Seems like MCPS is a mess

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Howard county or Anne arundel

HoCo for certain. AA questionable.

[Anonymous]

My dh started substitute teaching this year. He's done it about 35 times so far. This board has given me the impression that there are only a small number of high schools, and their feeder middle schools, that are safe and not full of disruptive students. So every time he comes home, I've asked about his experience.

Note that as a sub, he's not doing grading, etc. so his conclusions are mostly driven by, "do the kids follow instructions and quiet down when I remind them?"

On that measure, though there are variations, he's concluded that every one of the schools that he's subbed at is just fine. Occassionally, a kid or two seems to be unwilling to do their work, but not in a way that seems to disadvantage other students.

In sum, I've been pleased by the positive experience he's had. Nothing out of the ordinary in any of the schools, on any day he's been there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids are in MCPS. In the Whitman cluster. One in middle and one in elementary. I read this board and it does not reflect my experience at all. "MCPS" may be a mess but my local schools have been great. I think it's big county and experiences vary but I have been pleased. I've looked at privates and have decided so far to stick with the Whitman cluster. Like many PPs, I think this board skews to disgruntled/haters. Talk to people in the places you are thinking of buying to get a real sense of the experience at specific MCPS schools, not the county in general.

The thing is... you are a parent. You are not in the schools and frankly, don't have a way to measure the type of work that kids (including yours) are doing, and how that compares to previous years. I am an AP teacher, and I can absolutely attest that the standards are being lowered across the board. Just because your child receives As, and passes AP exams (for example, the AP Lit exam has been so watered down that the pass rate is now above 70%) does not mean that the education they are receiving compares well to previous generations. Yes, I will say it again, this is a mediocre system.

LOL.
If the standards are lowered across the board, the AP passing rate wouldn't be above 70%, which is amongst the highest in the nation. Nationally, it is about 52% passing rate.
You have no idea of what you're talking about, troll. You're not fooling anyone except the oblivious ones, right-winger.

I know it's an inconvenient truth for the regressive when people use facts like this to poke holes in their false narrative. The truth is the county's demographics have changed but the quality of education and opportunities are as good as ever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Howard county or Anne arundel

HoCo for certain. AA questionable.

What’s going on in AA?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Howard county or Anne arundel

HoCo for certain. AA questionable.

Yes, the demographics in these places is different than moco today. It's like going back 30 years in time.

[Anonymous]

MCPS is NOT one size fits all and never was meant to be in this current situation. But, it DOES have an excellent education for those that qualify and are chosen to enjoy premium education such as the magnets and other elite programs. My child is in the PHS magnet program and absolutely loves it and gets so many opportunities that are building a highly favored college resume. However, for an average child, the education will be basic at best. I realize this as I do have an average child and I am already hesitant to allow her to stay with MCPS because I want more for her. It is a very large system and is currently and was oftentimes in the past, without a sound navigator. That makes a big impact. We needs great leadership, correct funding (used wisely), decreased nepotism and fluff jobs, and systematic changes that make a world of difference and let kids know that this means business (absences, grades and discipline). Unitl that happens, I will continue to look for private schools for my youngest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCPS is NOT one size fits all and never was meant to be in this current situation. But, it DOES have an excellent education for those that qualify and are chosen to enjoy premium education such as the magnets and other elite programs. My child is in the PHS magnet program and absolutely loves it and gets so many opportunities that are building a highly favored college resume. However, for an average child, the education will be basic at best. I realize this as I do have an average child and I am already hesitant to allow her to stay with MCPS because I want more for her. It is a very large system and is currently and was oftentimes in the past, without a sound navigator. That makes a big impact. We needs great leadership, correct funding (used wisely), decreased nepotism and fluff jobs, and systematic changes that make a world of difference and let kids know that this means business (absences, grades and discipline). Unitl that happens, I will continue to look for private schools for my youngest.

Nailed it. Excellent diagnosis! This is what we need to turn MCPS around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCPS is NOT one size fits all and never was meant to be in this current situation. But, it DOES have an excellent education for those that qualify and are chosen to enjoy premium education such as the magnets and other elite programs. My child is in the PHS magnet program and absolutely loves it and gets so many opportunities that are building a highly favored college resume. However, for an average child, the education will be basic at best. I realize this as I do have an average child and I am already hesitant to allow her to stay with MCPS because I want more for her. It is a very large system and is currently and was oftentimes in the past, without a sound navigator. That makes a big impact. We needs great leadership, correct funding (used wisely), decreased nepotism and fluff jobs, and systematic changes that make a world of difference and let kids know that this means business (absences, grades and discipline). Unitl that happens, I will continue to look for private schools for my youngest.

