"Is MCPS losing its edge?"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just read the article. What an absolute mess.

I can’t understand how anyone can continue defending this district or pretending it’s providing kids with a high quality education.

Can you post it online? I don't think it's on their website, which is annoying.

Try this: https://issuu.com/bethesdamagazine/docs/bethesda-sept-2024?ff

It starts on page 64.

Wow. The article was good and thorough. The responses from MCPS, via its spokesperson, was absolutely pathetic. MCPS has no shame.

Where was MCPS’s response to the article?

There were several responses from someone only identified as an MCPS spokesperson in the article.....

Oh, yeah — I saw those. I thought you meant they’ve responded separately.

Their statement about final exams was pathetic.

There are a lot of kids who do not thrive in a high-stakes testing environment. Retaining knowledge in certain subjects is important, but there is more than one educational technique to facilitate that. The HS kids are already extremely stressed out, why focus on finals? Meet the children where they are, it is not all about the next level.

Meetings kids where they are is why we’re in this situation in the first place.

MCPS’s whole philosophy has been to teach down to where kids are, rather than pushing them at all.

The proficiency rates show that approach has failed.

Not to mention, every post-secondary educational setting will involve cumulative tests. Not prepping kids for that situation is just setting them up for failure.

SERIOUSLY! Thank you! The "meet children where they are" mafia has had their time in the sun. ENOUGH!

AGREE! It’s that soft bigotry of low expectations.

We’re not helping our kids by allowing them to skate by with such low expectations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just read the article. What an absolute mess.

I can’t understand how anyone can continue defending this district or pretending it’s providing kids with a high quality education.

Can you post it online? I don't think it's on their website, which is annoying.

Try this: https://issuu.com/bethesdamagazine/docs/bethesda-sept-2024?ff

It starts on page 64.

Wow. The article was good and thorough. The responses from MCPS, via its spokesperson, was absolutely pathetic. MCPS has no shame.

Where was MCPS’s response to the article?

There were several responses from someone only identified as an MCPS spokesperson in the article.....

Oh, yeah — I saw those. I thought you meant they’ve responded separately.

Their statement about final exams was pathetic.

There are a lot of kids who do not thrive in a high-stakes testing environment. Retaining knowledge in certain subjects is important, but there is more than one educational technique to facilitate that. The HS kids are already extremely stressed out, why focus on finals? Meet the children where they are, it is not all about the next level.

Meetings kids where they are is why we’re in this situation in the first place.

MCPS’s whole philosophy has been to teach down to where kids are, rather than pushing them at all.

The proficiency rates show that approach has failed.

Not to mention, every post-secondary educational setting will involve cumulative tests. Not prepping kids for that situation is just setting them up for failure.

SERIOUSLY! Thank you! The "meet children where they are" mafia has had their time in the sun. ENOUGH!

AGREE! It’s that soft bigotry of low expectations.

We’re not helping our kids by allowing them to skate by with such low expectations.

Obviously we're not going to convince each other, but "pushing" kids by testing the heck out of them is not the answer. The system needs to motivate the kids to learn. A lot of students in MCPS are facing a lot of challenges outside of school. It is not always soft bigotry of low expectations; it is how do we not push kids to the brink, whatever that brink is, which varies based on the kid's situation - anxiety, quitting school, depression or other mental health, vaping, drugs ...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just read the article. What an absolute mess.

I can’t understand how anyone can continue defending this district or pretending it’s providing kids with a high quality education.

Can you post it online? I don't think it's on their website, which is annoying.

Try this: https://issuu.com/bethesdamagazine/docs/bethesda-sept-2024?ff

It starts on page 64.

Wow. The article was good and thorough. The responses from MCPS, via its spokesperson, was absolutely pathetic. MCPS has no shame.

Where was MCPS’s response to the article?

There were several responses from someone only identified as an MCPS spokesperson in the article.....

Oh, yeah — I saw those. I thought you meant they’ve responded separately.

Their statement about final exams was pathetic.

There are a lot of kids who do not thrive in a high-stakes testing environment. Retaining knowledge in certain subjects is important, but there is more than one educational technique to facilitate that. The HS kids are already extremely stressed out, why focus on finals? Meet the children where they are, it is not all about the next level.

Meetings kids where they are is why we’re in this situation in the first place.

MCPS’s whole philosophy has been to teach down to where kids are, rather than pushing them at all.

The proficiency rates show that approach has failed.

Not to mention, every post-secondary educational setting will involve cumulative tests. Not prepping kids for that situation is just setting them up for failure.

