MCPS to end areawide Blair Magnet and countywide Richard Montgomery's IB program

[Anonymous]

Yes, please cancel the magnets and create more opportunities locally.

I went all through MCPS, got into Blair years ago but declined. My entire life was so much better bc of it. I went to a super diverse (in every way) school in a non-segregated special environment. The ppl I knew who went to Blair had accelerated starts in college (a quota went to my college) but crashed and burned later.

[Anonymous]

non -segregated non-"special"

[Anonymous]

I can imagine a scenario where a rigorous SMCS program on the level of Blair's evolves at Wooton. Blair's SMCS will become honors-for-all, and eventually fall from there. Blair's magnet was started to bring excellence to the lowest performing high school in the county.

Taylor's plan is problematic for Blair.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those of you with young smart kids, you are screwed. You don’t know it now but by the time your kids’ are ready for HS, you will see.

People with young smart kids have had virtually no magnet access for them based on the current flawed MCPS approach of only providing magnet spots to a tiny number of kids countywide. If others are anything like me, we are freaking thrilled at the idea that MCPS might be changing this approach to provide more slots for more kids, and hoping it will lead to the same at the middle and elementary school level as well. More than 1-2% of the kids in this county deserve advanced programming.

The top 1-2% deserve their own program. The rest of the smart kids have access to AP or IB already.

Actually they don’t deserve anything. It’s a privilege and frankly one not afford to most kids nationwide.

Further, Blair has about 100 seats out of at least 11,250 students county wide and at least 1000 applications.

It’s a really sick society that doesn’t want to provide education and cultivate its smartest kids. Are you also against everything highly selective?

DP but this is just a twisted take. I am an Ivy PhD myself so I am pretty in favor of highly selective but there is not a way to provide the absolute best to every single student. I believe that public school should be serving more students. Opponents of this plan are arguing that the top 1% will suffer if we do not keep them isolated from the next couple of percentage points. Well, those next couple of percentage points worth of kids will benefit from the expansion of the magnet model, and it will not be the same if the very best go to Blair etc and they have next tier access. Honors programs have winners and losers. The top students benefit from more segregation of course but the next tier of students lose in this scenario every time. In a public school you have to find a balance between competing aims across different ability levels.

I agree with this — I think there should be high-quality magnet options available to more than just the top 1 percent of kids.

But you bring up a good point about the impact on the next tranch of kids below them. If the top 5-10% of kids from every school are siphoned off to magnets, will the strongest of the remaining students still have access to high quality, challenging coursework in all grades, not just APs? With no option for a higher level of English in 9th or 10th, for example, it seems like probably not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those of you with young smart kids, you are screwed. You don’t know it now but by the time your kids’ are ready for HS, you will see.

People with young smart kids have had virtually no magnet access for them based on the current flawed MCPS approach of only providing magnet spots to a tiny number of kids countywide. If others are anything like me, we are freaking thrilled at the idea that MCPS might be changing this approach to provide more slots for more kids, and hoping it will lead to the same at the middle and elementary school level as well. More than 1-2% of the kids in this county deserve advanced programming.

The top 1-2% deserve their own program. The rest of the smart kids have access to AP or IB already.

Actually they don’t deserve anything. It’s a privilege and frankly one not afford to most kids nationwide.

Further, Blair has about 100 seats out of at least 11,250 students county wide and at least 1000 applications.

It’s a really sick society that doesn’t want to provide education and cultivate its smartest kids. Are you also against everything highly selective?

DP but this is just a twisted take. I am an Ivy PhD myself so I am pretty in favor of highly selective but there is not a way to provide the absolute best to every single student. I believe that public school should be serving more students. Opponents of this plan are arguing that the top 1% will suffer if we do not keep them isolated from the next couple of percentage points. Well, those next couple of percentage points worth of kids will benefit from the expansion of the magnet model, and it will not be the same if the very best go to Blair etc and they have next tier access. Honors programs have winners and losers. The top students benefit from more segregation of course but the next tier of students lose in this scenario every time. In a public school you have to find a balance between competing aims across different ability levels.

I agree with this — I think there should be high-quality magnet options available to more than just the top 1 percent of kids.

But you bring up a good point about the impact on the next tranch of kids below them. If the top 5-10% of kids from every school are siphoned off to magnets, will the strongest of the remaining students still have access to high quality, challenging coursework in all grades, not just APs? With no option for a higher level of English in 9th or 10th, for example, it seems like probably not.

Right. My guess is that the so-called regional “magnets” will end up lottery based with no real selective criteria. Then the money needed for the “magnets” will be used to justify disinvestment in AP and IB programs.