My kid at their home (zoned) high school is getting an education that, in many ways, is better than mine was. In a special program, to be sure, but it's a special program that's open to anyone at that school. You don't have to be "chosen", you just sign up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids are in MCPS. In the Whitman cluster. One in middle and one in elementary. I read this board and it does not reflect my experience at all. "MCPS" may be a mess but my local schools have been great. I think it's big county and experiences vary but I have been pleased. I've looked at privates and have decided so far to stick with the Whitman cluster. Like many PPs, I think this board skews to disgruntled/haters. Talk to people in the places you are thinking of buying to get a real sense of the experience at specific MCPS schools, not the county in general.

The thing is... you are a parent. You are not in the schools and frankly, don't have a way to measure the type of work that kids (including yours) are doing, and how that compares to previous years. I am an AP teacher, and I can absolutely attest that the standards are being lowered across the board. Just because your child receives As, and passes AP exams (for example, the AP Lit exam has been so watered down that the pass rate is now above 70%) does not mean that the education they are receiving compares well to previous generations. Yes, I will say it again, this is a mediocre system.

LOL.
If the standards are lowered across the board, the AP passing rate wouldn't be above 70%, which is amongst the highest in the nation. Nationally, it is about 52% passing rate.
You have no idea of what you're talking about, troll. You're not fooling anyone except the oblivious ones, right-winger.

I don't think you understand what I'm saying. The AP Lit pass rate nationally is now above 70%. The standards for passing have been lowered, and not just for that class. AP Lang teachers now teach kids to skip introductions and conclusions and to memorize "sentence frames" instead of writing their own sentences. The names of rhetorical devices are no longer needed, even to do "rhetorical analysis," just tell us what the author is "trying to do." Reading passages do not come from any work earlier than the 19th century because kids cannot comprehend them. AP sciences almost all allow calculators now because kids can't calculate Percent Change. All multiple choice questions on AP history and government tests now come with "stimulus passages" because kids need prompts to come up with the answers. AP GoPo now tells the kids which Supreme Court cases they will need to know for the exam, instead of the universe of important cases like ten years ago. Etc., Etc. No matter how hard you try, you will not be able to out-do me with your cursory knowledge of APs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids are in MCPS. In the Whitman cluster. One in middle and one in elementary. I read this board and it does not reflect my experience at all. "MCPS" may be a mess but my local schools have been great. I think it's big county and experiences vary but I have been pleased. I've looked at privates and have decided so far to stick with the Whitman cluster. Like many PPs, I think this board skews to disgruntled/haters. Talk to people in the places you are thinking of buying to get a real sense of the experience at specific MCPS schools, not the county in general.

The thing is... you are a parent. You are not in the schools and frankly, don't have a way to measure the type of work that kids (including yours) are doing, and how that compares to previous years. I am an AP teacher, and I can absolutely attest that the standards are being lowered across the board. Just because your child receives As, and passes AP exams (for example, the AP Lit exam has been so watered down that the pass rate is now above 70%) does not mean that the education they are receiving compares well to previous generations. Yes, I will say it again, this is a mediocre system.

LOL.
If the standards are lowered across the board, the AP passing rate wouldn't be above 70%, which is amongst the highest in the nation. Nationally, it is about 52% passing rate.
You have no idea of what you're talking about, troll. You're not fooling anyone except the oblivious ones, right-winger.

I know it's an inconvenient truth for the regressive when people use facts like this to poke holes in their false narrative. The truth is the county's demographics have changed but the quality of education and opportunities are as good as ever.

Ha ha - "poke holes in their false narrative". Maybe learn something before commenting. I was making the point that parents who point to GPA and AP scores to say that their kids are "fine," do not understand the nationwide slide in those scores, which make them an unrealistic point of comparison with their own education.

