Question re: enrollment in Montgomery County Schools

[Anonymous]

Any insight on this. Our son went to Rock Creek Forest Elementary. He is starting at Westland Middle School this year. We are now looking to buy a home in the next twelve months (have been renting) and are considering Takoma Park. Would our child still be able to go to BCC, or will he be districted to one of the schools in the down county consortium?

[Anonymous]

When you move you are in a new school district and attend the local schools.

[Anonymous]

Even if you use IB as an excuse (Westland is MYP; BCC is IB.), Einstein and Kennedy offer IB.

All three high schools offer open enrollment - unlike Richard Montgomery.

So there's no "hardship" in this case.

[Anonymous]

If he was in the Spanish Immersion at RCF, then he should be able to stay through BCC, if he was in the English program at RCF then no, barring some kind of special hardship. I'm not sure what that would be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If he was in the Spanish Immersion at RCF, then he should be able to stay through BCC, if he was in the English program at RCF then no, barring some kind of special hardship. I'm not sure what that would be.

No longer so, RCF immersion kids from the eastern part of lower MC are slated to go to SSIMS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If he was in the Spanish Immersion at RCF, then he should be able to stay through BCC, if he was in the English program at RCF then no, barring some kind of special hardship. I'm not sure what that would be.

No longer so, RCF immersion kids from the eastern part of lower MC are slated to go to SSIMS.

Not true.

It's an item under discussion but no decision has been made.

Unless you know something I don't ...

[Anonymous]

If you live in Takoma, why would you choose a 45-minute ride to Westland vs. a 5-minute walk or ride to Takoma MS or SSI (which has some Takoma Park students in the boundary and also Spanish Immersion)? It was my understanding that b-cc is anxious to stem overcrowding by turning down COSA request for students from outside the boundary.

Of course you can try to dream up some "hardship" but I have heard it is difficult if not impossible to attend B-CC oob. If that's your goal, stay in Bethesda.

[Anonymous]

Not OP but .... SSI groups all kids in heterogeneous classes, meaning kids with 8 - 10 reading levels in one class. The idea is that the more advanced kids will inspire the struggling ones.

I am 100% in favor of going all out to help kids who struggle and come from lower income families, families where English isn't spoke, etc. I want my child to be part of a diverse community.

But do it at the expense of his education and future? Thanks but no thanks. My kid isn't a sociology experiment.

[Anonymous]

11:48 your information is incorrect. SSI does not group all kids in heterogeous classes.

English and Math sections are arranged by ability groupings. SS now has "advanced" sections which are also by ability. Science may be heterogeous for 6th and 7th, you can check with the school if you are interested; but special ed students are generally not part of the mix as they have smaller sections and added paraeducators. But 8th grade science now has Matter and Energy for kids who are in higher-leve math so again ability grouping.

In addition, kids who are in immersion tend to travel through the schedule together and are generally a high-achieving core.

Thanks for sharing your assumptions about how your kid would fare in a diverse school!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:11:48 your information is incorrect. SSI does not group all kids in heterogeous classes.

English and Math sections are arranged by ability groupings. SS now has "advanced" sections which are also by ability. Science may be heterogeous for 6th and 7th, you can check with the school if you are interested; but special ed students are generally not part of the mix as they have smaller sections and added paraeducators. But 8th grade science now has Matter and Energy for kids who are in higher-leve math so again ability grouping.

In addition, kids who are in immersion tend to travel through the schedule together and are generally a high-achieving core.

Thanks for sharing your assumptions about how your kid would fare in a diverse school!

I have it straight from an English teacher at SSIMS -- no separate advanced sections in English, social studies, and science. Of course math would be an exception in the sense that kids are placed by ability. (I'm not addressing immersion.) I guess I will have to call the school to see.

And no need for the sarcasm. I am committed to diversity but also realism. I do not buy the thesis that you can have a group of 25 or 30 kids whose abilities span that many levels and achieve effective teaching. And -- based on my child's experiences in ES -- teachers will (naturally) spend more time with the kids who need to catch up, plus the inevitable behavior issues you get in a large middle school where at least 30% of the kids are either under-challenged or unprepared for the work. The best you get in a situation like that is teaching to the middle.

[Anonymous]

Please share what you learn. SSI is one of the schools that received the advanced classes first as part of middle school reform. The central office may have "encouraged " them to offer the same accelerated content to all students. But it would be a challenge to teach to more than two or three ability levels in any middle school classroom so a question to the central office is how they are supporting staff in classes are homogeneous - at any middle school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please share what you learn. SSI is one of the schools that received the advanced classes first as part of middle school reform. The central office may have "encouraged " them to offer the same accelerated content to all students. But it would be a challenge to teach to more than two or three ability levels in any middle school classroom so a question to the central office is how they are supporting staff in classes are homogeneous - at any middle school.

What you just said, PP, is a better explanation of what I was told by the teacher. All kids get the accelerated curriculum. But all kids are in the same classes -- there is no separation by ability level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please share what you learn. SSI is one of the schools that received the advanced classes first as part of middle school reform. The central office may have "encouraged " them to offer the same accelerated content to all students. But it would be a challenge to teach to more than two or three ability levels in any middle school classroom so a question to the central office is how they are supporting staff in classes are homogeneous - at any middle school.

What you just said, PP, is a better explanation of what I was told by the teacher. All kids get the accelerated curriculum. But all kids are in the same classes -- there is no separation by ability level.

If *all* kids get the accelerated curriculum, then ... um ... it's not "accelerated." It is the standard.

Unless of course we live in Lake Woebegone.

[Anonymous]

Well, I think you could fairly say that the curriculum itself has been enriched.

The question to me is -- can a teacher really teach the curriculum effectively to a group of kids with a very wide range of ability levels? Or does the curriculum itself get diluted to such a degree that it's no longer enriched? Also ... what about kids who need something more?

[Anonymous]

I thought that all of MCPS was going in the direction of not offering any ability grouping for elementary students. This is what the Elementary Integrated Curriculum was supposed to bring. I don't know the specifics of EIC but isn't it supposed to incorporate everything in the Common Core Standards that Maryland is adopting?

That doesn't respond to OP's question, sorry, but the question has been answered above. If your son is in Spanish immersion he can go from Westland to B-CC in 3 years (as it stands today). If he wasn't in immersion and you move, he can't go to B-CC.