Posts by Susan James

mellowskipper said:So, I gave it a look.
My personal take—if you could even call it that—is that Conor McGregor has the hardest road ahead of him, while Titus definitely has it the easiest.
Maybe they should just put everything out there right from the start.

Personally, I think it’s actually better if things stay exactly as they are.
Especially if Milo is already happy with how the selection turned out.
🤷

Sarah Hall53 said:Honestly, I think you’d be pretty surprised. I have this whole group of girlfriends who were total linguistics nerds in high school and then somehow ended up pivoting straight into STEM fields. And then there's the flip side—I know plenty of math whizzes who spent their teen years obsessing over literature and languages. It’s strange, really... it's like at some point, something just clicks in your brain and you head off in a completely different direction.

God forbid that actually happens. I was just thinking—if she doesn't get into that school in Washington, D.C., maybe there’s a chance with the one in Annapolis? Is a transfer even a possibility there? And honestly... what kind of half-baked argument could we possibly use to convince them to actually listen?

Man, the commute around here is just such a nightmare lately—seriously, the connectivity is absolute garbage. It feels like the public transit lines were designed by someone who’s never actually tried to get anywhere in real life. You pick a route, thinking it’ll get you from point A to point B, and then—bam—you're stuck waiting on a bus that's already twenty minutes late, or you realize the transfer takes forever because the schedules don't even remotely line up. It’s honestly exhausting. Just one constant struggle to move from one place to another without losing your mind.

So, let me pick your brain on this...
What do you think (or better yet, what do language specialists think) about those dual-language programs where most classes are taught in English, even though they are technically humanities tracks?
Some subjects are taught in English, while others stay in American English.
In some advanced tracks, you'll even see things taught in Spanish or French.

To me, it sounds amazing (I’ve had great experiences with immersion programs for kids, and it’s definitely more affordable than private prep schools 😬), but how does it work in reality?
What do the linguists say about non-specialists teaching their core subjects in a foreign language?

Looking at various combinations at major universities, it seems like you could pair Philosophy, Political Science, or Art History with a specific language. In those cases, an actual expert ends up teaching their subject in a second language. I'm not sure how it works for Biology or Chemistry, though since English is the standard for scientific papers, I assume those folks have a great enough grasp of the language to teach it. From what I see on their websites, though, it mostly seems to involve Liberal Arts subjects.

mellowskipper said:To be honest, I haven't seen them myself—but someone else on the forums was mentioning earlier that the questions aren't even all that impressive. I guess if the material is just average, then the selection process is only going to pick up average students, rather than those with a real edge in STEM.

Aside from making subjective guesses about how hard or easy things are, it’s probably best not to comment on stuff you haven't actually seen yet.

mioc

first

titus

Well, look at how difficult they turned out to be 🤷
and should they really be identical for every high school in the country?

mellowskipper said:Of course they should have the freedom to choose what they want—that’s a given. But I have my doubts—perhaps just a hunch—that kids who aren't already crushing it in STEM are actually going to gravitate toward PMO or specialized science academies. It seems more likely that someone coming out of a place like Mio would lean toward STEM or Treasury studies rather than, say, sociology or something equally niche. And as for putting computer science on the entrance exams? I highly doubt that will happen, especially since it's only an elective in 7th and 8th grade. Still, I suppose the idea itself isn't entirely bad.
When I mentioned competitive tasks, I was thinking of something a bit more complex—you know, a higher level than just the usual average stuff. More like actual brain teasers.

God forbid that actually happens. I was just wondering—if she doesn't get into that school in Washington, D.C., but maybe makes it into the one in Annapolis instead—would a transfer even be possible? And honestly... what kind of halfway decent argument could anyone even use to convince them to approve it?

"Tearing things apart" is such a subjective term, isn't it? It really depends on who you ask.
It’s one of those things where they often don't realize it until they sit down for that first big placement exam in freshman year... and by then, it might already be a little too late to catch up.
It’s funny how that works, isn't it? Parents always have such a clear vision for their kids—they want the best, they want stability, they want them to succeed in specific ways. But then you look at the child, and their actual talents and passions might be heading in a completely different direction. It’s like wanting your kid to be a star quarterback when they’re clearly more interested in coding or playing the cello. There can be such a massive gap between what parents hope for and who the child actually turns out to be.

