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04 Dec 2006 - 23:30
I know I've mentioned before that Irvington has a Scarsdale complex. What Scarsdale does, we do. Thus: if Scarsdale selects and implements Math TRAILBLAZERS, we select and implement Math TRAILBLAZERS. [ed.: that's a joke] I can't for the life of me think why this would be, unless it has something to do with the fact that Scarsdale's SAT scores are a teensy bit higher than ours:
So today I learn that Scarsdale's Superintendent, one Mike McGill, has been named Superintendent of the Year. Mike is a passionate guy, "a 1960s person ... pre-disposed to a kind of professive [sic] social vision," who is, of late, discovering the virtues of local control and the "danger in moving to big government." The danger in moving to big government being, one gathers, way too much accountability. Mike's not down with that:
I have now read this passage at least 10 times....and I'm still asking myself whether I can possibly be reading correctly. Did the superintendent of Scarsdale's public schools just tell us that the top-top American kids are scoring at the 75th percentile in international studies? Did he then tell us that when the top, say, 5 percent of our kids score at the 75th percentile internationally this is correctly viewed as an indication that they are doing "very well?" It appears so:
When you cut through the blah-blah, Mike's point seems to be that what really interests him is "the important civic and ethical issues we face as human beings." Drawing upon my top-knotch inferencing and restating skills, I would say that Mike's message is:
There is a huge amount of tutoring in Scarsdale, fyi. You want to see tutoring up the wazoo, go to Scarsdale. Also parent unrest. There is parent unrest in Scarsdale. Possibly because they have to hire so many damn tutors. In fact, if I had to bet, I'd bet Scarsdale will be the next town to have a listserv.
spot the TRAILBLAZERS difference So here's an interesting factoid known only to me, Ed, my next-door neighbor, and our erstwhile Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum. (I know he knows because I gave him the data, walked him through it, and stood there while he read and reacted.) You'll notice that Scarsdale is way out in front of Irvington on Verbal scores, but not on Math. We're close to even on Math. Why would that be? I don't know, but I suspect Math TRAILBLAZERS has something to do with it. Scarsdale has had TRAILBLAZERS for quite awhile longer than we've had it. They show a much more dramatic 8th grade slump in math scores than Irvington. If you compare Irvington (pdf file) to Scarsdale (pdf file) in school year 2003-2004, here's what you see:
In school year 2003-2004, Math TRAILBLAZERS had been used in Scarsdale long enough for the 8th graders to have used TRAILBLAZERS in elementary school. No children in Irvington had used TRAILBLAZERS at that point. I assume that one reason our curriculum committee thought TRAILBLAZERS was a great idea was the fact that Scarsdale 4th graders were so far ahead of Irvington kids on the state tests. 71% of Scarsdale kids were scoring a 4, compared to just 53% of our kids. That's a big gap. (I assume.) But did they look at the scores for 8th grade? I don't know.
I've just checked last year's math scores for Irvington and Scarsdale. The Scarsdale 8th graders, I believe, have been using Math TRAILBLAZERS for their entire school career. The Irvington 8th graders left K-5 before Math TRAILBLAZERS was adopted. 28.4% of Scarsdale 8th graders last year, 2005-2006, scored a 4 on the state test. 38.9% of Irvington 8th graders last year, 2005-2006, scored a 4 on the state test — and these are kids, remember, who have been through Irvington's Death March to Algebra Phase 4 extravaganza. The Irvington Middle School math curriculum is a mess no matter who's teaching the thing. And still, we have 38.9% of our kids scoring a 4 compared to just 28% of Scarsdale's TRAILBLAZERS kids. I'm going to call upon my Bayesian priors to say there's a reason for that.
(Photo for Robyn)
-- CatherineJohnson - 04 Dec 2006 Back to main page.
