Making Headlines: A Message from the Head of School

What do those AP numbers really mean?

Last August, I had the pleasure this summer of taking an admissions tour at one of the great universities local to Boston.  The last time I had this kind of experience was more than 10 years ago, now (cringe), and I had been to this same university with my son.  So much has changed – buildings, programs, majors, summer opportunities – that although I was in the same place, I felt as if I were hearing about this amazing program for the first time.  It was big fun for a school junkie! Our tour guide was a tremendously impressive rising sophomore from Portland, Oregon, who was interested in poetry and biochemistry and ran track. She spoke with obvious pride for her school, and I was impressed by her candor.  The dorms were only so-so here, she told us, but the people and opportunities are amazing. At the end of the “academic” segment of her tour, in which she detailed for us requirements, course selection policies, and strongest programs (from her perspective), she added the following comment: “If there is one thing I wish I had been told on these tours, it’s that Advanced Placement courses can save you time and money when you get here, and they matter.  You just get better options. I wish I had known that and paid more attention to them when I was in your shoes.” We nodded politely, but I was struck again by her candor and insight. This young woman has big plans for her life; she is community-oriented and engaged, and she didn’t have to give any plugs for anything. I was struck that she made that choice at that time, to that audience.

For many years, now, students at Middlesex have performed very well on those Advanced Placement exams, and we faculty members have been fielding the counter-intuitive inquiries about “why you focus so much on the APS.”  Those questions are especially ubiquitous around admissions revisit days, as families try to figure out the relative strengths of academic programs. The fact is that while we offer Advanced Placement courses, we don’t “focus” on them; in fact, every curricular pathway here offers our students advanced, challenging, non-AP options.  

We offer AP course because we believe that our students benefit both from the curricula – from the experience of taking a college course for which they are well-prepared -- and from good, easy-to-read credentials in a college admissions environment that has never been more competitive and in which college admissions officers tell us to make it easier, not more complicated and time-consuming, to see students’ strengths.  In the 1990’s, we knew that we had about 90 seconds to convince an admissions reader to read more about a candidate; now, that time has shrunk considerably as readers electronically sort and comb through tens of thousands of applications from around the world, with all different kinds of schools throwing all kinds of unique credentials at them. Our experience continues to be that offering AP courses to students, to be balanced on an individual course load basis with input from parents, teachers, and advisors, indeed offers our students not only outstanding intellectual and academic opportunities while they are in our classrooms and community, but also those important opportunities to stand out, save time and money, and “get better options,” in the words of that wonderful college tour guide.  So we offer AP courses without “focusing” on them; we work hard towards getting good scores, hopefully 4’s and 5’s; and we celebrate our students’ achievement as testament to their talent, hard work, and growth mindsets. Those numbers represent a huge amount of great work and growth.

-Kathy Giles, Head of School

 

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2018 AP Exam highlights:
 
In 2018, 226 Middlesex students took a total of 611 total AP exams. 45% of all AP exam scores were a “5” and 78% of all AP exam scores were a “4” or “5.”
 
Our students performed especially well in STEM subjects, with impressive score averages in Biology (4.6), Chemistry (4.8), and Physics 1 (4.6) and Physics C (4.8). All juniors at Middlesex took the English Language and Composition exam, and last spring they continued the School’s trend of stellar results in the exam, with 47% receiving a “5” and 74% receiving a “4” or “5”. Continuing in the humanities, 22 students took the U.S History exam with an average score of 4.9, while all six students who took AP French received a score of “5”.  In the arts, meanwhile, Middlesex had four students who scored a “5” in 3D Studio Art.
 
The School takes great care in the development and execution of its AP curriculum to ensure that all Middlesex students receive an enriching academic experience where exam outcomes are not the primary goal. Below, please find an overview of our AP philosophy, excerpted from "College Applications: Curriculum, Testing, Recommendations, and Transcripts":
 
One of the questions that often comes up at admissions events is whether we offer Advanced Placement courses and the answer is, yes, we do.  Our students benefit both from the curriculum – from the experience of taking a college course for which they are well-prepared -- and from good, easy-to-read credentials in a college admissions environment that has never been more competitive and in which college admissions officers tell us to make it easier, not more complicated and time-consuming, to see students’ strengths.  In the 1990’s, we knew that we had about 90 seconds to convince an admissions reader to read more about a candidate; now, that time has shrunk considerably as readers comb through tens of thousands of applications from around the world, with all different kinds of schools throwing all kinds of strange credentials at them. 
 
In every discipline that offers an AP course, students can choose advanced topics courses that are not AP, and all course choices are curated to balance the rigor of a curriculum with a student’s well-being and interests.  Middlesex students do very well on AP exams, perhaps because from freshman year on, our classes meet at least 5 times per week, rather than the four times they meet at other schools, and that 20% more time really pays off in terms of pace and preparation by the time students are ready for advanced work either in an advanced topic or AP course.  The key, as always, is balance in the creation of an academic program of study that balances a student’s interests, ambitions, capacities and maturity with the engagements outside the classroom that also play crucial roles in our students’ “finding the promise.”
 