You can find some examples of the acceptance forms on pages 15, 1, and Titus.
Just take a look for yourself—you can really see the differences between them...

What’s the downside to pursuing sociology or ideology if a kid is actually interested in them? I suppose the main concern people bring up is that there's a smaller chance of transitioning directly from the PMO into those fields, but that certainly doesn't mean it's impossible. 😬
I was just thinking—maybe that’s exactly why people don't stay in the PMO for long, even if they have stellar performance reviews. Once you realize how much heavy lifting and intense work is ahead, you might start looking for something else entirely. It's like after a high-pressure stint, you just want to find a role that feeds your soul a bit more—something laid-back where you can actually enjoy the pace. A little extended adolescence, if you will!

mellowskipper said:Of course they should have the freedom to choose what they want—that’s a given. But I have my doubts—perhaps just a hunch—that kids who aren't already crushing it in STEM are actually going to gravitate toward PMO or specialized science academies. It seems more likely that someone coming out of a place like Mio would lean toward STEM or Treasury studies rather than, say, sociology or something equally niche. And as for putting computer science on the entrance exams? I highly doubt that will happen, especially since it's only an elective in 7th and 8th grade. Still, I suppose the idea itself isn't entirely bad.
When I mentioned competitive tasks, I was thinking of something a bit more complex—you know, a higher level than just the usual average stuff. More like actual brain teasers.

God forbid that actually happens. I was just wondering—if she doesn't get into that school in Washington, D.C., but maybe makes it into the one in Annapolis instead—would a transfer even be possible? And honestly... what kind of halfway decent argument could anyone even use to convince them to approve it?

Well, you could always try filing a formal complaint with FERC if you want to take it that route.😬 I'm being completely serious!

Sarah Hall53 said:It’s honestly just a way to bail out the kids who are about to fail—you know, those ones where they get transferred to some other school, preferably a private academy, during this last month of the term, and suddenly all their failing grades just... vanish.
Then, once they hit the next grade level, they try to slide right back into their old public school like nothing ever happened.

The rule about not being able to transfer after the mid-year mark? Honestly, I think that's perfectly fine.

One thing is when parents make a mistake during enrollment, or realize the commute is too much (like if 😬 Amtrak starts multi-year track repairs), but that's different from someone treating the enrollment process like a "Plan B" option. 🤷
It isn't fair to the students who didn't get into their first choice because spots were taken by people who then immediately left. It's also not fair to the regular students who actually earned their spot in that second school...
(though I did hear they at least look at grades when handling transfers, like comparing West High to Kennedy High)

By the way, does anyone have data on how many applicants there are for specific high schools broken down by age? Also, does anyone know if interest in Mio dropped or rose when they introduced the entrance exams?
I heard that interest in Titus has been dropping for the last two years, but people are saying it's because of the earthquake damage. That actually makes sense to me, since people used to target that school specifically because it was a one-way commute. That's probably why they brought in the entrance exams in the first place, though I wonder if they even matter now.

mellowskipper said:Well, the chemical technician program is based out of a small town in Ohio. But the real focus was on launching those extra tracks to steer kids toward STEM or technical fields—so either the PM track or just pure sciences. Honestly, either way works fine.
Personally, I don't see any reason why entrance exams shouldn't be standardized. If they set, say, 20 questions, maybe the last few should be at a competitive level just to shake things up. That’s how you actually filter people.
Speaking from my own experience as a former high schooler, if you're studying consistently every single day, there isn't really a problem—nor is there any massive amount of extra stress.
Looking back now, I realize just how much useless stuff I spent time cramming... though, I suppose I didn't really know what I wanted to major in back then, so what could I do?
If I could turn back the clock, I definitely wouldn't have enrolled...

But why push them toward specific majors so early?
Hardly any kid knows what they want to do at 15; most change their minds dozens of times before they hit 18, and plenty more do it even later.
A huge number of students who go into STEM end up in med school or working for FERC, but they also pivot to law or finance....

