Thursday Nov 20 BOE Discussion on Boundaries and Regional Program Model

[Anonymous]

BCC parent here. We are from Europe and considered the IB programme, since we are familiar with it, but ultimately decided against it. My kids are doing APs all the way. It's easier and better understood by US college admissions. Most universities abroad accept AP scores.

My two cents: don't bother with the IB.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's the ppt
Boundary Studies Program Analysis Update 251120 PPT.pdf https://share.google/M0lQdbx2jTMlewfP9

They seem to be frantically adding programs to address concerns. BCC now getting an interest based engineering program so they can siphon off more wealthy students from Einstein and Northwood, so awesome.

Northwood still screwed. People complained about it not having an academic criteria-based program and so they added.... agroecology, whatever the heck that is?

Meanwhile Whitman still has a criteria-based humanities magnet and BCC still has a criteria-based IB magnet, and they are doubling down on local schools getting extra local set-aside seats (as many as twice their fair share, ie. 15 compared to 30 shared among the other 4 schools or 25 compared to 60 shared among the other 4 schools.). So a humanities kid from the DCC not only has to travel all the way go BCC or Whitman for a magnet, but the BCC and Whitman kids have a much higher chance of getting in.

SMH. This is all so terribly inequitable.

For the record, approximately 100 BCC students do the full IB diploma per grade level and lots more take some IB courses. Reducing local seats to 15-25 per grade will be a huge cut in local opportunities for BCC students. By contrast, an Einstein student would have access to both local Einstein only IB seats with no criteria or seat cap restrictions AND regional criteria seats at BCC. So it cuts both ways.

If its an IB school, anyone can take IB classes and get a diploma. Most Einstein aren't going to leave Einstein for BCC for IB - for AP, yes, but not IB. Its not a competition. Given those numbers, not many actually want IB adn they should look at it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's the ppt
Boundary Studies Program Analysis Update 251120 PPT.pdf https://share.google/M0lQdbx2jTMlewfP9

They seem to be frantically adding programs to address concerns. BCC now getting an interest based engineering program so they can siphon off more wealthy students from Einstein and Northwood, so awesome.

Northwood still screwed. People complained about it not having an academic criteria-based program and so they added.... agroecology, whatever the heck that is?

Meanwhile Whitman still has a criteria-based humanities magnet and BCC still has a criteria-based IB magnet, and they are doubling down on local schools getting extra local set-aside seats (as many as twice their fair share, ie. 15 compared to 30 shared among the other 4 schools or 25 compared to 60 shared among the other 4 schools.). So a humanities kid from the DCC not only has to travel all the way go BCC or Whitman for a magnet, but the BCC and Whitman kids have a much higher chance of getting in.

SMH. This is all so terribly inequitable.

+1 Agroecology is so random and I have no faith that the district has any idea what it is either. The wording in some of these slides is desperate.

Is it something like the ecology program in Poolesville maybe???

Nope, it's CASE at Sherwood, which has typically had pretty low interest but now they want to roll out 5 copies of and pretend it's gonna be criteria-based: https://sites.google.com/mcpsmd.net/case/case-at-sherwood-courses

[Anonymous]

This document shows how out of touch they are—claiming to listen and fix problems while actually making things worse. DCC kids will lose access under the home-school model with limited slots, and it assumes parents can handle transportation. The partner images and their sizes are also telling.

Einstein and Northwood really got the worst of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This document shows how out of touch they are—claiming to listen and fix problems while actually making things worse. DCC kids will lose access under the home-school model with limited slots, and it assumes parents can handle transportation. The partner images and their sizes are also telling.

Einstein and Northwood really got the worst of it.

want to understand

So the chance of a Einstein or Northwood zoned student getting into Blair, Wheaton, or Kennedy by consortia ranking/choice or applying to a magnet in the current DCC model is greater than the chance of a Einstein or Northwood zoned student getting into Blair, BCC, or Whitman by applying to a program.

That and more students will leave Einstein and Northwood to attend Blair, BCC, and Whitman than will leave Blair, BCC, and Whitman to attend Einstein and Northwood, which will have the effect of driving down enrollment in and eventually offering of advanced courses at Einstein and Northwood.

Is that the gist of how the regional model hurts Einstein and Northwood?

[Anonymous]

How is Medical Science a program at both Clarksburg and Northwest??? The students should just be choosing a focus of Biotech or Biomedical in later years, not it being distinct programs at two separate schools.

And how is Global Ecology (which is currently criteria) not an interest based leadership theme program at Poolesville but AgroEcology and Leadership is I guess both Leadership and Science theme at Damascus??? I could support the inclusion of Agro, but why not make it Global Ecology, Agriculture and Sustainability?

And seriously when is someone going to evaluate these local programs. They can’t still honestly believe they can continue to have all these local programs along with the regional ones.

🤦‍♀️

[Anonymous]

Agroecology?

At which community engagement session did they hear “what this needs is 6 new programs about sustainable farming?”

I can’t tell because they only posted the video from one of them, but it wasn’t Kennedy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agroecology?

At which community engagement session did they hear “what this needs is 6 new programs about sustainable farming?”

I can’t tell because they only posted the video from one of them, but it wasn’t Kennedy.

