MCPS is no longer a desirable school district

[Anonymous]

The nothing-has-changed MCPS trolls are draining and exhausting. Get a new script.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, have you lived elsewhere in the country?

I have lived in Boulder, CO; Los Angeles; Richmond, VA; North Carolina and Miami.

Whether people want to believe it or not DC area public schools are very well funded much moreso than many districts across the country.

According to some sources, MCPS is ranked lower than Howard County and Frederick County Public Schools. Oh, and Anne Arundel is #40 (MCPS is #220)

Just saying..
https://www.fox5dc.com/news/most-sought-after-school-districts-in-us-ranked-in-new-survey-see-where-yours-comes-in

most sought after (as determined by a sample from a test prep company) is very different than quality:

Test Prep Insight, a study and test prep company, spoke with 3,000 parents across the nation to find out which school districts they would most want their children to be in if they had the choice

The largest cohort at MCPS these days is Hispanic. MCPS's demographics have changed significantly. It's not that places like Howard do a better job; rather, their makeup is more similar to MCPS 30 years ago. In terms of educational opportunities though MCPS is mostly the same or even better than it was in the past.

This but it is also rose colored glasses. MoCo has been shifting for years and sliding down hill due to demographics. It had crappy kids filling its schools 30 years ago to the point they had a problem kid high school they since had to close to protect kids feeling which just leaves them in their home school. Blair, Kennedy and middles like Lee were a mess 30 years ago. They gave the magnet kids a different lunch, class bell timing and building at the old Blair so they didn’t have to be exposed to the general pop. That wasn’t because ALL of MoCo was great. Now there are even less schools performing at the old standards but there are a few but you have pay up to live there, hint none of them are in a consortium .

I hear what you're saying but it doesn't align with reality. Back when I was in school there were only a few dozen kids with an A average now I hear something like 50% of Wootton's class has a perfect 4.0. It sure seems like kids today are doing better than ever.

I want to laugh but the emoji isn't large enough. If you ask any veteran teacher to compare their students today to ten years ago, they will tell you brutally that today's crop is probably 3 grade levels behind their previous students. I am an AP teacher and on multiple teacher forums. The AP exams themselves are quickly devolving: calculator use, no passages written before the 19th century, four MC choices instead of five, all stimulus questions for history instead of relying on banked knowledge, rhetorical analysis that just relies on identifying an author's "purpose" instead of analyzing their actual rhetoric, etc. etc. The College Board is driving many classroom changes in the name of equity, but they aren't the only ones. Many teachers are moving away from grading, homework, summer assignments and now must make time to read any books they actually use in class. But, of course, the kids are so brilliant that they can cover the same amount of material as before.

I agree education is shit and you guys are doing a terrible job but I also think the invention of smart phones should change education. There is no reason to remember most facts that are easily accessed in seconds. There is a greater need to be able to judge an authors intention as misinformation is now rampant. And so on.

Well, an educated person takes facts and then thinks about connections and inferences... which results in new ideas. Obviously, if you forget something, you should look it up. But you are basically recommending that we stop providing people with the tools they need to have ideas and rely solely on someone else. I think I'll ignore your advice.

[Anonymous]

MCPS is not worse than it use to be. It has changed and still needs more change. Society is nit the same as 20,40 years ago. Technological advances have really change the face of society and they change quicker than populations can readily adapt and much quicker than systems adapt.

This is a key reason why places of politics need a balance of older and younger leaders.

[Anonymous]

It amazes me when people compare the world of yesterday with today.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You're living in a fantasy land if you think today's MCPS is anywhere close to what it was 20 years ago. Huge decline and definitely no improvement on the horizon

My kids are getting a much better education than I did 30 years ago. The main difference today is that the county's demographics have shifted, impacting overall test averages. However, if you look deeper, you'll find that the same cohorts perform about the same today; it's just that the mix of students has changed, affecting the overall average. MCPS remains as strong as ever in terms of learning opportunities, but I will concede that a big difference today is many problems arise from parents who aren't involved and expect the county to raise their kids for them.

This 100%. I'm a 1992 MCPS grad and I've seen it evolve through the years. We were a much more homogeneous society so we didn't have the same problems that we see now which is a result of having to deal with hundreds of thousands of students with diverse backgrounds and needs. Technology is a huge factor too that has obviously impacted the entire world positively and negatively. I can tell you that we have a LOT more opportunities for kids today than we've ever had. We didn't have dual enrollment, career readiness programs (medical, law, IT, CS, Business Management, etc.), language immersion, and IB was only limited to RM, and the gifted programs were limited. Trust me- MCPS does a couple of things that seriously irk me but overall, for a system that is one of the largest and most diverse in the country, it is pretty damn good and providing opportunities for kids. Now, it's just the parents turn in making sure they do what they have to do to help their kids.

[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:

Anonymous wrote:OP, have you lived elsewhere in the country?

I have lived in Boulder, CO; Los Angeles; Richmond, VA; North Carolina and Miami.

Whether people want to believe it or not DC area public schools are very well funded much moreso than many districts across the country.