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Wow, this is all very interesting! I’m going to go check my school district and others. I do remember reading about how Scarsdale parents were protesting standardized tests a few years ago. I think it was state tests, but I don’t remember. In fact, I seem to remember many were boycotting tests. I’ll check. My district is right next door to Scarsdale, and there’s always the unspoken opinion that we aspire to do as well as Scarsdale. Without all the dysfunction and obsession, and I guess all the TUTORING! Again, very interesting . . . -- TexasDesert - 05 Dec 2006
Actually, now that I think about it, I seem to remember some remarks at one of our BOE meetings explaining how some surrounding schools do so well because of “outside help” or some other words to that effect. Outside help, intensive parent and/or nanny tutoring (I’ve observed nanny-tutoring at the local community center), high-priced classes and tutors, etc. That’s what it takes to be world-class (uh, according to the 75th percentile world-class definition) in our top schools. Takes the pressure off the schools. -- TexasDesert - 05 Dec 2006
I do remember reading about how Scarsdale parents were protesting standardized tests a few years ago. I think it was state tests, but I don’t remember. Yes, the Scarsdale parents have been very hostile to tests - especially their PTSA, I believe. (not fact-checked) However, I don't have the sense that they've kept up a boycott of the tests year after year. Also, I think it would be unlikely that parents of high-scoring kids would keep up a boycott. -- CatherineJohnson - 05 Dec 2006
I seem to remember some remarks at one of our BOE meetings explaining how some surrounding schools do so well because of “outside help” or some other words to that effect. You're here in Westchester, right? This may be the central "Westchester issue": shadow schools. I mentioned this in another comment. A mom here told me yesterday that she'd hired many, many tutors over the years. She couldn't even remember how many offhand. -- CatherineJohnson - 05 Dec 2006
I seem to remember some remarks at one of our BOE meetings explaining how some surrounding schools do so well because of “outside help” or some other words to that effect. now that is very interesting - the fact that BOE's perceive this to be the case is good.... -- CatherineJohnson - 06 Dec 2006
I'd like to know how they've gotten their verbal scores as high as they have - if tutors are doing it, what are the tutors doing? -- CatherineJohnson - 06 Dec 2006
now that is very interesting - the fact that BOE's perceive this to be the case is good.... I don’t know about that. It seems what they were saying was that parents cannot expect a school to do all the heavy lifting, the parents have to do their part. Because that’s how it’s done at the top schools. “Superintendent Michael McGill told parents recently that rather than "teaching to the tests," Scarsdale should go back to a middle school curriculum that emphasizes projects, labs, research and discussion -- even if it means lower test scores. “ http://archives.cnn.com/2001/fyi/teachers.ednews/05/03/test.boycott.ap/ The school can handle the “projects, labs, research and discussion”. That leaves the parents to handle the tests. -- TexasDesert - 07 Dec 2006
I'd like to know how they've gotten their verbal scores as high as they have - if tutors are doing it, what are the tutors doing? The Kumon franchise in Scarsdale seemed to be doing a healthy business last time I was there. Next month I plan to enroll my daughter and I’ll probably learn more about their clientele. -- TexasDesert - 07 Dec 2006
I seem to remember some remarks at one of our BOE meetings explaining how some surrounding schools do so well because of “outside help” or some other words to that effect. now that is very interesting - the fact that BOE's perceive this to be the case is good.... I wonder if it works in both directions. I suspect its a unidirectional admission; i.e., when our kids get top scores it's because of our exemplary curriculum and teachers, when someone else's kids get top scores, they use tutors. -- LynnGuelzow - 07 Dec 2006
Thanks for the Bond photo. My learning style is "visual." I need to see pretty pictures in order to retain what I've learned about test data. -- RobynW - 07 Dec 2006
It seems what they were saying was that parents cannot expect a school to do all the heavy lifting, the parents have to do their part. Because that’s how it’s done at the top schools. It's always worse than you think. -- CatherineJohnson - 07 Dec 2006
