MCPS to end areawide Blair Magnet and countywide Richard Montgomery's IB program

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This exemplifies the naive approach of dismantling successful systems in an attempt to address equity concerns.

Rather than eliminating high-performing elite programs that demonstrate excellent outcomes, MCPS should have expanded access by creating additional regional programs while preserving the existing successful ones as elite programs sitting on top of the reginal ones.
The decision to completely eliminate effective programs instead of building upon them reflects poor strategic thinking or a push of known agenda. A more sensible approach would have been to grow and diversify the program offerings rather than destroy what was already working well.

Agreed. Why is MCPS making this a divisive situation? Keep our successes and build more.

It sounds like they already tried keeping a countywide program (RMIB) and adding regional IB programs and it didn't work at all because all the top students choose RMIB and so the regional programs are weaker and seen as undesirable. So they feel like "just add regional programs but keep the countywide program too" doesn't work. (Also apparently countywide costs a lot more/uses a lot more buses than regional.). That argument makes sense to me but maybe I'm missing something?

My kid went to RMiB and a friends kid went to the regional Ib program. They dropped out after a year or two because the regional program just was not good and the school had a lot of disciplinary problems. RMIB isn’t perfect and they have their own problems getting qualified teachers. The idea that they can provide something of similar quality in six schools around the county seems to me very unlikely unless they start putting a ton more resources into it, which they won’t.

I also really don’t understand the proposal about the themes. So if your region picks visual and performing arts, but you’re not interested in visual and performing arts, then there just isn’t a magnet option for you? The themes concept seems dumb to me, if they won’t have a county wide pull. I come from a school system that has a lot of these specialized schools and they mostly are just gimmicky. I don’t know why McPS is always chasing the latest gimmick. Just provide quality education in the basics.

My kids will be done with McPS by 2029 so all this stuff won’t affect us much. But it just seems like a tremendous waste of money that could be spent elsewhere to constantly reinvent curricula and programs. Just pay teachers more please and do whatever else to attract and retain the best teachers teachers, including decreasing class size and giving teachers more breaks to grade papers and develop lesson plans! That’s all any of us really want, not gimmicky themed programs.

It’s just tremendous to me that MCPS is deliberately ruining its top academic programs. Just wow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This exemplifies the naive approach of dismantling successful systems in an attempt to address equity concerns.

Rather than eliminating high-performing elite programs that demonstrate excellent outcomes, MCPS should have expanded access by creating additional regional programs while preserving the existing successful ones as elite programs sitting on top of the reginal ones.
The decision to completely eliminate effective programs instead of building upon them reflects poor strategic thinking or a push of known agenda. A more sensible approach would have been to grow and diversify the program offerings rather than destroy what was already working well.

Agreed. Why is MCPS making this a divisive situation? Keep our successes and build more.

It sounds like they already tried keeping a countywide program (RMIB) and adding regional IB programs and it didn't work at all because all the top students choose RMIB and so the regional programs are weaker and seen as undesirable. So they feel like "just add regional programs but keep the countywide program too" doesn't work. (Also apparently countywide costs a lot more/uses a lot more buses than regional.). That argument makes sense to me but maybe I'm missing something?

Would this work any better if you keep Blair countywide and add regional SMCSes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This exemplifies the naive approach of dismantling successful systems in an attempt to address equity concerns.

Rather than eliminating high-performing elite programs that demonstrate excellent outcomes, MCPS should have expanded access by creating additional regional programs while preserving the existing successful ones as elite programs sitting on top of the reginal ones.
The decision to completely eliminate effective programs instead of building upon them reflects poor strategic thinking or a push of known agenda. A more sensible approach would have been to grow and diversify the program offerings rather than destroy what was already working well.

Agreed. Why is MCPS making this a divisive situation? Keep our successes and build more.

It sounds like they already tried keeping a countywide program (RMIB) and adding regional IB programs and it didn't work at all because all the top students choose RMIB and so the regional programs are weaker and seen as undesirable. So they feel like "just add regional programs but keep the countywide program too" doesn't work. (Also apparently countywide costs a lot more/uses a lot more buses than regional.). That argument makes sense to me but maybe I'm missing something?

