Transition from progressive middle school to traditional BS?

Prep School Admissions
1

Hello,

I am new here and not sure about all the forum etiquette. Please forgive me if this is not in the correct place.

I am in the process of choosing a middle school for my child. The 2 options we have are quite different. One is a more traditional private school that is somewhat of a feeder school for several BS and the other is a fairly new, small, alternative/progressive school that has sent some kids to BS, but most kids do not attend BS. I am intentionally being somewhat vague.

I think that the alternative/progressive school is probably a better fit for my child right now, for a variety of reasons.

My child also wants to attend a particular BS for high school for several reasons, including legacy status. Yes, I understand that it is several years away, and things may change, but the other reasons for wanting to go there are fairly solid. While getting into this BS is not a primary concern, I want to keep this possibility in mind when choosing a middle school.

Given all of that, my questions are this:

  1. Does anyone have experience transitioning from a progressive school (no grades, limited tests, mainly project based learning, little homework) for middle school to a more traditional academic BS for high school? I wonder in particular whether child may not develop study skills and habits in middle school due to the style of the progressive nature of the school, and whether this may be a big problem when transitioning to a more traditional high school.
  2. It is possible that attending the progressive school may give child opportunities to develop some "hooks" that may not develop at the more traditional school, largely related to little homework compared to what I hear is a lot of homework at the traditional school.

The traditional school has a very good placement record at competitive BSs, including desired BS. It is my feeling that they feel their job is to prepare their middle school students for BS. They apparently help a lot with, for example, SSAT prep, applications and essay writing, etc.

My feeling is that my child will likely come out of the traditional school as probably a more well-rounded student, but will not be able to develop the potential “hook” at this school.

Progressive school does not have a history of sending kids any kids to the desired BS, but progressive school is still pretty fairly new, and BS is not as popular coming out of progressive school. BSs may not be familiar with progressive school, or ever heard of it, but BSs are likely to be very familiar with the traditional middle school.

How important related to BS admission is developing a hook vs. coming from a known school, getting help with applications, etc.?

I think that child’s academics will overalllargely be similar coming out of both schools, but the schools have a different academic emphasis. Academics may even be better coming out of alternative/progressive school, but without grades and being from an unknown school, not sure that BS will be able to see that. But the overall application may not be as competitive coming from alternative/progressive school, unless hook develops.

Thanks for any insight.

2

I don’t have any specific experience to share, but as one of many parents who knew nothing about boarding schools, had children in ordinary public schools, didn’t get an early start, and did it all without assistance, I can at least tell you that because you are starting early and know the school your child is aiming for, you are already ahead of the game. Although the extra help some middle schools provide sounds wonderful and I wish we had had it, it is not actually necessary. So if you think your child will fit better at the more progressive school and will have more opportunity to develop a special interest, that may be enough to tip the balance. Good luck with your choice.

3

My personal view would be to have your child attend the school that you think is the best place for him/her now, not with a particular end-view in mind. The most suitable environment for your child will allow him or her to thrive and develop into his/her best self and develop the confidence to then go on to the best next step. It’s so hard to tell what’s going to end up being more important in the BS process – a better known MS or a more interesting school, particular hooks, etc. – or if any of it will end up mattering. Good luck!

4

You’ve asked a very interesting question, regarding a traditional schooling approach to developing study skills and habits, vs. a progressive approach possibly developing special talents/interests. I hope maybe others will comment on this!

In general, I believe in going for what best suits your child right now.

However, veering off a bit from your question, here are a couple of things I would consider in such a decision – depending on how selective the desired BS is, exactly what the progressive MS program is like, and where your kid’s strengths/weaknesses/interests lie.

(1) What is the math program like at the progressive/alternative MS? If the math program isn’t strong, I’d have reservations. Various research keeps showing that IN GENERAL small or charter or alternative schools do worse on math education than traditional schools. Search for instance for “Fordham Evaluation of Ohio’s EdChoice” – a study notable in part because it’s by a group that hoped for results in the other direction! Also note that at the more selective/competitive admissions BS tend to take in kids who are relatively strong in math; at the most selective schools a significant percentage of the entering freshman will already be a year (or more) advanced in math beyond the typical public school level. And, some BS put extra weight during admissions on the standardized math scores of applicants, as they’ve found it’s one of the better predictors for success at their respective schools; search for “Data Helps Predict Student Success, Outcomes” (you should find it at enrollment.org, the new name for SSATB).