Superintendent Michael McGill told parents recently that rather than "teaching to the tests," Scarsdale should go back to a middle school curriculum that emphasizes projects, labs, research and discussion -- even if it means lower test scores. ooooooo..... that's not good Scarsdale has a HUGE group of anti-testing parents I'm not sure how that group intersects with the five gazillion parents who went to law school and med school. (seriously - I don't mean this ironically) -- CatherineJohnson - 07 Dec 2006
And let us remember that this man is Superintendent of the Year. -- CatherineJohnson - 07 Dec 2006
That's actually an excellent line to have - THANKS. Here we have the superintendent of Scarsdale schools saying that constructivist pedagogy produces lower test scores. Interesting. I wonder if he said this to get parents off his back? It's possible. If I wanted to get parents who were furiously angry about crappy state tests off my back I might offer to do a lot of project classes and have their kids scores down - ! -- CatherineJohnson - 07 Dec 2006
The Kumon franchise in Scarsdale seemed to be doing a healthy business last time I was there. Next month I plan to enroll my daughter and I’ll probably learn more about their clientele. Where's the one in Scarsdale?? -- CatherineJohnson - 07 Dec 2006
Robyn Yes! Me, too! Where Daniel-Craig-James-Bond is concerned, I am a visual learner! -- CatherineJohnson - 07 Dec 2006
OK, this is why administrators are scared of Scarsdale parents:
Scarsdale students skip class to protest tests May 3, 2001
Web posted at: 4:25 PM EDT (2025 GMT) SCARSDALE, New York (AP) -- Dozens of eighth-graders boycotted a state science exam with their parents' blessing Thursday in this well-to-do community of doctors, corporate executives and other high-achievers. Organizers of the boycott in this New York City suburb said two-thirds of the 295-student class skipped the test to protest standardized exams and the increasing amount of classroom time spent preparing for them. "Our main objective has been accomplished," said Deborah Rapaport, one of the parent organizers. Scarsdale has one of the nation's top-ranked school districts. The boycott is part of a nationwide movement against the tests. Critics say test preparation is interfering with the curriculum and costing students in-depth instruction in broader subjects. Teachers and principals are increasingly being evaluated on how well their students perform on the exams. All states now require students to take math and reading tests in at least two grades, and 38 reward or sanction schools and school districts on the basis of student performance, according to the Education Commission of the States. Defenders of annual testing say it gives schools valuable information about students' strengths and weaknesses. President Bush has proposed linking federal school funding to test results. The parents in Scarsdale actually have the support of most school officials, who feel their community was doing fine educating its children before the tests came along in recent years. Superintendent Michael McGill told parents recently that rather than "teaching to the tests," Scarsdale should go back to a middle school curriculum that emphasizes projects, labs, research and discussion -- even if it means lower test scores. The boycott had elements of a military operation. Since school officials had declared that any eighth-graders who were in the building would have to take the exam, parents took turns ferrying children to and from school as each class took the test. The windows of some cars displayed miniature "STOP" signs, an acronym for State Testing Opposed by Parents. "We're driving them out of the school and bringing them home or to a house where there's a baby sitter," Rapaport said. "It's a rather complex operation" Copyright 2001 The Associated Press. -- CatherineJohnson - 07 Dec 2006
yeah..... In context, that statement sounds like a "turned your water off" kind of thing. -- CatherineJohnson - 07 Dec 2006
The Kumon franchise in Scarsdale seemed to be doing a healthy business last time I was there. Next month I plan to enroll my daughter and I’ll probably learn more about their clientele. Where's the one in Scarsdale?? http://center.ikumon.com/showpage.aspx?url=90226 There are eight Kumon centers within five miles of Scarsdale. -- TexasDesert - 07 Dec 2006
wow, that's interesting we go (or went - Christopher is a drop-out and I'm on hiatus) to the one in Hartsdale (I think it's Hartsdale - the one on Central Ave) -- CatherineJohnson - 09 Dec 2006
