Is Einstein getting totally screwed in the boundary and program study proposals?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:They should have the same strong offerings at every school. Having speciality programs at different schools is silly if students don’t get school choose and each school doesn’t have equal strong offerings. Taylor and the BOE clearly ditched equity and student needs. How many kids want a teacher academy. They reduced the current program a few years ago. How about a poll asking parents, teachers and students what they want at these schools. People are going to bail from Einstein if they can and either move or go private. It and Kennedy will be the weak links.

+1

The DCC is what keeps wealthier kids in public schools. DH and I have just discussed upping our 529 contributions so we can afford private if need be.

Having a standardized base of strong offerings at all schools is part of the plan. Funny how most people are not asking questions or focused on that piece.

We don't buy it because MCPS has caveated it with saying they will offer courses "if there is interest" which is a circular way of saying they won't actually offer that strong base or will have it be virtual in the lower income schools, which will lead wealthy families to flee public schools.

The more comfortable families will leave Einstein and the FARM rate will likely rise. The school gained students for its VAPA program, but many academically strong students now choose magnets or lottery into Blair or Wheaton due to Einstein's limited advanced course offerings. The principal claims there's no demand for higher-level classes, but demand is low because the classes aren't offered. Students are often pushed through AB, BC, then Stats, with no alternatives. MCPS offers no virtual high school math options and has no plans to. Students are left with three choices: take what is available, drive their kids to another school, or to Montgomery College for the classes they need. There is no excuse for MCPS not providing enough math to meet graduation requirements. The minimum at each school should be MVC as then students can take Statistics after MVC if they need an extra math class.

DP - I think you’re overstating how many families will leave Einstein (and how many inbounds kids currently choose Blair or Wheaton). There are a lot of highly educated parents here (e.g., Feds and academics with PhDs) who don’t necessarily have the money to shell out for private nor to move. And a lot of us who are willing to work to improve our school, inasmuch as it needs improving. I don’t love the proposed changes, but they’re not untenable with some modifications along the lines of what people have proposed.

If MVC is the minimum, most high schools shouldn’t go much farther than that. It’s *high school*. We’d be better served by pushing the BOE hard on offering robust programs at all schools, i.e., increasing parity, than arguing for super advanced classes.

Had Einstein ever offered AP calculus-based physics? That’s something I was able to take in HS 30 years ago!

By calculus-based physics, I mean AP Physics C, not AP Physics 1. Pre-engineering students really need AP Calculus C.

They have Calc bc, just not mvc.

I understand the desire for multi-variable calculus. That has traditionally been a sophomore class at university. Calculus-based physics is a freshman level class, however, and dovetails so nicely with AP Calculus AB and BC. But few are clamoring for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They should have the same strong offerings at every school. Having speciality programs at different schools is silly if students don’t get school choose and each school doesn’t have equal strong offerings. Taylor and the BOE clearly ditched equity and student needs. How many kids want a teacher academy. They reduced the current program a few years ago. How about a poll asking parents, teachers and students what they want at these schools. People are going to bail from Einstein if they can and either move or go private. It and Kennedy will be the weak links.

+1

The DCC is what keeps wealthier kids in public schools. DH and I have just discussed upping our 529 contributions so we can afford private if need be.

Having a standardized base of strong offerings at all schools is part of the plan. Funny how most people are not asking questions or focused on that piece.

We don't buy it because MCPS has caveated it with saying they will offer courses "if there is interest" which is a circular way of saying they won't actually offer that strong base or will have it be virtual in the lower income schools, which will lead wealthy families to flee public schools.

The more comfortable families will leave Einstein and the FARM rate will likely rise. The school gained students for its VAPA program, but many academically strong students now choose magnets or lottery into Blair or Wheaton due to Einstein's limited advanced course offerings. The principal claims there's no demand for higher-level classes, but demand is low because the classes aren't offered. Students are often pushed through AB, BC, then Stats, with no alternatives. MCPS offers no virtual high school math options and has no plans to. Students are left with three choices: take what is available, drive their kids to another school, or to Montgomery College for the classes they need. There is no excuse for MCPS not providing enough math to meet graduation requirements. The minimum at each school should be MVC as then students can take Statistics after MVC if they need an extra math class.

