Back of THE CAGE Forums MID-ATLANTIC LACROSSE MARYLAND MAIN FORUM Holdbacks

It's pretty well known and not controversial, but it's not about actual course material (again, see 100-300 SAT point differences....not nothing, but not huge) as much as it is about the expectations that put the "prep" in "prep school." These expectations cause the boys' grades to go bump in the night on a regular basis, especially if they are not self-starters (most aren't) on Day 1.

Off the top of my head, and this is Gilman so your mileage may vary:

1) Expectation that even in 6th-8th grade private, the student is responsible for getting copies of all notes and assignments from other students in case of a sick day. No parental or teacher involvement. Parent emails generally ignored (your mileage may vary, donors!). Students have to schedule any makeup assignments on their own.

2) Expectation that if a question or assignment is unclear, the student will contact the teacher for clarification *before the deadline.*

3) Expectations for long readings and major projects that they are basically complete 2-3 days ahead of deadline without reminders.......creates a sort-of grade inflation situation where teacher can review draft reports, presentations etc and recommend last minute changes.......expectation that student takes the input and makes last minute / late night changes as recommended.

4) No reminders period about upcoming quizzes and tests that were previously announced.

5) Expectations that the boys can describe their work or project to the class, semi-accurately, with little or no notice.

If you know anything about 12-14 year old kids, you know those things are all potential land mines for good grades until they "get with the program" which sometimes is 2nd semester, sometimes, never.

If you think PS is more selective than Private, I've got a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.

And let's remember reported school SAT scores are not the same.

The public school SAT scores just include the kids that took the SATs. The low performers sat out and didn't drag down the school's scores.

The private schools require ALL of their students to take the SATs.

That's not true.

Gilman is at the top of food chain of privates except for Park, which is a bastion of intellectual twits. Most privates are much less or the same than the top classes at many better publics. Many public kids do well and go to top colleges.

And all are older than any public school kid for same grade. Does help to be a 7th grader doing 6th grader work.

I am all for private schools but I don't think SAT score is the metric you want to hang your hat on.

You could argue (I'm not) that the difference in SATs comes down to one metric: If you fail a course for the year, you are generally asked to leave the school.

I know that at Loyola, Georgetown and Severn it's rare to find a student with below a 2.7 GPA or so. And there's no coherent argument that any of those are "easier" than public school, so.....it does mean that they either screen out, coach up, or get rid of kids who can't hang academically.

At BL, most classes are Psaa/Fail only so they don't impact their GPA. Only Math, English and History are graded.

Come on Mike! Let it go!

Surprised BL gardes any subject. Their reputation is well deserved.

It should be noted that over and over again, the best pro-public school argument on this thread is "average private school kid is no better than the top 10% of public school kids" or "private school kids are no better than the top 25% of kids at gifted/talented programs at public schools."

I mean, this is probably quite accurate but it's not exactly a strong argument for public schools.

And if you think grade inflation is a private school problem only, keep on Glen Burning. In Baltimore City (yes, an extreme example, but regulated by the same state Dept of Ed as AACO and Balt County) they hand out "A's" to students who never attended a class, for a class that was never even given a classroom, for a teacher who was never hired. Which is why UMD does not accept City schools diplomas as proof of college readiness. Would not be surprised if the same declaration is coming for Alleghany, Garrett, Somerset, Wicomico.

[/quote] Gilman is at the top of food chain of privates except for Park, which is a bastion of intellectual twits. Most privates are much less or the same than the top classes at many better publics. Many public kids do well and go to top colleges.[/quote]

Sometimes it is better to be thought ignorant than to say something and prove it.

From Newsweek - as of the year 2020:

Among the schools deemed tops for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are “high-profile institutions” in urban areas and “small but strong programs” around the United States, according to Cooper. In all cases, she said the best STEM schools have “skilled teachers who keep up with developments in these fields and who create dynamic learning environments to engage their students.”

Here are all the STEM schools in Maryland that earned a spot on the list:

Baltimore Polytechnic Institute
Baltimore
Public
STEM Rank: 36

Poolesville High School
Poolesville
Public
STEM Rank: 121

Thomas S. Wootton High School
Rockville
Public
STEM Rank: 160

Eastern Technical High School
Essex
Public
STEM Rank: 240

Holton-Arms School
Bethesda
Public
STEM Rank: 243

Centennial High School
Ellicott City
Public
STEM Rank: 268

Winston Churchill High School
Potomac
Public
STEM Rank: 282

River Hill High School
Clarksville
Public
STEM Rank: 290

Towson High School
Towson
Public
STEM Rank: 310

Gilman School
Baltimore
Private
STEM Rank: 312

Marriotts Ridge High School
Marriottsville
Public
STEM Rank: 412

The Bryn Mawr School
Baltimore
Private
STEM Rank: 412

Walt Whitman High School
Bethesda
Public
STEM Rank: 419

Urbana High School
Ijamsville
Public
STEM Rank: 445

McDonogh School
Owings Mills
Private
STEM Rank: 459

If you believe this, please send your kid to Poly or Eastern Tech.
Just be careful leaving your STEM classroom, going to your locker, eating in the cafeteria, or walking the halls.

Again, the private vs public school standards are just very different questions. Nobody is sending their kid to McD to be a County health inspector.

Let's look at the college attendance from Poly, at the top of your list:

1) Morgan State
2) UMD (UMCP)
3) Towson U

So let's compare fairly - Nobody is sending their kid to Gilman or McD to attend Morgan State or Towson unless it's on some kind of full ride. They *might* be sending their private school kid to UMCP on less-than-full scholarship, because the kid, with his "equal to the top 10% of public" basic-ness, could not get scholarships to Georgetown, ND, Boston College, etc, and if his parents have any sense, they send him to UMCP which is an outstanding college for any private or public school kid, at 1/3 the cost of an elite private college, the equivalent network of which they already purchased during HS.