Enriched Middle School Classes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not all schools have high. Be thankful yours does.

Which ones do not?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not all schools have high. Be thankful yours does.

IHistorical Inquiry into Global Humanities is supposed to be available at every MS, and specifically available to any student in the lottery who did not get a seat at the criteria-based MS Humanities & Communications programs at Eastern & MLK. It's more than a shame if one of the middle schools doesn't offer it. Nobody should have to consider themselves lucky to have access -- it meets a need that MCPS is required to identify and address, both by state law and by their own policies.

[Anonymous]

I teach middle school ELA. As a class we read Animal Farm and Things Fall Apart. Students are also assigned a variety of novels for independent reading based on their levels. I teach at a title one school. I also do Model UN for whoever is interested. Your school sounds like they have low standards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not all schools have high. Be thankful yours does.

Which ones do not?

They are supposed to be bringing in but current 8th graders don't have it, not sure about younger grades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not all schools have high. Be thankful yours does.

Which ones do not?

Having a class called "HIGH" is nothing to be thankful for if the curriculum is virtually identical to the on-level class. Moreover, most of the sixth graders are enrolled in HIGH (I have no idea what the numbers are, but I have not met a parent whose child is not in HIGH.) It is like Honors English. a far cry from a magnet class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Three weeks in and my kid is completely bored. The novel study in English class for the first quarter is "A Wrinkle in Time," which he has already read numerous times. Last year, his class did a novel study on the book as well. Kids told the teacher, who responded that they have to do that book. No other options. As to the HIGH class, the teacher said the only difference between HIGH and on-level history is Model UN. Science is dreadful with rudimentary concepts.

I am sure I will be blasted for saying these things, but my kid previously loved school and hates it now.

I know! I was like they read this when they were 7. I mean can't you pick something that's grade appropriate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MS curriculum needs a major overall. Lack of enrichment/honors at the home school level is why many are so desperate to get their kids into magnet programs.

You'd think with all those people at the CO they could manage this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MS curriculum needs a major overall. Lack of enrichment/honors at the home school level is why many are so desperate to get their kids into magnet programs.

You'd think with all those people at the CO they could manage this.

A lot of MS principals decided to just put all the kids into the enriched/advanced classes, thereby eliminating any cohorting. Probably because they didn't want to deal with parents complaining that their kids weren't in those classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MS curriculum needs a major overall. Lack of enrichment/honors at the home school level is why many are so desperate to get their kids into magnet programs.

You'd think with all those people at the CO they could manage this.

A lot of MS principals decided to just put all the kids into the enriched/advanced classes, thereby eliminating any cohorting. Probably because they didn't want to deal with parents complaining that their kids weren't in those classes.

Mcps calls everything honors not principals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MS curriculum needs a major overall. Lack of enrichment/honors at the home school level is why many are so desperate to get their kids into magnet programs.

You'd think with all those people at the CO they could manage this.

A lot of MS principals decided to just put all the kids into the enriched/advanced classes, thereby eliminating any cohorting. Probably because they didn't want to deal with parents complaining that their kids weren't in those classes.

Mcps calls everything honors not principals.

That’s true for English. The advanced history options are different.

My current 8th grader had cohorted HIGH in 6th, but this year the school decided to put all of the 8th graders in the US History equivalent. I don’t know if they made that decision at all grade levels, but I’m guessing yes.

[Anonymous]

Kids from "regular" social studies and HIGH are mixed together. There is supposed to be differentiation but my family's experience is that there is not. There is far more concern with ensuring that no one's feelings are hurt that they weren't selected for HIGH/advanced level courses, as well as making sure the bottom rung of kids doesn't completely flunk out, that motivated advanced kids are left feeling bored and ignored.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Three weeks in and my kid is completely bored. The novel study in English class for the first quarter is "A Wrinkle in Time," which he has already read numerous times. Last year, his class did a novel study on the book as well. Kids told the teacher, who responded that they have to do that book. No other options. As to the HIGH class, the teacher said the only difference between HIGH and on-level history is Model UN. Science is dreadful with rudimentary concepts.

I am sure I will be blasted for saying these things, but my kid previously loved school and hates it now.

Tell the teacher to look at the Google Groups Share Space for the course. Mrs. Steimer and a few other teachers have posted a lot of materials for HIGH. There are a lot of new HIGH teachers this year. I was in a summer course with them. Many do not know what AEI’s expectations are or what resources exist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you want your DC to read actual books, you need to do that on your own time. MCPS will not do that until well into high school.

This was not my kids’ experience in their DCC middle school. They read real books in English all three years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you want your DC to read actual books, you need to do that on your own time. MCPS will not do that until well into high school.

This was not my kids’ experience in their DCC middle school. They read real books in English all three years.

+1. They read a book each quarter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Three weeks in and my kid is completely bored. The novel study in English class for the first quarter is "A Wrinkle in Time," which he has already read numerous times. Last year, his class did a novel study on the book as well. Kids told the teacher, who responded that they have to do that book. No other options. As to the HIGH class, the teacher said the only difference between HIGH and on-level history is Model UN. Science is dreadful with rudimentary concepts.

I am sure I will be blasted for saying these things, but my kid previously loved school and hates it now.

Tell the teacher to look at the Google Groups Share Space for the course. Mrs. Steimer and a few other teachers have posted a lot of materials for HIGH. There are a lot of new HIGH teachers this year. I was in a summer course with them. Many do not know what AEI’s expectations are or what resources exist.

Ms. Steimer=Rock star.