there's something major going on here their math scores should not be with ours, given how much higher their verbal scores are Ed says that never happens (I think Michele Hernandez says the same thing) At NYU you see math scores above verbal; their math scores are way lower -- CatherineJohnson - 09 Dec 2006
now it's possible that our math program has been vastly better than our ELA program - which is, on one reading, people's perception around here I've mentioned that I learned belatedly that what parents were really distressed about is reading & writing, not math Actually, that can't explain it It's entirely possible that Irvington's ELA has lagged math But Scarsdale's math is wildly lagging its ELA Thirty points is a significant gap -- CatherineJohnson - 09 Dec 2006
although....I'm trying to think now of the Asian foreign national population in Scarsdale....Ed thinks the Scarsdale kids getting into Ivies have been Asian (I remember his saying that the Scarsdale admits couldn't all be legacies because some of them were Asian)... -- CatherineJohnson - 09 Dec 2006
WAIT what am I saying? I'm trying to account for the ridiculously low Scarsdale math score, not the verbal score It's gotta be TRAILBLAZERS K-5 -- CatherineJohnson - 09 Dec 2006
602 math in Scarsdale -- CatherineJohnson - 09 Dec 2006
Scarsdale speaks
I know I've mentioned before that Irvington has a Scarsdale complex. What Scarsdale does, we do. Thus: if Scarsdale selects and implements Math TRAILBLAZERS, we select and implement Math TRAILBLAZERS. [ed.: that's a joke] I can't for the life of me think why this would be, unless it has something to do with the fact that Scarsdale's SAT scores are a teensy bit higher than ours:
- Scarsdale 2005: 1251 Combined / 611 Math / 640 Verbal
- Irvington 2005: 1180 Combined / 602 Math / 578 Verbal
source: Westchester Magazine (pdf file)
So today I learn that Scarsdale's Superintendent, one Mike McGill, has been named Superintendent of the Year. Mike is a passionate guy, "a 1960s person ... pre-disposed to a kind of professive [sic] social vision," who is, of late, discovering the virtues of local control and the "danger in moving to big government." The danger in moving to big government being, one gathers, way too much accountability. Mike's not down with that:
If you listen to people like Richard Elmore, who’s a teacher at Harvard, he says the very top top American kids are scoring about the 75th percentile on international studies. So we know our top performing kids are doing very well.
I have now read this passage at least 10 times....and I'm still asking myself whether I can possibly be reading correctly. Did the superintendent of Scarsdale's public schools just tell us that the top-top American kids are scoring at the 75th percentile in international studies? Did he then tell us that when the top, say, 5 percent of our kids score at the 75th percentile internationally this is correctly viewed as an indication that they are doing "very well?" It appears so:
...the very top top American kids are scoring about the 75th percentile on international studies. So we know our top performing kids are doing very well. What what are the challenges posed by those kinds of data? [ed.: you mean, aside from the challenge of our top kids scoring twenty-five points below the top kids in Europe and Asia?] What’s interesting to me about places like Scarsdale is that because high-performing school districts aren’t having to deal with some of the very gritty kinds of reality that some of our urban schools must deal with, we’re in a position to explore alternative ways of doing things and ask questions that go to the heart of what truly strong public institutions do and and to the heart of how they can function most effectively. It’s a real privilege but it’s also a responsibility. [ed.: and the good part is ZERO ACCOUNTABILITY! slide and glide! Nobody's checking to see if any truly strong public institutions actually result from my spending a lot of time thinking about how truly strong public institutions can function most effectively!] Particularly today when so much of the impetus for educational change has shifted from localities to the federal or state government. I think it’s very easy to lose sight of the fact that historically one of the tremendous strengths of the American public school system has been the initiative and the individuality of local school districts.
When you cut through the blah-blah, Mike's point seems to be that what really interests him is "the important civic and ethical issues we face as human beings." Drawing upon my top-knotch inferencing and restating skills, I would say that Mike's message is:
Hey. This is Scarsdale; I don't have to think about scores.
Good enough is good enough.
