MCPS is no longer a desirable school district

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS is great if you're a family who prioritizes education and is involved in their kid's lives. However, if you are one of those parents who expects the county to raise your kid then it's not so great.

I used to believe that until I learned that my one child, who got A's in maths in HS, had to retake math classes in college because she never really learned it in HS. What was really happening was/is, the classes were brought down to the lowest common denominators. They are running regular ed like they run special ed, LREs.

Same! DC almost failed calc his freshman year, after getting all As in our W HS. My friend who is a tutor was helping him study for exams and said she was shocked because they were lacking basic foundations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We moved to Montgomery County because of the schools, and now, we are moving out for the exact same reason. MCPS has been deteriorating on so many levels over the last decade. It feels like watching a car wreck in slow motion. Our kids deserve better.

Ok, private school recruiter you are starting early this admission cycle?!

Most privates have waitlists lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How about parents disciplining their kids at home and teaching kids to respect adults so kids behave when they get to school

As a teacher, I am scared if i discipline a kid, they will come back with a gun a shoot me.

I will say it also goes in reverse. I am a parent who does not tolerate having no consequences for late work. The teachers (maybe more administrator policies?) never knocked down assignments for late work. It made it more difficult as a parent because my high schooler knew there were no consequences.

Correct. I'm a parent who is similarly minded and my kid doesn't get why I fuss about late and missed assignments precisely because of the lack of tangible and real consequences for missing deadlines and not turning things in.

How about you make up some consequences as a parent? You afraid they'll shoot you, too?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We moved to Montgomery County because of the schools, and now, we are moving out for the exact same reason. MCPS has been deteriorating on so many levels over the last decade. It feels like watching a car wreck in slow motion. Our kids deserve better.

On so many levels. It’s an absolute disaster. Our school (Travilah elementary) is in an outright crisis of confidence with staff departures over the last few years, abrupt resignations, and more that can be directly tied to the pressures MCPS places on teachers and admins to make testing and ridiculous choices about equity and other intangible uselessness more important than academic excellence and character. I’m so sad to see it. We can’t afford private and have done all we can to support the school but the environment is a nightmare and the news about MCPS worse every day.

It oversized focus on equity as opposed to high quality education for all kids and support for outstanding teachers is disappointing across MCPS. The issue at Travilah is also the leadership (principal). She is lacking in leadership and abysmal when it comes to communication. Has turned a great ES school into chaos. I had two kids that came out of Travilah.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How about parents disciplining their kids at home and teaching kids to respect adults so kids behave when they get to school

As a teacher, I am scared if i discipline a kid, they will come back with a gun a shoot me.

I will say it also goes in reverse. I am a parent who does not tolerate having no consequences for late work. The teachers (maybe more administrator policies?) never knocked down assignments for late work. It made it more difficult as a parent because my high schooler knew there were no consequences.

Correct. I'm a parent who is similarly minded and my kid doesn't get why I fuss about late and missed assignments precisely because of the lack of tangible and real consequences for missing deadlines and not turning things in.

How about you make up some consequences as a parent? You afraid they'll shoot you, too?

How does your question address the point I and the PP poster made?

[Anonymous]

The American school system (let alone MCPS) is many things and none of them have changed over 100 years. Having resources and support from parents is a major driver of success. Driving kids to go beyond the expectations of the school are a major driver of success. Meeting the health needs of your child is a major driver of success. Having external fulfilling and compelling hobbies and interests is a major driver of success. And on.

I hear someone say "my kid was seemingly a good student but they are failing dramatically in college" and I wonder if they were ever really a good student to begin with and how involved the parent was. Why should I believe the school failed the kids when I see how parents are on a daily basis since my kid was in pre-k? When I read comments from people I grew up with who barely took school seriously complaining on Facebook about how "school doesn't teach anything!" (YOU DIDN'T TRY, I WAS THERE WITH YOU).

Every kid might make it to the piano recital, but one kid is playing Chopin and the other La Cucaracha. Every kid in the calculus class might pass but only a few actually understand the math and can explain the concepts to someone else in a competent manner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The American school system (let alone MCPS) is many things and none of them have changed over 100 years. Having resources and support from parents is a major driver of success. Driving kids to go beyond the expectations of the school are a major driver of success. Meeting the health needs of your child is a major driver of success. Having external fulfilling and compelling hobbies and interests is a major driver of success. And on.

