Middle and high school differentiation- grade level, honors?

[Anonymous]

I’m trying to obtain a clear picture of middle and high school differentiation in MCPS. Is it by policy, or do some schools have leeway? I know the math has differentiation, being able to take math one year or more ahead, and it is clearly articulated and structured. What about ELA? Social studies? Sciences? Music? I’m particularly interested for the W + BCC schools. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

At our W+BCC feeder MS, there is an advanced social studies class. It is offered to very few students. ELA and science are not differentiated. In instrumental music, there are groups for each grade and a very advanced students can play "up". I don't know if our experience is the same county-wide.

[Anonymous]

I’m particularly interested for the W + BCC schools.

It’s the same for all of MCPS.

[Anonymous]

There are differentiations in:

1. Math. 6th graders are supposed to take Math 6, but in the Bethesda/Potomac clusters they mostly take more advanced classes: AIM and similar, or rarely even test into Algebra 1. If you're in Algebra 1 by 6th grade, it does complicate matters later, since you have to be bused to the high school for math by 8th grade, and then figure out whether your high school offers classes past AP Calc BC. WJ and WW have many options, but BCC not so much.

2. Language. Many international students test into whatever level they're already at, and some don't take their native language in MCPS, but just take the AP exam on their own, which frees up space for an additional language, since it is a requirement (you can waive it, but not sure how you do that). Otherwise students in 6th usually start out with Language 1A and take Language 1B in 7th. Some just do both in 6th, and Language 2 in 7th. For languages with two AP exams, this ensures they can get both APs before 12th grade.

3. Social Studies. There is a Global Humanities course in middle school, which is a bit more work than the regular class. Not sure if that's what PP is referring to, but plenty of students take it at Westland MS.

3. Instrumental music and chorus. Groups depend on teacher availability. There aren't enough teachers to go round, so middle schools typically just one have beginner and one advanced group, but students' musical experience vary wildly inside the "advanced" group, which isn't all that advanced, given some participants only have a year or two of experience.

4. There is no other differentiation in middle school. In high school, AP English Language and Composition is typically taken in 11th grade, and AP English Literature is taken in 12th grade. High school science is a more varied, with Honors and APs. However, students need pre-requisites depending on the school (usually Algebra 2, and sometimes they require that the student has taken the Honors version before the AP version; also I believe you need AP Calc before or at the same time as AP Physics, but there are 3 types of AP Physics, and details are fuzzy).

If your child is coming into MCPS and you wish them to take a more advanced class than what they propose, then you need to explain why their academic background prepares them for it, and for math and language, request a placement test. The BCC cluster is singularly un-enthusiastic about placing students in test-in math courses. Don't know about WJ and WW.

[Anonymous]

Middle School is the weak link. Accelerated math is based on ES recommendation, but whether there is wiggle room depends a lot on the particular MS administration. With regard to the HIGH (global Humanities class) entry over the past few years has been based on the lottery pooling for the MS magnets. If you are in Pool for Eastern, you get into HiGH. Our school is strict about that; others are not.

High school.is a lot more flexible.

[Anonymous]

At our nonW middle school there was no differentiation in Language Arts (everyone was in Advanced English). No differentiation in Science (which was pretty bad).

There was differentiation in Math and History.

[Anonymous]

For non-magnet MS:
- Most schools have everyone take "advanced" English. It is an on-level course.
- All schools are supposed to offer Advanced IM (advanced math for 6th graders, which puts you on track for Algebra 1 in 7th), but not all schools do.
- All schools are supposed to offer Historical Inquiry into Global Humanities. As far as I know, they all do, but some offer them to everyone, so it's not tracked. That could mean it is more like an on-levels course.
- Science is just one level.

For non-magnet HS:
- Most HS have everyone take "Honors" English 9 & 10. This is essentially an on-levels course.
- There is differentiation from math (tracks continued from MS)
- Most schools seem to offer both honors and on-level science classes, but sometimes these classes are grouped together -- so the content is the same, but the testing is harder for kids who are in the honors classes. This is, for example, the case at BCC.
- You can generally start taking AP classes in social studies in 9th grade, which means that there is more meaningful differentiaition.

[Anonymous]

Thank you all for your feedback and sharing your knowledge.

[Anonymous]

Some schools also put everyone in the advanced IM class so it's not really differentiation in the way I think you want it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some schools also put everyone in the advanced IM class so it's not really differentiation in the way I think you want it.

What schools do this? They are putting kids who have only completed math 5 in AIM, which is 7/8? That definitely goes against the MCPS guidelines.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some schools also put everyone in the advanced IM class so it's not really differentiation in the way I think you want it.

What schools do this? They are putting kids who have only completed math 5 in AIM, which is 7/8? That definitely goes against the MCPS guidelines.

Don't believe everything you read. At best, there are subtleties being left off the text on the anonymous message board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some schools also put everyone in the advanced IM class so it's not really differentiation in the way I think you want it.

What schools do this? They are putting kids who have only completed math 5 in AIM, which is 7/8? That definitely goes against the MCPS guidelines.

They do put kids in AIM who took Math 5, but they have to be in magnet pool. My son was not in compact but his MAP score was in 99 percentile. He was put in AIM.

I am a math enthusiast and work with my son. There is no way MCPS can put all kids in AIM. IN fact , many kids who took compact math in 5th grade were not put in AIM. If all kids are asked to take AIM then they will struggle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m particularly interested for the W + BCC schools.

It’s the same for all of MCPS.

Yes, all MCPS schools have the same curriculum.

[Anonymous]

The weakest link seems to be English. Kids in 6-10th grade who have the interest should have the opportunity more a more advanced class.

[Anonymous]

Parents continue to amaze me with how uninformed they are in educational vocabulary.

Tracking refers to the systematic grouping of students into classes based on their overall achievement. By contrast, differentiation of instruction is the adjusting of lesson activities and tasks for students in a single class who are at different levels.