DP - I think you’re overstating how many families will leave Einstein (and how many inbounds kids currently choose Blair or Wheaton). There are a lot of highly educated parents here (e.g., Feds and academics with PhDs) who don’t necessarily have the money to shell out for private nor to move. And a lot of us who are willing to work to improve our school, inasmuch as it needs improving. I don’t love the proposed changes, but they’re not untenable with some modifications along the lines of what people have proposed.

If MVC is the minimum, most high schools shouldn’t go much farther than that. It’s *high school*. We’d be better served by pushing the BOE hard on offering robust programs at all schools, i.e., increasing parity, than arguing for super advanced classes.

Had Einstein ever offered AP calculus-based physics? That’s something I was able to take in HS 30 years ago!

By calculus-based physics, I mean AP Physics C, not AP Physics 1. Pre-engineering students really need AP Calculus C.

They have Calc bc, just not mvc.

I understand the desire for multi-variable calculus. That has traditionally been a sophomore class at university. Calculus-based physics is a freshman level class, however, and dovetails so nicely with AP Calculus AB and BC. But few are clamoring for it.

Its also a junior/senior class in high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If they’re going to do all these split articulations anyway they should pull Town of Kensington kids within the Einstein walk zone into the school. That might get people’s attention.

TOK is not really walkable to Einstein. To walk from near Warner Circle to Einstein is 1.5 miles and having kids cross University, where we have already had 2 pedestrian deaths this year.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:In taking the suggestion to push the BOE hard on delaying the regional model implementation, I also think they should face a lot of pressure to either select Option B from the current slate or another one altogether that doesn’t significantly increase Einstein’s FARMS rate. They need to be pushed hard on both fronts.

Are the upcoming Facilities and Boundaries Hearings good places to do this?

Each of the four options have Einstein with a FARMS rate of 40-46%.

The current FARMS rate at Einstein is 37.5%. Option B is 40%. I’d say that’s better than the other options, wouldn’t you?

A little, but is it a meaningful difference? I don't know. Especially with BCC staying unchanged at 22.5%, it seems absurd that Einstein's rate should go up at all.

Stop trying to turn this into a conflict with BCC. BCC is not geographically adjacent to Woodward at all. Why does it matter to you what BCC’s FARMs rate is? It is not similar to Einstein currently so I don’t get why you think these schools must shuffle kids across town to get matching demographics starting in 2027?

Nobody has ever claimed MCPS should match demographics at all schools. But they should be utilizing their facilities effectively and in ways that help all students access appropriate educational opportunities. Instead they are pulling the highest achieving kids with the most resources to manage what I imagine will be limited transportation for magnets out of Einstein to BCC and other academic magnets. They should have moved Woodlin ES (which is not close to Einstein) to BCC and put ToK in Einstein. Instead of supercharging the existing segregation.

So, basically more of the same. There will not be many slots to bus kids. It’s all for show and making change for the sake of saying you did something. TOK has not been to Einstein in many years and moving them will not fix the issues.

It won't fix the issues but it will:
- stop bussing for ToK since we know bussing is bad!
- not make the issues worse.

Folks should realize at this point that TOK going to Einstein is a nonstarter. Focus on engaging with the work that’s been done so far to improve the outcome. At a minimum - highlight that option C disproportionately increases the FARMS rate at Einstein far more than other schools which is both unfair and bad policy, and that if VAPA isn’t going to be a regional magnet then Einstein should get a criteria based magnet current slated for BCC (so either IB or Humanities) in exchange for BCC getting the education magnet. Decisionmakers are more likely to align behind these easier fixes. Re: Option C - there are other problems with it as well, eg more split articulation than Options A and B and worse facility utilization than Option D.

+1 seriously listen to this poster. You are all spending a lot of time letting perfect be the enemy of the good. Advocate for what you can reasonably get, not something aspirational that will get turned down.

It's honestly bizarre that it isn't even being considered. Maybe the political forces against equity are too strong - but let's not let them gloss over that fact and pretend this is what all parents want.

Btw it took me a couple of hours of looking at the initial options to understand the pros and cons of each and write them into the survey, clicking back and forth between the maps and the tables. It's a process clearly designed for people with more time, education and technology. Of course they got more responses from the highest resourced neighborhoods. And I honestly think they trolled the west county folks a bit with Option 3. Instead of focusing on contiguous clusters they did stuff that any reasonable person would think is unreasonable But sending ToK to the high school located in Kensington is simply not unreasonable and shpuld be on the table minus poison pill sh$t like sending Farmland to Kennedy. I have to give it to MCPS, they sure set it up well to get the feedback they wanted.

