Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really think people who are anxious should get involved. It’s really counterproductive to be all “sky is falling” based on your subjective impression of one meeting. This is a great opportunity for a smaller high school with a lot of bright, high achieving kids. I’ve pored over area high schools extensively, and unless you are going to pull up roots and move to western MoCo, the new HS is as good an opportunity as anything else.

Hey, great idea! And you recommend that we get involved how exactly? Apply to be Chancellor? Run for Mayor?

There is an advisory-only working group with a set membership of community representatives. They are doing great work, within the narrow parameters set by DCPS. This CWG has help a couple of online meetings to catch the rest of us (including the meeting last week), and we’ve had the opportunity to respond to a survey. That’s it. That is how we can be involved. Unless you know something we don’t?

You want to know why this once-optimistic parent is now anxious? Because in these meetings we learn gems like this one: The DCPS liaisons said that they had planned to hire a principal by around now, but then realized that September is not a time that candidates are looking for principal jobs. No lie! They are in the principal-hiring business and only now do they realize that the time to hire a principal was last Spring/Summer. Does that give you cause for optimism?!

Anonymous wrote:Honestly I think DCPS just expects this school will be filled with OOB kids from sub-par neighborhoods who will take whatever they can get because their local HS is not acceptable. These kids will be driven by their committed parents.

When people are desperate for another, safer option they won’t complain too much about programming. It’s the sad truth.

DCPS probably isn’t anticipating real buy-in from the in-boundary families until 4-5 years down the road.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Also, Banneker HS has the IB program. Anyone have experience with how its implemented there?

The Banneker IB program is very much a school-within-a-school type program. The DCPS presentation deck seems to think that’s a bad model for a neighborhood school, and I agree. They’re proposing something more like Eastern, or Robinson in FCPS, where some students sign up for the whole IB diploma, but other students just take one or two IB courses. Every such program I‘ve looked at offers some AP courses as well, and DCPS seems to assume that’s how it would work at MacArthur. Also the deck says an IB program comes with extra money, which would help to get extra resources to the school as they ramp up.

I would love DC to get a strong public IB program, like BCC or other suburban schools, but I worry this will turn into a watered down, low expectations program like DCI's IB for all. Not all kids can and should try to do IB and DC does not need another IB program with insufficient rigor.

Given the teacher shortage, I think it will be a little bit easier to find experienced teachers to hire who are familiar with AP courses rather than IB.
I also think IB is a mixed bag. It may be stronger than AP in developing writing and research skills but the new AP seminar courses are designed to correct that deficiency. AP STEM courses (Science, Math and CS) are stronger in the AP pathway than IB.
DCPS is terrible at juggling multiple things. They should stick to AP rather than trying to create a hodgepodge that will be a nightmare to manage effectively

IB math and stem courses are very strong, they are just more integrated math(s) than being oddly divided into algebra or geometry as completely separate. But the rigor and depth is real.

I don’t see the advantage of IB STEM over AP. AP Bio, Chem, Physics, Calculus do a great job of mirroring the equivalent college courses. AP CSA is good too

Anonymous wrote:I really think people who are anxious should get involved. It’s really counterproductive to be all “sky is falling” based on your subjective impression of one meeting. This is a great opportunity for a smaller high school with a lot of bright, high achieving kids. I’ve pored over area high schools extensively, and unless you are going to pull up roots and move to western MoCo, the new HS is as good an opportunity as anything else.

Anonymous wrote:I really think people who are anxious should get involved. It’s really counterproductive to be all “sky is falling” based on your subjective impression of one meeting. This is a great opportunity for a smaller high school with a lot of bright, high achieving kids. I’ve pored over area high schools extensively, and unless you are going to pull up roots and move to western MoCo, the new HS is as good an opportunity as anything else.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly I think DCPS just expects this school will be filled with OOB kids from sub-par neighborhoods who will take whatever they can get because their local HS is not acceptable. These kids will be driven by their committed parents.

When people are desperate for another, safer option they won’t complain too much about programming. It’s the sad truth.

DCPS probably isn’t anticipating real buy-in from the in-boundary families until 4-5 years down the road.

“Sub-par neighborhoods,” really? No need to be so obnoxious.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Also, Banneker HS has the IB program. Anyone have experience with how its implemented there?

The Banneker IB program is very much a school-within-a-school type program. The DCPS presentation deck seems to think that’s a bad model for a neighborhood school, and I agree. They’re proposing something more like Eastern, or Robinson in FCPS, where some students sign up for the whole IB diploma, but other students just take one or two IB courses. Every such program I‘ve looked at offers some AP courses as well, and DCPS seems to assume that’s how it would work at MacArthur. Also the deck says an IB program comes with extra money, which would help to get extra resources to the school as they ramp up.

