Seems like MCPS is a mess

[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.

So that they can get to private school or the real world and learn that finances are use unwisely in corporations and governments, nepotism is a real thing that allows people to fail upward, and those that make the rules often don’t follow them or believe they are applicable to them?

[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 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.

Pass rates are up because schools are getting better at teaching these concepts than in the past.It's not that complicated.

[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 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.

That's not true. Context and comparison is provided all the time.

On the safety/security front, we point out all the time how neighboring districts like PGPS, which is majority black, have voted to keep back SROs despite claims by MCPS that police in schools are harmful and undesired by black families. We also point out how other neighboring school districts, like Loudoun County, Arlington County, etc. are quickly investing in and implementing visible security measures such as drug-sniffing dogs and weapons detectors systems, while MCPS has done NOTHING, despite the Magruder shooting happening.

With regard to lowered standards and student discipline challenges, we point out how we compare to Fairfax County Public Schools and Frederick County Public Schools, and how families are fleeing MCPS to get the standards and discipline expectations that exist in those districts.

Furthermore, this talking point that you and MCPS like to tout, that MCPS is not responsible for trends that are national or regional is ridiculous. MCPS is not only responsible for responding or managing problems that originate within the boundaries of its school district. It is responsible for managing and responding to state, local, regional and national trends. What we criticize is HOW MCPS responds or fails to respond to things that originate within the county and outside of it. And there's plenty to criticize.

MCPS is not some helpless victim here. It is a powerful entity with a $3 billion+ budget and massive influence of the education and wellbeing of our children. They have a duty and a responsibility to do a much better job than they're currently doing. That's what we're saying and that's what we're pointing out.

[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 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.

You nailed it, but these posters are so married to selling this false narrative of decline that they refuse to look at any evidence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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 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.

You nailed it, but these posters are so married to selling this false narrative of decline that they refuse to look at any evidence.

You are lying and you're the one who's ignoring data, evidence and testimonies. Again: What do you gain from it? Stop hiding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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 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.

That's not true. Context and comparison is provided all the time.

On the safety/security front, we point out all the time how neighboring districts like PGPS, which is majority black, have voted to keep back SROs despite claims by MCPS that police in schools are harmful and undesired by black families. We also point out how other neighboring school districts, like Loudoun County, Arlington County, etc. are quickly investing in and implementing visible security measures such as drug-sniffing dogs and weapons detectors systems, while MCPS has done NOTHING, despite the Magruder shooting happening.

With regard to lowered standards and student discipline challenges, we point out how we compare to Fairfax County Public Schools and Frederick County Public Schools, and how families are fleeing MCPS to get the standards and discipline expectations that exist in those districts.

Furthermore, this talking point that you and MCPS like to tout, that MCPS is not responsible for trends that are national or regional is ridiculous. MCPS is not only responsible for responding or managing problems that originate within the boundaries of its school district. It is responsible for managing and responding to state, local, regional and national trends. What we criticize is HOW MCPS responds or fails to respond to things that originate within the county and outside of it. And there's plenty to criticize.

MCPS is not some helpless victim here. It is a powerful entity with a $3 billion+ budget and massive influence of the education and wellbeing of our children. They have a duty and a responsibility to do a much better job than they're currently doing. That's what we're saying and that's what we're pointing out.

Yes, you point out what neighboring districts are voting or choosing to do about safety, but you haven’t pointed out if those things are actually improving safety. Nor have you talked about what the county council, state or US is actively doing to improve safety since schools are microcosms of society. I guess the default is to just keep pouring more and more money into advance and alternative safety tools as opposed to addressing the underlying cause of what makes us unsafe.

Most people don’t actually look at how we compare to other neighboring districts on an apples to apples comparison. They point out that folks are moving to other counties without also noting that many parents complain there about the very same things that parents in MCPS complain about. They also usually don’t acknowledge things like size differences, demographic differences, policy differences, etc.

No one that I know that is a MCPS advocate ignores the problems that exist in the district. We just don’t take the perspective that the sky is falling in MCPS. We don’t try to highlight its deficiencies/challenges without also giving praise to all its positives or the changes that it does make to address problems. We don’t go around calling it mediocre when we know how far from mediocre it is. And we don’t keep basing it over the head for its $3 Billion budget as though it is supposed to have a smaller budget. Because what I can promise is that if we halved its budget not only would things not improve, they would get significantly worse. I can also promise that there is not enough fleeing to private school that you all may think can happen because enough of them don’t exist and their price increases every year. Folks think admission to the magnets in MCPS is competitive, they should all trying fleeing to the $30-60k/year privates and see what that is like.