MS can be an important time for math, as it’s laying the foundations for algebra and the rest of the HS math progression. Merely coasting, let alone falling behind, in math during the MS years becomes a disadvantage not only for getting into a selective admission BS, but puts your kid behind at moving through the HS math curriculum, and then at a disadvantage come college admissions time.

Now if your kid is a math “whiz”, or the progressive MS math education is great, all’s well. At the other extreme, if your kid is weak on math and the traditional private MS isn’t going to lift your kid up, maybe the progressive MS can better help your kid develop his/her other strengths, without losing much on the math front. But if your kid is “in the middle” on math, I’d have reservations about an alternative MS unless either it’s clearly good at math education, or you’re able and willing to supplement, as needed, to be sure your kid is making good progress on math.

(2) Has your kid taken any standardized tests, and if so, how strong of a standardized test-taker is he/she? As plenty of other discussions on the forum will point out, good standardized test scores aren’t enough to get a kid into a selective BS – but bad scores might keep a kid out. My presumption would be that, as with a home-schooled kid, for a kid coming from a new, alternative, no-track-record school, the BS admissions officers will want to see convincingly “in range for admission” standardized test scores.

Here again, if your kid is a test-taking “whiz”, you can probably comfortably go for the progressive MS. Or on the other end, if your kid is distinctly NOT much of a test-taker – if your kid is the sort of artistic/creative/out-of-the-box thinker who’s never going to be one to give the “expected” answers – then perhaps going to the progressive MS to develop other skills BUT ALSO doing some private test prep (you really want the scores to reach a minimal acceptable level for admission) may help your kid look more interesting to BS admissions than having the kid compete with other applicants from the traditional, feeder MS. But if your kid is “in the middle” on test-taking, that’s where the traditional MS may do a reliable, solid job on preparing your kid for BS admission.

If your kid doesn’t have a standardized test-taking track record but there’s an opportunity to take such a test soon – perhaps the traditional MS has a test for admission? – I might have the kid try taking such a test, and then take into consideration how it went.

Again, though, much depends on the degree of selectivity of the desired BS, on the relative strengths of the MS programs, and on your own kid’s profile. Your kid is fortunate to have you thinking thoughtfully about this choice early on!

5

I would make this decision based on where you think your child will learn best and most enthusiastically for the next few years. While it’s wise to think about the implications of today’s choice for a decision that is 3 to 4 years off, it is a bad idea to do today wrong because you think it’ll make tomorrow better.

I have known quite a few kids who have come out of free-range, mixed grades, outside in all weather, progressive schools who have transitioned seamlessly to traditional BS. I have also known several who did not. But then again, I have also known kids who came from traditional middle schools who foundered at traditional BS as well as ones who thrived in unusual settings. You know your child best and probably have a hunch as to what would be best.

I fully agree with @veronite that you should evaluate the coursework at both to be sure that your child’s choice doesn’t involve a sacrifice in content. With that said, I wouldn’t assume that one would necessarily be better or more advanced because of the way in which content is delivered. Lots of math/science kids really soar in progressive settings because they can devour material faster and remain curious (why?
kids) while others (how? kids) may be less frustrated with traditional structured instruction.

I would keep an open mind about your BS choices as middle school plays out. Your child may show you what kind of settling would be best for high school.

6

Thank you. You all have given me a lot to think about.

We are considering several other factors as well, other than the above. Basically it boils down to both schools have some strengths and weaknesses, and unfortunately, neither meets all of my child’s needs.

Because of this, I am pondering how the other factors like the learning style of the school, may factor in, especially in the long term.

Thanks again for the advice.

7

The one good thing is that if your child does decide to attend a progressive school, he will have minimal to no homework, which leaves his afternoons free and clear. This could give him the opportunity to pick up sports or activities that could look good on BS applications. In the end though, do what you hunk is best for your child, but be sure to let him seriously weigh in. After all, this will be HIS school where he had to attend is be sure to listen to his feedback and wants. Good luck to you and your son!