Please sign this petition to continue countywide magnets
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Anonymous
How does that tell you what the SMC$ numbers will be? |
Anonymous
You are good then, if you live on the west side of the county. High SES community means more rigor for you. If you don't live on the westside, you have reason to be concerned about watered-down curriculum. |
Anonymous
Can’t we look to something like compacted math as an example of a program that is offered in every school and hasn’t been “watered down”? Can’t you apply this up the chain? Why does more access to students who qualify for a program automatically equal less rigor? Also, I hate all the anti-silver spring bias in this and similar threads. As if there aren’t plenty of wealthy families with kids in public school in the eastern part of the county, and as if only kids from wealthy families are smart or can qualify for/handle rigorous programs anyway. It’s laughable. |
Anonymous
I did that when I was a kid in VA and thought it was so disruptive. I was missing everything at the home school. |
Anonymous
I attended HS in VA with many peers that attended the Governor’s School for the arts. Then, I taught in southwest and central VA where many students attended a different GovernorMs School. The programs were so popular that counselors built school schedules based on those students so they could take the classes they wanted at their home school. |
Anonymous
Yes, what so many people are missing is that kids, even super genius ones, are still kids, who are social beings and part of a community. Their academic needs can be met without taking them out of their normal school community, and it won’t make them dumber or “water down” their academic experience if they’re made to mix with kids who only test at the 95% on a MAP test. I really think most of what MCPS does regarding magnet/gifted programming is about responding to squeaky wheel parents who (a) seem to need a rarefied experience for their kids and (b) can’t handle change. |
Anonymous
It could be a good analogy. Is there data supporting equal long term success of compacted math students regardless of cluster? Just look at the class sizes thread and you’ll see people saying they had 36 in compacted 4/5 math others says they have less than 20. What I don’t understand is if compacted math works so well, why aren’t they getting rid of CES? Especially now that they’re no longer supporting ELC. How MCPS answers this question would most definitely tell you if county wife programs are watered down or not. |
Anonymous
I live in Silver Spring and I'm a teacher. Take a look at the MD state school report cards in east county and understand that teachers adjust curriculum to meet the needs of students. |
Anonymous
Our English teachers have bluntly told us they have to do it based on kids reading skills, knowledge, etc. |
Anonymous
I don’t know what your point is. My point is that it’s false that wealthy (by which I mean UMC, because that’s really what we’re talking about) people don’t live in the eastern part of the county, and it’s also false that only kids from wealthy families are smart. Every single high school in MCPS has smart, high performing kids who would be smart in any school and who can meet the entry criteria. So MCPS should be able to provide this program at every school without “watering it down.” Your point is something else. |
Anonymous
What you’re failing to grasp is that we’re not talking about adding 95th% and 96th% students to programs that are already chock full of 98th% and 99th% students; what is being proposed is spreading out the 98th% and 99th% students among 6 programs instead of 2, while also admitting more students overall. The problem isn’t adding more students; it’s lowering the concentration of the most advanced students in any program. 99th% students will know significantly fewer other 99th% students going forward. Putting these kids together is valuable. Adding 95th% students isn’t harmful, but splitting up the 99th% is. |
Anonymous
Every HS has smart and motivated students doesn’t mean every HS has same number of smart and highly-motivated students. How do you hold high-level courses if less than 5 students from a HS is capable to catch up? Doesn’t the current county-wide program provide best opportunities to these students by gathering together? I’m all in for providing basic high-level AP courses at each HS. This is what MCPS should be focusing on for equity. Tearing down the current successful programs would just cause more harm to really talented students in low SES cohorts. |
Anonymous
Let me guess you are at a school where your kids get tons of advanced classes. If five kids need the class, then yes or transfer them to a school that has what they need and provide transportation. What you are saying is not equity. |
Anonymous
There are also wealthy families in the dcc |
Anonymous
| I would never sign something like this. The sense of entitlement attached to these programs and the false premise that only the anointed few can handle these programs is breathtaking. It's the "dilution" argument that really gets me. Is the student body at the University of Michigan somehow "diluted" because it's larger than Dartmouth? Is great instruction only appropriate for people who can afford (yes, afford) to undertake a punishing commute? Is your child's education somehow compromised by having to exercise a little patience or compassion? You want all the riffraff out, go found a charter in Potomac where you can require 300s on the MAP-M for entrance and then circle the wagons. |