Are there any “just average” kids anymore?

[Anonymous]

My kids get Bs.
Does that count as average?
DCUM makes it seem like if they’re getting Bs, they must have some undiagnosed disability and we should get them tested and get accomodations so they can have straight As and perfect SAT scores like all the other kids with disabilities.

[Anonymous]

My kids are not AAP or anything like that, but the teachers do pay attention to them and they are clearly learning. I think it depends on the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To 14:29
So what do you do for the kids that don’t need some special plan? Do they get a generic worksheet while you dea with Larli/Larla?

Why wouldn't they? If the "generic" worksheet is appropriate to where you child is academically, why should the teacher reinvent the wheel just for him/her? If you want that degree of individualized attention, homeschooling is your best option. Even Larla with her different needs gets a large amount of canned material, it's just a different canned materials.

But yes, let's please begrudge the child with special needs the additional attention they need to even come close to performing at the level your child does naturally. That's a really good look.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To 14:29
So what do you do for the kids that don’t need some special plan? Do they get a generic worksheet while you dea with Larli/Larla?

Why wouldn't they? If the "generic" worksheet is appropriate to where you child is academically, why should the teacher reinvent the wheel just for him/her? If you want that degree of individualized attention, homeschooling is your best option. Even Larla with her different needs gets a large amount of canned material, it's just a different canned materials.

But yes, let's please begrudge the child with special needs the additional attention they need to even come close to performing at the level your child does naturally. That's a really good look.

Lighten up. There was no accusation or criticism about providing for the special needs of kids who need more attention or support in the poster's comments. No indication of begrudging them anything. The point was about those who don't need that, but who aren't getting any individualized instruction because they "don't need some special plan." Haven't you heard about APS' big "personalized learning" initiative? That means EVERY kid is supposed to get that customized instruction according to his/her needs. and just because a kid doesn't have an IEP or 504 does not mean they are being appropriately challenged with the "generic" worksheets.

Your comment about begrudging the special needs child the attention needed to approximate where other kids perform naturally epitomizes the whole problem with the very high FRL schools shooting for the least common denominator. APS is supposed to be meeting every child where they are - not where their most behind peer is. Parent of a special needs child, an average child, or an above-average child, the desires and expectations are the same: give my kid what he/she needs and appropriately challenge them. Don't begrudge the child who "naturally" performs more easily his ability or his needs, either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To 14:29
So what do you do for the kids that don’t need some special plan? Do they get a generic worksheet while you dea with Larli/Larla?

Quite often, yes.

[Anonymous]

In MCPS, 50% of all 5th graders scored 90% on COGAT. I think this area has a concentration of bright, well-educated parents that you don’t see all over the US. But not more than say NYC, Chicago, SF, or other major US cities with gov’t, finance, or tech-based economies.

My cousin’s kids are much more advanced than their peers in Detroit, but far behind my kids here. And my kids aren’t even magnet.

[Anonymous]

Almost all of the kids that go to JMU/GMU graduate and lead very happy productive lives

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In MCPS, 50% of all 5th graders scored 90% on COGAT. I think this area has a concentration of bright, well-educated parents that you don’t see all over the US. But not more than say NYC, Chicago, SF, or other major US cities with gov’t, finance, or tech-based economies.

My cousin’s kids are much more advanced than their peers in Detroit, but far behind my kids here. And my kids aren’t even magnet.

That does not sound accurate. MC is a very large and diverse place.

Or are you talking about one school?

Do you have a link or is this just hearsay?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In MCPS, 50% of all 5th graders scored 90% on COGAT. I think this area has a concentration of bright, well-educated parents that you don’t see all over the US. But not more than say NYC, Chicago, SF, or other major US cities with gov’t, finance, or tech-based economies.

My cousin’s kids are much more advanced than their peers in Detroit, but far behind my kids here. And my kids aren’t even magnet.

That does not sound accurate. MC is a very large and diverse place.

Or are you talking about one school?

Do you have a link or is this just hearsay?

I teach for MCPS. This what I was told in a training on Thursday. It’s why there will be new sixth grade courses in SS and math offered in neighborhood schools this year. There is a huge pop of kids who would benefit from enriched courses, but most have a cohort of 15-20 peers at their home school. Only the true outliers, the kids with no peer or only 1-2 need to be in a magnet middle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Almost all of the kids that go to JMU/GMU graduate and lead very happy productive lives

And you need almost a 4.0+ to get into JMU these days, Mason isn’t far behind. My very bright nephew, high SATs, 4.2 GPA, sports and service was waitlisted at Tech and going to JMU. Tech had an objective for a more diverse student body this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In MCPS, 50% of all 5th graders scored 90% on COGAT. I think this area has a concentration of bright, well-educated parents that you don’t see all over the US. But not more than say NYC, Chicago, SF, or other major US cities with gov’t, finance, or tech-based economies.

My cousin’s kids are much more advanced than their peers in Detroit, but far behind my kids here. And my kids aren’t even magnet.