What I see is a lot of complaint and bashing on DCUM. But I don’t see an over abundance of advocacy or effort by people to get to improvement. People want change and they want improvement, but they also want other people to do the work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

No one that I know that is a MCPS advocate ignores the problems that exist in the district. We just don’t take the perspective that the sky is falling in MCPS. We don’t try to highlight its deficiencies/challenges without also giving praise to all its positives or the changes that it does make to address problems. We don’t go around calling it mediocre when we know how far from mediocre it is. And we don’t keep basing it over the head for its $3 Billion budget as though it is supposed to have a smaller budget. Because what I can promise is that if we halved its budget not only would things not improve, they would get significantly worse. I can also promise that there is not enough fleeing to private school that you all may think can happen because enough of them don’t exist and their price increases every year. Folks think admission to the magnets in MCPS is competitive, they should all trying fleeing to the $30-60k/year privates and see what that is like.

Right? All of the MCPS advocates I know, who are actually doing the work, can go on and on and on, in detail, about the problems they see in MCPS. Because they know about the problems, because they are actually doing the work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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 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.

That's not true. Context and comparison is provided all the time.

On the safety/security front, we point out all the time how neighboring districts like PGPS, which is majority black, have voted to keep back SROs despite claims by MCPS that police in schools are harmful and undesired by black families. We also point out how other neighboring school districts, like Loudoun County, Arlington County, etc. are quickly investing in and implementing visible security measures such as drug-sniffing dogs and weapons detectors systems, while MCPS has done NOTHING, despite the Magruder shooting happening.

With regard to lowered standards and student discipline challenges, we point out how we compare to Fairfax County Public Schools and Frederick County Public Schools, and how families are fleeing MCPS to get the standards and discipline expectations that exist in those districts.

Furthermore, this talking point that you and MCPS like to tout, that MCPS is not responsible for trends that are national or regional is ridiculous. MCPS is not only responsible for responding or managing problems that originate within the boundaries of its school district. It is responsible for managing and responding to state, local, regional and national trends. What we criticize is HOW MCPS responds or fails to respond to things that originate within the county and outside of it. And there's plenty to criticize.

MCPS is not some helpless victim here. It is a powerful entity with a $3 billion+ budget and massive influence of the education and wellbeing of our children. They have a duty and a responsibility to do a much better job than they're currently doing. That's what we're saying and that's what we're pointing out.

Yes, you point out what neighboring districts are voting or choosing to do about safety, but you haven’t pointed out if those things are actually improving safety. Nor have you talked about what the county council, state or US is actively doing to improve safety since schools are microcosms of society. I guess the default is to just keep pouring more and more money into advance and alternative safety tools as opposed to addressing the underlying cause of what makes us unsafe.

Most people don’t actually look at how we compare to other neighboring districts on an apples to apples comparison. They point out that folks are moving to other counties without also noting that many parents complain there about the very same things that parents in MCPS complain about. They also usually don’t acknowledge things like size differences, demographic differences, policy differences, etc.

No one that I know that is a MCPS advocate ignores the problems that exist in the district. We just don’t take the perspective that the sky is falling in MCPS. We don’t try to highlight its deficiencies/challenges without also giving praise to all its positives or the changes that it does make to address problems. We don’t go around calling it mediocre when we know how far from mediocre it is. And we don’t keep basing it over the head for its $3 Billion budget as though it is supposed to have a smaller budget. Because what I can promise is that if we halved its budget not only would things not improve, they would get significantly worse. I can also promise that there is not enough fleeing to private school that you all may think can happen because enough of them don’t exist and their price increases every year. Folks think admission to the magnets in MCPS is competitive, they should all trying fleeing to the $30-60k/year privates and see what that is like.

What I see is a lot of complaint and bashing on DCUM. But I don’t see an over abundance of advocacy or effort by people to get to improvement. People want change and they want improvement, but they also want other people to do the work.

You keep moving the goal posts. First, you said you we don't provide context. Then, you claim I provide context but not solutions.

I'm sorry: AS A PARENT, it is not my job to provide solutions to MCPS. It is the job of the professionals who MCPS employs to develop and recommend solutions to the problems it has a system. I'm a parent. I consume the services of the school system by enrolling my children in it. MCPS does not PAY ME to fix its problems.

