Anonymous wrote:But why get your panties in a wad "assuming" a "probably" means something?

why do you assume I got my panties in a wad just because I asked a question and disagreed with something?

But why get your panties in a wad "assuming" a "probably" means something?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Umm, Deal gets kids from BOTH sides of the park and ALL SORTS of schools, not just the "highest SES families in DC"-the highest SES kid in Deal district probably go private, to be perfectly honest.

At some point higher SES doesn't really translate into better academics. I mean are the kids of lawyer-lobbyists really smarter/better prepared than the kids of high ranking civil servants and think tank types?

Both if those qualify as high SES. It's not purely income. It's educational attainment and other forms of social capital as well.

But i was responding to this "the highest SES kid in Deal district probably go private, to be perfectly honest."

I assume that refers to income - are parents with Phds more likely to send their kids to private (rather than Deal) than MBA's?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a Basis parent and am SICk of hearing about Basis! I am so much more interested in what our CITY is going to do to narrow the racial proficiency gap-44% AA proficiency vs 92% Caucasian is just despicable and it needs to be dealt with now!

As DCPS has found out -- and should have known -- you can't close the achievement gap by hiring/ firing and evaluating teachers. It's much more complex and time consuming than that.

Once they figure out how to effectively deal with the effects of poverty, we will make some progress

There us a plan. It entrails importing over-achievers and sending under-achievers to PG county. It's working. It's just taking longer than expected...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a Basis parent and am SICk of hearing about Basis! I am so much more interested in what our CITY is going to do to narrow the racial proficiency gap-44% AA proficiency vs 92% Caucasian is just despicable and it needs to be dealt with now!

Finally someone who has common sense.
By the way, BASIS has been consistently counsing out students who are advanced in math and the sciences but need help in language. The reason is that the AP classes start in 8th grade and they won't be able to take them.

This claim is pure bullshite on many levels.

For one, neither you nor I nor anyone else on this board is privy to the reasons why students choose to try different schools. To go around making wild claims of what Basis supposedly does "consistently" is completely out of line, just as are your claims of being "counseled out" - nobody is being asked to leave.

Secondly, you claim about AP classes also makes zero sense, as they give accommodations on language including for AP, such as supporting dyslexic students, giving extra time to take the test, readers and many other things. Also, not every student takes AP courses in 8th grade. In 8th they offer AP World History - but that is purely optional.

Anonymous wrote:I am a Basis parent and am SICk of hearing about Basis! I am so much more interested in what our CITY is going to do to narrow the racial proficiency gap-44% AA proficiency vs 92% Caucasian is just despicable and it needs to be dealt with now!

As DCPS has found out -- and should have known -- you can't close the achievement gap by hiring/ firing and evaluating teachers. It's much more complex and time consuming than that.

Once they figure out how to effectively deal with the effects of poverty, we will make some progress

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a Basis parent and am SICk of hearing about Basis! I am so much more interested in what our CITY is going to do to narrow the racial proficiency gap-44% AA proficiency vs 92% Caucasian is just despicable and it needs to be dealt with now!

There is a gap no matter which DC school and no matter if we're talking about a group of kids in the exact same classroom with the exact same teachers and supports. That demonstrates that the achievement gap extends well beyond the school.

Right - and something I've never heard DCPS address when talking about effective teachers -- they have the data in their hands that show it's not a simple matter of effective teachers.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:[quote=Anonymous

Overall, for the majority, high SES does indeed translate into higher academic achievement levels, just as low SES does indeed translate into lower academic achievement levels. Yes, there are rich spoiled brats who'd rather play hooky, bully and harass and otherwise are not academically-inclined, just as there are low-SES kids who are gifted and talented and high achievers, but those are the outliers, those do not represent the norm.

This is the best post I've see on DCUM in a while

Which is why the highest scoring schools are located in the most affluent neighborhoods. So you can stop doing your touchdown dance if your Upper Caucasia school posted high test scores. And you can also stop the deprecating remarks about schools located in the least affluent neighborhoods. These are not "bad" schools filled with "ineffective" or "minimally effective" teachers. They are schools that are doing the best job they can for the students they have.