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Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS)
Non-magnet Blair
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Anonymous
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Hi there. Can anyone comment on the quality of education at Blair for kids NOT in the magnet programs? And can kids not officially in the magnet programs take classes with the magnet kids (e.g. in an area of strength); or are the magnet kids on a totally separate track? What is the relationship between the magnet kids and non-magnet? Do they interact? Thanks!
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Anonymous
| The quality of eduation at Blair for kids NOT in the magnet program is not great. The magnet and non-magnet kids are on totally separate tracks and there is no relationship between the magnet and non-magnet. And I'm sorry to say but they do not interact because there are alot of differences between them, whether it's intellectual or socia-economical. |
Anonymous
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I would agree with pp when it comes to non-magnet math; there is no benefit to Blair students outside the magnet. But I disagree in every other content area. It is also true magnet students have minimal interaction
The elitist clsing comment speaks to the attitude of many magnet parents. You find what you look for and there are numerous opportunities, intellectual and otherwise, for non-magnet kids. |
Anonymous
| What is the quality of the honors and AP English and social study classes? Foreign language classes? |
Anonymous
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I have no idea what some of these posters are talking about!
I was in the non-magnet, honors classes at Blair. I'm pretty young too so it's not been that long. Basically there are two magnets - Communication Arts and Science/Math You take the honors Science/Math classes with the Communication Arts magnet kids and you take the honors English/History, etc. with the Science/Math magnet kids. So, basically if you are working in honors or AP you will always be with magnet kids....just for the opposite programs. I think it was extremely beneficial to be in classes with these highly motivated and engaged kids....it really upped the level of my education experience. I loved my non-magnet experience at Blair and most of my social circle was magnet kids since I was with them all day. Being a non-magnet kid was a non-issue socially. |
Anonymous
It's good to hear somebody that has BTDT. So do B/C students (non AP students) have interaction with the magnet kids. If I have a smart/average kid - what opportunities does Blair offer non-magnet, non-AP kids. Do the AP and magnet kids take classes with the B/C student kids. Do the B/C student kids have any opportunity to take an honors class? Do the AP and magnet kids hang out with the kids in the general population classes? Do you hang at each other's houses? |
Anonymous
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If your B/C student is in honors classes they will be with the magnet students all day. You don't need straight A's to be in honors classes....I sure didn't have them.
But, if your child is in the average classes they will still get interaction with the magnet kids in elective courses, languages, photography, etc. Also, some of the specialized magnet electives are open to non-magnet kids as electives although I'm sure the curriculum has been adjusted. I took TV production as a special elective with non-magnet kids ranging from ESOL to honors. I think your child's interests will play a big part of how much interaction with magnet kids they will have. If he's into drama club, debate team, etc. he'll likely have more interaction. |
Anonymous
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Also, MoCo will not refuse entry into an honors class if a parent and/or child wants to try it out. They may advise against it but won't refuse it. You can have your child try and if it's a disaster he can get a schedule change to regular classes.
FWIW straight A's doesn't equate to intellectual potential as much as willingness to work hard. A lot of smart kids get average grades but that doesn't mean that their needs aren't better served with a more challenging curriculum. There are lazy smart kids too and smart kids with learning disabilities. There are also incredibly hardworking and driven kids of average intellect that will thrive in honors classes. |
Anonymous
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If you want to know how non-magnet/cap kids do at Blair, check out Blair's 2010 AP participation and pass rates from the MCPS report: http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/pdf/10.12.03APAttachment_lw.pdf
Page 4 shows FARMs, Special Ed, and ESOL absolute pariticipation and pass rates for Blair that tend to surpass even the Ws. FARMs and ESOL students are barely represented in CAP/magnet (magnet FARMs rate is 4%, CAP is probably not any higher, while FARMs AP partitipcation is over 13% of total Blair participation). The high pass rates across demographic groups indicate that instruction is strong for all motivated students. |
Anonymous
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I know a white girl who went there non-magnet. She went to a good small liberal arts college. She turned out to be successful. She was the minority in all of her classes though, if that matters to you. She loved Blair.
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Anonymous
Do you mean she was one of the few non-magnet students in honors classes? Or she was one of the few successful graduates? |
Anonymous
She was speaking about race. |
Anonymous
| Blair is big and extremely diverse. Kids report it defies cliqueshness, perhaps due to its size and the fact that no racial group is a clear majority. And there are many, many high-achieving kids outside the magnet and CAP, of all races. |
Anonymous
I agree 100%!!!!! |
Anonymous
So anybody can sign up for a magnet class or an honors class - you don't have to get permission from the school - you don't have to qualify for the class. That is not what I have heard from past graduates. I have heard "his grades were not good enough" to take that class - and the magnet classes are for the magnet kids. They may be with you at lunch or during their 1 gym elective otherwise the general population kids (not honors or AP) do not have the opportunity to take magnet classes. |