Interesting to see this thread again. I am the OP.

I am pretty shocked to read these comments. To the poster asking about middle school, I would really be wary of the person claiming that it isn't easy in middle school or its a great experience, etc.

Things never improved past the first week. It has been a crushing disappointment all the way around and we are now trying to find an alternative. Basically looking to move over to Arlington Co or struggle to pay for private again.

We are at one of the best elementary schools so I really feel for those people stuck with schools like John Adams, William Ramsey or Jefferson Houston. I can't even imagine what it's like there.

Thank you so much for your feedback - we very much appreciate it and are glad to hear that the grading is not too easy and that the classes are challenging. Regarding the disrespectful kids, the issue seems to be in the foreign language classes which are combined classes.

Anonymous wrote:DC transferred to GW from a local private this year and we have been thrilled with the quality of the teachers and curriculum - she loves it and is thriving. The projects offer depth, encourage exploration, require serious analysis and allow for creativity at a level we never expected given our earlier experience at a well regarded ACPS elementary school. We left the system in 5th thinking private would offer the creativity we felt was important to DC but lacking ion the standard SOL curriculum - underwhelmed with the private we returned to ACPS -and so glad we did. We were a bit skeptical at first about GW but it is clear that they have been working hard . DC is also in the orchestra and it is an amazing gem of a program - conducter is incredible. Time management, organization and thinking outside of the box are nicely balanced. Higher levels of math are available to students that qualify.

Agree completely with this post. And 22:02, grading so far has not been easy, although not punishing. Our DC puts forth a reasonable (but, I admit, highly imperfect) effort, and the grades so far run from B- to A+. Have not observed the behavioral issues you identify. Is it possible that there is a special needs student acting out? That can happen in mainstream/combined classes. Honors classes may not be academically appropriate for some LD students, and you may not see the same behavior there.

DC transferred to GW from a local private this year and we have been thrilled with the quality of the teachers and curriculum - she loves it and is thriving. The projects offer depth, encourage exploration, require serious analysis and allow for creativity at a level we never expected given our earlier experience at a well regarded ACPS elementary school. We left the system in 5th thinking private would offer the creativity we felt was important to DC but lacking ion the standard SOL curriculum - underwhelmed with the private we returned to ACPS -and so glad we did. We were a bit skeptical at first about GW but it is clear that they have been working hard . DC is also in the orchestra and it is an amazing gem of a program - conducter is incredible. Time management, organization and thinking outside of the box are nicely balanced. Higher levels of math are available to students that qualify.

Thank you so much for the answers to my questions about middle school - VERY helpful, particularly regarding the rigor of the honors classes. I do have two follow up question for those of you who currently have children in middle school at ACPS: I have heard that the grading is very easy i.e. if your child makes any effort whatsoever in class (including honors classes), he or she will certainly get an A. Has this been your experience? Secondly, I have heard that some of the kids are very disrespectful to the teachers in the regular classes but there appear to be no consequences to their behavior. Is this the case?

Don't underestimate the ACPS middle-school honors classes. They are intense; there is significant homework (requiring some engagement); the classroom work by year-end is roughly a year ahead of the standard curriculum; a kid can't simply hide in the back of the room, because ACPS has kept class sizes capped. Kids who were TAG in elementary school are, in general, challenged by the MS honors classes. And a caution -- a kid who is weak, or who does not have the capacity/support for essentially daily homework (and homework every weekend) may not do well, so don't assume that an ordinarily bright, averaging-above-average kid is going to be a no-problems natural in the honors classes.

Anonymous wrote:We currently have a TAG-identified 5th grader in ACPS. I would love to get some feedback regarding the middle school - are TAG students' needs met in the honors classes? I have heard that language arts is weak - is this true? How do they keep the TAG kids challenged? We are trying to decided what to do next year and would be grateful for any advice.