There is a huge amount of tutoring in Scarsdale, fyi. You want to see tutoring up the wazoo, go to Scarsdale. Also parent unrest. There is parent unrest in Scarsdale. Possibly because they have to hire so many damn tutors. In fact, if I had to bet, I'd bet Scarsdale will be the next town to have a listserv.
spot the TRAILBLAZERS difference So here's an interesting factoid known only to me, Ed, my next-door neighbor, and our erstwhile Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum. (I know he knows because I gave him the data, walked him through it, and stood there while he read and reacted.) You'll notice that Scarsdale is way out in front of Irvington on Verbal scores, but not on Math. We're close to even on Math. Why would that be? I don't know, but I suspect Math TRAILBLAZERS has something to do with it. Scarsdale has had TRAILBLAZERS for quite awhile longer than we've had it. They show a much more dramatic 8th grade slump in math scores than Irvington. If you compare Irvington (pdf file) to Scarsdale (pdf file) in school year 2003-2004, here's what you see:
Irvington 4th grade 8th grade
Scores of 4 52% 41%
Scores of 3 40% 45%
Scarsdale 4th grade 8th grade
Scores of 4 71% 37%
Scores of 3 28% 56%
In school year 2003-2004, Math TRAILBLAZERS had been used in Scarsdale long enough for the 8th graders to have used TRAILBLAZERS in elementary school. No children in Irvington had used TRAILBLAZERS at that point. I assume that one reason our curriculum committee thought TRAILBLAZERS was a great idea was the fact that Scarsdale 4th graders were so far ahead of Irvington kids on the state tests. 71% of Scarsdale kids were scoring a 4, compared to just 53% of our kids. That's a big gap. (I assume.) But did they look at the scores for 8th grade? I don't know.
I've just checked last year's math scores for Irvington and Scarsdale. The Scarsdale 8th graders, I believe, have been using Math TRAILBLAZERS for their entire school career. The Irvington 8th graders left K-5 before Math TRAILBLAZERS was adopted. 28.4% of Scarsdale 8th graders last year, 2005-2006, scored a 4 on the state test. 38.9% of Irvington 8th graders last year, 2005-2006, scored a 4 on the state test — and these are kids, remember, who have been through Irvington's Death March to Algebra Phase 4 extravaganza. The Irvington Middle School math curriculum is a mess no matter who's teaching the thing. And still, we have 38.9% of our kids scoring a 4 compared to just 28% of Scarsdale's TRAILBLAZERS kids. I'm going to call upon my Bayesian priors to say there's a reason for that.
(Photo for Robyn)
-- CatherineJohnson - 04 Dec 2006 Back to main page.
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Wow, this is all very interesting! I’m going to go check my school district and others. I do remember reading about how Scarsdale parents were protesting standardized tests a few years ago. I think it was state tests, but I don’t remember. In fact, I seem to remember many were boycotting tests. I’ll check. My district is right next door to Scarsdale, and there’s always the unspoken opinion that we aspire to do as well as Scarsdale. Without all the dysfunction and obsession, and I guess all the TUTORING! Again, very interesting . . . -- TexasDesert - 05 Dec 2006
Actually, now that I think about it, I seem to remember some remarks at one of our BOE meetings explaining how some surrounding schools do so well because of “outside help” or some other words to that effect. Outside help, intensive parent and/or nanny tutoring (I’ve observed nanny-tutoring at the local community center), high-priced classes and tutors, etc. That’s what it takes to be world-class (uh, according to the 75th percentile world-class definition) in our top schools. Takes the pressure off the schools. -- TexasDesert - 05 Dec 2006
I do remember reading about how Scarsdale parents were protesting standardized tests a few years ago. I think it was state tests, but I don’t remember. Yes, the Scarsdale parents have been very hostile to tests - especially their PTSA, I believe. (not fact-checked) However, I don't have the sense that they've kept up a boycott of the tests year after year. Also, I think it would be unlikely that parents of high-scoring kids would keep up a boycott. -- CatherineJohnson - 05 Dec 2006