SERIOUSLY! Thank you! The "meet children where they are" mafia has had their time in the sun. ENOUGH!

AGREE! It’s that soft bigotry of low expectations.

We’re not helping our kids by allowing them to skate by with such low expectations.

Obviously we're not going to convince each other, but "pushing" kids by testing the heck out of them is not the answer. The system needs to motivate the kids to learn. A lot of students in MCPS are facing a lot of challenges outside of school. It is not always soft bigotry of low expectations; it is how do we not push kids to the brink, whatever that brink is, which varies based on the kid's situation - anxiety, quitting school, depression or other mental health, vaping, drugs ...

No one is advocating for pushing them by testing them more and more.

You push them by actually providing grade level material, which MCPS often just isn’t doing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Look at demographics, compare whites and asians to blacks and hispanics

But my black kid got a 1450. What does this mean?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just read the article. What an absolute mess.

I can’t understand how anyone can continue defending this district or pretending it’s providing kids with a high quality education.

Can you post it online? I don't think it's on their website, which is annoying.

Try this: https://issuu.com/bethesdamagazine/docs/bethesda-sept-2024?ff

It starts on page 64.

Wow. The article was good and thorough. The responses from MCPS, via its spokesperson, was absolutely pathetic. MCPS has no shame.

Where was MCPS’s response to the article?

There were several responses from someone only identified as an MCPS spokesperson in the article.....

Oh, yeah — I saw those. I thought you meant they’ve responded separately.

Their statement about final exams was pathetic.

There are a lot of kids who do not thrive in a high-stakes testing environment. Retaining knowledge in certain subjects is important, but there is more than one educational technique to facilitate that. The HS kids are already extremely stressed out, why focus on finals? Meet the children where they are, it is not all about the next level.

Meetings kids where they are is why we’re in this situation in the first place.

MCPS’s whole philosophy has been to teach down to where kids are, rather than pushing them at all.

The proficiency rates show that approach has failed.

Not to mention, every post-secondary educational setting will involve cumulative tests. Not prepping kids for that situation is just setting them up for failure.

SERIOUSLY! Thank you! The "meet children where they are" mafia has had their time in the sun. ENOUGH!

AGREE! It’s that soft bigotry of low expectations.

We’re not helping our kids by allowing them to skate by with such low expectations.

Obviously we're not going to convince each other, but "pushing" kids by testing the heck out of them is not the answer. The system needs to motivate the kids to learn. A lot of students in MCPS are facing a lot of challenges outside of school. It is not always soft bigotry of low expectations; it is how do we not push kids to the brink, whatever that brink is, which varies based on the kid's situation - anxiety, quitting school, depression or other mental health, vaping, drugs ...

I’m certainly not advocating for more testing. No thank you.

I AM advocating for holding kids accountable. Set deadlines for when work is due and expect kids to follow them. Crack down on vaping and weed use at school. Have actual books for the kids to read versus random meaningless excerpts.

That is not unreasonable.

MCPS has simply lowered expectations for all kids in order to meet the lower-performing kids ‘where they are’. That is not helping any of the kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just read the article. What an absolute mess.

I can’t understand how anyone can continue defending this district or pretending it’s providing kids with a high quality education.

Can you post it online? I don't think it's on their website, which is annoying.

Try this: https://issuu.com/bethesdamagazine/docs/bethesda-sept-2024?ff

It starts on page 64.

Wow. The article was good and thorough. The responses from MCPS, via its spokesperson, was absolutely pathetic. MCPS has no shame.

Where was MCPS’s response to the article?

There were several responses from someone only identified as an MCPS spokesperson in the article.....

Oh, yeah — I saw those. I thought you meant they’ve responded separately.

Their statement about final exams was pathetic.

There are a lot of kids who do not thrive in a high-stakes testing environment. Retaining knowledge in certain subjects is important, but there is more than one educational technique to facilitate that. The HS kids are already extremely stressed out, why focus on finals? Meet the children where they are, it is not all about the next level.

Meetings kids where they are is why we’re in this situation in the first place.

MCPS’s whole philosophy has been to teach down to where kids are, rather than pushing them at all.

The proficiency rates show that approach has failed.

Not to mention, every post-secondary educational setting will involve cumulative tests. Not prepping kids for that situation is just setting them up for failure.

SERIOUSLY! Thank you! The "meet children where they are" mafia has had their time in the sun. ENOUGH!

AGREE! It’s that soft bigotry of low expectations.

We’re not helping our kids by allowing them to skate by with such low expectations.