As far as advocacy and effort, you have no idea how much I do, but newsflash: How else do you think I am well informed? Because I research, engage and do the work of understanding these topics.

I have advocated, engaged and communicated with the system and on multiple fronts been stonewalled, ignored or given BS answers. THAT is the reality of dealing with MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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 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.

That's not true. Context and comparison is provided all the time.

On the safety/security front, we point out all the time how neighboring districts like PGPS, which is majority black, have voted to keep back SROs despite claims by MCPS that police in schools are harmful and undesired by black families. We also point out how other neighboring school districts, like Loudoun County, Arlington County, etc. are quickly investing in and implementing visible security measures such as drug-sniffing dogs and weapons detectors systems, while MCPS has done NOTHING, despite the Magruder shooting happening.

With regard to lowered standards and student discipline challenges, we point out how we compare to Fairfax County Public Schools and Frederick County Public Schools, and how families are fleeing MCPS to get the standards and discipline expectations that exist in those districts.

Furthermore, this talking point that you and MCPS like to tout, that MCPS is not responsible for trends that are national or regional is ridiculous. MCPS is not only responsible for responding or managing problems that originate within the boundaries of its school district. It is responsible for managing and responding to state, local, regional and national trends. What we criticize is HOW MCPS responds or fails to respond to things that originate within the county and outside of it. And there's plenty to criticize.

MCPS is not some helpless victim here. It is a powerful entity with a $3 billion+ budget and massive influence of the education and wellbeing of our children. They have a duty and a responsibility to do a much better job than they're currently doing. That's what we're saying and that's what we're pointing out.

Yes, you point out what neighboring districts are voting or choosing to do about safety, but you haven’t pointed out if those things are actually improving safety. Nor have you talked about what the county council, state or US is actively doing to improve safety since schools are microcosms of society. I guess the default is to just keep pouring more and more money into advance and alternative safety tools as opposed to addressing the underlying cause of what makes us unsafe.

Most people don’t actually look at how we compare to other neighboring districts on an apples to apples comparison. They point out that folks are moving to other counties without also noting that many parents complain there about the very same things that parents in MCPS complain about. They also usually don’t acknowledge things like size differences, demographic differences, policy differences, etc.

No one that I know that is a MCPS advocate ignores the problems that exist in the district. We just don’t take the perspective that the sky is falling in MCPS. We don’t try to highlight its deficiencies/challenges without also giving praise to all its positives or the changes that it does make to address problems. We don’t go around calling it mediocre when we know how far from mediocre it is. And we don’t keep basing it over the head for its $3 Billion budget as though it is supposed to have a smaller budget. Because what I can promise is that if we halved its budget not only would things not improve, they would get significantly worse. I can also promise that there is not enough fleeing to private school that you all may think can happen because enough of them don’t exist and their price increases every year. Folks think admission to the magnets in MCPS is competitive, they should all trying fleeing to the $30-60k/year privates and see what that is like.

What I see is a lot of complaint and bashing on DCUM. But I don’t see an over abundance of advocacy or effort by people to get to improvement. People want change and they want improvement, but they also want other people to do the work.

You keep moving the goal posts. First, you said you we don't provide context. Then, you claim I provide context but not solutions.

I'm sorry: AS A PARENT, it is not my job to provide solutions to MCPS. It is the job of the professionals who MCPS employs to develop and recommend solutions to the problems it has a system. I'm a parent. I consume the services of the school system by enrolling my children in it. MCPS does not PAY ME to fix its problems.

As far as advocacy and effort, you have no idea how much I do, but newsflash: How else do you think I am well informed? Because I research, engage and do the work of understanding these topics.

I have advocated, engaged and communicated with the system and on multiple fronts been stonewalled, ignored or given BS answers. THAT is the reality of dealing with MCPS.

As another MCPS parent who tries to stay involved and engaged, I agree with you completely. Both this post and the previous post echo my thoughts on MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Op,

Are you still with us?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Moving to the area soon and had been thinking MoCo for the schools but this forum paints a bleak picture. Would any of you prefer a VA district to MCPS?

1. The Superintendent has just been fired (for promoting a serial sexual harasser), a number of high-ranking officials have also been fired, and the central office is in disarray. It will take some time to find a new superintendent.