Kids should enroll in things they are actually interested in and already have a knack for, rather than being forced into something they aren't wired for just because it sounds "cool" or "stable" to parents. You know the drill—parents think it's a guaranteed path to a good paycheck and less struggle down the road.

It's actually this exact "pushing toward STEM" that led to the massive surge in STEM applications, which then caused grade inflation across almost all subjects. It's all about forcing competition to rack up points and debating whether one STEM track is harder than another....

Instead of just using "competitive difficulty" for STEM entrance exams, they should include physics and computer science too. Not necessarily to pick the absolute best, but to give the kids (and by extension, the parents) a reality check on what high school curriculum actually looks like and whether they are truly cut out for it.

mellowskipper said:By the way, speaking of that technical high school in that small town in Ohio—is it actually possible to enroll there first, and then just transfer over to New York City halfway through the semester?
Just thinking about it as a potential Plan B, I guess.

Technically, you can transfer from any school, provided the one you’re aiming for actually has an opening for you... if there's space available. 😬

I think they’ve tightened up the transfer rules recently. If you want to switch, you usually have to do it by the end of the first semester. Basically, at the very last faculty meeting of the term, they have to vote on whether or not they'll accept a new student.

mellowskipper said:PM programs have become incredibly popular over the last few years. A friend’s kid was applying for a chemical technician track at a small town in Ohio recently—there were over 300 applicants, and I think they only accept one class per year.
Back in my day, those kinds of tracks were basically just like an Agricultural high school. It's funny how much things change, I guess.
Still, I suppose opening additional PM classes is a good move—it probably increases the odds that these kids actually head toward related university majors, rather than pivoting to something like cultural anthropology or indiology.
The entrance exams really ought to be unified and standardized. We shouldn't have kids jumping from one test to another—it just creates more unnecessary stress than they need.
There should also be some sort of way to encourage or incentivize students from surrounding areas to attend schools in their own local hubs if that's the specialty they want. Otherwise, you end up with this massive influx of kids from, say, a suburban town near a major city, all descending on the general high schools in New York City.

I think you might have mixed a couple of things up;

a) The chemical technician program isn't part of the standard STEM track, and they don't use an entrance exam for it.
b) The STEM program in that small town in Ohio isn't quite the same as the STEM programs in other specialized high schools—they focus heavily on extra chemistry and biology labs. Captawish actually pointed that out to me yesterday, so I went back and double-checked the curriculum.
c) Even within NYC, STEM programs aren't identical; there are three different specializations, and not every STEM school offers every track. Usually, it involves four hours of math in the first two years and five hours in the final two, plus two foreign language credits (which honestly isn't a huge leap from a general high school curriculum). Then you have the computer science-heavy tracks with extra math, and just a couple of specific schools offer the advanced math track with six hours in the first two years and seven in the last two...

Hopefully, I summarized that correctly...

If a student is already overwhelmed by taking three different entrance exams in a single week, maybe high school isn't the right fit for them. If they can't handle that level of pressure, how are they going to manage five tests a week, constant presentations, and heavy projects? 🤷
(And honestly, very few students end up having to take more than one or maybe two exams anyway.)

When I mentioned kids from outside the city, I meant that they often choose schools on the outskirts of the metro area (especially since those neighborhoods have grown so much lately). I think the high schools in those areas are just as full and don't necessarily need extra "incentives" to get people to enroll—people are enrolling because the population is growing and interest is high. It’s just that most of the top high schools are still concentrated right in the heart of the city, which is where everyone seems to aim.

Whether they live in the city or the suburbs, kids end up in various schools. I remember a kid about seven or eight years ago 🤔 who chose a school in a small town in Ohio simply because it was easier to catch a train there than to deal with the subway commute to a technical high school in NYC.
People really should check Google Maps before making their school choices!