Obviously we're not going to convince each other, but "pushing" kids by testing the heck out of them is not the answer. The system needs to motivate the kids to learn. A lot of students in MCPS are facing a lot of challenges outside of school. It is not always soft bigotry of low expectations; it is how do we not push kids to the brink, whatever that brink is, which varies based on the kid's situation - anxiety, quitting school, depression or other mental health, vaping, drugs ...

I’m certainly not advocating for more testing. No thank you.

I AM advocating for holding kids accountable. Set deadlines for when work is due and expect kids to follow them. Crack down on vaping and weed use at school. Have actual books for the kids to read versus random meaningless excerpts.

That is not unreasonable.

MCPS has simply lowered expectations for all kids in order to meet the lower-performing kids ‘where they are’. That is not helping any of the kids.

The problem is this doesn't meet anyone's best interests as the lower-performing kids are not getting the help and support they need so they are still clearly struggling. The BOE needs to be replaced and this situation fixed.

[Anonymous]

At this point, MCPS is not trying to "help" low performing kids. They are juking the stats and it's hurting everybody. They are just trying to graduate kids, not educate them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At this point, MCPS is not trying to "help" low performing kids. They are juking the stats and it's hurting everybody. They are just trying to graduate kids, not educate them.

Correct.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look at demographics, compare whites and asians to blacks and hispanics

But my black kid got a 1450. What does this mean?

It means PP is applying racist stereotypes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid finished the first week book for middle school english in two days (he liked the book). But it's assigned to the class (a chapter a night) to be read over a 3 week period. It's too bad the large classes and curriculum don't allow for more differentiation. We weren't keen on the magnets and a long commute for our kids, but yes, the curriculum isn't pushing kids very hard (English is not my kid's best subject), and the big class sizes don't allow the teacher much opportunity for differentiation.

And if your kid hadn’t liked the book would he still be so eager to finish in two days? No reasonable MS English teacher is going to assign a book an expect that kids will have read the whole thing in less than a week. It would be setting the kids and the teacher up for failure. Further, if there are specific things to be called out or talked about in a given chapter that will be easier to do when the chapter is still fresh in everyone’s mind. It’s about more than just reading the book.

[Anonymous]

They also give teachers a hard time if they have students who dont who up or students that don't do work. They treat teachers like they are incompetent because they are "not entertaining" enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At this point, MCPS is not trying to "help" low performing kids. They are juking the stats and it's hurting everybody. They are just trying to graduate kids, not educate them.

Yep to this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just read the article. What an absolute mess.

I can’t understand how anyone can continue defending this district or pretending it’s providing kids with a high quality education.

Can you post it online? I don't think it's on their website, which is annoying.

Try this: https://issuu.com/bethesdamagazine/docs/bethesda-sept-2024?ff

It starts on page 64.

Wow. The article was good and thorough. The responses from MCPS, via its spokesperson, was absolutely pathetic. MCPS has no shame.

Where was MCPS’s response to the article?

There were several responses from someone only identified as an MCPS spokesperson in the article.....

Oh, yeah — I saw those. I thought you meant they’ve responded separately.

Their statement about final exams was pathetic.

There are a lot of kids who do not thrive in a high-stakes testing environment. Retaining knowledge in certain subjects is important, but there is more than one educational technique to facilitate that. The HS kids are already extremely stressed out, why focus on finals? Meet the children where they are, it is not all about the next level.

Meetings kids where they are is why we’re in this situation in the first place.

MCPS’s whole philosophy has been to teach down to where kids are, rather than pushing them at all.

The proficiency rates show that approach has failed.

Not to mention, every post-secondary educational setting will involve cumulative tests. Not prepping kids for that situation is just setting them up for failure.

SERIOUSLY! Thank you! The "meet children where they are" mafia has had their time in the sun. ENOUGH!

AGREE! It’s that soft bigotry of low expectations.

We’re not helping our kids by allowing them to skate by with such low expectations.

Obviously we're not going to convince each other, but "pushing" kids by testing the heck out of them is not the answer. The system needs to motivate the kids to learn. A lot of students in MCPS are facing a lot of challenges outside of school. It is not always soft bigotry of low expectations; it is how do we not push kids to the brink, whatever that brink is, which varies based on the kid's situation - anxiety, quitting school, depression or other mental health, vaping, drugs ...

Accomplishment breeds confidence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look at demographics, compare whites and asians to blacks and hispanics

But my black kid got a 1450. What does this mean?

It means that individuals aren't the same as populations. It means that your child scored far, far above his or her black peers who average 908. So it also means that your post is irrelevant to MCPS policy.

[Anonymous]

Get rid of the phones in school!
from an MCPS teacher