+1 MCPS loves to say "equity" when they oppose different English classes for different abilities, but the idea of having Kensington kids attend the Kensington high school? That's a bridge too far.

Not all kids go to their local schools. There is no such thing as equity, which is why they took it out of their new moto. No one cares that the Town kids don't go to Einstein. Let them go to WJ.

Einstein families care when their FARMS rate is going up, as it is they have fewer advanced courses than wealthier schools, and their IB and VAPA programs are likely to be significantly weakened or eliminated. Wealthier people bring resources, even if some of them don't attend. We didn't care until we realized what MCPS plans to take away from our community.

IB is already weak! Only 60some kids in the whole school on the IB diploma track. That is embarrassing.

900 kids in VAPA courses. That’s what people should be waking up about! Only 200 spots available at the Northwood criteria based performing arts academy in that region. If Casement doesn't move, students might still register for music classes.

We need Einstein data on how many kids currently enrolled in VAPA classes are currently zoned for Einstein. Wheaton is our hoke school but my kid chose Einstein for the music classes.

So based off of student interest. Einstein Educational Regional program should go to BCC. BCC Humanities Regional program should go to Northwood. Northwood Performing Arts Regional Program should go with Einstein Visual Arts Program.

Hopefully they change it to this!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If they’re going to do all these split articulations anyway they should pull Town of Kensington kids within the Einstein walk zone into the school. That might get people’s attention.

TOK is not really walkable to Einstein. To walk from near Warner Circle to Einstein is 1.5 miles and having kids cross University, where we have already had 2 pedestrian deaths this year.

Its not walkable at all but nor is a lot of homes across University as there are few sidewalks, and not all streets even have stop signs. There was also the death on Plyers Mill.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If they’re going to do all these split articulations anyway they should pull Town of Kensington kids within the Einstein walk zone into the school. That might get people’s attention.

TOK is not really walkable to Einstein. To walk from near Warner Circle to Einstein is 1.5 miles and having kids cross University, where we have already had 2 pedestrian deaths this year.

Its not walkable at all but nor is a lot of homes across University as there are few sidewalks, and not all streets even have stop signs. There was also the death on Plyers Mill.

I don’t understand the sour grapes about TOK. The entire community of Kensington is already divided up between 4 elementary schools - Kensington Parkwood, Rosemary Hills, Oakland Terrace, and Rockview, which all feed to different MS and HSs. There was a boundary study in the early 00s that decided that TOK would go to WJ instead of being divided up between 3 high schools, as it was previously. This was settled a long time ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If they’re going to do all these split articulations anyway they should pull Town of Kensington kids within the Einstein walk zone into the school. That might get people’s attention.

TOK is not really walkable to Einstein. To walk from near Warner Circle to Einstein is 1.5 miles and having kids cross University, where we have already had 2 pedestrian deaths this year.

Its not walkable at all but nor is a lot of homes across University as there are few sidewalks, and not all streets even have stop signs. There was also the death on Plyers Mill.

I don’t understand the sour grapes about TOK. The entire community of Kensington is already divided up between 4 elementary schools - Kensington Parkwood, Rosemary Hills, Oakland Terrace, and Rockview, which all feed to different MS and HSs. There was a boundary study in the early 00s that decided that TOK would go to WJ instead of being divided up between 3 high schools, as it was previously. This was settled a long time ago.

Kensington is not one big community. It is multiple communities and the town is separate. They are divided by the train tracks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They should have the same strong offerings at every school. Having speciality programs at different schools is silly if students don’t get school choose and each school doesn’t have equal strong offerings. Taylor and the BOE clearly ditched equity and student needs. How many kids want a teacher academy. They reduced the current program a few years ago. How about a poll asking parents, teachers and students what they want at these schools. People are going to bail from Einstein if they can and either move or go private. It and Kennedy will be the weak links.

+1

The DCC is what keeps wealthier kids in public schools. DH and I have just discussed upping our 529 contributions so we can afford private if need be.

Having a standardized base of strong offerings at all schools is part of the plan. Funny how most people are not asking questions or focused on that piece.

We don't buy it because MCPS has caveated it with saying they will offer courses "if there is interest" which is a circular way of saying they won't actually offer that strong base or will have it be virtual in the lower income schools, which will lead wealthy families to flee public schools.

