kitchen table math, the sequel: Rye Country Day

Monday, December 17, 2007

Rye Country Day

wow----

School says that since 1996, 97% of kids taking the Advanced Placement BC Calculus course received perfect scores on the AP exam.

How the Schools Stack Up (pdf file)
WSJ
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14 comments:

Liz Ditz said...

Knowing what I know about some independent schools, I'd want to know the lead-up to being admitted to the AP Calculus stream.

I looked at the "schools stack up" list at the WSJ. I know most of the CA schools pretty well.

Private schools tend to have one advantage over public schools in the admissions process: the quality of college counseling.

1. Matching the kid to the school(s) where the kid is likely to thrive

2. The on-going relationships between the college counselor(s) and the pool of universities to which the kids from the school usually apply, which tends to improve acceptance rates.

December 17, 2007 at 3:35 PM
Liz Ditz said...

Topic hi-jack--Catherine, I don't seem to have your e-mail address, or I would have asked in an e-mail.

Are you aware of the New York University Child Study Institute's new ad campaign, Ransom Notes?

The autism "ransom note" reads:

We have your son. We will make sure he will not be able to care for himself or interact socially as long as he lives.

*This is only the beginning.

Autism

Many persons with autism have found the awareness campaign cast in insulting, patronizing way. Some of us with the other disorders mentioned (or children with said disorders) agree. Kristina Chew is keeping on top of issue --here she wonders if the campaign reflects a Manhattanesque view of disability.

My take is here.

I'd be interested to know your response to the tone of the campaign.

December 17, 2007 at 3:53 PM
Catherine Johnson said...

Liz - cijohn@verizon.net

I'm interested in what you have to say about college counseling -- do you think there's a way around that in public h.s.?

Would it be wise to hire someone like Michelle Hernandez?

I don't know about the ransom notes; thanks for telling me. Offhand, I'm probably appalled.

I have always strongly objected to the "autism steals your child's soul" narrative.

December 18, 2007 at 5:11 AM
Catherine Johnson said...

oh boy

I just looked at the nytimes story.

Count me out.

December 18, 2007 at 5:47 AM
Catherine Johnson said...

C. just said, "My autistic awareness campaign is going to be 'My autistic brother's an a*****e.'

That would probably be shocking to many, but that is the way I want my typical kid feeling about his autistic twin at this stage of the game -- as a peer, and a damned annoying one, not a kidnap victim.

December 18, 2007 at 5:48 AM
Catherine Johnson said...

Last week C. went downstairs to do extra work for whatever it was (can't even remember at the moment) and discovered that his keyboard wasn't working.

The reason?

Andrew had urinated on it.

December 18, 2007 at 5:49 AM
Catherine Johnson said...

An autism awareness campaign with ransom notes saying Mom and Dad have been kidnapped might work for me.

December 18, 2007 at 5:50 AM
Catherine Johnson said...

I'm joking.

December 18, 2007 at 5:50 AM
Catherine Johnson said...

Knowing what I know about some independent schools, I'd want to know the lead-up to being admitted to the AP Calculus stream.

Definitely.

On the other hand, in my district kids are (apparently) dropping out of precalculus because it's too hard. Knowing what I know about the math department chair, having met with her once and had an extended telephone conversation with her as well, I would be surprised to see this situation change.

If students need distributed practice parents can find worksheets online.

December 18, 2007 at 6:06 AM
Catherine Johnson said...

Rye Country Day has a summer math course kids here take when they realize they've been wrongly sidelined in math.

One of the brainiest kids I know -- the whole family has IQs over 130/140 -- suddenly decided, in high school, that she was interested in math. She'd had various problems in school, had gone to the magnet school until it closed, etc.

She told her h.s. guidance counselor that she'd decided she was interested in math & the guidance counselor discouraged her. Can't remember what the counselor told her exactly; basically it was, "You can't do math, bad idea."

Now this is a kid with an IQ probably around 140 -- a kid who, to me, SCREAMS MATH BRAIN.

She ignored the counselor and enrolled in the Rye Country Day School summer program where she did so well they offered her a scholarship to attend the school full-time.

She said no. She's having a great time at the high school here (which is a major good sign).

So now she's in the accelerated math track here doing great.

But to get there she had to go outside the school for "remedial" teaching & her parents had to pay a bloody fortune to catch her up.

I am POSITIVE this isn't a problem for the school. They do what they do.

December 18, 2007 at 6:10 AM
Liz Ditz said...

dropping out of precalculus because it's too hard -- the darling dyslexic daughter dropped precalc for statistics in 11th grade -- not because it was too hard, exactly, but because it was the last straw in an overloaded year. The precalc teacher, who knew her well, said, "She could do it, but not the same year that she's doing honors chemistry, 4th year Spanish (lots of writing) and US History (lots of reading and writing)

December 18, 2007 at 8:45 AM
Liz Ditz said...

I'm interested in what you have to say about college counseling -- do you think there's a way around that in public h.s.?

Yes--ish.

Start a new post on college admissions and I'm on it, after I finish finals tomorrow.

December 18, 2007 at 8:47 AM
Liz Ditz said...

Also a post on the parenting skills / behavior mod -- or a discussion group or whatever.

"My autistic awareness campaign is going to be 'My autistic brother's an a*****e.'


I have two stepsons, neurotypical, now 29 & 27.

The urinating on the keyboard thing sounds strangely familiar from the 8 & 6 year old year. Also flatulence wars, well into their teens.

December 18, 2007 at 8:51 AM
Catherine Johnson said...

She could do it, but not the same year that she's doing honors chemistry, 4th year Spanish (lots of writing) and US History (lots of reading and writing)

wow!

I'll get to that college admissions post. We spent yesterday at the ERB where Chris took the ISEE (I can't believe I just wrote that)

I debriefed the moms there about the 9th grade application process in Manhattan - whoa nelly

December 20, 2007 at 5:44 PM

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