Ideas for MCPS-level changes/policies that would ensure enrichment actually happens?

[Anonymous]

It feels to me like one of the biggest disconnects at MCPS has always been that Central Office claims that teachers can and do provide enrichment to students who need it in mixed-level classes-- but that in practice, most parents and students find that the enrichment is infrequent, insufficient, or completely non-existent. (Understandably, since some of the biggest challenges are the impossible demands put on teachers that pull them in too many directions at once, serving kids with too many different needs.)

One way to address this is to fight for ability-grouped/cohorted classrooms (not saying not to do that.) But given the trends at MCPS, I'm wondering if there are also other strategies that could be considered and advocated for that would lead to more enrichment actually happening in all subjects and at all grade levels?

A few of my thoughts: 1) teachers need more resources to make it as easy as possible to provide enrichment, including having access to specific enrichment materials for all subjects (or at least math and ELA) and grade levels, as well as guidance on how to fit enrichment into class time; 2) the new FIT/WIN time presents a good supplementary opportunity for enrichment but it needs to actually be implemented at all schools in an ability-grouped manner and cover both math and ELA; and 3) there needs to be greater oversight and accountability to make sure enrichment is actually happening, both internally from MCPS as well as mechanisms for parents to flag concerns about inadequate enrichment.

What are your thoughts on what we could try to change that would actually result in more real enrichment happening?

[Anonymous]

Time, money, and teachers is really the answer here.

And we need to be clear, enrichment is not the same as acceleration and we shouldn't conflate the two

[Anonymous]

If they don't want to do "ability" grouping, at the very least there could be different options for English, Science, History, etc. depending on how challenging a course a student wants. If we don't want to track, just have no gatekeeping whatsoever, but communicate that the higher-level class has more reading, more difficult exams, etc.

[Anonymous]

Frankly, they need more class time, less breaks and alternative schedule days (high school) and get rid of the idea of doing homework in school, retakes for everything and making it acceptable to turn in everything late.

Develop students for the rigor and realities of the real world. I have a kindergartener and 10th grader and I'm really unhappy the 10th grader has taken. Fortunately he's bright but he has gaps in certain areas which he should not have. I'm waiting to see how elementary school progresses for my daughter but I'm seriously starting to investigate private school if things do not improve.

More funding needs to be made at the school level and less for the central office. Bad actors should have no position in the school system and should never be promoted to central office.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Time, money, and teachers is really the answer here.

And we need to be clear, enrichment is not the same as acceleration and we shouldn't conflate the two

I think distinguishing between enrichment vs acceleration thing is important on both the MCPS side but also the parent side, especially when it comes to math.

Yes, some kids really need acceleration. And some parents know their kids don't really *need* acceleration but push for it anyway because they know enrichment is lousy or non-existent, so acceleration is the best option to keep their kid from being bored and disengaged, and that's honestly a reasonable thing to do under the current circumstances. But there are also parents that insist their kid desperately needs acceleration when they just don't-- what they need is to be challenged, but there are lots of ways to do that including enrichment.

There are a lot of kids that would be better off with enrichment than acceleration. And many others that would be fine with either. MCPS is not wrong about that, and insisting that like 1/4 of elementary school kids desperately need math acceleration is not the answer and isn't going to get us anywhere. The problem is that it's not okay for them to just take the acceleration away and pretend that there will be enrichment in its place but instead kids end up with nothing, or almost nothing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Frankly, they need more class time, less breaks and alternative schedule days (high school) and get rid of the idea of doing homework in school, retakes for everything and making it acceptable to turn in everything late.

Develop students for the rigor and realities of the real world. I have a kindergartener and 10th grader and I'm really unhappy the 10th grader has taken. Fortunately he's bright but he has gaps in certain areas which he should not have. I'm waiting to see how elementary school progresses for my daughter but I'm seriously starting to investigate private school if things do not improve.

More funding needs to be made at the school level and less for the central office. Bad actors should have no position in the school system and should never be promoted to central office.

