my DD wants to apply to a high school magnet program, but worries about one recommendation

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure why you are assuming all the negative posts are from teachers. Some of that advice sounds like good parenting to me.

However, I am an MCPS middle school teacher and have written many of these evaluations. They shouldn't call them letters of recommendation, because they are not. The teachers are required to do them, whether or not your DC asks for one from you. It's a database and you attest to the student's academic honesty, rate them on a scale of 1-5 for twenty characteristics, and can provide additional comments. As a middle school teacher, you have the opportunity to compare 40 applicants and can tell who are the stand-out amazing students from the academically strong but not brilliant students (which is not always reflected in their grades). Who are the kids who grasp new ideas quickly, come up with novel solutions, and ace tests and projects, even if they are inconsistent about homework? Across multiple teachers and across a cohort of kids, there will be a clear tiering of students within the school.

[Anonymous]

Isn’t clear that the mom is just setting up the one teacher for when her daughter doesn’t get in? Is she going to ask colleges to only look at here 11th grade transcripts? Untimely bad behavior has consequences as your daughter is finding out. Do your job and make it a teaching moment and not help her normalize it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Isn’t clear that the mom is just setting up the one teacher for when her daughter doesn’t get in? Is she going to ask colleges to only look at here 11th grade transcripts? Untimely bad behavior has consequences as your daughter is finding out. Do your job and make it a teaching moment and not help her normalize it.

Signed, Another Irate Public School Teacher

[Anonymous]

OP, my DS applied to private high school from a public school (thank goodness). Anyway, there was one teacher (math) that we were worried about. She had a very cool demeanor about her. DS struggled with ADHD and had executive functioning challenges, and she did not tolerate it well. Despite this, he did perform well on tests and is a strong math student. Ultimately, she must have given him a decent recommendation because he was accepted at all the schools to which he applied. Try not to worry.

[Anonymous]

To answer your original question, no, they will not make an accepting. They want to hear from the current teachers, and it's a level playing field for everyone.

[Anonymous]

OP,

For MCPS magnet HS applications, the teachers have to fill a form recommendation in which they have to rate the student. It is not a free form recommendation. They cannot give their own personal opinions about the student. They have to give the recommendation that is reflective of their performance at school and standardized tests like PARCC and MAP. In other words, if your student is getting good grades and doing well in standardized tests and have not been disciplined/suspended at school for doing something really terrible, then you will be fine.

You also have access to what recommendation was given by the teacher after the admission process is over and if your child did not get through. Teachers are not supposed to write anything that is not supported by academic data on file. In other words, if a student is getting D's in their class, the teacher can say that the student is not performing above grade levels and have difficulties in higher level thinking required for magnet classes. Nothing more than that. But they cannot write that if the student is getting an A or B, because the data is not supporting what they are writing.

The admissions committee also knows to discard a bad recommendation from 1 teacher, if the rest of the teachers are giving good recommendations. Infact, the committee know who the vindictive teachers are and if they see a pattern these teachers are reported.

For MCPS, my own observation has been that the most important thing after home school cohort (also race and gender) is 1) the admissions test. 2) academic record 3) Essays and 4)Teacher recommendations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP,

For MCPS magnet HS applications, the teachers have to fill a form recommendation in which they have to rate the student. It is not a free form recommendation. They cannot give their own personal opinions about the student. They have to give the recommendation that is reflective of their performance at school and standardized tests like PARCC and MAP. In other words, if your student is getting good grades and doing well in standardized tests and have not been disciplined/suspended at school for doing something really terrible, then you will be fine.

You also have access to what recommendation was given by the teacher after the admission process is over and if your child did not get through. Teachers are not supposed to write anything that is not supported by academic data on file. In other words, if a student is getting D's in their class, the teacher can say that the student is not performing above grade levels and have difficulties in higher level thinking required for magnet classes. Nothing more than that. But they cannot write that if the student is getting an A or B, because the data is not supporting what they are writing.

The admissions committee also knows to discard a bad recommendation from 1 teacher, if the rest of the teachers are giving good recommendations. Infact, the committee know who the vindictive teachers are and if they see a pattern these teachers are reported.