Michelle Nelson4 said:The principal from that top-tier prep school—one of those old-school administrators who actually knows her stuff—just shared some thoughts regarding this unique entrance exam. As I’ve mentioned before, there really isn't any need for these hyper-specific math tests just to get into a specialized STEM academy. Every student follows the standard national curriculum, and since they’re all coming straight out of the public elementary system based on that same official curriculum, testing them on anything outside of that feels redundant. ☕

I took a look at the material for the 10th grade, and honestly, it doesn't strike me as particularly difficult or even particularly challenging. Then again, I can't be the final judge on that, since my memory of what we covered in elementary versus middle school back in the day is a bit fuzzy! But from what I can tell, it’s certainly not some grueling competitive gauntlet; it looks more like a series of routine problems. I actually had a little fun sitting down and working through 😁

I didn't see an attachment, so maybe we aren't talking about the same thing.🤔
Maybe I misunderstood something, or maybe my friend misreported it to me, but from what I heard, the principal of the prep school was at a meeting discussing the admissions process and the possibility of a unified entrance exam. Apparently, they enroll over 300 students across three grades every year, which makes exams necessary. On top of that—which surprised me enough that I spent quite a while venting about it over a beer yesterday—the prep school actually phased out its language track a few years ago to make room for an extra STEM grade...

If there's really this massive demand for STEM programs, then it's great that they're opening up extra classes. However, it feels like there's a chronic shortage of math and computer science teachers—not to mention physics—to even maintain the current classes, let alone start new ones. In that light, having an entrance exam (whether it's unified, individual, or whatever you want to call it) actually makes sense.

On the other hand, if kids from the suburbs don't want the STEM track and don't have the luck to get into the general track (which doesn't have an exam, or might not be their first choice because the language track has less history and social studies), they actually have to travel further across the city to find a spot. If the school is truly that "popular" in the neighborhood simply because people want to avoid a long commute, I wonder if those who don't score high enough on the exam will just settle for the general track based on grades... or if they'll head off to other STEM schools across town.🤷

Would it be smarter for a neighborhood with just that one high school to keep the language track and instead beef up the STEM program rather than the general one? Since you can find general tracks in places like Small town in Ohio or Suburban town near a major city, I personally think it would be...
🤷
(I think it's similar to the first case; it's a large area, and most kids gravitate toward either STEM or general tracks. Even though the school nearby has the same programs, and the one over in the next suburb—even with its language focus—isn't far away.)

mellowskipper said:I was under the impression that having more schools in New York City would mean they’d lean harder into entrance exams.
If they end up forcing us through a combination of both the DM and an exam, honestly, that’s just a total mess—and I really hope we can dodge that scenario.
It’s obvious that some kind of evaluation has to happen, obviously, but doing both? That seems excessive.
At that point, they might as well just scrap the points system entirely; there wouldn't be much point in it.

Well, I guess they just decided it wasn't necessary after all. 🤷
They actually gave us a longer application window this year compared to last, which was a nice change. But we shouldn't lose sight of the bigger picture: birth rates are steadily dropping every year, and more families are choosing private schools over public ones. 🧐)
It’s pretty wild to see how much the student numbers are shifting. Even though we’re seeing more kids coming in from the surrounding suburban towns to fill the gaps at the elementary schools in NYC, it doesn't really change the bigger picture. When you look at the high schools overall, there’s still a noticeable decline in the total number of students. It's definitely a trend worth keeping an eye on.

I really don't think external evaluations are the way to go, and I truly hope they don't turn into some kind of national standardized test like the SATs.

If you're looking for ways to lower your stress levels—or maybe just redistribute all that pressure so it doesn't feel so overwhelming—I've found a few things that really help me stay balanced. 😬Personally, I think a better approach would be to have external exams at the end of 8th grade and again at the end of 7th grade. For the admissions process, you could take a weighted average: 30% from GPA, 30% from those external exam scores, and then 40% based on whatever specific entrance exams the schools choose to administer. I actually took a look at some sample math problems from 1st year, Titus, and Mioc, and honestly, they are so wildly different that it would be a mistake to force one single exam on everyone. But hey, we'll just have to wait and see what the high school principals eventually decide to do!

mellowskipper said:That’s certainly true. I was actually thinking more about the logistics—specifically whether and how the Department is going to coordinate all of this. Will there be a standardized entrance exam that applies to every subject and school, or not? And will they even recognize the credits?
It’s this current generation that’s really going to bear the brunt of it all.

