Anonymous wrote:The post from 14:00 today -- which is so ridiculously obnoxious that it shouldn't be repeated -- reflects a sentiment that I've seen on this site multiple times.

The line of exchanges that lead to a post like 14:00 usually goes something like this:

First: Someone says that those of us who send our kids to schools like SH/EH/JA don't prioritize the education of our kids, don't care enough about our kids, or something along those lines.

Next: Someone points out that upper-income kids in those schools perform comparably to upper-income kids in Ward 3 schools, pointing to PARCC data for white kids (which is a decent proxy for upper-income in DC).

Finally: Someone like the poster at 14:00 clings onto the word "white" and accuses us of caring only about our own kids -- which completely contradicts the original accusation made against us.

So which one is it, people? Do those of us with kids at SH/EH/JA not care enough about our own kids? Or do we care too much about them to the exclusion of others.

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Anonymous wrote:Nonsense. Families of high-performing 8th graders who stuck with DCPS for middle school have always done very well in admission to Walls, Banneker and Ellington. The trend is readily apparent to anybody who's been paying attention to who gets in where for high school for many years, like we have.

Except that is nonsense. There is an inherent oxymoron in your statement. High performing kids don’t go to failing schools.

SH is not a failing school by any reasonable definition. It definitely has high performing kids. It got a bunch of kids into Walls this year.

Tell yourself whatever helps you sleep at night.

If is correct that that high performing kids don’t go to failing schools, then SH obviously isn’t failing with 60+ kids getting at least 1 5 on PARRC; basically one full class per grade.

You’re reading the data incorrectly.

No… I’m not. There are 13% ELA 5s at a 500+ person school. That means there are more than 60 kids getting 5s even if all the math 5s are repeats. Try again.

Link your sources then. DCPS doesn't break the data down far enough to tell you this.

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Anonymous wrote:Nonsense. Families of high-performing 8th graders who stuck with DCPS for middle school have always done very well in admission to Walls, Banneker and Ellington. The trend is readily apparent to anybody who's been paying attention to who gets in where for high school for many years, like we have.

Except that is nonsense. There is an inherent oxymoron in your statement. High performing kids don’t go to failing schools.

SH is not a failing school by any reasonable definition. It definitely has high performing kids. It got a bunch of kids into Walls this year.

Tell yourself whatever helps you sleep at night.

If is correct that that high performing kids don’t go to failing schools, then SH obviously isn’t failing with 60+ kids getting at least 1 5 on PARRC; basically one full class per grade.

You’re reading the data incorrectly.

No… I’m not. There are 13% ELA 5s at a 500+ person school. That means there are more than 60 kids getting 5s even if all the math 5s are repeats. Try again.

Link your sources then. DCPS doesn't break the data down far enough to tell you this.

I think my favorite aspect of the fake data poster is that they’re only concerned with white kids. Yet I bet they have an obnoxious yard sign, have possibly joined sws’s who’re parents club, and obnoxiously talk about how woke they are. Yet when it comes down to it, SH is a “acceptable option” because their white kids will be fine. Just disgusting all around.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nonsense. Families of high-performing 8th graders who stuck with DCPS for middle school have always done very well in admission to Walls, Banneker and Ellington. The trend is readily apparent to anybody who's been paying attention to who gets in where for high school for many years, like we have.

Except that is nonsense. There is an inherent oxymoron in your statement. High performing kids don’t go to failing schools.

SH is not a failing school by any reasonable definition. It definitely has high performing kids. It got a bunch of kids into Walls this year.

Tell yourself whatever helps you sleep at night.

If is correct that that high performing kids don’t go to failing schools, then SH obviously isn’t failing with 60+ kids getting at least 1 5 on PARRC; basically one full class per grade.

You’re reading the data incorrectly.

No… I’m not. There are 13% ELA 5s at a 500+ person school. That means there are more than 60 kids getting 5s even if all the math 5s are repeats. Try again.

Link your sources then. DCPS doesn't break the data down far enough to tell you this.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The thread is ridiculous. Vanishingly few Hill parents would tell you that they are satisfied with their middle school options. That doesn't mean that SH is a failing school that produces only mediocre students who could never succeed at Walls or college or life.

SH has about one class of kids per grade who test above grade level on PARCC ELA. That's enough of a cohort for many parents when paired with excellent performing arts, more flexibility than other schools/admins (e.g., for language self-study, PTO involvement, student-initiated afterschool activities), convenient location, good extracurricular offerings & enough cash/time to supplement.

Lots of these kids come out of SH and get into Walls (and yes, DCPS does seem to prefer its own grads) or Banneker or go private and end up doing well.

SH may not be your cup of tea. It may have serious issues. But to call it a failing school is ludicrous.

+1. We are IB for SH and plan to move out of DC for middle school. But that's largely because of the poor high school options and wanting a larger school that can offer more (in pretty much every way -- more academic offerings, more extra-curriculars, more sports, more arts, etc.). But SH seems like a perfectly acceptable school. If DCPS had more viable high school options, especially on the east side of town, we'd absolutely consider SH a reasonable option. Not perfect, but acceptable.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nonsense. Families of high-performing 8th graders who stuck with DCPS for middle school have always done very well in admission to Walls, Banneker and Ellington. The trend is readily apparent to anybody who's been paying attention to who gets in where for high school for many years, like we have.

