Help me to understand different course offerings at different schools
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Anonymous
| I am trying not to jump to conclusions here but I really want to understand why some MCPS high schools have a ton of AP classes and a vast array of course selections, and others have fewer. I have a kid in the DCC and one bussed to another high school, and the course catalog is strikingly different. |
Anonymous
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I believe the answer is largely demand. That, and a school’s stated “academies” or special programs.
That said, I have a student at a DCC high school who has found plenty of rigorous and interesting courses. I guess variety is nice, but you still need to take 4 years of math, English, science, etc. so it’s not like kids at some schools get to load up with fascinating electives. |
Anonymous
Most seem the same to me. I mean the only real differences I'm aware of are language offerings. |
Anonymous
Yes, my non-magnet kid @Blair managed to take 8 magnet classes over their high-school years in addition to 7 APs. It probably would've been more like 4 but they were able to take magnet math for the entire 4 years. |
Anonymous
Yes don’t get me wrong I’m not trying to bash our DCC school (we love it) and same for our kid. She’s just frustrated this year with lack of selection for AP courses but my DH pointed out the other school is twice the size |
Anonymous
To the first order, it is a combination of student demand and teacher availability. Smaller schools (1500-1800) just have less students to take courses compared to bigger schools (2500-3000). There typically need to be at least 20 kids to run a course, otherwise the school has staffing imbalances. A bigger school has a little more flexibility because a few very small classes don't increase other class sizes as much as in a small school. And if there isn't a teacher to teach the course, you can't run it. To the second order, other programs in the school and school focus priorities may affect which AP courses are offered. Schools with IB programs have those advanced classes and will have fewer AP classes as a result. Why not share the schools so we can all see? |
Anonymous
It’s also staffing. I’ve worked at multiple MCPS secondary schools. Twice, my hook at hiring was my ability to offer courses that they wanted to add to their offerings. |
Anonymous
It’s usually languages and electives. |
Anonymous
No. I’m talking about social studies and science classes. |
Anonymous
Like a PP noted, an IB school (in the DCC that's Kennedy or Einstein) may have IB instead of AP classes in certain subjects, or they may offer both. Is that what you're seeing? |
Anonymous
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They publish a report listing the AP and IB course offerings and exam data for each high school. This is the most recent:
https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/sharedaccountability/reports/2022/2021_AP_IB_Exams_HS%20Princ.pdf |
Anonymous
Am I reading this correctly: Watkins, Seneca and Kennedy only offer 10 AP classes vs 38 AP classes at Walter Johnson? |
Anonymous
Yes, because they offer IB courses instead. Read the totals. |
Anonymous
Yes, because they are IB schools. They offer only 10 APs, but also offer 30-40 IB classes, which are at a comparable level. |
Anonymous
And students don't need to be part of the IB diploma program to take individual IB courses. |