How can kids be successful in average MCPS schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. And you will be the difference maker. In an average MCPS school, you'll have to supplement like crazy if the goal is for you kid to leave middle school with a great education.

MCPS is not good at providing high quality instruction in its average schools. Your kid will get C-level academic instruction and experiences, with maybe a bright spot with a teacher/subject or two.

You're definitely a troll and have no idea of what you're talking about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is very successful at Gaithersburg and will be most likely be accepted at every college they apply at. Work ethic and effort translates no matter which school you attend.

Thanks - I agree! But how do you cultivate that if it’s not there? And how do you keep it going when kids all around don’t have one?

The biggest thing is using honors and AP as a way to filter out kids who may prove to be a distraction.

As for your own child, it can be tough but kids will learn by example. If you show effort in everything you do, they will see that and follow. It also helps to try to find out what your kids goals and aspirations are and work with those and their strengths. If your kid isn’t interested in STEM, be supportive and don’t place pressure on them in their STEM classes. You don’t need a 4.0 to be a success. I let my kid, who plans on law school, know that Bs in Math and Science are awesome. It allows her to relax and focus on the classes that are more important for her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. And you will be the difference maker. In an average MCPS school, you'll have to supplement like crazy if the goal is for you kid to leave middle school with a great education.

MCPS is not good at providing high quality instruction in its average schools. Your kid will get C-level academic instruction and experiences, with maybe a bright spot with a teacher/subject or two.

You're definitely a troll and have no idea of what you're talking about.

I'm not a troll. I'm an experienced advocate who's shepherded multiple kids through MCPS. I have real lived experiences that have led me to this conclusion.

If you've not been at or experience an average-to-low-performing MCPS school, then you are the one who is trolling.

[Anonymous]

I advise people to leave their MCPS bubble once in a while. Even at its worst, MCPS provides a higher level of education and college prep than most of the country. Could it see some changes and improvements? Of course. Nobody is perfect. But to act as if MCPS is somehow not A level education is ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is very successful at Gaithersburg and will be most likely be accepted at every college they apply at. Work ethic and effort translates no matter which school you attend.

Thanks - I agree! But how do you cultivate that if it’s not there? And how do you keep it going when kids all around don’t have one?

DP- There's no school in MCPS where there's not a group of achievers. Any student who wants to succeed will succeed at any MCPS school.
Take a break from DCUM. It's not real life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I moved so my kids could attend Bethesda-area schools, but the recipe is the same everywhere, OP. You enrich at home, and you ensure that your kids are in the most advanced track they can sustain for their IQ, organizational skills and processing speed. This will look different for every kid, but the point is to seek an appropriate level of challenge, to learn for its own sake, and for college admissions positioning.

For one of my kids, this meant following the regular advanced track to AP level. For the other one, who is gifted, it meant starting Algebra 1 in 6th grade upon special request and sleeping or reading classics through all the grades until she met some challenge in AP Calc BC and AP Physics C.

Do not hesitate hiring individual tutors for your kids, as soon as they seem unsure or their grades drop to a B, especially in math, where each year builds on the other (chemistry and physics depend on a good math understanding as well). And insist on getting your kid to read as much as they can, good quality literature, because MCPS' Achilles' heel is the English curriculum. Unless they get do well in AP Lang and AP Lit, they will not be ready for the rigors of college writing.

you sound nuts! My kid went to an average school and did well. Take APs and your kid will be fine. if they need that much tutoring, then maybe they shouldn't expect to go to high academic college.

PP you replied to. Rude. My kids are now in college and high school. I know what I'm talking about. Tutoring is more a measure of family income than it is about anything else. The immense majority of families I know have hired tutors for their kids at some point: some for remedial purposes, but most to ensure that their kids stayed ahead (and also for test prep). If your kid is doing 6 APs in high school and aims for UMD, then sure, maybe they don't need tutoring if they're smart and doing well. But if your kid is aiming for a dozen APs, and has ambitions to go somewhere a little more selective, they might feel a little more assured with some coaching on the side, to ensure that everything goes smoothly and they maximize their potential.

I know some families will cringe at that sort of hot-housing. But OP asked. I answered. I live in a bubble of overachievers. OP should know that this is how the overachievers do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I advise people to leave their MCPS bubble once in a while. Even at its worst, MCPS provides a higher level of education and college prep than most of the country. Could it see some changes and improvements? Of course. Nobody is perfect. But to act as if MCPS is somehow not A level education is ridiculous.

That's not really true. If you look at it by state and compare similar demographic groups you'd be surprised which states are on top. MCPS does an absolutely horrific job educating Black, Latino and low-income kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I advise people to leave their MCPS bubble once in a while. Even at its worst, MCPS provides a higher level of education and college prep than most of the country. Could it see some changes and improvements? Of course. Nobody is perfect. But to act as if MCPS is somehow not A level education is ridiculous.