The more comfortable families will leave Einstein and the FARM rate will likely rise. The school gained students for its VAPA program, but many academically strong students now choose magnets or lottery into Blair or Wheaton due to Einstein's limited advanced course offerings. The principal claims there's no demand for higher-level classes, but demand is low because the classes aren't offered. Students are often pushed through AB, BC, then Stats, with no alternatives. MCPS offers no virtual high school math options and has no plans to. Students are left with three choices: take what is available, drive their kids to another school, or to Montgomery College for the classes they need. There is no excuse for MCPS not providing enough math to meet graduation requirements. The minimum at each school should be MVC as then students can take Statistics after MVC if they need an extra math class.

DP - I think you’re overstating how many families will leave Einstein (and how many inbounds kids currently choose Blair or Wheaton). There are a lot of highly educated parents here (e.g., Feds and academics with PhDs) who don’t necessarily have the money to shell out for private nor to move. And a lot of us who are willing to work to improve our school, inasmuch as it needs improving. I don’t love the proposed changes, but they’re not untenable with some modifications along the lines of what people have proposed.

If MVC is the minimum, most high schools shouldn’t go much farther than that. It’s *high school*. We’d be better served by pushing the BOE hard on offering robust programs at all schools, i.e., increasing parity, than arguing for super advanced classes.

Had Einstein ever offered AP calculus-based physics? That’s something I was able to take in HS 30 years ago!

By calculus-based physics, I mean AP Physics C, not AP Physics 1. Pre-engineering students really need AP Calculus C.

They have Calc bc, just not mvc.

Question was about Physics C. Anyone knows if its there?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In taking the suggestion to push the BOE hard on delaying the regional model implementation, I also think they should face a lot of pressure to either select Option B from the current slate or another one altogether that doesn’t significantly increase Einstein’s FARMS rate. They need to be pushed hard on both fronts.

Are the upcoming Facilities and Boundaries Hearings good places to do this?

Each of the four options have Einstein with a FARMS rate of 40-46%.

The current FARMS rate at Einstein is 37.5%. Option B is 40%. I’d say that’s better than the other options, wouldn’t you?

A little, but is it a meaningful difference? I don't know. Especially with BCC staying unchanged at 22.5%, it seems absurd that Einstein's rate should go up at all.

Stop trying to turn this into a conflict with BCC. BCC is not geographically adjacent to Woodward at all. Why does it matter to you what BCC’s FARMs rate is? It is not similar to Einstein currently so I don’t get why you think these schools must shuffle kids across town to get matching demographics starting in 2027?

Nobody has ever claimed MCPS should match demographics at all schools. But they should be utilizing their facilities effectively and in ways that help all students access appropriate educational opportunities. Instead they are pulling the highest achieving kids with the most resources to manage what I imagine will be limited transportation for magnets out of Einstein to BCC and other academic magnets. They should have moved Woodlin ES (which is not close to Einstein) to BCC and put ToK in Einstein. Instead of supercharging the existing segregation.

So, basically more of the same. There will not be many slots to bus kids. It’s all for show and making change for the sake of saying you did something. TOK has not been to Einstein in many years and moving them will not fix the issues.

It won't fix the issues but it will:
- stop bussing for ToK since we know bussing is bad!
- not make the issues worse.

Folks should realize at this point that TOK going to Einstein is a nonstarter. Focus on engaging with the work that’s been done so far to improve the outcome. At a minimum - highlight that option C disproportionately increases the FARMS rate at Einstein far more than other schools which is both unfair and bad policy, and that if VAPA isn’t going to be a regional magnet then Einstein should get a criteria based magnet current slated for BCC (so either IB or Humanities) in exchange for BCC getting the education magnet. Decisionmakers are more likely to align behind these easier fixes. Re: Option C - there are other problems with it as well, eg more split articulation than Options A and B and worse facility utilization than Option D.

+1 seriously listen to this poster. You are all spending a lot of time letting perfect be the enemy of the good. Advocate for what you can reasonably get, not something aspirational that will get turned down.

It's honestly bizarre that it isn't even being considered. Maybe the political forces against equity are too strong - but let's not let them gloss over that fact and pretend this is what all parents want.

