Why are some schools putting EVERYONE into AIM and HIGH?

[Anonymous]

^
+1
yep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think I mind that they are putting everyone in those classes. They are just upgrading the curriculum for everyone.

The thing that's going to make parents with 99th percentile kids who were rejected from the magnets irate is that this means that there will no longer be ability grouping. So their 99th percentile kid who was told they would still get a stimulating environment at their local school because they would be grouped with the 20 or more other rejected kids will no longer get this.

which does indeed defeat the purpose of putting the so-called "magnet" classes in these schools. When this happened, I kept saying that this was a joke, that those classes might be a bit different to the regular classes but it will be no-where near the same level as the true magnet classes.

Let me throw out 2 possibilities for discussion:
(1) funding/student allocations - 2 AIM classes with equal number of students (say 30) Or 1 AIM class with 40 students and 1 IM class with 20 students?
(2) Equity - If that 1 AIM class has mostly non-FARM students, it may not look good from the principal point of view. Central Office wants to claim that "number of FARM students in the advanced math class increased from 20% to 90%"

Yes, I agree those are the concerns. But i only think the first one is valid. the 2nd one, hate it! that's why MCPS is falling dramatically these years... The school is only responsible to the central office, not for the students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think I mind that they are putting everyone in those classes. They are just upgrading the curriculum for everyone.

The thing that's going to make parents with 99th percentile kids who were rejected from the magnets irate is that this means that there will no longer be ability grouping. So their 99th percentile kid who was told they would still get a stimulating environment at their local school because they would be grouped with the 20 or more other rejected kids will no longer get this.

It at not just the 99th rejected kids, there are accepted kids who are considering home school due to bus time, and thinking they will get similar enrichment at home schools middle school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone explain why schools are doing this?
This defeats the whole purpose of the local enrichment MCPS is purportedly offering, undermines the basis of the "peer group" criteria being used for magnet admissions, and bolsters the complaints that have been filed.

Because they want everyone to aim high.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think I mind that they are putting everyone in those classes. They are just upgrading the curriculum for everyone.

The thing that's going to make parents with 99th percentile kids who were rejected from the magnets irate is that this means that there will no longer be ability grouping. So their 99th percentile kid who was told they would still get a stimulating environment at their local school because they would be grouped with the 20 or more other rejected kids will no longer get this.

And the class will get slower to appease everyone. And then each year there will be more and more gaps in the curriculum as they can't keep the pace. Trust me, I am seeing it right now in compact math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think I mind that they are putting everyone in those classes. They are just upgrading the curriculum for everyone.

The thing that's going to make parents with 99th percentile kids who were rejected from the magnets irate is that this means that there will no longer be ability grouping. So their 99th percentile kid who was told they would still get a stimulating environment at their local school because they would be grouped with the 20 or more other rejected kids will no longer get this.

It at not just the 99th rejected kids, there are accepted kids who are considering home school due to bus time, and thinking they will get similar enrichment at home schools middle school

This is DC. Assumed local school would be fine due to enriched classes. Now not so sure.

[Anonymous]

To complain, email [e-mail] in AEI.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone explain why schools are doing this?
This defeats the whole purpose of the local enrichment MCPS is purportedly offering, undermines the basis of the "peer group" criteria being used for magnet admissions, and bolsters the complaints that have been filed.

Because they want everyone to aim high.

They are doing it because fighting entitled parents is exhausting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hear Pyle is all HIGH.

You heard right.

At Pyle all classes use the HIGH curriculum but they have a separate cohort of.kids grouped together who tested into HIGH and do extra activities such as model UN, more DBQs etc

[Anonymous]

I predicted off the bat that everyone at pyle would take the same course. They may still have a cohort set for one section of the course, but that will go soon enough too.

[Anonymous]

A few years back we had administration one talk to our ES about compact math and how it was going from one small class to now between 60-75% and how could it be the same class.

The lady said it wasn’t fair that so many kids of color were being left out of advanced classes and that it trickled down to ES. So the goal was that in 5 years, every 6th grader would take IM.

I think they already phased out math 7 completely, right? So stupid. Not everyone is cut out for math, no matter what their color.