+1000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's the ppt
Boundary Studies Program Analysis Update 251120 PPT.pdf https://share.google/M0lQdbx2jTMlewfP9

They seem to be frantically adding programs to address concerns. BCC now getting an interest based engineering program so they can siphon off more wealthy students from Einstein and Northwood, so awesome.

Is this posted somewhere publicly? I didn’t see it on MCPS’ site.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's the ppt
Boundary Studies Program Analysis Update 251120 PPT.pdf https://share.google/M0lQdbx2jTMlewfP9

They seem to be frantically adding programs to address concerns. BCC now getting an interest based engineering program so they can siphon off more wealthy students from Einstein and Northwood, so awesome.

Is it just its existing PLTW program?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's the ppt
Boundary Studies Program Analysis Update 251120 PPT.pdf https://share.google/M0lQdbx2jTMlewfP9

They seem to be frantically adding programs to address concerns. BCC now getting an interest based engineering program so they can siphon off more wealthy students from Einstein and Northwood, so awesome.

Northwood still screwed. People complained about it not having an academic criteria-based program and so they added.... agroecology, whatever the heck that is?

Meanwhile Whitman still has a criteria-based humanities magnet and BCC still has a criteria-based IB magnet, and they are doubling down on local schools getting extra local set-aside seats (as many as twice their fair share, ie. 15 compared to 30 shared among the other 4 schools or 25 compared to 60 shared among the other 4 schools.). So a humanities kid from the DCC not only has to travel all the way go BCC or Whitman for a magnet, but the BCC and Whitman kids have a much higher chance of getting in.

SMH. This is all so terribly inequitable.

For the record, approximately 100 BCC students do the full IB diploma per grade level and lots more take some IB courses. Reducing local seats to 15-25 per grade will be a huge cut in local opportunities for BCC students. By contrast, an Einstein student would have access to both local Einstein only IB seats with no criteria or seat cap restrictions AND regional criteria seats at BCC. So it cuts both ways.

B-CC students could still enter the IBDP in 11th grade even if not in the regional program--at least that's how it works now at RM and the regional IBs. The limited local seats only limit access to pre-IB classes (which are not currently offered at B-CC because it's a local program).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's the ppt
Boundary Studies Program Analysis Update 251120 PPT.pdf https://share.google/M0lQdbx2jTMlewfP9

They seem to be frantically adding programs to address concerns. BCC now getting an interest based engineering program so they can siphon off more wealthy students from Einstein and Northwood, so awesome.

And, yet, they aren't giving many slots. Einstein familes (and now Northwood) have always been the forgotten school - no renovations, no advanced classes, few clubs...

I suspect they are doing it at Einstein as they aready have the classes so it looks like they are getting something new when they aren't. Einstein only has one engineering teacher who teaches a combine two classes in one in one class period class and that's it (great teacher but stretched thin as that's not fair to anyone). How MCPS thinks this is ok is beyond me!

Isn't Einstein getting a new criteria based Biotech program, a new interet based health care program, the criteria based visual arts for the region, the criteria based music for the region plus IB?

The biotech program will be a glorified lab tech training program.

https://marylandpublicschools.org/programs/documents/cte/standards/hhs_biotechnology-a.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's the ppt
Boundary Studies Program Analysis Update 251120 PPT.pdf https://share.google/M0lQdbx2jTMlewfP9

They seem to be frantically adding programs to address concerns. BCC now getting an interest based engineering program so they can siphon off more wealthy students from Einstein and Northwood, so awesome.

Northwood still screwed. People complained about it not having an academic criteria-based program and so they added.... agroecology, whatever the heck that is?

Meanwhile Whitman still has a criteria-based humanities magnet and BCC still has a criteria-based IB magnet, and they are doubling down on local schools getting extra local set-aside seats (as many as twice their fair share, ie. 15 compared to 30 shared among the other 4 schools or 25 compared to 60 shared among the other 4 schools.). So a humanities kid from the DCC not only has to travel all the way go BCC or Whitman for a magnet, but the BCC and Whitman kids have a much higher chance of getting in.

SMH. This is all so terribly inequitable.

+1 Agroecology is so random and I have no faith that the district has any idea what it is either. The wording in some of these slides is desperate.

Is it something like the ecology program in Poolesville maybe???

Nope, it's CASE at Sherwood, which has typically had pretty low interest but now they want to roll out 5 copies of and pretend it's gonna be criteria-based: https://sites.google.com/mcpsmd.net/case/case-at-sherwood-courses

It'll be one of these agriculture job training pathways that MD recognizes.

https://marylandpublicschools.org/programs/documents/cte/standards/ag_horticultural_science-a.pdf

https://marylandpublicschools.org/programs/documents/cte/standards/ag_agriculture_science-a.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's the ppt
Boundary Studies Program Analysis Update 251120 PPT.pdf https://share.google/M0lQdbx2jTMlewfP9

They seem to be frantically adding programs to address concerns. BCC now getting an interest based engineering program so they can siphon off more wealthy students from Einstein and Northwood, so awesome.

Is it just its existing PLTW program?

Yep. No new resources, no new staff, just an application slapped on classes they already offer. Taylor is a cheap bastard. Uncreative, too.

[Anonymous]

At this time it’s just name calling. They can add 10 more programs by adding just the buzz words. The staffing cost associated with the words is zero. Who still believe they will indeed design corresponding curriculum, course and train specialized teachers?