AP Literature national pass rate - "The AP English Literature score distribution has varied significantly over the past 5 years of exams. The 2022 pass rate greatly exceeded the preceding years, at 78% – an increase of 34% from 2021 – remaining high in 2023 at 77.1%."
https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/about-ap-scores/score-distributions

I was not making a point about MCPS in this instance, but AP as a whole. However, now we can show that MCPS does score well on this exam (88% pass rate in 2022), but the fact that the national average is 78% does dampen that whole "excellent system" thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS is NOT one size fits all and never was meant to be in this current situation. But, it DOES have an excellent education for those that qualify and are chosen to enjoy premium education such as the magnets and other elite programs. My child is in the PHS magnet program and absolutely loves it and gets so many opportunities that are building a highly favored college resume. However, for an average child, the education will be basic at best. I realize this as I do have an average child and I am already hesitant to allow her to stay with MCPS because I want more for her. It is a very large system and is currently and was oftentimes in the past, without a sound navigator. That makes a big impact. We needs great leadership, correct funding (used wisely), decreased nepotism and fluff jobs, and systematic changes that make a world of difference and let kids know that this means business (absences, grades and discipline). Unitl that happens, I will continue to look for private schools for my youngest.

Nailed it. Excellent diagnosis! This is what we need to turn MCPS around.

Most of those complaints aren't supported by any real evidence. Maybe the crazies have some gossip they can post here but that is hardly factual.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids are in MCPS. In the Whitman cluster. One in middle and one in elementary. I read this board and it does not reflect my experience at all. "MCPS" may be a mess but my local schools have been great. I think it's big county and experiences vary but I have been pleased. I've looked at privates and have decided so far to stick with the Whitman cluster. Like many PPs, I think this board skews to disgruntled/haters. Talk to people in the places you are thinking of buying to get a real sense of the experience at specific MCPS schools, not the county in general.

The thing is... you are a parent. You are not in the schools and frankly, don't have a way to measure the type of work that kids (including yours) are doing, and how that compares to previous years. I am an AP teacher, and I can absolutely attest that the standards are being lowered across the board. Just because your child receives As, and passes AP exams (for example, the AP Lit exam has been so watered down that the pass rate is now above 70%) does not mean that the education they are receiving compares well to previous generations. Yes, I will say it again, this is a mediocre system.

LOL.
If the standards are lowered across the board, the AP passing rate wouldn't be above 70%, which is amongst the highest in the nation. Nationally, it is about 52% passing rate.
You have no idea of what you're talking about, troll. You're not fooling anyone except the oblivious ones, right-winger.

I know it's an inconvenient truth for the regressive when people use facts like this to poke holes in their false narrative. The truth is the county's demographics have changed but the quality of education and opportunities are as good as ever.

Yes, the AP pass rate is overall higher than ever. Not sure why the far-right posters keep pushing the false narrative.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS is NOT one size fits all and never was meant to be in this current situation. But, it DOES have an excellent education for those that qualify and are chosen to enjoy premium education such as the magnets and other elite programs. My child is in the PHS magnet program and absolutely loves it and gets so many opportunities that are building a highly favored college resume. However, for an average child, the education will be basic at best. I realize this as I do have an average child and I am already hesitant to allow her to stay with MCPS because I want more for her. It is a very large system and is currently and was oftentimes in the past, without a sound navigator. That makes a big impact. We needs great leadership, correct funding (used wisely), decreased nepotism and fluff jobs, and systematic changes that make a world of difference and let kids know that this means business (absences, grades and discipline). Unitl that happens, I will continue to look for private schools for my youngest.

Nailed it. Excellent diagnosis! This is what we need to turn MCPS around.

Most of those complaints aren't supported by any real evidence. Maybe the crazies have some gossip they can post here but that is hardly factual.

If you think there's no real evidence pointing to repeated failed leadership in MCPS, then the crazy is you.

Give up the denial game. Even if you want to play it, you're doing a horrible job at it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids are in MCPS. In the Whitman cluster. One in middle and one in elementary. I read this board and it does not reflect my experience at all. "MCPS" may be a mess but my local schools have been great. I think it's big county and experiences vary but I have been pleased. I've looked at privates and have decided so far to stick with the Whitman cluster. Like many PPs, I think this board skews to disgruntled/haters. Talk to people in the places you are thinking of buying to get a real sense of the experience at specific MCPS schools, not the county in general.