But to say we are offering it to 40-50% of each grade now, but are not making curriculum changes is BS. Something has to give. If you are lowering the level of math knowledge in these classes you are either grading too easy, going to slow, or skipping over content.

This is why midterms and finals need to be brought back. MCPS gets rid of them because 50-70% were failing them. Now all of a sudden we can increase kids in accelerated classes now. Make it more diverse.

Such a scam this district is

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone explain why schools are doing this?
This defeats the whole purpose of the local enrichment MCPS is purportedly offering, undermines the basis of the "peer group" criteria being used for magnet admissions, and bolsters the complaints that have been filed.

Because they want everyone to aim high.

They are doing it because fighting entitled parents is exhausting.

This +1000

There are predictable MSs where too many parents will refuse to accept that their kid is not in the advanced class. Of anything.

The system could solve this by letting anyone in and grading on a curve. But that would never happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hear Pyle is all HIGH.

You heard right.

At Pyle all classes use the HIGH curriculum but they have a separate cohort of.kids grouped together who tested into HIGH and do extra activities such as model UN, more DBQs etc

That's not what we heard. They said everyone would do the extra activities like model UN, etc. Where did you hear the stuff about the grouping?

[Anonymous]

Let me throw out 2 possibilities for discussion:
(1) funding/student allocations - 2 AIM classes with equal number of students (say 30) Or 1 AIM class with 40 students and 1 IM class with 20 students?
(2) Equity - If that 1 AIM class has mostly non-FARM students, it may not look good from the principal point of view. Central Office wants to claim that "number of FARM students in the advanced math class increased from 20% to 90%"

Anonymous wrote:A few years back we had administration one talk to our ES about compact math and how it was going from one small class to now between 60-75% and how could it be the same class.

The lady said it wasn’t fair that so many kids of color were being left out of advanced classes and that it trickled down to ES. So the goal was that in 5 years, every 6th grader would take IM.

I think they already phased out math 7 completely, right? So stupid. Not everyone is cut out for math, no matter what their color.

But to say we are offering it to 40-50% of each grade now, but are not making curriculum changes is BS. Something has to give. If you are lowering the level of math knowledge in these classes you are either grading too easy, going to slow, or skipping over content.

This is why midterms and finals need to be brought back. MCPS gets rid of them because 50-70% were failing them. Now all of a sudden we can increase kids in accelerated classes now. Make it more diverse.

Such a scam this district is

+1

That is exactly what the PP above said......MCPS wants to score some points saying that "the achievement gap is clos....ing"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let me throw out 2 possibilities for discussion:
(1) funding/student allocations - 2 AIM classes with equal number of students (say 30) Or 1 AIM class with 40 students and 1 IM class with 20 students?
(2) Equity - If that 1 AIM class has mostly non-FARM students, it may not look good from the principal point of view. Central Office wants to claim that "number of FARM students in the advanced math class increased from 20% to 90%"

Anonymous wrote:A few years back we had administration one talk to our ES about compact math and how it was going from one small class to now between 60-75% and how could it be the same class.

The lady said it wasn’t fair that so many kids of color were being left out of advanced classes and that it trickled down to ES. So the goal was that in 5 years, every 6th grader would take IM.

I think they already phased out math 7 completely, right? So stupid. Not everyone is cut out for math, no matter what their color.

But to say we are offering it to 40-50% of each grade now, but are not making curriculum changes is BS. Something has to give. If you are lowering the level of math knowledge in these classes you are either grading too easy, going to slow, or skipping over content.

This is why midterms and finals need to be brought back. MCPS gets rid of them because 50-70% were failing them. Now all of a sudden we can increase kids in accelerated classes now. Make it more diverse.

Such a scam this district is

+1

That is exactly what the PP above said......MCPS wants to score some points saying that "the achievement gap is clos....ing"

I don't think that's it. I know some folks on this board want to turn every discussion into a polemic on how MCPS is too focused on URMs, but look at the schools doing this. It isn't the racially integrated ones, it is the ones with the pushiest parents that bought in the "right school" and "for the peer group."