Anyone with a brain should be extremely skeptical at claims that this somehow expands rigorous programming. It will not. It is the fruit of the anti-tracking equity movement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If they were smart, they would have created these 6 regional programs (9-12 grades), and have the current Blair/Poolsville only for 10-12 grades (remove 9th).
At the end of the 9th grade, select the top students from the 6 regionals to send them to 10-12 grades at Blair/Poolsville. That would have been smart and competitive

Right, because kids and families want to move schools and make friends twice.

It is absolutely funny to see people unfamiliar with the current magnet programs having opinions.

If you have or had a kid at Blair magnet you will know that kids go there not for friendship and playing. It is all competition, all academics. Most of them have real internship every single summer. Interships at NASA, UMD, Johns Hopkins where their parents drive them 5 days per week.
These programs are serious, and competition is rough. You will see students crying for getting a B that "ruins" their Ivy League chances. You see Robotics kids meeting almost every day after school and in summer.

This is not the normal advanced program you might think about. It is another level that cannot be clone 6 times.

What benefit does NASA get from having a 14-year old work with them for a summer? Even a prodigy genius one? These “internships” honestly sound like fake charities created by parents for Ivy applications.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If they were smart, they would have created these 6 regional programs (9-12 grades), and have the current Blair/Poolsville only for 10-12 grades (remove 9th).
At the end of the 9th grade, select the top students from the 6 regionals to send them to 10-12 grades at Blair/Poolsville. That would have been smart and competitive

Right, because kids and families want to move schools and make friends twice.

It is absolutely funny to see people unfamiliar with the current magnet programs having opinions.

If you have or had a kid at Blair magnet you will know that kids go there not for friendship and playing. It is all competition, all academics. Most of them have real internship every single summer. Interships at NASA, UMD, Johns Hopkins where their parents drive them 5 days per week.
These programs are serious, and competition is rough. You will see students crying for getting a B that "ruins" their Ivy League chances. You see Robotics kids meeting almost every day after school and in summer.

This is not the normal advanced program you might think about. It is another level that cannot be clone 6 times.

What benefit does NASA get from having a 14-year old work with them for a summer? Even a prodigy genius one? These “internships” honestly sound like fake charities created by parents for Ivy applications.

I’m sorry you need this explained to you - but our science and tech industries and programs actually do need us to educate the able/willing kids to the best of their abilities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those of you with young smart kids, you are screwed. You don’t know it now but by the time your kids’ are ready for HS, you will see.

People with young smart kids have had virtually no magnet access for them based on the current flawed MCPS approach of only providing magnet spots to a tiny number of kids countywide. If others are anything like me, we are freaking thrilled at the idea that MCPS might be changing this approach to provide more slots for more kids, and hoping it will lead to the same at the middle and elementary school level as well. More than 1-2% of the kids in this county deserve advanced programming.

The top 1-2% deserve their own program. The rest of the smart kids have access to AP or IB already.

Actually they don’t deserve anything. It’s a privilege and frankly one not afford to most kids nationwide.

Further, Blair has about 100 seats out of at least 11,250 students county wide and at least 1000 applications.

It’s a really sick society that doesn’t want to provide education and cultivate its smartest kids. Are you also against everything highly selective?

DP but this is just a twisted take. I am an Ivy PhD myself so I am pretty in favor of highly selective but there is not a way to provide the absolute best to every single student. I believe that public school should be serving more students. Opponents of this plan are arguing that the top 1% will suffer if we do not keep them isolated from the next couple of percentage points. Well, those next couple of percentage points worth of kids will benefit from the expansion of the magnet model, and it will not be the same if the very best go to Blair etc and they have next tier access. Honors programs have winners and losers. The top students benefit from more segregation of course but the next tier of students lose in this scenario every time. In a public school you have to find a balance between competing aims across different ability levels.

I agree with this — I think there should be high-quality magnet options available to more than just the top 1 percent of kids.

But you bring up a good point about the impact on the next tranch of kids below them. If the top 5-10% of kids from every school are siphoned off to magnets, will the strongest of the remaining students still have access to high quality, challenging coursework in all grades, not just APs? With no option for a higher level of English in 9th or 10th, for example, it seems like probably not.

I definitely agree that this is an issue. From an equity perspective I think the extreme solution would be to have no magnets, but I don’t think that’s right either. It does seem like some of these regional programs may function as a form of school choice as not all will be criteria based?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can imagine a scenario where a rigorous SMCS program on the level of Blair's evolves at Wooton. Blair's SMCS will become honors-for-all, and eventually fall from there. Blair's magnet was started to bring excellence to the lowest performing high school in the county.

Taylor's plan is problematic for Blair.