I seem to remember some remarks at one of our BOE meetings explaining how some surrounding schools do so well because of “outside help” or some other words to that effect. You're here in Westchester, right? This may be the central "Westchester issue": shadow schools. I mentioned this in another comment. A mom here told me yesterday that she'd hired many, many tutors over the years. She couldn't even remember how many offhand. -- CatherineJohnson - 05 Dec 2006
I seem to remember some remarks at one of our BOE meetings explaining how some surrounding schools do so well because of “outside help” or some other words to that effect. now that is very interesting - the fact that BOE's perceive this to be the case is good.... -- CatherineJohnson - 06 Dec 2006
I'd like to know how they've gotten their verbal scores as high as they have - if tutors are doing it, what are the tutors doing? -- CatherineJohnson - 06 Dec 2006
now that is very interesting - the fact that BOE's perceive this to be the case is good.... I don’t know about that. It seems what they were saying was that parents cannot expect a school to do all the heavy lifting, the parents have to do their part. Because that’s how it’s done at the top schools. “Superintendent Michael McGill told parents recently that rather than "teaching to the tests," Scarsdale should go back to a middle school curriculum that emphasizes projects, labs, research and discussion -- even if it means lower test scores. “ http://archives.cnn.com/2001/fyi/teachers.ednews/05/03/test.boycott.ap/ The school can handle the “projects, labs, research and discussion”. That leaves the parents to handle the tests. -- TexasDesert - 07 Dec 2006
I'd like to know how they've gotten their verbal scores as high as they have - if tutors are doing it, what are the tutors doing? The Kumon franchise in Scarsdale seemed to be doing a healthy business last time I was there. Next month I plan to enroll my daughter and I’ll probably learn more about their clientele. -- TexasDesert - 07 Dec 2006
I seem to remember some remarks at one of our BOE meetings explaining how some surrounding schools do so well because of “outside help” or some other words to that effect. now that is very interesting - the fact that BOE's perceive this to be the case is good.... I wonder if it works in both directions. I suspect its a unidirectional admission; i.e., when our kids get top scores it's because of our exemplary curriculum and teachers, when someone else's kids get top scores, they use tutors. -- LynnGuelzow - 07 Dec 2006
Thanks for the Bond photo. My learning style is "visual." I need to see pretty pictures in order to retain what I've learned about test data. -- RobynW - 07 Dec 2006
It seems what they were saying was that parents cannot expect a school to do all the heavy lifting, the parents have to do their part. Because that’s how it’s done at the top schools. It's always worse than you think. -- CatherineJohnson - 07 Dec 2006
Superintendent Michael McGill told parents recently that rather than "teaching to the tests," Scarsdale should go back to a middle school curriculum that emphasizes projects, labs, research and discussion -- even if it means lower test scores. ooooooo..... that's not good Scarsdale has a HUGE group of anti-testing parents I'm not sure how that group intersects with the five gazillion parents who went to law school and med school. (seriously - I don't mean this ironically) -- CatherineJohnson - 07 Dec 2006
And let us remember that this man is Superintendent of the Year. -- CatherineJohnson - 07 Dec 2006
That's actually an excellent line to have - THANKS. Here we have the superintendent of Scarsdale schools saying that constructivist pedagogy produces lower test scores. Interesting. I wonder if he said this to get parents off his back? It's possible. If I wanted to get parents who were furiously angry about crappy state tests off my back I might offer to do a lot of project classes and have their kids scores down - ! -- CatherineJohnson - 07 Dec 2006
The Kumon franchise in Scarsdale seemed to be doing a healthy business last time I was there. Next month I plan to enroll my daughter and I’ll probably learn more about their clientele. Where's the one in Scarsdale?? -- CatherineJohnson - 07 Dec 2006
Robyn Yes! Me, too! Where Daniel-Craig-James-Bond is concerned, I am a visual learner! -- CatherineJohnson - 07 Dec 2006
OK, this is why administrators are scared of Scarsdale parents:
Scarsdale students skip class to protest tests May 3, 2001