I would love DC to get a strong public IB program, like BCC or other suburban schools, but I worry this will turn into a watered down, low expectations program like DCI's IB for all. Not all kids can and should try to do IB and DC does not need another IB program with insufficient rigor.

Given the teacher shortage, I think it will be a little bit easier to find experienced teachers to hire who are familiar with AP courses rather than IB.
I also think IB is a mixed bag. It may be stronger than AP in developing writing and research skills but the new AP seminar courses are designed to correct that deficiency. AP STEM courses (Science, Math and CS) are stronger in the AP pathway than IB.
DCPS is terrible at juggling multiple things. They should stick to AP rather than trying to create a hodgepodge that will be a nightmare to manage effectively

IB math and stem courses are very strong, they are just more integrated math(s) than being oddly divided into algebra or geometry as completely separate. But the rigor and depth is real.

. +1. IB Highet Level STEM classes and exams are tougher than AP. The entire exams are graded by humans, not computers. I don’t see any prospect for a DC public IBD program on a par with the better suburban programs to materialize. Just no point in wishing for one.

Anonymous wrote:Honestly I think DCPS just expects this school will be filled with OOB kids from sub-par neighborhoods who will take whatever they can get because their local HS is not acceptable. These kids will be driven by their committed parents.

When people are desperate for another, safer option they won’t complain too much about programming. It’s the sad truth.

DCPS probably isn’t anticipating real buy-in from the in-boundary families until 4-5 years down the road.

Anonymous wrote:Another big issue I see with MacArthur is administrative turnover. They need an executive team that will be absolutely committed to being there for 5 years minimum to get it off the ground and execute on the vision for the school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Also, Banneker HS has the IB program. Anyone have experience with how its implemented there?

The Banneker IB program is very much a school-within-a-school type program. The DCPS presentation deck seems to think that’s a bad model for a neighborhood school, and I agree. They’re proposing something more like Eastern, or Robinson in FCPS, where some students sign up for the whole IB diploma, but other students just take one or two IB courses. Every such program I‘ve looked at offers some AP courses as well, and DCPS seems to assume that’s how it would work at MacArthur. Also the deck says an IB program comes with extra money, which would help to get extra resources to the school as they ramp up.

I would love DC to get a strong public IB program, like BCC or other suburban schools, but I worry this will turn into a watered down, low expectations program like DCI's IB for all. Not all kids can and should try to do IB and DC does not need another IB program with insufficient rigor.

Given the teacher shortage, I think it will be a little bit easier to find experienced teachers to hire who are familiar with AP courses rather than IB.
I also think IB is a mixed bag. It may be stronger than AP in developing writing and research skills but the new AP seminar courses are designed to correct that deficiency. AP STEM courses (Science, Math and CS) are stronger in the AP pathway than IB.
DCPS is terrible at juggling multiple things. They should stick to AP rather than trying to create a hodgepodge that will be a nightmare to manage effectively

IB math and stem courses are very strong, they are just more integrated math(s) than being oddly divided into algebra or geometry as completely separate. But the rigor and depth is real.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Also, Banneker HS has the IB program. Anyone have experience with how its implemented there?

The Banneker IB program is very much a school-within-a-school type program. The DCPS presentation deck seems to think that’s a bad model for a neighborhood school, and I agree. They’re proposing something more like Eastern, or Robinson in FCPS, where some students sign up for the whole IB diploma, but other students just take one or two IB courses. Every such program I‘ve looked at offers some AP courses as well, and DCPS seems to assume that’s how it would work at MacArthur. Also the deck says an IB program comes with extra money, which would help to get extra resources to the school as they ramp up.

I would love DC to get a strong public IB program, like BCC or other suburban schools, but I worry this will turn into a watered down, low expectations program like DCI's IB for all. Not all kids can and should try to do IB and DC does not need another IB program with insufficient rigor.

Given the teacher shortage, I think it will be a little bit easier to find experienced teachers to hire who are familiar with AP courses rather than IB.
I also think IB is a mixed bag. It may be stronger than AP in developing writing and research skills but the new AP seminar courses are designed to correct that deficiency. AP STEM courses (Science, Math and CS) are stronger in the AP pathway than IB.
DCPS is terrible at juggling multiple things. They should stick to AP rather than trying to create a hodgepodge that will be a nightmare to manage effectively

IB math and stem courses are very strong, they are just more integrated math(s) than being oddly divided into algebra or geometry as completely separate. But the rigor and depth is real.