I think there are at least 100 kids/year across the five Region 1 HS’s that are capable of succeeding in a rigorous STEM magnet like Blair in its current form.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, please cancel the magnets and create more opportunities locally.

I went all through MCPS, got into Blair years ago but declined. My entire life was so much better bc of it. I went to a super diverse (in every way) school in a non-segregated special environment. The ppl I knew who went to Blair had accelerated starts in college (a quota went to my college) but crashed and burned later.

That's you. Not everyone feels that way.

My kid went to RMIB and is doing fantastic in college - straight As dual STEM major, graduating early so getting a masters since they got merit aid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can imagine a scenario where a rigorous SMCS program on the level of Blair's evolves at Wooton. Blair's SMCS will become honors-for-all, and eventually fall from there. Blair's magnet was started to bring excellence to the lowest performing high school in the county.

Taylor's plan is problematic for Blair.

I think there are at least 100 kids/year across the five Region 1 HS’s that are capable of succeeding in a rigorous STEM magnet like Blair in its current form.

💯

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those of you with young smart kids, you are screwed. You don’t know it now but by the time your kids’ are ready for HS, you will see.

People with young smart kids have had virtually no magnet access for them based on the current flawed MCPS approach of only providing magnet spots to a tiny number of kids countywide. If others are anything like me, we are freaking thrilled at the idea that MCPS might be changing this approach to provide more slots for more kids, and hoping it will lead to the same at the middle and elementary school level as well. More than 1-2% of the kids in this county deserve advanced programming.

The top 1-2% deserve their own program. The rest of the smart kids have access to AP or IB already.

As someone who was a top 1% kid in a small school system whose classes were with kids from various parts of the top 25%, with none of the fantastic classes or teachers MCPS's magnet programs have... these kids will do just fine being forced to take classes with top 5% kids rather than top 2% kids and no longer being able to take marine biology or plate tectonics.

Sorry if I think our public system should aspire to more than “just fine.” We are falling apart.

Do you realize how you sound? You really think that keeping your kids away from the 95th percentile riff-raff and making sure they have 15 super-specialized science classes to choose from (rather than 6 or 8 or however many the regional ones would have) is an intolerable tragedy worth denying access to the magnet experience to hundreds more kids a year?

Actually my kid is not cut out for the magnets. But as a society we need to give the most able kids the best education so they can be our scientists and engineers and doctors. It is amazing to me that people don’t get this.

For this to be a justification for opposing these changes:

1) it has to be true that these scientists and engineers and doctors are only in the top 1-2%, and that leaving out kids in the few percent below that is fine because they don't have the capability to contribute to society in those ways;
2) it has to be true that an MCPS admission process can accurately identify those top 1-2% of kids (including those who don't have the highest test scores because they haven't been able to access magnet classes in elementary or middle school and haven't gotten parental supplementation, and/or are from lower-income backgrounds and schools)
3) it has to be true that being in class with 95th-98th percentile kids will hurt the chances of those top percentile kids to succeed.

Are you confident enough about those things that you're willing to sell out the other kids to keep Blair a walled garden for a tiny number of kids?

No other kids are being “sold out.” They have AP classes.

Do you also think UMD admissions should be less selective?

Let them eat cake.

+1. AP classes are good enough for the rest of you, but it's a betrayal of the Blair kids if they can't take differential equations.

Both sentiments can be true. Inconsistent local AP/IB/college-level offerings have served only the few, and PP's suggestion that that should be enough for those not attending the SMCS magnet, including many who would benefit from the even more specialized magnet offerings, is tone deaf. At the same time, suggesting that DiffEq (or Complex Analysis or the like) shouldn't be accessible to those needing that also is tone deaf.

Upper MCPS admin have been moving away from support for higher academic need for a while. CES instead of HGC. Honors for all instead of cohorted differentiation. Lotteries and poorly implemented local-school enriched programming instead of magnet seat expansion or assurance of local rigor. These moves have favored one group over another and failed to meet individual need on many levels.

With regionalization, they are expanding, and that could[/] be promising. However, the impression they leave in the vacuum of specific information/recommendations is that neither will they meet the needs of the relatively few by ensuring, e.g., that the programming of today's Blair SMCS will remain (and be accessible county-wide), nor will they meet the needs of the relatively many (not an outright majority, but still...) by ensuring, e.g., that all local-school programming will offer adequate & equivalent breadth of those high-level AP/IB/college-level courses (their list only goes so far, and the specific language utilized is familiar enough to those who, over the years, have advocated for us to know that they are likely to allow dissimilarity to persist despite inadequacy to individual need).