2. Due to the construction of two new high schools (Woodward and Crown), half of the county will be involved in massive school boundary studies. Your children may be rezoned during their stay at MCPS (unless you live within walking distance to the schools you like).
https://moderatelymoco.com/mcps-boundary-studies-updates-from-2-27-24-boe-meeting-woodward-crown-damascus-high-schools/

With such uncertainties, why do you choose to come to MCPS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Moving to the area soon and had been thinking MoCo for the schools but this forum paints a bleak picture. Would any of you prefer a VA district to MCPS?

1. The Superintendent has just been fired (for promoting a serial sexual harasser), a number of high-ranking officials have also been fired, and the central office is in disarray. It will take some time to find a new superintendent.

2. Due to the construction of two new high schools (Woodward and Crown), half of the county will be involved in massive school boundary studies. Your children may be rezoned during their stay at MCPS (unless you live within walking distance to the schools you like).
https://moderatelymoco.com/mcps-boundary-studies-updates-from-2-27-24-boe-meeting-woodward-crown-damascus-high-schools/

With such uncertainties, why do you choose to come to MCPS?

Do you think other schoool districts don’t redo boundaries

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Moving to the area soon and had been thinking MoCo for the schools but this forum paints a bleak picture. Would any of you prefer a VA district to MCPS?

1. The Superintendent has just been fired (for promoting a serial sexual harasser), a number of high-ranking officials have also been fired, and the central office is in disarray. It will take some time to find a new superintendent.

2. Due to the construction of two new high schools (Woodward and Crown), half of the county will be involved in massive school boundary studies. Your children may be rezoned during their stay at MCPS (unless you live within walking distance to the schools you like).
https://moderatelymoco.com/mcps-boundary-studies-updates-from-2-27-24-boe-meeting-woodward-crown-damascus-high-schools/

With such uncertainties, why do you choose to come to MCPS?

Do you think other schoool districts don’t redo boundaries

Which school district is redoing boundaries for half of the district?

To be more precise, which school district is redoing boundaries for all its better schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Moving to the area soon and had been thinking MoCo for the schools but this forum paints a bleak picture. Would any of you prefer a VA district to MCPS?

1. The Superintendent has just been fired (for promoting a serial sexual harasser), a number of high-ranking officials have also been fired, and the central office is in disarray. It will take some time to find a new superintendent.

2. Due to the construction of two new high schools (Woodward and Crown), half of the county will be involved in massive school boundary studies. Your children may be rezoned during their stay at MCPS (unless you live within walking distance to the schools you like).
https://moderatelymoco.com/mcps-boundary-studies-updates-from-2-27-24-boe-meeting-woodward-crown-damascus-high-schools/

With such uncertainties, why do you choose to come to MCPS?

Do you think other schoool districts don’t redo boundaries

Which school district is redoing boundaries for half of the district?

To be more precise, which school district is redoing boundaries for all its better schools?

Which school district is 20 years overdue for that, leaving great differences in capacity utilization from school to school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Moving to the area soon and had been thinking MoCo for the schools but this forum paints a bleak picture. Would any of you prefer a VA district to MCPS?

1. The Superintendent has just been fired (for promoting a serial sexual harasser), a number of high-ranking officials have also been fired, and the central office is in disarray. It will take some time to find a new superintendent.

2. Due to the construction of two new high schools (Woodward and Crown), half of the county will be involved in massive school boundary studies. Your children may be rezoned during their stay at MCPS (unless you live within walking distance to the schools you like).
https://moderatelymoco.com/mcps-boundary-studies-updates-from-2-27-24-boe-meeting-woodward-crown-damascus-high-schools/

With such uncertainties, why do you choose to come to MCPS?

Do you think other schoool districts don’t redo boundaries

Which school district is redoing boundaries for half of the district?

To be more precise, which school district is redoing boundaries for all its better schools?

Which school district is 20 years overdue for that, leaving great differences in capacity utilization from school to school?

The op has stated that they plan to rent in the DC area for a few years and they are considering MD and VA.

Both Crown and Woodward High schools in MCPS are scheduled to open in August 2027, and this will affect half of the schools in the west part of MCPS.

If they plan to stay for more than 3 years, they should be aware of the fact that their children may be rezoned.

If they don't like to be rezoned, they can find a new rental place after three years (if they are rezoned) or choose to live within walking distance to the schools they like (in which case they are less likely to be rezoned).

I'm simply providing very valuable advice to them, to be honest.