How is the new pilot offering equivalent to TPMS/Eastern

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:9:41, I like your analysis of the question. Don’t you wonder which 10 schools were identified for the original 10-school field test prior to the data coming in from the CogAT?

Yes I do and I think many of W school feeders (e.g., Cold Spring) were not included in the original 10 schools. As another poster posted from the GT listserv, parent advocacy/complaints from those areas extended the list to 20.

Well, I didn’t say it was complaints from the western schools that led to the expansion, I just said advocacy in general. I actually assumed that the original ten schools were mostly the ones with the larger numbers of high performing cohorts, but I too would be curious as to what the original plan was. Regardless, I’m glad they recognized it was only fair to offer at least one class in all 20 schools. I really do think it makes a difference to have at least one decent class, even if all your other classes are mediocre. (I’ve had kids go through our home middle school, so I know exactly what it offers.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:9:41, I like your analysis of the question. Don’t you wonder which 10 schools were identified for the original 10-school field test prior to the data coming in from the CogAT?

Yes I do and I think many of W school feeders (e.g., Cold Spring) were not included in the original 10 schools. As another poster posted from the GT listserv, parent advocacy/complaints from those areas extended the list to 20.

Well, I didn’t say it was complaints from the western schools that led to the expansion, I just said advocacy in general. I actually assumed that the original ten schools were mostly the ones with the larger numbers of high performing cohorts, but I too would be curious as to what the original plan was. Regardless, I’m glad they recognized it was only fair to offer at least one class in all 20 schools. I really do think it makes a difference to have at least one decent class, even if all your other classes are mediocre. (I’ve had kids go through our home middle school, so I know exactly what it offers.)

The reason why I don't think it was the original high performing cohorts is that that strategy would not have met the Metis goals. The diversity numbers would have looked worse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I am rooting for the poor kids from Rockville and Gaithersburg who now have a chance they never dreamed they would. Maybe MCPS just created 20 more doctors and engineers than we would have had before. The just special snowflakes in Bethesda will do just fine no matter what middle school they go to.

Funny you should say that, because one kid I know from our ES - in Rockville, mind you - who got into TPMS is a son of Chinese immigrants, a PhD and a doctor turned RN here. They were prepping him for the HGC first (he was waitlisted) and then for the magnet test at a Dr-Li-type Saturday school. He scored the coveted 99%, and got in, probably because he didn't attend a CES.

And the funniest thing is, with that much parental pressure, that child, while no 'Bethesda special snowflake", would have done just fine no matter what middle school he would have gone to.

Flame away.

yup. and our HHI is $400K and we’re in gaithersburg, but you know — poor kids from gaithersburg and rockville, right?

Relatedly, we're in Silver Spring and our home school did great in this cycle for middle school magnet admissions. Some of our HGC kids also got in, but home school did fine by its own rights. So, maybe the answer is for all the CS folks to move to the East Side.

What’s the home school, if you don’t mind sharing? Just curious because I haven’t yet heard of any schools doing all that well, including DCC schools like my own with a high FARMS rate,, but obviously there have to be some.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
What’s the home school, if you don’t mind sharing? Just curious because I haven’t yet heard of any schools doing all that well, including DCC schools like my own with a high FARMS rate,, but obviously there have to be some.

Why not shoot first and share your home school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I am rooting for the poor kids from Rockville and Gaithersburg who now have a chance they never dreamed they would. Maybe MCPS just created 20 more doctors and engineers than we would have had before. The just special snowflakes in Bethesda will do just fine no matter what middle school they go to.

Funny you should say that, because one kid I know from our ES - in Rockville, mind you - who got into TPMS is a son of Chinese immigrants, a PhD and a doctor turned RN here. They were prepping him for the HGC first (he was waitlisted) and then for the magnet test at a Dr-Li-type Saturday school. He scored the coveted 99%, and got in, probably because he didn't attend a CES.

And the funniest thing is, with that much parental pressure, that child, while no 'Bethesda special snowflake", would have done just fine no matter what middle school he would have gone to.

Flame away.

Of course he would've been "fine" at the home MS school, but I think this is about wanting the "best" for your kids. It's the opportunity for a more challenging curriculum for their child. And no, the new curriculum they are coming up with is not going to be the same as the one taught at magnets.

My DC didn't bother applying for MS magnet because of the distance, though DC did go to HGC. And no, we never prepped.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
What’s the home school, if you don’t mind sharing? Just curious because I haven’t yet heard of any schools doing all that well, including DCC schools like my own with a high FARMS rate,, but obviously there have to be some.

Why not shoot first and share your home school?

Sligo

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
What’s the home school, if you don’t mind sharing? Just curious because I haven’t yet heard of any schools doing all that well, including DCC schools like my own with a high FARMS rate,, but obviously there have to be some.

Why not shoot first and share your home school?