I hear someone say "my kid was seemingly a good student but they are failing dramatically in college" and I wonder if they were ever really a good student to begin with and how involved the parent was. Why should I believe the school failed the kids when I see how parents are on a daily basis since my kid was in pre-k? When I read comments from people I grew up with who barely took school seriously complaining on Facebook about how "school doesn't teach anything!" (YOU DIDN'T TRY, I WAS THERE WITH YOU).

Every kid might make it to the piano recital, but one kid is playing Chopin and the other La Cucaracha. Every kid in the calculus class might pass but only a few actually understand the math and can explain the concepts to someone else in a competent manner.

What accountability and responsibility do you lay at the feet of MCPS for the success of students that they're educating, passing and graduating? Parents don't give out grades or determine competency measures so how are parents to blame if they believe their kid who's getting an A in MCPS calculus when it turns out that they're not actually not ready for college-level calc?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The American school system (let alone MCPS) is many things and none of them have changed over 100 years. Having resources and support from parents is a major driver of success. Driving kids to go beyond the expectations of the school are a major driver of success. Meeting the health needs of your child is a major driver of success. Having external fulfilling and compelling hobbies and interests is a major driver of success. And on.

I hear someone say "my kid was seemingly a good student but they are failing dramatically in college" and I wonder if they were ever really a good student to begin with and how involved the parent was. Why should I believe the school failed the kids when I see how parents are on a daily basis since my kid was in pre-k? When I read comments from people I grew up with who barely took school seriously complaining on Facebook about how "school doesn't teach anything!" (YOU DIDN'T TRY, I WAS THERE WITH YOU).

Every kid might make it to the piano recital, but one kid is playing Chopin and the other La Cucaracha. Every kid in the calculus class might pass but only a few actually understand the math and can explain the concepts to someone else in a competent manner.

I am just curious, if you are both working parents and your teen has As in their math classes, how exactly are you supposed to know they are not actually learning any math?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The American school system (let alone MCPS) is many things and none of them have changed over 100 years. Having resources and support from parents is a major driver of success. Driving kids to go beyond the expectations of the school are a major driver of success. Meeting the health needs of your child is a major driver of success. Having external fulfilling and compelling hobbies and interests is a major driver of success. And on.

I hear someone say "my kid was seemingly a good student but they are failing dramatically in college" and I wonder if they were ever really a good student to begin with and how involved the parent was. Why should I believe the school failed the kids when I see how parents are on a daily basis since my kid was in pre-k? When I read comments from people I grew up with who barely took school seriously complaining on Facebook about how "school doesn't teach anything!" (YOU DIDN'T TRY, I WAS THERE WITH YOU).

Every kid might make it to the piano recital, but one kid is playing Chopin and the other La Cucaracha. Every kid in the calculus class might pass but only a few actually understand the math and can explain the concepts to someone else in a competent manner.

Do you propose we test and quiz our teens (who are getting all As in HS) on math, science etc to make sure they actually understand the material?

[Anonymous]

A grade is a grade, it is not an indication of understanding, nor is it an indication of effort, per se. If you are simply relying on grades as an indication that your child is prepared to meet deadlines, have the emotional confidence the deal with stress, achieve independently and have a higher level understanding of math concepts and on, then that is a error on your part. It would be like assuming visiting the gym everyday of the week necessarily means you will be healthier and more fit. We don't know how that person is exercising, what they are eating and doing outside of the gym. Frankly, I think there are clear signs that someone getting good grades is just winging it and getting by. If people choose to ignore those signs then that is a personal failing.

There is accountability for MCPS but for every person claiming you don't learn anything at MCPS anymore and it's not worth it to be here anymore, there is a kid with multiple college classes as a senior in highschool that is smarter than your kid, tries harder than your kid and does more outside the scope of MCPS standards than your kid. They feel challenged and they will go on to successful lives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A grade is a grade, it is not an indication of understanding, nor is it an indication of effort, per se. If you are simply relying on grades as an indication that your child is prepared to meet deadlines, have the emotional confidence the deal with stress, achieve independently and have a higher level understanding of math concepts and on, then that is a error on your part. It would be like assuming visiting the gym everyday of the week necessarily means you will be healthier and more fit. We don't know how that person is exercising, what they are eating and doing outside of the gym. Frankly, I think there are clear signs that someone getting good grades is just winging it and getting by. If people choose to ignore those signs then that is a personal failing.

