Teachers are NOT the enemy!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm disturbed by all the anti-gifted spew in this thread. One reason parents of gifted kids speak up so often about their kids not being advanced is because they are some of the few parents that are in a position to have hard, data-based "evidence" that the system will listen to about whether their child is performing above grade-level and can handle harder material.

To repeat a PP -- this thread is not about you. And if it's not about you, why make it about you?

+1. In your post you mention 99th percentile kids, but this thread is not about the 99th percentile kids who have their own magnets and other programs. This thread is about the kids in regular MCPS schools. Instead of hijacking this thread, why not start your own thread about 99th percentile kids. TIA!

You don't seem to understand this so we'll say it really simply: 99th percentile kids ARE in regular MCPS schools too. Got it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm disturbed by all the anti-gifted spew in this thread. One reason parents of gifted kids speak up so often about their kids not being advanced is because they are some of the few parents that are in a position to have hard, data-based "evidence" that the system will listen to about whether their child is performing above grade-level and can handle harder material.

To repeat a PP -- this thread is not about you. And if it's not about you, why make it about you?

+1. In your post you mention 99th percentile kids, but this thread is not about the 99th percentile kids who have their own magnets and other programs. This thread is about the kids in regular MCPS schools. Instead of hijacking this thread, why not start your own thread about 99th percentile kids. TIA!

You don't seem to understand this so we'll say it really simply: 99th percentile kids ARE in regular MCPS schools too. Got it?

What percentage of the kids in MCPS are 99th percentile?

[Anonymous]

So that is what you're saying? You shouldn't be on the honor roll and getting straight As unless you're somebody who can get accepted to Harvard? (Keeping in mind that Harvard accepts about 2,000 people a year.) Really?

I'm speechless.

I'll offer a laryngeal transplant to regain your voice. The point the poster is making is the MCPS grade inflation (where 80% are honor roll students) becomes meaningless for schools like Harvard looking for the most desirable candidates. This surplus of As makes differentiation difficult. The MCPS A grades are a dime a dozen ... unreliable as a measure of distinguishing excellence when the majority of MCPS students are near straight A students.

These top ranked universities and colleges rely on other measures:

Class president
Newspaper Editor
School sports captain
Intel
USAMO
Regional and National creative writing and arts awards
Regional and National science, math, and computer science awards
Teacher/character references (if the MCPS teachers are even capable of writing a persuasive letter of recommendation. BCRs and ECRs will not cut it at the next level)
Other measures of academic or intellectual productivity

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

So that is what you're saying? You shouldn't be on the honor roll and getting straight As unless you're somebody who can get accepted to Harvard? (Keeping in mind that Harvard accepts about 2,000 people a year.) Really?

I'm speechless.

I'll offer a laryngeal transplant to regain your voice. [b]The point the poster is making is the MCPS grade inflation (where 80% are honor roll students) becomes meaningless for schools like Harvard looking for the most desirable candidates. This surplus of As makes differentiation difficult. The MCPS A grades are a dime a dozen ... unreliable as a measure of distinguishing excellence when the majority of MCPS students are near straight A students.

These top ranked universities and colleges rely on other measures:

Class president
Newspaper Editor
School sports captain
Intel
USAMO
Regional and National creative writing and arts awards
Regional and National science, math, and computer science awards
Teacher/character references (if the MCPS teachers are even capable of writing a persuasive letter of recommendation. BCRs and ECRs will not cut it at the next level)
Other measures of academic or intellectual productivity

MCPS should design its grading policies around the needs of the Harvard admissions committee. Got it.

Or, alternatively, let's assume that the Harvard admissions committee can find a way to solve that problem for itself. They're Harvard, after all! That means they must be smart!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

So that is what you're saying? You shouldn't be on the honor roll and getting straight As unless you're somebody who can get accepted to Harvard? (Keeping in mind that Harvard accepts about 2,000 people a year.) Really?

I'm speechless.

I'll offer a laryngeal transplant to regain your voice. The point the poster is making is the MCPS grade inflation (where 80% are honor roll students) becomes meaningless for schools like Harvard looking for the most desirable candidates. This surplus of As makes differentiation difficult. The MCPS A grades are a dime a dozen ... unreliable as a measure of distinguishing excellence when the majority of MCPS students are near straight A students.

These top ranked universities and colleges rely on other measures:

Class president
Newspaper Editor
School sports captain
Intel
USAMO
Regional and National creative writing and arts awards
Regional and National science, math, and computer science awards
Teacher/character references (if the MCPS teachers are even capable of writing a persuasive letter of recommendation. BCRs and ECRs will not cut it at the next level)
Other measures of academic or intellectual productivity

I agree that SATs, ECs and awards are also part of the package (I'm 13:21). But ...

You say this as though MCPS is solely responsible for Harvard's need to rely on SATs, ECs, leadership, Intel and other awards. In fact, many high schools across the country, public and private alike, give As to a majority of their students. Even if MCPS gave Ds to everyone, Harvard will still ask about ECs and leadership and awards.

You also imply that it's somehow wrong that colleges even have to ask about Intel, ECs and other things besides grades. In fact, colleges know that the kids who are chained to their desks aren't necessarily the kids who will go on to be leaders and/or the most creative workers.

Also, at the high school level, straight As are NOT a dime a dozen. You're wrong here.