My kid went to RMiB and a friends kid went to the regional Ib program. They dropped out after a year or two because the regional program just was not good and the school had a lot of disciplinary problems. RMIB isn’t perfect and they have their own problems getting qualified teachers. The idea that they can provide something of similar quality in six schools around the county seems to me very unlikely unless they start putting a ton more resources into it, which they won’t.

I also really don’t understand the proposal about the themes. So if your region picks visual and performing arts, but you’re not interested in visual and performing arts, then there just isn’t a magnet option for you? The themes concept seems dumb to me, if they won’t have a county wide pull. I come from a school system that has a lot of these specialized schools and they mostly are just gimmicky. I don’t know why McPS is always chasing the latest gimmick. Just provide quality education in the basics.

My kids will be done with McPS by 2029 so all this stuff won’t affect us much. But it just seems like a tremendous waste of money that could be spent elsewhere to constantly reinvent curricula and programs. Just pay teachers more please and do whatever else to attract and retain the best teachers teachers, including decreasing class size and giving teachers more breaks to grade papers and develop lesson plans! That’s all any of us really want, not gimmicky themed programs.

What are you talking about? Every region would have a visual and performing arts magnet, a SmCS program, an IB program, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This exemplifies the naive approach of dismantling successful systems in an attempt to address equity concerns.

Rather than eliminating high-performing elite programs that demonstrate excellent outcomes, MCPS should have expanded access by creating additional regional programs while preserving the existing successful ones as elite programs sitting on top of the reginal ones.
The decision to completely eliminate effective programs instead of building upon them reflects poor strategic thinking or a push of known agenda. A more sensible approach would have been to grow and diversify the program offerings rather than destroy what was already working well.

Agreed. Why is MCPS making this a divisive situation? Keep our successes and build more.

It sounds like they already tried keeping a countywide program (RMIB) and adding regional IB programs and it didn't work at all because all the top students choose RMIB and so the regional programs are weaker and seen as undesirable. So they feel like "just add regional programs but keep the countywide program too" doesn't work. (Also apparently countywide costs a lot more/uses a lot more buses than regional.). That argument makes sense to me but maybe I'm missing something?

Would this work any better if you keep Blair countywide and add regional SMCSes?

They tried that with RMIB and the regional IBs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those of you with young smart kids, you are screwed. You don’t know it now but by the time your kids’ are ready for HS, you will see.

People with young smart kids have had virtually no magnet access for them based on the current flawed MCPS approach of only providing magnet spots to a tiny number of kids countywide. If others are anything like me, we are freaking thrilled at the idea that MCPS might be changing this approach to provide more slots for more kids, and hoping it will lead to the same at the middle and elementary school level as well. More than 1-2% of the kids in this county deserve advanced programming.

The top 1-2% deserve their own program. The rest of the smart kids have access to AP or IB already.

As someone who was a top 1% kid in a small school system whose classes were with kids from various parts of the top 25%, with none of the fantastic classes or teachers MCPS's magnet programs have... these kids will do just fine being forced to take classes with top 5% kids rather than top 2% kids and no longer being able to take marine biology or plate tectonics.

[Anonymous]

most posters who are critical of this proposal have no dog in this fight; they have already gone thru the programs or current in the program and will be done by the time this is implemented. while extremely challenging, these programs so very unique and usually open up many doors moving forward. it is super unfortunate that families with young kids will not have the same experience/opportunity. you can make yourself believe they are the "same" program, but they won't be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those of you with young smart kids, you are screwed. You don’t know it now but by the time your kids’ are ready for HS, you will see.

People with young smart kids have had virtually no magnet access for them based on the current flawed MCPS approach of only providing magnet spots to a tiny number of kids countywide. If others are anything like me, we are freaking thrilled at the idea that MCPS might be changing this approach to provide more slots for more kids, and hoping it will lead to the same at the middle and elementary school level as well. More than 1-2% of the kids in this county deserve advanced programming.