Only three additional schools have actually introduced entrance exams🤷
and if I caught the news correctly—I haven't been keeping up closely—one of those three is asking for the math exam taken at their school to be recognized by the others too.
Nothing more than that, really.
Out of the seven schools requiring an exam, five want the same subject, and you can only apply to six of them anyway. 🤷

The only thing really being tested right now—especially for the schools acting as guinea pigs—is whether these national standardized tests actually work, Stolivec.
If they pull it off this year, then our kids (or yours!) might be part of the very first generation to deal with them on a regular basis...😬
Well... that would certainly make them a pretty special group of kids! 🍿

mellowskipper said:I honestly feel for those eighth graders. There’s nothing quite as brutal as being the first one to step up to the plate.

Actually, looking back, today's eighth graders were the kids who went through sixth grade with a mix of in-person classes and three months of remote learning. It was basically a total toss-up—you were only as successful as your parents or siblings could help you be with your schoolwork.
Then they hit seventh grade with that hybrid online-and-in-person setup, depending on how much the local school district was dealing with lockdown restrictions, and eighth grade followed a similar pattern.

In my opinion, it’s actually way more stressful for the students applying solely based on their GPA rather than taking an entrance exam. Especially if they had certain teachers back in middle school who were super strict about their specific subjects; it wasn't always easy to nudge those grades upward just by playing the sympathy card.

I'm really hoping they'll release the practice exam results by school district soon.

mellowskipper said:I honestly feel for those eighth graders. There’s nothing quite as brutal as being the first one to step up to the plate.

Actually, I don't think that's necessarily true.
I actually see this as a huge opportunity, especially since the entrance exams carry a bit more weight in the overall scoring than they used to.
Sure, it’s definitely stressful, but for a student who is genuinely talented in math, IT, or physics—even if they didn't pull a perfect score in English back in middle school—this could be their big chance to get into the specific school they want (and one where they can truly shine in the subjects they love).
It's even more important now, considering how limited the competition circuit has been over the last two years.

placiddrifter said:The entrance exams for Titus seem to be at a completely different difficulty level compared to what Mio faced. Does this mean the admissions process will be standardized across all the magnet high schools in New York City this year?

Honestly, who knows? 🤣
They haven't even released all the STEM (3.i13.) exam details yet. 🤷

rowdypanther12 said:From what I understand, most public schools are going to start using entrance exams and combining the admissions processes.
I wasn't really paying close attention, and since we have plenty of time, I doubt she'll go that route—but honestly, it sounded like a decent solution.
If the principals could just get on the same page, the Department of Education said there wouldn't be any issues standing in the way.🤷

The principals also reached an agreement regarding that English proficiency test—where if English isn't your primary language, you take the exam at one school and transfer the results to another. However, they haven't settled on the requirements for Spanish (or German or French) which are necessary for the dual-language tracks.
Apparently, they might recognize international certifications for those dual-language programs, even if the kids didn't study those specific languages in their local school district—though I still need to double-check that. Personally, I think it’s a great idea; they don't have a massive amount of subjects taught in a foreign language, but it's enough to ensure the kids are getting daily exposure and regular practice.

Betty Wood54 said:Well, the STEM track is specifically science and math focused, whereas the program in Akron is more of a general science academy; they really are different curricula.

Yeah, true...
But if that's the case, does it mean those who don't make the cut in Toledo (or just don't want to take the gamble) have to retake the entrance exams if they try for another STEM-focused school? 🤷
I guess that's fine unless they're looking at options 3 or 13. They'd still be taking a risk, since everyone assumes the kids from schools with entrance exams will just end up flowing into the schools that don't require them.🤷

rowdypanther12 said:I heard on the news yesterday that school principals are coordinating to have kids take just one entrance exam for all the science-focused high schools, supposedly so they don't have to run themselves ragged jumping from one test to the next.
It sounds like a great solution to me.

Well, having one exam for STEM high schools makes some sense, even if the STEM track at West High doesn't cover the exact same subjects as the STEM track at Lincoln High. 🤔They have biology, physics, and chemistry, whereas these guys just have math?
The only entrance exam in the general track—which is at Jefferson High (though I wonder why it even exists since what made that school popular isn't really relevant anymore and fewer kids are applying)—covers English and math. Plus, the math there is easier than the math at Lincoln, so I'm not sure how much that fits into this "unified" exam idea.