There is accountability for MCPS but for every person claiming you don't learn anything at MCPS anymore and it's not worth it to be here anymore, there is a kid with multiple college classes as a senior in highschool that is smarter than your kid, tries harder than your kid and does more outside the scope of MCPS standards than your kid. They feel challenged and they will go on to successful lives.

That is not now nor has it ever been the understanding of any parent I know of. All parents believe grades are signals and indicators of mastery and effort.

This is why schools and parents cannot be on the same page. Educators/administrators like yourselves muddy the waters with crap like this and insist parents are to blame for misunderstanding what grades have ALWAYS been meant to signal and demonstrate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Do you propose we test and quiz our teens (who are getting all As in HS) on math, science etc to make sure they actually understand the material?

Considering how two parents said their kids hand in work late all the time because they can, I would say that serves as one basic indicator that your kid is winging it and their grades might not tell the whole tale.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
That is not now nor has it ever been the understanding of any parent I know of. All parents believe grades are signals and indicators of mastery and effort.

This is why schools and parents cannot be on the same page. Educators/administrators like yourselves muddy the waters with crap like this and insist parents are to blame for misunderstanding what grades have ALWAYS been meant to signal and demonstrate.

I'm a parent, not an educator or administrator, I just refuse to be absolutely and without question on the parents side when a forum for parents is just an outlet for undue whining.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
That is not now nor has it ever been the understanding of any parent I know of. All parents believe grades are signals and indicators of mastery and effort.

This is why schools and parents cannot be on the same page. Educators/administrators like yourselves muddy the waters with crap like this and insist parents are to blame for misunderstanding what grades have ALWAYS been meant to signal and demonstrate.

I'm a parent, not an educator or administrator, I just refuse to be absolutely and without question on the parents side when a forum for parents is just an outlet for undue whining.

Not sure I believe you. Your aggressive defense of MCPS belies some sort of allegiance to the system. Maybe your spouse works for the system?

Either way, your premise is utter garbage. If grades didn't indicate mastery and effort, the SCHOOLS would not highlight kids who get good grades via Honor Roll ceremonies or Straight A's recognition. Your theory that grades don't indicate mastery and effort are completely misaligned with the actions schools routinely make in highlighting and promoting kids who get GOOD GRADES.

If they didn't matter and didn't indicate competency and mastery, why recognize them?

Your argument is full of holes. So why are you invested in arguing and making it? Be transparent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Not sure I believe you. Your aggressive defense of MCPS belies some sort of allegiance to the system. Maybe your spouse works for the system?

Either way, your premise is utter garbage. If grades didn't indicate mastery and effort, the SCHOOLS would not highlight kids who get good grades via Honor Roll ceremonies or Straight A's recognition. Your theory that grades don't indicate mastery and effort are completely misaligned with the actions schools routinely make in highlighting and promoting kids who get GOOD GRADES.

If they didn't matter and didn't indicate competency and mastery, why recognize them?

Your argument is full of holes. So why are you invested in arguing and making it? Be transparent.

Your hyper-defensiveness tells the entire tale really. The all too easy 'blame someone else' attitude goes over well at the local park and makes it easy to have friendships over lattes. I'm not your friend. Grades are grades, and honor roll is an indication of meeting certain criteria of the school, not mastery of a subject (if you mastered Calculus in high school, why would you take it in college? I thought you mastered it!). If your kid had actual mastery of the subject and an established ability to fulfil tasks, think independently and critically and have a higher level of understanding then they likely wouldn't fail the subject freshman year of college. There's some other reason for the failure we're probably not hearing about and it's really easy to suggest it's just dang harder than MCPS taught. Maybe the child, now adult, was partying? Maybe they weren't instilled with a sense of attending class and meeting deadlines and got behind? Maybe they have unmet psychological or physical problems and made college difficult whereas high school was more 'on rails?'