The MSDE Report Card shows that MCPS does not offer A-level education.

For the 2025 MSDE Report Card, at each level, MCPS earned

Elementary
Academic Achievement 11.2 out of 20

Middle
Academic Achievement 10.2 out of 20

High
Academic Achievement 15.4 out of 30

In what world do scores like THAT in Academic Achievement equal A-level education? Pull your head out of the sand. Or stop lying. Either rather, the truth is plainly seen and felt by parents and students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is very successful at Gaithersburg and will be most likely be accepted at every college they apply at. Work ethic and effort translates no matter which school you attend.

Thanks - I agree! But how do you cultivate that if it’s not there? And how do you keep it going when kids all around don’t have one?

Your kid needs to pick better friends. Also, how do you know that the kids around your kid aren't good?

[Anonymous]

You are the biggest predictor of your child’s success. The home situation. Are you always on your phone? Do you read for pleasure (not on a device)? Do you take the kids to concerts and botanical gardens and theater? Do you expect A’s- at MCPS, you should. Take AP classes as soon as you can. Expect A’s in those classes, too. Always be putting a little bit of distance between your child and their peer group. Never get tired of saying things like- I know Your Friend is allowed to.., you aren’t. Just… be better than the culture that is producing these dumbed down schools and your kids will thrive. Ask the Gaithersburg mom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a parent of a kid who is starting middle school next year at a pretty average school - can you share experiences of what makes the difference for a kid to be successful in school in MCPS?

Are the academic standards the same school to school? Or are kids in Potomac/ Bethesda held to higher standards since they may often arrive better prepared to learn?

What can a parent do to help their child succeed, that MCPS may not offer everywhere.

I am concerned that teachers don’t seem to set homework at all and when they do they don’t grade it or even notice of the kids do it.

How can a parent get some sense their kids on the right track?

I don’t like stressing about this stuff, but as a Mom I need some reassurance I am putting the right things in place to help my kid do well ( and balance that with being happy). We are already seeing that elementary school teachers tell the kids HW is optional so the kids don’t want to do it.

Please share your best practices and ideas.

Liberals don't do standards. They have gotten away from them, because any of the standardized tests don't give them the results they want even when they make them crooked. Now they just "correct" them with statistics.

So basically, you can't count on MCPS for teaching or validation. What does it even mean to succeed in this environment. I don't know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I advise people to leave their MCPS bubble once in a while. Even at its worst, MCPS provides a higher level of education and college prep than most of the country. Could it see some changes and improvements? Of course. Nobody is perfect. But to act as if MCPS is somehow not A level education is ridiculous.

That's not really true. If you look at it by state and compare similar demographic groups you'd be surprised which states are on top. MCPS does an absolutely horrific job educating Black, Latino and low-income kids.

MCPS is not a state, idiot.
Blacks in MCPS do better than anywhere else in AP tests.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I advise people to leave their MCPS bubble once in a while. Even at its worst, MCPS provides a higher level of education and college prep than most of the country. Could it see some changes and improvements? Of course. Nobody is perfect. But to act as if MCPS is somehow not A level education is ridiculous.

The MSDE Report Card shows that MCPS does not offer A-level education.

For the 2025 MSDE Report Card, at each level, MCPS earned

Elementary
Academic Achievement 11.2 out of 20

Middle
Academic Achievement 10.2 out of 20

High
Academic Achievement 15.4 out of 30

In what world do scores like THAT in Academic Achievement equal A-level education? Pull your head out of the sand. Or stop lying. Either rather, the truth is plainly seen and felt by parents and students.

I guess no school district in MD offers A-level education in MSDE report card.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I advise people to leave their MCPS bubble once in a while. Even at its worst, MCPS provides a higher level of education and college prep than most of the country. Could it see some changes and improvements? Of course. Nobody is perfect. But to act as if MCPS is somehow not A level education is ridiculous.

I think you are the one in the bubble

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You are the biggest predictor of your child’s success. The home situation. Are you always on your phone? Do you read for pleasure (not on a device)? Do you take the kids to concerts and botanical gardens and theater? Do you expect A’s- at MCPS, you should. Take AP classes as soon as you can. Expect A’s in those classes, too. Always be putting a little bit of distance between your child and their peer group. Never get tired of saying things like- I know Your Friend is allowed to.., you aren’t. Just… be better than the culture that is producing these dumbed down schools and your kids will thrive. Ask the Gaithersburg mom.

Yes, don’t you dare read on a Kindle!