Btw it took me a couple of hours of looking at the initial options to understand the pros and cons of each and write them into the survey, clicking back and forth between the maps and the tables. It's a process clearly designed for people with more time, education and technology. Of course they got more responses from the highest resourced neighborhoods. And I honestly think they trolled the west county folks a bit with Option 3. Instead of focusing on contiguous clusters they did stuff that any reasonable person would think is unreasonable But sending ToK to the high school located in Kensington is simply not unreasonable and shpuld be on the table minus poison pill sh$t like sending Farmland to Kennedy. I have to give it to MCPS, they sure set it up well to get the feedback they wanted.

+1 MCPS loves to say "equity" when they oppose different English classes for different abilities, but the idea of having Kensington kids attend the Kensington high school? That's a bridge too far.

Not all kids go to their local schools. There is no such thing as equity, which is why they took it out of their new moto. No one cares that the Town kids don't go to Einstein. Let them go to WJ.

Einstein families care when their FARMS rate is going up, as it is they have fewer advanced courses than wealthier schools, and their IB and VAPA programs are likely to be significantly weakened or eliminated. Wealthier people bring resources, even if some of them don't attend. We didn't care until we realized what MCPS plans to take away from our community.

IB is already weak! Only 60some kids in the whole school on the IB diploma track. That is embarrassing.

900 kids in VAPA courses. That’s what people should be waking up about! Only 200 spots available at the Northwood criteria based performing arts academy in that region. If Casement doesn't move, students might still register for music classes.

We need Einstein data on how many kids currently enrolled in VAPA classes are currently zoned for Einstein. Wheaton is our hoke school but my kid chose Einstein for the music classes.

So based off of student interest. Einstein Educational Regional program should go to BCC. BCC Humanities Regional program should go to Northwood. Northwood Performing Arts Regional Program should go with Einstein Visual Arts Program.

This could be good. Plus non of the local set asides for magnets. Kids who want and can get into these should have the same chance throughout the region.

Agree, this local; set aside shoudn;t be there for any criterion based magnet. Treat all schools in region equally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If they’re going to do all these split articulations anyway they should pull Town of Kensington kids within the Einstein walk zone into the school. That might get people’s attention.

TOK is not really walkable to Einstein. To walk from near Warner Circle to Einstein is 1.5 miles and having kids cross University, where we have already had 2 pedestrian deaths this year.

Its not walkable at all but nor is a lot of homes across University as there are few sidewalks, and not all streets even have stop signs. There was also the death on Plyers Mill.

I don’t understand the sour grapes about TOK. The entire community of Kensington is already divided up between 4 elementary schools - Kensington Parkwood, Rosemary Hills, Oakland Terrace, and Rockview, which all feed to different MS and HSs. There was a boundary study in the early 00s that decided that TOK would go to WJ instead of being divided up between 3 high schools, as it was previously. This was settled a long time ago.

School boundaries are never “settled” permanently. New schools are built, population and demographic trends change, and adjustments need to be made. Just like Congressional districts have to be redrawn after every Census.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They should have the same strong offerings at every school. Having speciality programs at different schools is silly if students don’t get school choose and each school doesn’t have equal strong offerings. Taylor and the BOE clearly ditched equity and student needs. How many kids want a teacher academy. They reduced the current program a few years ago. How about a poll asking parents, teachers and students what they want at these schools. People are going to bail from Einstein if they can and either move or go private. It and Kennedy will be the weak links.

+1

The DCC is what keeps wealthier kids in public schools. DH and I have just discussed upping our 529 contributions so we can afford private if need be.

Having a standardized base of strong offerings at all schools is part of the plan. Funny how most people are not asking questions or focused on that piece.

We don't buy it because MCPS has caveated it with saying they will offer courses "if there is interest" which is a circular way of saying they won't actually offer that strong base or will have it be virtual in the lower income schools, which will lead wealthy families to flee public schools.

The more comfortable families will leave Einstein and the FARM rate will likely rise. The school gained students for its VAPA program, but many academically strong students now choose magnets or lottery into Blair or Wheaton due to Einstein's limited advanced course offerings. The principal claims there's no demand for higher-level classes, but demand is low because the classes aren't offered. Students are often pushed through AB, BC, then Stats, with no alternatives. MCPS offers no virtual high school math options and has no plans to. Students are left with three choices: take what is available, drive their kids to another school, or to Montgomery College for the classes they need. There is no excuse for MCPS not providing enough math to meet graduation requirements. The minimum at each school should be MVC as then students can take Statistics after MVC if they need an extra math class.