[Anonymous]

Let's do a counterfactual.

What if the average grade in MCPS was a C? What would we conclude from this?
(1) MCPS teachers stink.
(2) MCPS kids are dumber than thee national average.
(3) The C-centered bell curve means that no MCPS kid is ever going to get into Harvard, so we need to change this grading policy, stat!

As you can see, grading policies are subject to a huge range of interpretations and misinterpretations.

[Anonymous]

If the average grade in MCPS were a C, we would conclude that:

1. MCPS teachers stink.
2. It's all Joshua Starr's fault.

But that's only because those are the conclusions to every statement.

For example: It's snowing. This means that MCPS teachers stink, and it's all Joshua Starr's fault.

Or: My washing machine broke. This means that MCPS teachers stink, and it's all Joshua Starr's fault.

etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
At the school my DC went to over the summer, there were two programs. One like you mentioned above, and another that was competitive (though not as competitive as regular admissions I'm sure). They had a 25 percent acceptance rate. I totally agree that the material shouldn't be watered down at MCPS. If my DC couldn't handle it DC didn't belong there but DC did and earned an A. I don't understand the logic of holding down my DC. Why didn't you pick on some kid who earned a B in your class? Is it because my DC doesn't wear fancy clothes and I don't drive a fancy car or live in the "right" neighborhood? Is is because you want to be the "cool" teacher?

Where did this come from?

I'm saying that I don't trust people like OP acting as a gatekeeper because in my DC's case, I believe the teacher who had made the recommendation was cliquey with the "cool" moms friending them on Facebook etc.

[Anonymous]

MCPS should design its grading policies around the needs of the Harvard admissions committee. Got it.

Or, alternatively, let's assume that the Harvard admissions committee can find a way to solve that problem for itself. They're Harvard, after all! That means they must be smart!

No. I think the poster is saying MCPS should provide more pathways for all their brilliant and excelling students with As to get more challenging work. It's simply too easy according to MCPS to master the subject material. If MCPS can't provide pathways for students to get challenge I'll settle for a curriculum of academic challenge Harvard would be proud of.

[Anonymous]

If the average grade in MCPS were a C, we would conclude that:

1. MCPS teachers stink.
2. It's all Joshua Starr's fault.

But that's only because those are the conclusions to every statement.

For example: It's snowing. This means that MCPS teachers stink, and it's all Joshua Starr's fault.

Or: My washing machine broke. This means that MCPS teachers stink, and it's all Joshua Starr's fault.

etc.

This housewife certainly never attended a class with me 40 years ago where the average grade on Physical Chemistry was a C grade.
The conclusion I drew from that experience was not the teachers stink or it's the Dean's fault.
The University was MIT. The teacher was a Noble laureate and a superb teacher.

You are a housewife for an obvious reason.

[Anonymous]

Let's do a counterfactual.

What if the average grade in MCPS was a C? What would we conclude from this?
(1) MCPS teachers stink.
(2) MCPS kids are dumber than thee national average.
(3) The C-centered bell curve means that no MCPS kid is ever going to get into Harvard, so we need to change this grading policy, stat!

As you can see, grading policies are subject to a huge range of interpretations and misinterpretations.

Heck, going beyond MCPS to the PISA international exam clears the picture of the general quality of American secondary school education inside and outside the MCPS beltway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

If the average grade in MCPS were a C, we would conclude that:

1. MCPS teachers stink.
2. It's all Joshua Starr's fault.

But that's only because those are the conclusions to every statement.

For example: It's snowing. This means that MCPS teachers stink, and it's all Joshua Starr's fault.

Or: My washing machine broke. This means that MCPS teachers stink, and it's all Joshua Starr's fault.

etc.

This housewife certainly never attended a class with me 40 years ago where the average grade on Physical Chemistry was a C grade.
The conclusion I drew from that experience was not the teachers stink or it's the Dean's fault.
The University was MIT. The teacher was a Noble laureate and a superb teacher.

You are a housewife for an obvious reason.

You are right. I did not take physical chemistry with you at MIT, 40 years ago, from a Nobel laureate and a superb teacher.

Maybe if I had, I would understand how you somehow deduced my gender and occupation from my typing. (Your deductions are incorrect, by the way.)

(Also: "housewife" is not an insult, even if you intend it to be one.)

[Anonymous]

You are right. I did not take physical chemistry with you at MIT, 40 years ago, from a Nobel laureate and a superb teacher.

Maybe if I had, I would understand how you somehow deduced my gender and occupation from my typing. (Your deductions are incorrect, by the way.)

(Also: "housewife" is not an insult, even if you intend it to be one.)

I agree with you. Housewife is a job description just like teacher or Chemistry Professor. It's not an insult.

[Anonymous]

Teachers aren't the enemy....

2.0 is the enemy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

You are right. I did not take physical chemistry with you at MIT, 40 years ago, from a Nobel laureate and a superb teacher.

Maybe if I had, I would understand how you somehow deduced my gender and occupation from my typing. (Your deductions are incorrect, by the way.)

(Also: "housewife" is not an insult, even if you intend it to be one.)

I agree with you. Housewife is a job description just like teacher or Chemistry Professor. It's not an insult.

Plus, MIT =/= MCPS in educational goals. Everybody knows that a C from MIT is like an A anywhere else, and surely you know this yourself because you did a whole humble brag on it.