The thing is... you are a parent. You are not in the schools and frankly, don't have a way to measure the type of work that kids (including yours) are doing, and how that compares to previous years. I am an AP teacher, and I can absolutely attest that the standards are being lowered across the board. Just because your child receives As, and passes AP exams (for example, the AP Lit exam has been so watered down that the pass rate is now above 70%) does not mean that the education they are receiving compares well to previous generations. Yes, I will say it again, this is a mediocre system.

LOL.
If the standards are lowered across the board, the AP passing rate wouldn't be above 70%, which is amongst the highest in the nation. Nationally, it is about 52% passing rate.
You have no idea of what you're talking about, troll. You're not fooling anyone except the oblivious ones, right-winger.

I know it's an inconvenient truth for the regressive when people use facts like this to poke holes in their false narrative. The truth is the county's demographics have changed but the quality of education and opportunities are as good as ever.

Ha ha - "poke holes in their false narrative". Maybe learn something before commenting. I was making the point that parents who point to GPA and AP scores to say that their kids are "fine," do not understand the nationwide slide in those scores, which make them an unrealistic point of comparison with their own education.

AP Literature national pass rate - "The AP English Literature score distribution has varied significantly over the past 5 years of exams. The 2022 pass rate greatly exceeded the preceding years, at 78% – an increase of 34% from 2021 – remaining high in 2023 at 77.1%."
https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/about-ap-scores/score-distributions

I was not making a point about MCPS in this instance, but AP as a whole. However, now we can show that MCPS does score well on this exam (88% pass rate in 2022), but the fact that the national average is 78% does dampen that whole "excellent system" thing.

Yes, you were talking about MCPS stating the following

Yes, I will say it again, this is a mediocre system.

You were responding to a poster who was happy with the education his/her kids are getting in MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids are in MCPS. In the Whitman cluster. One in middle and one in elementary. I read this board and it does not reflect my experience at all. "MCPS" may be a mess but my local schools have been great. I think it's big county and experiences vary but I have been pleased. I've looked at privates and have decided so far to stick with the Whitman cluster. Like many PPs, I think this board skews to disgruntled/haters. Talk to people in the places you are thinking of buying to get a real sense of the experience at specific MCPS schools, not the county in general.

The thing is... you are a parent. You are not in the schools and frankly, don't have a way to measure the type of work that kids (including yours) are doing, and how that compares to previous years. I am an AP teacher, and I can absolutely attest that the standards are being lowered across the board. Just because your child receives As, and passes AP exams (for example, the AP Lit exam has been so watered down that the pass rate is now above 70%) does not mean that the education they are receiving compares well to previous generations. Yes, I will say it again, this is a mediocre system.

LOL.
If the standards are lowered across the board, the AP passing rate wouldn't be above 70%, which is amongst the highest in the nation. Nationally, it is about 52% passing rate.
You have no idea of what you're talking about, troll. You're not fooling anyone except the oblivious ones, right-winger.

I don't think you understand what I'm saying. The AP Lit pass rate nationally is now above 70%. The standards for passing have been lowered, and not just for that class. AP Lang teachers now teach kids to skip introductions and conclusions and to memorize "sentence frames" instead of writing their own sentences. The names of rhetorical devices are no longer needed, even to do "rhetorical analysis," just tell us what the author is "trying to do." Reading passages do not come from any work earlier than the 19th century because kids cannot comprehend them. AP sciences almost all allow calculators now because kids can't calculate Percent Change. All multiple choice questions on AP history and government tests now come with "stimulus passages" because kids need prompts to come up with the answers. AP GoPo now tells the kids which Supreme Court cases they will need to know for the exam, instead of the universe of important cases like ten years ago. Etc., Etc. No matter how hard you try, you will not be able to out-do me with your cursory knowledge of APs.

Is it that it’s easier to pass these exams of the strategies and gimmicks for passing them have gotten better? Some would argue the same for the SAT/ACT but then we would also have to acknowledge the significant change in prepping for these examinations. Same with AP.

And is this an MCPS change or problem or a national one?

The problem that people have with the MCPS is declining narrative or the sky is failing here narrative, is it’s rarely painted in context of all the changes experience in education/society in the last 50years nor does it judge MCPS against the many other school districts that exist in the nation.