It is likely that [i]they are among those sitting down with popcorn as the forum's GT-interested parties, who should be more united in their advocacy for the system to meet individual need on both counts, quarrel with each other over their preference for serving the one group or the other like big-endians and little-endians.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If they were smart, they would have created these 6 regional programs (9-12 grades), and have the current Blair/Poolsville only for 10-12 grades (remove 9th).
At the end of the 9th grade, select the top students from the 6 regionals to send them to 10-12 grades at Blair/Poolsville. That would have been smart and competitive

Right, because kids and families want to move schools and make friends twice.

It is absolutely funny to see people unfamiliar with the current magnet programs having opinions.

If you have or had a kid at Blair magnet you will know that kids go there not for friendship and playing. It is all competition, all academics. Most of them have real internship every single summer. Interships at NASA, UMD, Johns Hopkins where their parents drive them 5 days per week.
These programs are serious, and competition is rough. You will see students crying for getting a B that "ruins" their Ivy League chances. You see Robotics kids meeting almost every day after school and in summer.

This is not the normal advanced program you might think about. It is another level that cannot be clone 6 times.

What benefit does NASA get from having a 14-year old work with them for a summer? Even a prodigy genius one? These “internships” honestly sound like fake charities created by parents for Ivy applications.

Another outsider having no idea about what these kids do but having strong opinions. LOL
One of the NASA internships is about robotics. 50 kids from entire US.
If you have the curiosity to check Blair's and Poolsville's robotics teams you will understand that this is not charity. They build fully functional robots in 2 months to compete in First Robotics events. This is serious stuff with high budgets (~40k per year) and a lot at effort all year round. Last 2 years, Blair's team qualified to the Worlds Championship in Texas. Many of these kids get into the famous CMU or MIT Engineering programs and end up building robots for NASA later in life.
Get your facts right before writing non sense here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If they were smart, they would have created these 6 regional programs (9-12 grades), and have the current Blair/Poolsville only for 10-12 grades (remove 9th).
At the end of the 9th grade, select the top students from the 6 regionals to send them to 10-12 grades at Blair/Poolsville. That would have been smart and competitive

Right, because kids and families want to move schools and make friends twice.

It is absolutely funny to see people unfamiliar with the current magnet programs having opinions.

If you have or had a kid at Blair magnet you will know that kids go there not for friendship and playing. It is all competition, all academics. Most of them have real internship every single summer. Interships at NASA, UMD, Johns Hopkins where their parents drive them 5 days per week.
These programs are serious, and competition is rough. You will see students crying for getting a B that "ruins" their Ivy League chances. You see Robotics kids meeting almost every day after school and in summer.

This is not the normal advanced program you might think about. It is another level that cannot be clone 6 times.

What benefit does NASA get from having a 14-year old work with them for a summer? Even a prodigy genius one? These “internships” honestly sound like fake charities created by parents for Ivy applications.

I’m sorry you need this explained to you - but our science and tech industries and programs actually do need us to educate the able/willing kids to the best of their abilities.

+1000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If they were smart, they would have created these 6 regional programs (9-12 grades), and have the current Blair/Poolsville only for 10-12 grades (remove 9th).
At the end of the 9th grade, select the top students from the 6 regionals to send them to 10-12 grades at Blair/Poolsville. That would have been smart and competitive

Right, because kids and families want to move schools and make friends twice.

It is absolutely funny to see people unfamiliar with the current magnet programs having opinions.

If you have or had a kid at Blair magnet you will know that kids go there not for friendship and playing. It is all competition, all academics. Most of them have real internship every single summer. Interships at NASA, UMD, Johns Hopkins where their parents drive them 5 days per week.
These programs are serious, and competition is rough. You will see students crying for getting a B that "ruins" their Ivy League chances. You see Robotics kids meeting almost every day after school and in summer.

This is not the normal advanced program you might think about. It is another level that cannot be clone 6 times.

What benefit does NASA get from having a 14-year old work with them for a summer? Even a prodigy genius one? These “internships” honestly sound like fake charities created by parents for Ivy applications.

Another outsider having no idea about what these kids do but having strong opinions. LOL
One of the NASA internships is about robotics. 50 kids from entire US.
If you have the curiosity to check Blair's and Poolsville's robotics teams you will understand that this is not charity. They build fully functional robots in 2 months to compete in First Robotics events. This is serious stuff with high budgets (~40k per year) and a lot at effort all year round. Last 2 years, Blair's team qualified to the Worlds Championship in Texas. Many of these kids get into the famous CMU or MIT Engineering programs and end up building robots for NASA later in life.
Get your facts right before writing non sense here.

Are there ways to donate to the magnets to support them further once MCPS begins degrading them through the regional program module?