Web posted at: 4:25 PM EDT (2025 GMT) SCARSDALE, New York (AP) -- Dozens of eighth-graders boycotted a state science exam with their parents' blessing Thursday in this well-to-do community of doctors, corporate executives and other high-achievers. Organizers of the boycott in this New York City suburb said two-thirds of the 295-student class skipped the test to protest standardized exams and the increasing amount of classroom time spent preparing for them. "Our main objective has been accomplished," said Deborah Rapaport, one of the parent organizers. Scarsdale has one of the nation's top-ranked school districts. The boycott is part of a nationwide movement against the tests. Critics say test preparation is interfering with the curriculum and costing students in-depth instruction in broader subjects. Teachers and principals are increasingly being evaluated on how well their students perform on the exams. All states now require students to take math and reading tests in at least two grades, and 38 reward or sanction schools and school districts on the basis of student performance, according to the Education Commission of the States. Defenders of annual testing say it gives schools valuable information about students' strengths and weaknesses. President Bush has proposed linking federal school funding to test results. The parents in Scarsdale actually have the support of most school officials, who feel their community was doing fine educating its children before the tests came along in recent years. Superintendent Michael McGill told parents recently that rather than "teaching to the tests," Scarsdale should go back to a middle school curriculum that emphasizes projects, labs, research and discussion -- even if it means lower test scores. The boycott had elements of a military operation. Since school officials had declared that any eighth-graders who were in the building would have to take the exam, parents took turns ferrying children to and from school as each class took the test. The windows of some cars displayed miniature "STOP" signs, an acronym for State Testing Opposed by Parents. "We're driving them out of the school and bringing them home or to a house where there's a baby sitter," Rapaport said. "It's a rather complex operation" Copyright 2001 The Associated Press. -- CatherineJohnson - 07 Dec 2006
yeah..... In context, that statement sounds like a "turned your water off" kind of thing. -- CatherineJohnson - 07 Dec 2006
The Kumon franchise in Scarsdale seemed to be doing a healthy business last time I was there. Next month I plan to enroll my daughter and I’ll probably learn more about their clientele. Where's the one in Scarsdale?? http://center.ikumon.com/showpage.aspx?url=90226 There are eight Kumon centers within five miles of Scarsdale. -- TexasDesert - 07 Dec 2006
wow, that's interesting we go (or went - Christopher is a drop-out and I'm on hiatus) to the one in Hartsdale (I think it's Hartsdale - the one on Central Ave) -- CatherineJohnson - 09 Dec 2006
there's something major going on here their math scores should not be with ours, given how much higher their verbal scores are Ed says that never happens (I think Michele Hernandez says the same thing) At NYU you see math scores above verbal; their math scores are way lower -- CatherineJohnson - 09 Dec 2006
now it's possible that our math program has been vastly better than our ELA program - which is, on one reading, people's perception around here I've mentioned that I learned belatedly that what parents were really distressed about is reading & writing, not math Actually, that can't explain it It's entirely possible that Irvington's ELA has lagged math But Scarsdale's math is wildly lagging its ELA Thirty points is a significant gap -- CatherineJohnson - 09 Dec 2006
although....I'm trying to think now of the Asian foreign national population in Scarsdale....Ed thinks the Scarsdale kids getting into Ivies have been Asian (I remember his saying that the Scarsdale admits couldn't all be legacies because some of them were Asian)... -- CatherineJohnson - 09 Dec 2006
WAIT what am I saying? I'm trying to account for the ridiculously low Scarsdale math score, not the verbal score It's gotta be TRAILBLAZERS K-5 -- CatherineJohnson - 09 Dec 2006
602 math in Scarsdale -- CatherineJohnson - 09 Dec 2006
| WebLogForm | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Scarsdale speaks |
| TopicType: | WebLog |
| SubjectArea: | MathWars, TeachersTeachingKids |
| LogDate: | 200612041611 |