Testimonials
My son was a 6-8th grader at Discovery. We were extremely impressed with the middle school program at Discovery. My two older sons attended Fisher Middle School in Los Gatos, which is considered one of the top schools in the South Bay. I believe the program at Discovery is as good, if not better, than what my son would have found if he had attended Fisher Middle School. Parents with younger grade children should understand that the middle school students need as much support as younger students because in addition to dealing with academic issues they also are entering into puberty and all the accompanying feelings of insecurity, worrying about being different, and trying to figure out who they are.Kudos to all the people who contribute to Discovery's excellent program!
Parent
I'll try and keep this short, but may fail. My son was at DCS from grades 4-8. We are in the Palo Alto School District. I chose to drive him down to San Jose each day so that he could be a part of DCS, a community that we felt welcomed into and where he thrived. He is now in his 3rd year at a top performing high school in Palo Alto. The reason I am writing is that my son has often stated that he feels better prepared for high school (and college) than many of the students at his school (including many top students) due to his education at DCS. My son is doing very well - so if you wonder if your child can get a "good enough" education at DCS to compete at an academic high school, from our experience, the answer is yes. He values the emphasis on exploration, expression and writing, among others. Learning as a motivation itself was nurtured. It took a little bit to learn the routine of the tests and assignments in high school, but it was well worth forming such a solid foundation at DCS first. Each child is different, each has his or her own strengths and weaknesses, DCS was an excellent fit for my son - it allowed him to soar with his strengths and gently worked on the key weaknesses in appropriate, developmental ways. Your mileage may vary, but for us, the mileage to DCS each and every day was well worth it.Yours in the DCS spirit!
Parent
We had to relocate... My Daughter accompanied me to Boston the week before school was out, in order to get a feel for placement in one of the top middle schools in the state. I later learned that this test was for the advanced students and determined whether incoming 7th graders would be in "college prep math" or "honors math". Out of the 231 students from the three towns that filter into this school, only 130 were accepted. As it turned out, she (tested into the honors program. This was quite the eye-opener. Thank you Discovery.Parent
Grades don’t matter. Depth of learning is what counts, and that is exactly what we are seeing with our daughter, who went to DCS and is now in 1st year high school. We worried a lot about how she will do in high school, after having gone through an environment that was not so focused on standardized testing. To our surprise, she is doing really well. And more importantly, I don't see her stressed out at all. I see that DCS has prepared her to be more comfortable in her skin and enjoy these years of her childhood (she is still a child to us) the way we would have liked her to. Discovery does a strong job. I can assure you that it is true. The first time she took a standardized test was in 6th grade at DCS. I can assure you the fact that she hadn't taken them before did not hurt her one bit. She has had straight A's in high school and much of the material is much too easy for her since she is really used to learning things on a deeper level. She is a student who has her own learning challenges as well. However, the fact that she attended schools like DCS that didn't emphasize grades and allowed her to learn her strengths and weaknesses have made her into her own advocate as a freshman. I cannot tell you how rare that is. Every single one of her teachers has approached me and has raved about how well prepared she is. DCS and schools like it have allowed my daughter to be who she is, be comfortable in her own skin and achieve to her potential. I can assure you that would not have happened in a setting where grades were emphasized. If that is what one is looking for, there are plenty of schools out there to provide that. Just my 2 cents.Parent
I think I have some knowledge and experience to share on the subject of academics and grades. First, most of you probably do not know me. My daughter graduated from DCS last year. She is a freshman at a regular comprehensive high school (the first "regular" school she has ever attended). She has been in developmentally appropriate, parent participation schools since preschool (DCS for middle school). I am a school psychologist in the public school system and have been working in high schools for over 25 years. I happen to work at the same high school that my daughter attends. She never had an emphasis on grades or on test scores and I wanted that on purpose. I see what that type of an emphasis does to children when they are being educated that way. I see the students who are "done" by the time they get to high school because none of what they have learned mean a thing to them. I worked at one of the "best" and most highly achieving high schools in this valley for 16 years. I have seen first hand the emotional toll that takes on kids and the wreckage it leaves behind. I have long been told that this type of educational background would not hurt my daughter when she had to compete in high school. I think I was one of the few people to actually believe it and have no doubt the entire time she was growing up. I can assure you that it is true. The first time she took a standardized test was in 6th grade at DCS. I can assure you the fact that she hadn't taken them before did not hurt her one bit. She has had straight A's in high school and much of the material is much too easy for her since she is really used to learning things on a deeper level. She is a student who has her own learning challenges as well. However, the fact that she attended schools like DCS that didn't emphasize grades and allowed her to learn her strengths and weaknesses have made her into her own advocate as a freshman. I cannot tell you how rare that is. Every single one of her teachers has approached me and has raved about how well prepared she is. DCS and schools like it have allowed my daughter to be who she is, be comfortable in her own skin and achieve to her potential. I can assure you that would not have happened in a setting where grades were emphasized. If that is what one is looking for, there are plenty of schools out there to provide that. Just my 2 cents.Parent
My husband and I had the same fears about each of our three children as they approached high school as most parents do. We were 100% pro developmental and pro Discovery, but of course you still worry. Our trust in Discovery was rewarded each time as our children launched into high school as very balanced confident students. Interesting thing was that we watched every one of our kids have to figure out the “grade game” – you know -what you have to do that the teacher wants you to do to get that “A”. Once they figured that out it was smooth sailing. Interestingly enough during that process we heard comments like “I’m thinking way too much and too deep, the teacher only want’s these key points”. To us that signified that our kids has been use to and wanted a deeper level of learning. We directly associate this mindset and their success to Discovery. Thank you Discovery!Parent
My daughter who is now in college was complimented by a professor for her classroom participation and thoughtful discussion. Guess what… she attributed that skill back to Discovery when she was telling me about the incident.Parent
Yesterday a mom (who I do not know) walked by and said "This school Rocks!" .... and yesterday when I asked my daughter how was your day? For the first time in her school life she answered "good". " I have a good day at school everyday now." My heart was singing.Parent
DCS alums have had great success in high school. We chose the DCS program many years ago precisely because we felt the developmental approach would best prepare our two boys for success farther down the road. We have an 8th grader who started at DCS in 1st grade and a 10th grader at Mitty who started in 3rd grade. Because they were able to work at the pace and work level that suited their developmental level they've been able to grow into confident, high achieving students. The purpose of elementary and middle school is to prepare our kids for future academic success by laying a strong foundation. Based upon the evidence we've seen with DCS graduates it appears that DCS solidly meets this goal.Parent