 
 
 

Calendar Notes

• October 5: Please note that the Community Life meeting originally scheduled for Friday, October 5th has been moved to Thursday, November 8th.
• October 6: SATs (Class I); Special academic schedule – Admissions Open House
• October 8: Columbus Day – Classes held
• October 9: Class IV Choices, 7-8:30pm; Class III event (required), 7-8:30pm, Recital Hall; Class II event (required), 7-8:30pm, Terry Room; Class I Leadership meeting, 7:30-8:30pm, Barron Room
• October 10: No classes – College meeting (Class I); PSAT (Class II and III); Class event (Class IV)
• October 12: Special academic schedule
• October 13-15: Fall Long Weekend (No classes)
• October 16: Classes resume, Monday schedule
• October 18: International Parents' Dinner, 5:30-7:30pm, Head's House
• October 19: Parents' Weekend begins
• October 20: Parents' Weekend (special schedule)
• October 22: No classes; 8:30pm check in for all boarders

Announcements and Reminders

• The Warburg Library and Friends invite parents and families to visit our annual book display in the Terry Room on Parents' Weekend. Come browse our colorful selection of new books recently acquired for our collection. Each year, we invite families to sponsor a book of their choice to honor their children, advisors, teachers, (or even favorite pets) by donating the value of the book. Each gift will be decorated with an artisan bookplate inscribed with your honorific, and the proceeds will enhance a Gift Book Fund which we use to improve library services.  We look forward to seeing you on Parents' Weekend! 

• From the Health Center: An important way to prevent illness throughout the winter and spring is by getting vaccinated against the influenza virus. For those students living in a dormitory setting it is particularly important to prevent the spread of the influenza virus by receiving the vaccine. Influenza vaccinations will be provided by West Concord Pharmacy and available at Middlesex on the following days:

  • Monday, October 8th, 5:30-7:30pm

  West Concord Pharmacy will need a signed consent form sent to you via the SNAP parent portal to vaccinate your child. They will submit a claim to your insurance for the cost of the vaccination and will bill you directly for any associated co-payment. 

  We very much encourage all students to be vaccinated but be sure to read the Vaccine Information Sheet to understand the risks and benefits of the vaccine before signing a consent. 

  Please be aware that signing the consent form does not guarantee that your child will be vaccinated.  They must attend one of the following vaccination clinics and they must be healthy in order to receive a vaccine.

• The Middlesex Alumni Association would like to remind all parents that the Kingman Cup Golf and Tennis Tournament is just weeks away. Hosted this year at the beautiful Myopia Hunt Club, this casual day of friendly competition is inclusive of all playing levels.  If your schedule doesn't allow you to participate in the golf or tennis, you can join us for the post-play cocktail reception. Please support this fun event with your enthusiastic participation. Online registration is available. If you have any questions, please contact Director of Alumni Relations John Morrissey at 978-371-6523, jmorrissey@mxschool.edu.

• We would like to remind all parents that you are encouraged to attend the upcoming Parents' Weekend on October 19-20th. Please register online at your earliest convenience.

From the MPA

• We are looking for local families to host parents of prospective students for one overnight on October 16th for our Prep for Prep/Prep 9 program. Many of our previous host's children have recently graduated, so we need new families to help out!  

  • REP 9 helps the brightest & most hardworking African American & Latino students in New York City & the metropolitan areas of Westchester, Long Island, New Jersey, & Connecticut prepare for success at leading independent boarding schools across the Northeast.  Middlesex, a member of the Prep 9 Consortium, is committed to accepting three students per year. During the Prep visit, students will spend the night in the dorms, and the parents spend the night with Middlesex host families. The host families are able to give firsthand accounts of what it's like to be a part of the Middlesex community. 

  • This is a great program and a wonderful way to support MX! If you are able to help out please let me know and also indicate if you can host more than one parent (separate rooms). Please contact Danielle Fries at friesdl@comcast.net.

• Calling all Volunteers! The MX MPA is again hosting the MX HALLOWEEN SPOOKTACULAR! On Tuesday evening October 30th from 7pm-9pm, MX parents will decorate StuFac for this All School Event  being held on Wednesday, October 31st from 9:15-10:15am. We need help with decorating, halloween-themed food, drinks, set-up and clean-up.  
  
  Please visit here: Decoration Set-Up and/or here: Food & Drink Sign-Up to help in any way you can! For specific questions or additional information, please email Kim Page at kpage123@comcast.net.
   

• Volunteers needed to help make Parents’ Weekend a success!  Come help assemble the handouts on Tuesday (October 16th, 8:15am-11:30am), or help decorate the gym on Friday morning (October 19th, 9:30am -11:00am)  Link to sign up is  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b094aaca72fa02-parents. Please contact Jill Creevy at jillcreevy@comcast.net with any questions.

• During the school year, the MPA has Saturday morning meetings that present key information for current parents. Parents are encouraged to attend in person or to view the electronic broadcast of each meeting. The meeting dates for the 2018-2019 year are as follows: 

  • November 17, 10:00am-11:30am - Barron Room, Ware Hall
  • January 19, 10:00am-11:30am - Barron Room, Ware Hall
  • April 13, 10:00am-11:30am – Barron Room, Ware Hall

Academic Awards for Spring 2018

After each semester at Middlesex, we gather to celebrate the academic achievements of our students at the Academic Awards Assembly.  At last week’s assembly, we acknowledged work done in the 2018 spring semester.