The top 1-2% deserve their own program. The rest of the smart kids have access to AP or IB already.

As someone who was a top 1% kid in a small school system whose classes were with kids from various parts of the top 25%, with none of the fantastic classes or teachers MCPS's magnet programs have... these kids will do just fine being forced to take classes with top 5% kids rather than top 2% kids and no longer being able to take marine biology or plate tectonics.

Sorry if I think our public system should aspire to more than “just fine.” We are falling apart.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those of you with young smart kids, you are screwed. You don’t know it now but by the time your kids’ are ready for HS, you will see.

People with young smart kids have had virtually no magnet access for them based on the current flawed MCPS approach of only providing magnet spots to a tiny number of kids countywide. If others are anything like me, we are freaking thrilled at the idea that MCPS might be changing this approach to provide more slots for more kids, and hoping it will lead to the same at the middle and elementary school level as well. More than 1-2% of the kids in this county deserve advanced programming.

The top 1-2% deserve their own program. The rest of the smart kids have access to AP or IB already.

As someone who was a top 1% kid in a small school system whose classes were with kids from various parts of the top 25%, with none of the fantastic classes or teachers MCPS's magnet programs have... these kids will do just fine being forced to take classes with top 5% kids rather than top 2% kids and no longer being able to take marine biology or plate tectonics.

Sorry if I think our public system should aspire to more than “just fine.” We are falling apart.

Do you realize how you sound? You really think that keeping your kids away from the 95th percentile riff-raff and making sure they have 15 super-specialized science classes to choose from (rather than 6 or 8 or however many the regional ones would have) is an intolerable tragedy worth denying access to the magnet experience to hundreds more kids a year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thankful that both of my kids benefited from highly competitive magnet programs in MCPS, before it started to get watered down and now dismantled.

You're from the future!?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:most posters who are critical of this proposal have no dog in this fight; they have already gone thru the programs or current in the program and will be done by the time this is implemented. while extremely challenging, these programs so very unique and usually open up many doors moving forward. it is super unfortunate that families with young kids will not have the same experience/opportunity. you can make yourself believe they are the "same" program, but they won't be.

Sadly, that ship already sailed when CES and MS magnet became lottery.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those of you with young smart kids, you are screwed. You don’t know it now but by the time your kids’ are ready for HS, you will see.

People with young smart kids have had virtually no magnet access for them based on the current flawed MCPS approach of only providing magnet spots to a tiny number of kids countywide. If others are anything like me, we are freaking thrilled at the idea that MCPS might be changing this approach to provide more slots for more kids, and hoping it will lead to the same at the middle and elementary school level as well. More than 1-2% of the kids in this county deserve advanced programming.

The top 1-2% deserve their own program. The rest of the smart kids have access to AP or IB already.

As someone who was a top 1% kid in a small school system whose classes were with kids from various parts of the top 25%, with none of the fantastic classes or teachers MCPS's magnet programs have... these kids will do just fine being forced to take classes with top 5% kids rather than top 2% kids and no longer being able to take marine biology or plate tectonics.

Sorry if I think our public system should aspire to more than “just fine.” We are falling apart.

Do you realize how you sound? You really think that keeping your kids away from the 95th percentile riff-raff and making sure they have 15 super-specialized science classes to choose from (rather than 6 or 8 or however many the regional ones would have) is an intolerable tragedy worth denying access to the magnet experience to hundreds more kids a year?

Actually my kid is not cut out for the magnets. But as a society we need to give the most able kids the best education so they can be our scientists and engineers and doctors. It is amazing to me that people don’t get this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those of you with young smart kids, you are screwed. You don’t know it now but by the time your kids’ are ready for HS, you will see.

People with young smart kids have had virtually no magnet access for them based on the current flawed MCPS approach of only providing magnet spots to a tiny number of kids countywide. If others are anything like me, we are freaking thrilled at the idea that MCPS might be changing this approach to provide more slots for more kids, and hoping it will lead to the same at the middle and elementary school level as well. More than 1-2% of the kids in this county deserve advanced programming.

