DCC residents - what are your plans for high school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If anything the county needs more magnet programs and Kennedy would be a good choice for a highly sought after one.

Does Kennedy HS have space for a program?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If anything the county needs more magnet programs and Kennedy would be a good choice for a highly sought after one.

Does Kennedy HS have space for a program?

It's projected to be overcapacity by 2019, and it's recommended to get an addition by 2022.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If anything the county needs more magnet programs and Kennedy would be a good choice for a highly sought after one.

Does Kennedy HS have space for a program?

It's projected to be overcapacity by 2019, and it's recommended to get an addition by 2022.

Sure will when they offload 500 kids on Woodward.

[Anonymous]

Kennedy is ONLY one GS rating spot below Einstein, Northwood and Wheaton. Its not that different from the other schools at all.

Kennedy is a 3, the rest are all 4s and Blair is a 6 but it has the magnet and CAP. If the magnet and special programs didn't draw the top kids away, all the DCC schools would be rated the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kennedy is ONLY one GS rating spot below Einstein, Northwood and Wheaton. Its not that different from the other schools at all.

Kennedy is a 3, the rest are all 4s and Blair is a 6 but it has the magnet and CAP. If the magnet and special programs didn't draw the top kids away, all the DCC schools would be rated the same.

It's a nice sentiment but facts don't bear it out.

[Anonymous]

???

The GS ratings are pretty clear. Kennedy is a 3 , the others are 4 and Blair is a 6. Blair has 2 programs that draw the most talented students away from other DCC schools. There is nothing non-factual about this.

[Anonymous]

The GS ratings are just about the percentage of kids who met the state's benchmark. Although about 10% of Blair's population is out of boundary magnet kids, its impact just isn't that great.

For example, if 60% normally pass the PARCC let's says 600 of 1000 and assuming all the magnet kids pass then without the magnet that would be 500 of 900 or 55%.

Sure that's lower but not enough to get excited about.

[Anonymous]

The GS ratings are just about the percentage of kids who met the state's benchmark. Although about 10% of Blair's population is out of boundary magnet kids, its impact just isn't that great.

10% is huge and that 10% is at the top. If you moved Blair's 10% out of boundary into Wheaton or Kennedy or Einstein you would see an immediate change in scores and ratings. You would see further change over time as more DCC parents who want the best schools they can afford would try to buy homes in the school with the magnet population.

Blair's magnet programs may really help Blair be perceived as better than it is but they hurt the other DCC schools by drawing away talent.

[Anonymous]

Perhaps they should open an IB magnet at Einstein (which already has an IB program) and a STEM magnet on the Western side of the county.
So you would have Blair SMAC and Einstein magnet IB on the eastern side and RMIB and another SMAC in one of the high schools West of Wisconsin/Rockville Pike

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps they should open an IB magnet at Einstein (which already has an IB program) and a STEM magnet on the Western side of the county.
So you would have Blair SMAC and Einstein magnet IB on the eastern side and RMIB and another SMAC in one of the high schools West of Wisconsin/Rockville Pike

How about Poolesville..which already has one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The GS ratings are just about the percentage of kids who met the state's benchmark. Although about 10% of Blair's population is out of boundary magnet kids, its impact just isn't that great.

For example, if 60% normally pass the PARCC let's says 600 of 1000 and assuming all the magnet kids pass then without the magnet that would be 500 of 900 or 55%.

Sure 5% is lower but not enough to get excited about.

Exactly - the impact is a lot smaller than people realize when you crunch the actual numbers.

[Anonymous]

Anyone have a kid go through Einstein and another go through Northwood? Curious about the difference in experiences there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone have a kid go through Einstein and another go through Northwood? Curious about the difference in experiences there.

Aside from minor demographic differences, MCPS schools are all about the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone have a kid go through Einstein and another go through Northwood? Curious about the difference in experiences there.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The GS ratings are just about the percentage of kids who met the state's benchmark. Although about 10% of Blair's population is out of boundary magnet kids, its impact just isn't that great.

10% is huge and that 10% is at the top. If you moved Blair's 10% out of boundary into Wheaton or Kennedy or Einstein you would see an immediate change in scores and ratings. You would see further change over time as more DCC parents who want the best schools they can afford would try to buy homes in the school with the magnet population.

Blair's magnet programs may really help Blair be perceived as better than it is but they hurt the other DCC schools by drawing away talent.

NP: I live in IB for Blair and agree with your point overall. I don't think 10% is huge, but I do think it is significant in impacting scores overall. However, your point about buying "the best schools they can afford would try to buy homes in the school with the magnet population" is accurate. I take issue with people who think that everyone at Blair that is not in the magnet program is failing and that is not true. Many families, especially in Takoma Park, send their kids to the local program and that has had an impact on overall scores in addition to the magnet. If the magnet moved to Einstein, Kennedy, etc. then scores would go up eventually in the local non-magnet population because higher SES educated families would follow.