Sligo

They’ve opened a can of worms with Pyle. No one bothered to apply to the magnets before (or very very few) but now MCPS has to provide more GT programming there for fairness’ sake, and it’s a slippery slope. I really am dying to know what all the middle school principals think about this. They must be shaking their heads. All this time they’ve been flicking away the parents demanding rigor, only to be told they must now cater to them and upend all scheduling and deal with all the parents whose kids aren’t admitted to those courses. Holy hell, I wouldn’t want to be an MCPS principal these days. All that said, I think the county is doing the right thing under the current circumstances. I suspect they also wish they had thought this all the way through to its logical end. Which, spoiler alert, will likely involve expanding those classes to practically everyone at Pyle in time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
What’s the home school, if you don’t mind sharing? Just curious because I haven’t yet heard of any schools doing all that well, including DCC schools like my own with a high FARMS rate,, but obviously there have to be some.

Why not shoot first and share your home school?

Sligo

They’ve opened a can of worms with Pyle. No one bothered to apply to the magnets before (or very very few) but now MCPS has to provide more GT programming there for fairness’ sake, and it’s a slippery slope. I really am dying to know what all the middle school principals think about this. They must be shaking their heads. All this time they’ve been flicking away the parents demanding rigor, only to be told they must now cater to them and upend all scheduling and deal with all the parents whose kids aren’t admitted to those courses. Holy hell, I wouldn’t want to be an MCPS principal these days. All that said, I think the county is doing the right thing under the current circumstances. I suspect they also wish they had thought this all the way through to its logical end. Which, spoiler alert, will likely involve expanding those classes to practically everyone at Pyle in time.

Yeah. I wonder what a real principal thinks being told to teach the kids to their potential and ability level. Wonder what they think.

Well, if they were around before 2011, that is exactly what they did! I’d be pissed at mcps for f’ing up the curriculum and communizing a 200 school big district for the last six years. That was never going to work. Expect more roll-backs: ES, chromebook overuse, and lack of subjects in ES next up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: ES, chromebook overuse, and lack of subjects in ES next up.

Making me crazy. And principals act like we should be thrilled that they managed to get some chromebooks for the first graders, too!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: ES, chromebook overuse, and lack of subjects in ES next up.

Making me crazy. And principals act like we should be thrilled that they managed to get some chromebooks for the first graders, too!

Can you expand on what you mean by rolling back ES (?) and lack of subjects? Is this grading and things like PE, art, music, science?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: ES, chromebook overuse, and lack of subjects in ES next up.

Making me crazy. And principals act like we should be thrilled that they managed to get some chromebooks for the first graders, too!

Can you expand on what you mean by rolling back ES (?) and lack of subjects? Is this grading and things like PE, art, music, science?

Re ES rolling back to pre-C2.0. I hope so!

They already changed the report cards back.
There is legislation to add more than 30 minutes of PE class a week.
Daily schedule is only the three test subjects plus a rotating "special".
Science and social studies do not have their own class period, are part of English or Reading from time to time.
Specials are infrequent, some ES do not even have a dedicated art teacher.
The three test subjects (reading, english, math) have ~90 minute blocks where teacher rotates around the tables. If you finish your "work" you can play games on the Chromebook, 1st grade on.
No handwriting, just word processing 1st/2nd grade on.
Read physical books and have an actual library class weekly (research, explore new genres, present project). Not all ebooks on Chromebooks. (now we're at 3-4 hours of screen time a day for lower ES students).
Ability pull-out groups or coursework would be great.
Cut the MAP prep classes all year. Using the computer is intuitive. There are already multiple MAP tests a year.
It has been recommended that the little kids eat lunch at their desks not at 10am or 2pm lunch periods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
What’s the home school, if you don’t mind sharing? Just curious because I haven’t yet heard of any schools doing all that well, including DCC schools like my own with a high FARMS rate,, but obviously there have to be some.

Why not shoot first and share your home school?

Sligo

They’ve opened a can of worms with Pyle. No one bothered to apply to the magnets before (or very very few) but now MCPS has to provide more GT programming there for fairness’ sake, and it’s a slippery slope. I really am dying to know what all the middle school principals think about this. They must be shaking their heads. All this time they’ve been flicking away the parents demanding rigor, only to be told they must now cater to them and upend all scheduling and deal with all the parents whose kids aren’t admitted to those courses. Holy hell, I wouldn’t want to be an MCPS principal these days. All that said, I think the county is doing the right thing under the current circumstances. I suspect they also wish they had thought this all the way through to its logical end. Which, spoiler alert, will likely involve expanding those classes to practically everyone at Pyle in time.

Teachers are behind it. The multi-level classes often ruled by lowest common denominator, not highest.

[Anonymous]

Agree that teachers are behind it. They chose this work for the kids. I think you get a kind of prisoner mentality as a teacher in a MCPS after a while. It’s hard to break free or even realize how much is backwards.

[Anonymous]

Not familiar with this pilot program. Is this for kids entering 6th grade next year or for the older grades also?