The top 1-2% deserve their own program. The rest of the smart kids have access to AP or IB already.

As someone who was a top 1% kid in a small school system whose classes were with kids from various parts of the top 25%, with none of the fantastic classes or teachers MCPS's magnet programs have... these kids will do just fine being forced to take classes with top 5% kids rather than top 2% kids and no longer being able to take marine biology or plate tectonics.

Sorry if I think our public system should aspire to more than “just fine.” We are falling apart.

Do you realize how you sound? You really think that keeping your kids away from the 95th percentile riff-raff and making sure they have 15 super-specialized science classes to choose from (rather than 6 or 8 or however many the regional ones would have) is an intolerable tragedy worth denying access to the magnet experience to hundreds more kids a year?

Actually my kid is not cut out for the magnets. But as a society we need to give the most able kids the best education so they can be our scientists and engineers and doctors. It is amazing to me that people don’t get this.

Do you think the vast majority of school systems that don't offer anything remotely like the Blair magnet aren't turning out doctors and scientists? They are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:most posters who are critical of this proposal have no dog in this fight; they have already gone thru the programs or current in the program and will be done by the time this is implemented. while extremely challenging, these programs so very unique and usually open up many doors moving forward. it is super unfortunate that families with young kids will not have the same experience/opportunity. you can make yourself believe they are the "same" program, but they won't be.

Sadly, that ship already sailed when CES and MS magnet became lottery.

True but I was talking about the proposed magnet HS changes. Those 4 critical years before they start college and beyond.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those of you with young smart kids, you are screwed. You don’t know it now but by the time your kids’ are ready for HS, you will see.

People with young smart kids have had virtually no magnet access for them based on the current flawed MCPS approach of only providing magnet spots to a tiny number of kids countywide. If others are anything like me, we are freaking thrilled at the idea that MCPS might be changing this approach to provide more slots for more kids, and hoping it will lead to the same at the middle and elementary school level as well. More than 1-2% of the kids in this county deserve advanced programming.

The top 1-2% deserve their own program. The rest of the smart kids have access to AP or IB already.

As someone who was a top 1% kid in a small school system whose classes were with kids from various parts of the top 25%, with none of the fantastic classes or teachers MCPS's magnet programs have... these kids will do just fine being forced to take classes with top 5% kids rather than top 2% kids and no longer being able to take marine biology or plate tectonics.

Sorry if I think our public system should aspire to more than “just fine.” We are falling apart.

Do you realize how you sound? You really think that keeping your kids away from the 95th percentile riff-raff and making sure they have 15 super-specialized science classes to choose from (rather than 6 or 8 or however many the regional ones would have) is an intolerable tragedy worth denying access to the magnet experience to hundreds more kids a year?

Actually my kid is not cut out for the magnets. But as a society we need to give the most able kids the best education so they can be our scientists and engineers and doctors. It is amazing to me that people don’t get this.

Do you think the vast majority of school systems that don't offer anything remotely like the Blair magnet aren't turning out doctors and scientists? They are.

Yes — MCPS is a huge county. Most districts are not this large.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:most posters who are critical of this proposal have no dog in this fight; they have already gone thru the programs or current in the program and will be done by the time this is implemented. while extremely challenging, these programs so very unique and usually open up many doors moving forward. it is super unfortunate that families with young kids will not have the same experience/opportunity. you can make yourself believe they are the "same" program, but they won't be.

Sadly, that ship already sailed when CES and MS magnet became lottery.

True but I was talking about the proposed magnet HS changes. Those 4 critical years before they start college and beyond.

I think it’s a good point though, however you stand on this issue. I don’t think many people posting (?) have experience both with the current high school magnets and with the lottery based middle school magnets. To what degree is the lottery in the lower grades changing the game? Are TPMS magnet kids that much more likely to get into Blair even though their initial selection was partly luck?