That does not sound accurate. MC is a very large and diverse place.

Or are you talking about one school?

Do you have a link or is this just hearsay?

I teach for MCPS. This what I was told in a training on Thursday. It’s why there will be new sixth grade courses in SS and math offered in neighborhood schools this year. There is a huge pop of kids who would benefit from enriched courses, but most have a cohort of 15-20 peers at their home school. Only the true outliers, the kids with no peer or only 1-2 need to be in a magnet middle.

What about average to above average kids in a high poverty school with few academic peers? Any advice on that front in MC, APS, ACPS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In MCPS, 50% of all 5th graders scored 90% on COGAT. I think this area has a concentration of bright, well-educated parents that you don’t see all over the US. But not more than say NYC, Chicago, SF, or other major US cities with gov’t, finance, or tech-based economies.

My cousin’s kids are much more advanced than their peers in Detroit, but far behind my kids here. And my kids aren’t even magnet.

That does not sound accurate. MC is a very large and diverse place.

Or are you talking about one school?

Do you have a link or is this just hearsay?

I teach for MCPS. This what I was told in a training on Thursday. It’s why there will be new sixth grade courses in SS and math offered in neighborhood schools this year. There is a huge pop of kids who would benefit from enriched courses, but most have a cohort of 15-20 peers at their home school. Only the true outliers, the kids with no peer or only 1-2 need to be in a magnet middle.

What about average to above average kids in a high poverty school with few academic peers? Any advice on that front in MC, APS, ACPS?

We were told every MCPS ES had 5th graders that qualified as gifted by score on COGAT. Even high poverty schools. Hypothetically, the above average, few peer kids were invited to attend the magnets. That doesn’t mean they will attend. For example, a gifted but poor kid’s parents might depend on him to walk younger sibs home from school because they can’t afford a nanny or aftercare. Other families fear they are unwelcome by traditional magnet pool families. Their parents may have fears about the social environment impacting their child. I hope they come anyway. We’ll see in a few weeks.

Hypothetically, a merely average kid should have plenty of academic peers, even in a high poverty school. Average is more than just standardized test scores, after all.

[Anonymous]

No there are no normal kids anymore. Mommy Dearest sets up all of the play dates and monitor all activities. There's no open communal playgrounds where kids just play games according to there own maturity and skill levels.

Kids start being considered socially elite or ostracized at age five. The irony is the kids who were elite at five are strange and awkward at 15.

It's getting late - junior and his friends down in the basement must be ready for their milk and cookies. Especially if they are going to play video games all night.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In MCPS, 50% of all 5th graders scored 90% on COGAT. I think this area has a concentration of bright, well-educated parents that you don’t see all over the US. But not more than say NYC, Chicago, SF, or other major US cities with gov’t, finance, or tech-based economies.

My cousin’s kids are much more advanced than their peers in Detroit, but far behind my kids here. And my kids aren’t even magnet.

That does not sound accurate. MC is a very large and diverse place.

Or are you talking about one school?

Do you have a link or is this just hearsay?

I teach for MCPS. This what I was told in a training on Thursday. It’s why there will be new sixth grade courses in SS and math offered in neighborhood schools this year. There is a huge pop of kids who would benefit from enriched courses, but most have a cohort of 15-20 peers at their home school. Only the true outliers, the kids with no peer or only 1-2 need to be in a magnet middle.

What about average to above average kids in a high poverty school with few academic peers? Any advice on that front in MC, APS, ACPS?

We were told every MCPS ES had 5th graders that qualified as gifted by score on COGAT. Even high poverty schools. Hypothetically, the above average, few peer kids were invited to attend the magnets. That doesn’t mean they will attend. For example, a gifted but poor kid’s parents might depend on him to walk younger sibs home from school because they can’t afford a nanny or aftercare. Other families fear they are unwelcome by traditional magnet pool families. Their parents may have fears about the social environment impacting their child. I hope they come anyway. We’ll see in a few weeks.

Hypothetically, a merely average kid should have plenty of academic peers, even in a high poverty school. Average is more than just standardized test scores, after all.

Intellectually speaking, of course average kids have plenty of academic peers regardless of their school's demographics. The problem isn't the intellect part - it's the language and economic part. An average MC white English-speaking kid at Randolph ES does not have a lot of peers with whom he/she can easily socialize and become friends. And, if a school with a high FRL/ELL population is more focused on getting those kids to English-proficiency that brings them up to learning in English and performing on the same level as the native English speaker, then it doesn't matter how many peers the "average" kid has. Too many of those "average" kids are still in different peer groups and instruction groups - based on language and other mitigating factors that result in "average" kids performing at different levels.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Answer: be grateful

+1 We aspire to be average. My 15 yo had to take the Algebra SOL 4 times before he passed it. He got A/Bs in the class (team taught with a special educator and general ed teacher), failed it twice at the end of 9th grade. He went to summer school and after 2 weeks of math 5 hours a day, failed it again. He had another week with 5 hours of math and finally passed it with a 404.