Help me to understand different course offerings at different schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I believe the answer is largely demand. That, and a school’s stated “academies” or special programs.

That said, I have a student at a DCC high school who has found plenty of rigorous and interesting courses. I guess variety is nice, but you still need to take 4 years of math, English, science, etc. so it’s not like kids at some schools get to load up with fascinating electives.

Yes don’t get me wrong I’m not trying to bash our DCC school (we love it) and same for our kid. She’s just frustrated this year with lack of selection for AP courses but my DH pointed out the other school is twice the size

Weird our DCC school offers every AP course imaginable even the esoteric ones I'd never consider.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They publish a report listing the AP and IB course offerings and exam data for each high school. This is the most recent:

https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/sharedaccountability/reports/2022/2021_AP_IB_Exams_HS%20Princ.pdf

Am
I reading this correctly: Watkins, Seneca and Kennedy only offer 10 AP classes vs 38 AP classes at Walter Johnson?

Yes, because they are IB schools. They offer only 10 APs, but also offer 30-40 IB classes, which are at a comparable level.

Another way to state this is Watkins, Kennedy, etc., offer 30-40 IB classes, whereas schools like WJ have none.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They publish a report listing the AP and IB course offerings and exam data for each high school. This is the most recent:

https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/sharedaccountability/reports/2022/2021_AP_IB_Exams_HS%20Princ.pdf

Am
I reading this correctly: Watkins, Seneca and Kennedy only offer 10 AP classes vs 38 AP classes at Walter Johnson?

Yes, because they are IB schools. They offer only 10 APs, but also offer 30-40 IB classes, which are at a comparable level.

Thank you for the explanation. I should’ve had my coffee before posting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I believe the answer is largely demand. That, and a school’s stated “academies” or special programs.

That said, I have a student at a DCC high school who has found plenty of rigorous and interesting courses. I guess variety is nice, but you still need to take 4 years of math, English, science, etc. so it’s not like kids at some schools get to load up with fascinating electives.

Yes don’t get me wrong I’m not trying to bash our DCC school (we love it) and same for our kid. She’s just frustrated this year with lack of selection for AP courses but my DH pointed out the other school is twice the size

Weird our DCC school offers every AP course imaginable even the esoteric ones I'd never consider.

Which one? Yes her DCC bfs school offers more options

[Anonymous]

2021 offerings:

Blair 32 AP, 0 IB
Einstein 23 AP, 31 IB
Kennedy 10 AP, 46 IB
Northwood 22 AP, 0 IB
Wheaton 21 AP, 0 IB

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I believe the answer is largely demand. That, and a school’s stated “academies” or special programs.

That said, I have a student at a DCC high school who has found plenty of rigorous and interesting courses. I guess variety is nice, but you still need to take 4 years of math, English, science, etc. so it’s not like kids at some schools get to load up with fascinating electives.

Yes don’t get me wrong I’m not trying to bash our DCC school (we love it) and same for our kid. She’s just frustrated this year with lack of selection for AP courses but my DH pointed out the other school is twice the size

Weird our DCC school offers every AP course imaginable even the esoteric ones I'd never consider.

Which one? Yes her DCC bfs school offers more options

Blair but DC took more magnet classes than APs. Every AP they wanted was available.

[Anonymous]

There are also duel enrollment programs where students can earn take college classes and get both HS and college credit for the class. I have mo direct experience, but a friend of my DC did this and thought it was great.
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/partnerships/dual-enrollment.aspx

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are also duel enrollment programs where students can earn take college classes and get both HS and college credit for the class. I have mo direct experience, but a friend of my DC did this and thought it was great.
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/partnerships/dual-enrollment.aspx

Good point about dual enrollment! Northwood is home to the MC2 program, so as well as AP courses many of their top students are taking Montgomery College courses, taught initially on the Northwood campus and eventually on the college campus in their senior year.

I'm not sure how accessible those are to students not in the MC2 program, but it does probably explain why Northwood doesn't offer as many AP classes overall—because many of the students who might otherwise take APs in the upper grades are taking the MC classes instead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are also duel enrollment programs where students can earn take college classes and get both HS and college credit for the class. I have mo direct experience, but a friend of my DC did this and thought it was great.
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/partnerships/dual-enrollment.aspx

Good point about dual enrollment! Northwood is home to the MC2 program, so as well as AP courses many of their top students are taking Montgomery College courses, taught initially on the Northwood campus and eventually on the college campus in their senior year.

I'm not sure how accessible those are to students not in the MC2 program, but it does probably explain why Northwood doesn't offer as many AP classes overall—because many of the students who might otherwise take APs in the upper grades are taking the MC classes instead.

Yes, that makes sense. I wish the DCC open houses would make more of an effort to highlight these kinds of differences between the five schools' core course offerings. There is so much attention given to their academy programs, but those are mostly about the different pathways for elective classes.