The only way to have equity is to drag down the top performers

[Anonymous]

Special education students get a "basic floor of opportunity." The equivalent for an advanced kid, something like a "basic floor of acceleration" would be significantly less than what we currently offer for advanced students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Special education students get a "basic floor of opportunity." The equivalent for an advanced kid, something like a "basic floor of acceleration" would be significantly less than what we currently offer for advanced students.

A basic floor of opportunity applies to gifted students as well. And they're getting that. Much more than that, actually. Students with special needs aren't even getting that in MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Special education students get a "basic floor of opportunity." The equivalent for an advanced kid, something like a "basic floor of acceleration" would be significantly less than what we currently offer for advanced students.

It's fine to say you think gifted students deserve more, but your continued comparison to special education is offensive and ignorant of the realities facing students with special needs.

[Anonymous]

Why do people say it’s offensive to talk about special ed but so easily feel like they can tell the parent of a gift child “they’ll be fine”? It’s so clearly a double standard. Public tax dollars should support both.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do people say it’s offensive to talk about special ed but so easily feel like they can tell the parent of a gift child “they’ll be fine”? It’s so clearly a double standard. Public tax dollars should support both.

And they do support both. And who do you think is getting the better outcomes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Special education students get a "basic floor of opportunity." The equivalent for an advanced kid, something like a "basic floor of acceleration" would be significantly less than what we currently offer for advanced students.

It's fine to say you think gifted students deserve more, but your continued comparison to special education is offensive and ignorant of the realities facing students with special needs.

I'm not sure you're understanding what I wrote. (My first comment in this thread so not "continued" anything. I'm saying that what we offer to students with disabilities is proportionally less than what we currently offer to gifted students.

[Anonymous]

Comparing kids in special education to gifted kids is really two sides of the same coin. Put aside the fact that many are twice exceptional, Maryland law REQUIRES schools serve the needs of both and MCPS is failing in both. Can we agree on that fact?

https://www.marylandpublicschools.org/programs/Documents/Gifted-Talented/COMAR_13A0407_GT_Education.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Comparing kids in special education to gifted kids is really two sides of the same coin. Put aside the fact that many are twice exceptional, Maryland law REQUIRES schools serve the needs of both and MCPS is failing in both. Can we agree on that fact?

https://www.marylandpublicschools.org/programs/Documents/Gifted-Talented/COMAR_13A0407_GT_Education.pdf

Perhaps failing both, but at dramatically different costs to the taxpayer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Special education students get a "basic floor of opportunity." The equivalent for an advanced kid, something like a "basic floor of acceleration" would be significantly less than what we currently offer for advanced students.

It's fine to say you think gifted students deserve more, but your continued comparison to special education is offensive and ignorant of the realities facing students with special needs.

I'm not sure you're understanding what I wrote. (My first comment in this thread so not "continued" anything. I'm saying that what we offer to students with disabilities is proportionally less than what we currently offer to gifted students.

Ahh, yes, you're right. I read your earlier post the wrong way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Comparing kids in special education to gifted kids is really two sides of the same coin. Put aside the fact that many are twice exceptional, Maryland law REQUIRES schools serve the needs of both and MCPS is failing in both. Can we agree on that fact?

https://www.marylandpublicschools.org/programs/Documents/Gifted-Talented/COMAR_13A0407_GT_Education.pdf

Perhaps failing both, but at dramatically different costs to the taxpayer.

You’re right, some accommodations for kids with disabilities can be extremely costly and schools may be unduly putting too many barriers on that. But, running a magnet program that they’ve been running for years is not unduly costly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Comparing kids in special education to gifted kids is really two sides of the same coin. Put aside the fact that many are twice exceptional, Maryland law REQUIRES schools serve the needs of both and MCPS is failing in both. Can we agree on that fact?

https://www.marylandpublicschools.org/programs/Documents/Gifted-Talented/COMAR_13A0407_GT_Education.pdf

No, I don't think they're failing on both in nearly the same degree. Kids and staff are getting physically harmed because special education programs are not being appropriately resourced. MCPS is failing students with special needs at the most basic level.

There's no comparison here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Comparing kids in special education to gifted kids is really two sides of the same coin. Put aside the fact that many are twice exceptional, Maryland law REQUIRES schools serve the needs of both and MCPS is failing in both. Can we agree on that fact?

https://www.marylandpublicschools.org/programs/Documents/Gifted-Talented/COMAR_13A0407_GT_Education.pdf

Perhaps failing both, but at dramatically different costs to the taxpayer.

You’re right, some accommodations for kids with disabilities can be extremely costly and schools may be unduly putting too many barriers on that. But, running a magnet program that they’ve been running for years is not unduly costly.

And the regional model will be costly

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Comparing kids in special education to gifted kids is really two sides of the same coin. Put aside the fact that many are twice exceptional, Maryland law REQUIRES schools serve the needs of both and MCPS is failing in both. Can we agree on that fact?

https://www.marylandpublicschools.org/programs/Documents/Gifted-Talented/COMAR_13A0407_GT_Education.pdf

Perhaps failing both, but at dramatically different costs to the taxpayer.

You’re right, some accommodations for kids with disabilities can be extremely costly and schools may be unduly putting too many barriers on that. But, running a magnet program that they’ve been running for years is not unduly costly.

And the regional model will be costly

Or will be lipstick on a pig. The regional model is going to pretend it’s serving gifted kids when there’s no way it actually can.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Equal opportunity does not lead to equal outcomes. There is no vast amount of untapped talent. Throwing resources at low performers won't significantly lift them. If equity is the goal, the only way to get there is to handicap the very top performers. This is exactly what MCPS is doing.

Someone just read Harrison Bergeron.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Comparing kids in special education to gifted kids is really two sides of the same coin. Put aside the fact that many are twice exceptional, Maryland law REQUIRES schools serve the needs of both and MCPS is failing in both. Can we agree on that fact?

https://www.marylandpublicschools.org/programs/Documents/Gifted-Talented/COMAR_13A0407_GT_Education.pdf

No, I don't think they're failing on both in nearly the same degree. Kids and staff are getting physically harmed because special education programs are not being appropriately resourced. MCPS is failing students with special needs at the most basic level.

There's no comparison here.

You're not reading what the PP actually wrote. It's not about which students are being ignored the most, it's that MCPS is failing at differentiated education, which is required by law. Both are a symptom of a broader problem, and we won't see better outcomes for any of the children involved until there's solidarity to push back on MCPS.