Except that is nonsense. There is an inherent oxymoron in your statement. High performing kids don’t go to failing schools.

SH is not a failing school by any reasonable definition. It definitely has high performing kids. It got a bunch of kids into Walls this year.

Tell yourself whatever helps you sleep at night.

If is correct that that high performing kids don’t go to failing schools, then SH obviously isn’t failing with 60+ kids getting at least 1 5 on PARRC; basically one full class per grade.

You’re reading the data incorrectly.

No… I’m not. There are 13% ELA 5s at a 500+ person school. That means there are more than 60 kids getting 5s even if all the math 5s are repeats. Try again.

Link your sources then. DCPS doesn't break the data down far enough to tell you this.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nonsense. Families of high-performing 8th graders who stuck with DCPS for middle school have always done very well in admission to Walls, Banneker and Ellington. The trend is readily apparent to anybody who's been paying attention to who gets in where for high school for many years, like we have.

Except that is nonsense. There is an inherent oxymoron in your statement. High performing kids don’t go to failing schools.

SH is not a failing school by any reasonable definition. It definitely has high performing kids. It got a bunch of kids into Walls this year.

Tell yourself whatever helps you sleep at night.

If is correct that that high performing kids don’t go to failing schools, then SH obviously isn’t failing with 60+ kids getting at least 1 5 on PARRC; basically one full class per grade.

You’re reading the data incorrectly.

No… I’m not. There are 13% ELA 5s at a 500+ person school. That means there are more than 60 kids getting 5s even if all the math 5s are repeats. Try again.

Anonymous wrote:The thread is ridiculous. Vanishingly few Hill parents would tell you that they are satisfied with their middle school options. That doesn't mean that SH is a failing school that produces only mediocre students who could never succeed at Walls or college or life.

SH has about one class of kids per grade who test above grade level on PARCC ELA. That's enough of a cohort for many parents when paired with excellent performing arts, more flexibility than other schools/admins (e.g., for language self-study, PTO involvement, student-initiated afterschool activities), convenient location, good extracurricular offerings & enough cash/time to supplement.

Lots of these kids come out of SH and get into Walls (and yes, DCPS does seem to prefer its own grads) or Banneker or go private and end up doing well.

SH may not be your cup of tea. It may have serious issues. But to call it a failing school is ludicrous.

Anonymous wrote:No, but BASIS has young teachers who cry in front of classrooms of rowdy kids and silly controlling admins who are out of their depth.

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Anonymous wrote:Why do you think it is a failing school? Looking for reasons that go beyond just the demographics and PARCC test scores.

There is a little bit of a scarcity mindset on the Hill with the 5-12 charter schools. But not everyone wants the lengthy commute to Latin. Not everyone wants the level of homework, limited recess, and/or the stress/anxiety that might accompany comprehensive testing starting in 6th grade at Basis.

So settle for mediocrity?

SH, EH and JA don't exactly have a monopoly on mediocrity where DC public middle schools popular with Hill families go. BASIS won't permit students to study a language until 8th grade, and then only at the beginning level (mandatory). SH's admins told us that we didn't have to take a language, freeing us up to continue to homeschool our middle schooler in our native language at a v. advanced level without the burden of studying another language at the beginning level at school. You see mediocrity where other families may be aiming high in their own ways. If a kid excels in the performing arts, SH is much better bet than BASIS or Latin if you want arts instruction at school, no comparison. SH also has many older, experienced great teachers. BASIS pays and treats teachers poorly by comparison, leading to much higher teacher turnover than at SH along with far more inexperienced teachers with weak classroom management skills.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do you think it is a failing school? Looking for reasons that go beyond just the demographics and PARCC test scores.

There is a little bit of a scarcity mindset on the Hill with the 5-12 charter schools. But not everyone wants the lengthy commute to Latin. Not everyone wants the level of homework, limited recess, and/or the stress/anxiety that might accompany comprehensive testing starting in 6th grade at Basis.

So settle for mediocrity?

SH, EH and JA don't exactly have a monopoly on mediocrity where DC public middle schools popular with Hill families go. BASIS won't permit students to study a language until 8th grade, and then only at the beginning level (mandatory). SH's admins told us that we didn't have to take a language, freeing us up to continue to homeschool our middle schooler in our native language at a v. advanced level without the burden of studying another language at the beginning level at school. You see mediocrity where other families may be aiming high in their own ways. If a kid excels in the performing arts, SH is much better bet than BASIS or Latin if you want arts instruction at school, no comparison. SH also has many older, experienced great teachers. BASIS pays and treats teachers poorly by comparison, leading to much higher teacher turnover than at SH along with far more inexperienced teachers with weak classroom management skills.

BASIS doesn't have kids setting couches on fire like SH does!