ( through 5th grade ). I would be asking lots of questions about that.