I agree and the gaps (demonstrated by the poor test scores on objective tests) are my biggest concern due to the lack of rigor (no texts, teaching is geared toward the lowest performing students) and classroom discipline. Because of the lack of rigor and classroom discipline which are interrelated, parents who are aware and have the ability and means are forced to figure out how to compensate for what MCPS, which at least nominally exists for students’ learning (not half-hearted learning), should be teaching. I am also having to explore all other options. MCPS has been good to us for the most part but I have to make sure my kids are prepared for college. My old public HS did a great job doing this (because they had rigor and classroom discipline, taught from texts, assigned a lot of great books and not excerpts, there were essays and it was clear the teachers actually read them and gave good feedback) and I don’t understand why many schools in this region makes it seem like this is impossible or not in the cards. To get this type of schooling I apparently will need to spend $$$$$ whereas this was normal in my old public school. Kids were not locked into being in the smart or dumb classroom either—there was fluidity. I know this debate is raging in GEC so this is my anonymous opinion that will not be enacted by MCPS. So yes I am seeking such a school right now. Good luck I know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Time, money, and teachers is really the answer here.

And we need to be clear, enrichment is not the same as acceleration and we shouldn't conflate the two

I think distinguishing between enrichment vs acceleration thing is important on both the MCPS side but also the parent side, especially when it comes to math.

Yes, some kids really need acceleration. And some parents know their kids don't really *need* acceleration but push for it anyway because they know enrichment is lousy or non-existent, so acceleration is the best option to keep their kid from being bored and disengaged, and that's honestly a reasonable thing to do under the current circumstances. But there are also parents that insist their kid desperately needs acceleration when they just don't-- what they need is to be challenged, but there are lots of ways to do that including enrichment.

There are a lot of kids that would be better off with enrichment than acceleration. And many others that would be fine with either. MCPS is not wrong about that, and insisting that like 1/4 of elementary school kids desperately need math acceleration is not the answer and isn't going to get us anywhere. The problem is that it's not okay for them to just take the acceleration away and pretend that there will be enrichment in its place but instead kids end up with nothing, or almost nothing.

Many never got it and we’ve supplemented at home b

[Anonymous]

I am afraid raising this is going to push even further into computer-centric learning.

[Anonymous]

It's not acceleration that most kids need. It's being in a classroom without distracting behavior form 25 kids. We need, 15 kids per class, behavior issues managed, moved out etc. My kid was in math 4/5 this year and it's been amazing. Not just for content but because all the disruptive kids were not there and they could focus as a class and do something challenging all together. Kids will rise to high expectations but then there needs to be accountability for kids and parents when they can't manage to learn in a classroom without disrupting others. And I mean serious damaging disruption like yelling, throwing items, walking around, throwing things. All happened in my kids classroom last year and in years previous.

[Anonymous]

They just need separate classes for advanced kids. Otherwise it's all on the teacher, who has to focus on below-grade students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not acceleration that most kids need. It's being in a classroom without distracting behavior form 25 kids. We need, 15 kids per class, behavior issues managed, moved out etc. My kid was in math 4/5 this year and it's been amazing. Not just for content but because all the disruptive kids were not there and they could focus as a class and do something challenging all together. Kids will rise to high expectations but then there needs to be accountability for kids and parents when they can't manage to learn in a classroom without disrupting others. And I mean serious damaging disruption like yelling, throwing items, walking around, throwing things. All happened in my kids classroom last year and in years previous.

Distracting behaviors are the one thing that could be focused on with the greatest knock on affect on classroom achievement. The problem is the county focuses on the wrong data. They worry about the number of referrals and suspensions instead of how safe the other students feel in the school/ classroom and how conducive to learning the classroom environment is.

If a new principal comes into a school and behavior data increases, they are dinged and watched instead of given space to try and make a difference in behavior. The data will have to increase initially as the student code of conduct is actually enforced, but if done fairly it will decrease as the student body learns that these behaviors are unacceptable.

[Anonymous]

No more forcing teachers to cook the books and ignore crime in the classroom