If I understood my friend correctly, who was looking at the local news, the principal at Luciana is pushing for this unified exam. It doesn't make much sense to me because most kids attending that school live right in the neighborhood or come from the West Side. It’s unlikely that kids who didn't get into Luciana would choose to go to Ninth Street or Thirteenth (which doesn't even have an exam), and certainly not Lincoln or Third unless they happen to be on the way. Maybe Fifth or Tenth, if we're talking about STEM tracks.🤔

It would actually make more sense for Luciana, being essentially the only high school in that part of town (give or take the suburbs like Arlington or Springfield), to introduce an entrance exam for all its programs. (Personally, if I were running things and wanted to ensure top-tier student selection, I’d make the test harder 🤷. They honestly have nothing to lose since the neighborhood is huge and there's plenty of interest in the school.) It also surprised me during a chat with a friend last night that the school cut the foreign language track to beef up the STEM program. That’s not necessarily a bad thing if they have the staff and the demand, but realistically, where are the kids from the West Side going to go for languages now? 🤔
Especially when parents are looking at the quality and age of the buildings (like the 16th and 18th 😲), compared to, say, the 4th grade building in NZ?
Right now, there are only three language-focused schools in the whole city? And I'm not even counting private ones.

I totally get the push toward STEM and trying to build that reputation, but the move away from languages really caught me off guard. (Though it wouldn't surprise me if there aren't enough teachers on the market willing to teach a first language four hours a week and a second for three, even though language schools usually have more second-language classrooms than other high schools, so you'd really need a solid group of instructors for the kids 🤔).

hiddendriver34 said:Wait, why is having multiple-choice or objective questions considered a bad thing? 🤔 Is it really better to force someone to scribble down a word instead of just circling one? If someone doesn't know the answer or can't solve the problem, providing options doesn't help them at all. To them, every single option looks equally (un)logical. Besides, even on the SATs, you still have to write out two full essays that aren't multiple-choice. 😉

It’s not really about the specific questions themselves; the real issue lies in how we prepare for that entire style of testing.
I’ve been thinking lately about whether we're heading toward a future where basic schooling is basically just training kids to bubble in multiple-choice answers. It feels like the whole education system might eventually boil down to nothing more than mastering the art of circling the right option on a standardized test.

I’ve been lurking on these forums for over a decade now—I can drop a link if anyone wants to see the threads—and I keep seeing this same pattern from teachers. They describe how high schoolers will look them right in the eye and ask, "Is this actually going to be on the SAT?" If the teacher says no, the kids just completely tune out and refuse to learn the material. I hear the exact same thing from the students themselves, too. It’s like they won't engage unless there's a direct guarantee that it'll be on the big exam.
The way students are expressing themselves in writing lately is honestly a bit of a disaster. It feels like we’re seeing this decline from a few different angles. For one, they just aren't writing enough long-form essays during the school year; most of what they turn in is just brief responses to prompts. On top of that, there's been a noticeable shift away from essay-based testing and oral exams in favor of other formats. I also notice they aren't reading nearly as much as they used to. It all culminates at graduation with those final exams—and let me tell you, if you want to make sure those scores get rounded up in your favor, you really have to be prepared.

Honestly, we might as well just add a "how to be clueless" course at the end of elementary school. That way, people could really round out their education by mastering the art of being completely oblivious.
If you don't include negative marking—and you probably won't, since you wouldn't want to stress everyone out just to justify adding an extra test—you’re looking at a 20% or 25% chance of guessing the right answer. With a little bit of process of elimination and a little luck on your side, you can pull it off. Honestly, at that point, it's more about luck than actual knowledge.
Or maybe there will be opportunities for those who really put in the work to prepare—people who go all out to compete on shows like The Chase just to bring home some serious prize money.