Hi. The PP is correct that there are open-enrollment for the honors courses. They want to offer the opportunity for challenging work to all students (especially to help deal with pervasive achievement gap issues). ACPS received feedback from parents that, as PP pointed out, this had the effect of removing some of the rigor from some of the classes. They have made two changes this year to fix that.
1. TAG students must be "clustered" together in honors classes. There must be a minimum of 5 in each honors class. This ensure that your TAG student will not be the only one in the class, and it makes it easier to create more challenging work as needed for that cluster of students. This is part of the official 5 year TAG plan that got passed at the end of last year.
2. There was recognition that the "appeal" process in previous years for struggling students was not implemented well. Basically, if a parent whined loudly enough, the kid got to stay in the honors class, even if they didn't belong. In some instances teachers got frustrated and gave up recommending students for transfer to general ed classes because they figured they would be overruled. The system has been tightened this year. Parents and students are given a clear set of expectations at the start of the course. At the halfway point of the grading period, parents and student are given ample "warning" if the kid is not performing high enough, and tutoring is offered if the students wants. At end of period, if student still has not improved, they are transferred out. Period.
To me, this seems like a good balance of offering challenging curriculum to everyone and while serving the needs of gifted students. If you hang out on DCUM enough, you'll find that this "balance" (challenge for all vs. advanced work for gifted) is a real struggle for all of the school systems around here. Fairfax has the AAP centers, but people complain about those because they question how kids get in, and wonder if it's been "watered down" when 30-50% of students are deemed eligible. (Same kinds of questions being asked about Thomas Jefferson, where kids are struggling with advanced math when they are supposed to be the top math students in the region.)
Montgomery County is having a huge debate right now over Curriculum 2.0, with many parents concerned that their advanced kids will be forced to stay "on grade level" when they could be doing more advanced work.
From my research, I'd say it's a challenge for any school district, and I think Alexandria is doing as well as (or maybe in some respects better) than the other districts. Being a smaller district, I think sometimes it's easier for ACPS to take a more individualized approach for your particular student.
OP, we will also be heading into middle school next year, and have made the decision to stick with ACPS. Good luck to you and your family!

There is no TAG in middle school. They may be identified as TAG, but they will be in the same open-enrollment honors classes as other students. While the district says that we are to differentiate for students, I will tell you that currently in my open-enrollment honors class I have students who are way below grade level reading. The district has not set, or if it is set it is not being followed, a minimum standard for those classes (which frankly can be frustrating for the teacher as well). I am sure that the teachers will try to give your child challenging work, but if you are looking for one-on-one constant attention - that is really not possible. I hope that helps.

We currently have a TAG-identified 5th grader in ACPS. I would love to get some feedback regarding the middle school - are TAG students' needs met in the honors classes? I have heard that language arts is weak - is this true? How do they keep the TAG kids challenged? We are trying to decided what to do next year and would be grateful for any advice.

Anonymous wrote:Could some please spell out the specifics of why the in class differentiation is subpar?

I am the OP and from what I have heard from other parents it is subpar because it doesn't really happen. It really depended on the teacher whether more challenging work was ever presented and how it was presented.

The City has revamped the program and they will actually now do standard tests in 1st and 3rd grade - maybe that is now comparable to Fairfax? I read the program plan but am still unsure besides the testing what other differences would be put in place.

Anonymous wrote:Could some please spell out the specifics of why the in class differentiation is subpar?

I didn't say it was.

Could some please spell out the specifics of why the in class differentiation is subpar?

Anonymous wrote:For those kids that are eventually marked gifted by acps, how are they treated differently in kindergarten than the above average but not gifted set? I'm trying to tease out the reason why people leave acps because their child is above average but not gifted and they come to realize that acps would not serve them well. How is this evident in the k-2 grades?

In-class differentiation. There no pullouts until later. Signed, BTDT, left.

For those kids that are eventually marked gifted by acps, how are they treated differently in kindergarten than the above average but not gifted set? I'm trying to tease out the reason why people leave acps because their child is above average but not gifted and they come to realize that acps would not serve them well. How is this evident in the k-2 grades?

Anonymous wrote:For the purposes of this discussion, can someone please define "gifted"? I've met many smart and very smart kids (my own included) but very few who are truly "gifted" as I understand the term. I didn't grow up in the US so my ideas about many things academic are a bit off.

It depends on the school system. For a basic overview of "giftedness" I suggest consulting the Hoagies website:

http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/