For MCPS, my own observation has been that the most important thing after home school cohort (also race and gender) is 1) the admissions test. 2) academic record 3) Essays and 4)Teacher recommendations.

That is reassuring, because based on the responses from teachers on this thread, it appears many are angry and vindictive.

[Anonymous]

I don't know who the angry people are here, maybe just bored parents out trolling, but yeesh!

OP, I am sorry your kid does not have a great relationship with a certain teacher. Anything she can do in the next few weeks to demonstrate that she is a good student? As others have said, hopefully the teacher will be able to evaluate her fairly. But I do understand, sometimes teachers have so many kids, they don't really see a kid fairly. I think you could ask last year's teacher for a letter to add, but s/he will probably decline. If they are amenable, you could just add it w/ application. DD had an additional piece of info, and I asked RMIB if she could add it, & they said yes. I think she added something to CAP too. She got in everywhere she applied (she also had great teacher recs b/c she is super earnest). I would say that if your kid does not get in or gets waitlisted, then definitely ask that last year's teacher to add. That's where everyone involved (teacher & programs) would be more amenable to the idea of a rec from last year's teacher.

Best of luck.

[Anonymous]

There are so many people misunderstanding and projecting on this thread. Looking through, exactly zero posters have identified themselves as MCPS teachers. Please don’t throw around unfounded accusations that MCPS teachers are vindictive or anti-student.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are so many people misunderstanding and projecting on this thread. Looking through, exactly zero posters have identified themselves as MCPS teachers. Please don’t throw around unfounded accusations that MCPS teachers are vindictive or anti-student.

Here are three responses that pretty much sound like they are from a teacher's perspective:

There are reasons they want to talk to their current teachers. Why not go parent your child about how it isn’t the teacher’s job to get along with children but it is absolutely the child’s responsibility to be a top shelf student who earns their respect. You sound like you empowered her to give some attitude and now are just a tiny bit bitter it will come back to haunt her. This is called pissing in the wind and it is an important lesson for your kid the learn and it reflects poorly on you that it will be learned the hardway.

and

It isn’t a teachers job to get along with your daughter, it is her job to get along with the teacher. She didn’t and will suffer a tad for it. As other have said judging by you and the “mad women” tone of your email, I doubt she was the magnet type anyway so it doesn’t change much.

and

Perhaps you should have taught DD social graces of not burning bridges. As the saying goes, “One never knows when you’ll need to cross a bridge again later in life, so don’t burn it down.” Now your rooster has come to crow. I will never understand the entitlement of suburban kids and how they treat educators and other adults that they don’t deem “worthy & successful”. Op, let us know what you decided and how your daughter fared after notification letters go out and your DD receives hers.

I can't imagine any parent writing those responses. Sorry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are so many people misunderstanding and projecting on this thread. Looking through, exactly zero posters have identified themselves as MCPS teachers. Please don’t throw around unfounded accusations that MCPS teachers are vindictive or anti-student.

Here are three responses that pretty much sound like they are from a teacher's perspective:

There are reasons they want to talk to their current teachers. Why not go parent your child about how it isn’t the teacher’s job to get along with children but it is absolutely the child’s responsibility to be a top shelf student who earns their respect. You sound like you empowered her to give some attitude and now are just a tiny bit bitter it will come back to haunt her. This is called pissing in the wind and it is an important lesson for your kid the learn and it reflects poorly on you that it will be learned the hardway.

and

It isn’t a teachers job to get along with your daughter, it is her job to get along with the teacher. She didn’t and will suffer a tad for it. As other have said judging by you and the “mad women” tone of your email, I doubt she was the magnet type anyway so it doesn’t change much.

and

Perhaps you should have taught DD social graces of not burning bridges. As the saying goes, “One never knows when you’ll need to cross a bridge again later in life, so don’t burn it down.” Now your rooster has come to crow. I will never understand the entitlement of suburban kids and how they treat educators and other adults that they don’t deem “worthy & successful”. Op, let us know what you decided and how your daughter fared after notification letters go out and your DD receives hers.

I can't imagine any parent writing those responses. Sorry.

That poster was told to STFU and get lost. All from the same person.