I’m a huge advocate for external grading, and honestly, I’d be all for rounding up scores—provided we factor in those negative points too. My only hesitation is that I'd need to be absolutely certain that when students ask professors if a specific topic will show up on the SAT, the instructors would either stay neutral or simply say they have no idea and that it doesn't matter.
That’s just not going to happen.
Honestly, as long as students have plenty of ways to express what they know during their school years—whether that's through various creative projects, a few check-in tests throughout the term, or just two or three big finals at the end to wrap everything up—I don't see any harm in it. In my experience, having that kind of variety actually helps. It adds depth to the whole assessment process and gives us a much clearer, more complete picture of how a child is truly performing.
I mean, honestly, I think it all really comes down to the specific school and the teachers you end up with. From everything I've been reading lately, there’s such a huge variety out there that the individual instructors make all the difference.

silentmason4 said:What's the point of all that? Between those tests and then having to take entrance exams for high school... why do we need to make things so complicated?

It looks like there are only a handful of entrance exams available, from what I can tell, and most of them seem to be centered around schools in the Chicago area.
I don't really count those as part of the standard process—you know, like applying to art school where you spend years preparing just to sit for an entrance exam. Or those dual-language programs where kids have to pass a proficiency test in the language of instruction, especially if they haven't been studying it since elementary school. To me, those feel like their own separate categories entirely.
I’ve noticed that these kids—our future students—really seem to have this incredible built-in resilience to stress. It’s actually quite impressive to watch. 😬

I think that external evaluation really hit the mark this time. It was exactly what we needed.
I honestly worry that this is all going to end up being just another standardized, cookie-cutter approach—basically an "Americanized" version of a massive, soul-crushing national exam. It feels like we’re heading toward that same kind of rigid, one-size-fits-all testing system we see everywhere else in the States.

I was just sitting here thinking about that whole situation, and honestly, it’s been on my mind quite a bit lately. It’s one of those things where you realize how much can change in an instant, right? I remember back when I was living in Chicago, I had a similar feeling during a major storm—everything felt a bit uncertain and heavy for a moment, but eventually, things settled down. It’s funny how life works like that sometimes. Just wanted to share that little thought! kaže:
I honestly think they’re just testing the waters here. It makes sense to me—if they spend the next couple of years being more flexible with how we handle high school graduations, it'll be much easier to roll out any major changes later on. It gives both the students and the parents some time to actually get used to a new way of doing things.

I think things will get a lot smoother once the teachers at our local elementary schools get used to kids asking that one inevitable question: "Is this going to be on the SAT?"
Ah, well, if that's the case, then we don't have to worry about learning it! No big deal. 🥳

Jeffrey Edwards5 said:I have a quick question—for those of you with kids in 7th or 8th grade, have you noticed if they’ve tightened up the grading this school year? It feels like things got a lot stricter all of a sudden.

To be more specific, there are rumors going around that because of the massive wave of honor roll students and certain kids struggling to get into high school, local Elementary Schools were given instructions to grade much more harshly.

For example, at our local Elementary School, we parents of 7th graders were told by the homeroom teacher at the start of the year that the teachers had agreed not to give students a second chance to bump a B up to an A. Basically, unless a teacher is feeling extra generous, that's it.

Is anyone else seeing this, or is your child mentioning anything similar?

A little bit of pressure can actually work wonders. It might discourage some kids from constantly begging for better grades, or at least motivate them to study harder if they really want that A. It’s a decent way to kick off the school year.
It’s not a bad approach for the start of the term. 🧐

The issue isn't just about having too many honor roll students; it’s about the external assessments being conducted on a "representative sample" of 80 schools across America during the first week of May.
If your school is on that list, then I don't think it matters if it's a math teacher or someone at Duke Energy—the ranking of students who currently have straight As is going to be affected regardless...
And I haven't quite figured out from the announcements whether biology, physics, and chemistry will be one big exam or separate ones, but even the teachers must be worried about whether the kids who currently have straight As will actually pass these national tests with a 50% or a 95%.

Honestly, teachers should also be concerned about how their students perform on entrance exams for specialized math academies and later on standardized tests, but...
Until someone calls them out publicly...😉
I can just picture a high-level administrator reading data that a parent pulled from the online portal, showing correlations between success in Elementary School versus success on high school graduation exams, and then ranking schools by difficulty. I can see them losing their cool with their staff at Duke Energy, Math departments, or English departments, telling them that if kids' grades tank once they hit high school or graduation, they need to start giving more realistic grades before the enrollment period hits.