DP - I think you’re overstating how many families will leave Einstein (and how many inbounds kids currently choose Blair or Wheaton). There are a lot of highly educated parents here (e.g., Feds and academics with PhDs) who don’t necessarily have the money to shell out for private nor to move. And a lot of us who are willing to work to improve our school, inasmuch as it needs improving. I don’t love the proposed changes, but they’re not untenable with some modifications along the lines of what people have proposed.

If MVC is the minimum, most high schools shouldn’t go much farther than that. It’s *high school*. We’d be better served by pushing the BOE hard on offering robust programs at all schools, i.e., increasing parity, than arguing for super advanced classes.

Had Einstein ever offered AP calculus-based physics? That’s something I was able to take in HS 30 years ago!

By calculus-based physics, I mean AP Physics C, not AP Physics 1. Pre-engineering students really need AP Calculus C.

They have Calc bc, just not mvc.

Question was about Physics C. Anyone knows if its there?

No, they just have regular physics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They should have the same strong offerings at every school. Having speciality programs at different schools is silly if students don’t get school choose and each school doesn’t have equal strong offerings. Taylor and the BOE clearly ditched equity and student needs. How many kids want a teacher academy. They reduced the current program a few years ago. How about a poll asking parents, teachers and students what they want at these schools. People are going to bail from Einstein if they can and either move or go private. It and Kennedy will be the weak links.

+1

The DCC is what keeps wealthier kids in public schools. DH and I have just discussed upping our 529 contributions so we can afford private if need be.

Having a standardized base of strong offerings at all schools is part of the plan. Funny how most people are not asking questions or focused on that piece.

We don't buy it because MCPS has caveated it with saying they will offer courses "if there is interest" which is a circular way of saying they won't actually offer that strong base or will have it be virtual in the lower income schools, which will lead wealthy families to flee public schools.

The more comfortable families will leave Einstein and the FARM rate will likely rise. The school gained students for its VAPA program, but many academically strong students now choose magnets or lottery into Blair or Wheaton due to Einstein's limited advanced course offerings. The principal claims there's no demand for higher-level classes, but demand is low because the classes aren't offered. Students are often pushed through AB, BC, then Stats, with no alternatives. MCPS offers no virtual high school math options and has no plans to. Students are left with three choices: take what is available, drive their kids to another school, or to Montgomery College for the classes they need. There is no excuse for MCPS not providing enough math to meet graduation requirements. The minimum at each school should be MVC as then students can take Statistics after MVC if they need an extra math class.

DP - I think you’re overstating how many families will leave Einstein (and how many inbounds kids currently choose Blair or Wheaton). There are a lot of highly educated parents here (e.g., Feds and academics with PhDs) who don’t necessarily have the money to shell out for private nor to move. And a lot of us who are willing to work to improve our school, inasmuch as it needs improving. I don’t love the proposed changes, but they’re not untenable with some modifications along the lines of what people have proposed.

If MVC is the minimum, most high schools shouldn’t go much farther than that. It’s *high school*. We’d be better served by pushing the BOE hard on offering robust programs at all schools, i.e., increasing parity, than arguing for super advanced classes.

Had Einstein ever offered AP calculus-based physics? That’s something I was able to take in HS 30 years ago!

By calculus-based physics, I mean AP Physics C, not AP Physics 1. Pre-engineering students really need AP Calculus C.

They have Calc bc, just not mvc.

Question was about Physics C. Anyone knows if its there?

No, they just have regular physics.

Plus IB Physics HL.

[Anonymous]

Einstein parents should be flooding the next BOE meeting. As well as calling - not just emailing that is too easy to ignore - BOE member offices https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/boe/about/redistricting/

Call today, call tomorrow. Take up their time with calm yet firm questioning. Any govt ees who are furloughed should make this your shutdown project.

[Anonymous]

Maybe focus on something more positive, rather than continuing a gripe from the early 2000s about the ToK.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Einstein parents should be flooding the next BOE meeting. As well as calling - not just emailing that is too easy to ignore - BOE member offices https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/boe/about/redistricting/

Call today, call tomorrow. Take up their time with calm yet firm questioning. Any govt ees who are furloughed should make this your shutdown project.

When is the next BOE meeting we can attend? The one on October 14th? I’m a furloughed Fed and very enthusiastic to do what I can.