According to some sources, MCPS is ranked lower than Howard County and Frederick County Public Schools. Oh, and Anne Arundel is #40 (MCPS is #220)

Just saying..
https://www.fox5dc.com/news/most-sought-after-school-districts-in-us-ranked-in-new-survey-see-where-yours-comes-in

most sought after (as determined by a sample from a test prep company) is very different than quality:

Test Prep Insight, a study and test prep company, spoke with 3,000 parents across the nation to find out which school districts they would most want their children to be in if they had the choice

The largest cohort at MCPS these days is Hispanic. MCPS's demographics have changed significantly. It's not that places like Howard do a better job; rather, their makeup is more similar to MCPS 30 years ago. In terms of educational opportunities though MCPS is mostly the same or even better than it was in the past.

This but it is also rose colored glasses. MoCo has been shifting for years and sliding down hill due to demographics. It had crappy kids filling its schools 30 years ago to the point they had a problem kid high school they since had to close to protect kids feeling which just leaves them in their home school. Blair, Kennedy and middles like Lee were a mess 30 years ago. They gave the magnet kids a different lunch, class bell timing and building at the old Blair so they didn’t have to be exposed to the general pop. That wasn’t because ALL of MoCo was great. Now there are even less schools performing at the old standards but there are a few but you have pay up to live there, hint none of them are in a consortium .

I hear what you're saying but it doesn't align with reality. Back when I was in school there were only a few dozen kids with an A average now I hear something like 50% of Wootton's class has a perfect 4.0. It sure seems like kids today are doing better than ever.

Something something grade inflation.

Motivated parents crowd into the "desirable" districts, leaving poorer or less motivated parents to the other districts where most of the students don't receive A's.

Most places I have lived redistrict schools on a regular basis to prevent this from happening quite so much, but in the DC area regular redistricting isn't apparently a thing.

Where did you live that they regularly redistricted? I’ve lived in 5 different states and none did this. In most of America, it’s the biggest determinant of home value which is the biggest determinant of wealth accumulation for the middle class. I’m genuinely curious where they do this regularly and if it affects the real estate narket. They need a freakonomjcs episode about this!

DP. Howard County right next door redistricts every few years, to keep numbers from being too uneven.

+1. Loudon has been redistricting just to keep up with people moving there. If MCPS just bit the bullet and did the full county boundary study and then reviewed them every 5/6 years, they would be much better off.

I feel that parents in other counties accept redistricting better than we do here. Maybe because it's not part of the culture in MCPS? Parents here would protest it.

My friend in Loudoun will have her 6th & 7th grader going to 2 different middle schools in the fall. (Neither are in a special program)

Imagine how that would go here!

I met a parent whose non-magnet kid will be joining their magnet sibling due to not liking their HS. The sibling will not be in magnet. That kind of nonsense should stop.

Parents protested in Howard County in 2019. It got national news coverage. It didn't matter and they went ahead with the plans that were being protested against anyways.

As they should have and as MCPS should do also. Most of these protest have no valid argument. School district is supposed to make the best use of it resources. And if adjusting the boundaries helps achieve that goal so be it.

Do you not remember the upcounty boundary study and the parents who protested just like Howard County did? And just like Howard County, MCPS board didn't give a crap and went ahead and adjusted the boundary as they wanted.

I do! Hi! *waves*

Lots of kids were reassigned to a closer school, a big group of kids who used to get bus service became walkers, my kid got into competitive colleges even though my neighbor assured me that NOBODY from THAT high school would EVER get into ANY college, a new middle school building is about to open, the people who sued lost their lawsuit, and five years from now, "Remember the upcounty boundary study!" will be as relevant as "Remember the Maine!"

I remember this too. I remember when our school didn't have gang violence.

That's amazing since there hasn't been a single gang-related incident in an MCPS school in over a decade.

SROs FTW!

[Anonymous]

I wonder how many of you know the size of your kids’ classes, before the announcement of increases. Last year our Pyle 6th grader had 34 in English. And just as many in history. DC explained that they never discussed the books, too many discipline problems, a lot of worksheets and filling out mad libs style essays. That’s not an education. A lot of ostriches here.

[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:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, have you lived elsewhere in the country?

I have lived in Boulder, CO; Los Angeles; Richmond, VA; North Carolina and Miami.

Whether people want to believe it or not DC area public schools are very well funded much moreso than many districts across the country.

According to some sources, MCPS is ranked lower than Howard County and Frederick County Public Schools. Oh, and Anne Arundel is #40 (MCPS is #220)

Just saying..
https://www.fox5dc.com/news/most-sought-after-school-districts-in-us-ranked-in-new-survey-see-where-yours-comes-in

most sought after (as determined by a sample from a test prep company) is very different than quality:

Test Prep Insight, a study and test prep company, spoke with 3,000 parents across the nation to find out which school districts they would most want their children to be in if they had the choice

The largest cohort at MCPS these days is Hispanic. MCPS's demographics have changed significantly. It's not that places like Howard do a better job; rather, their makeup is more similar to MCPS 30 years ago. In terms of educational opportunities though MCPS is mostly the same or even better than it was in the past.

This but it is also rose colored glasses. MoCo has been shifting for years and sliding down hill due to demographics. It had crappy kids filling its schools 30 years ago to the point they had a problem kid high school they since had to close to protect kids feeling which just leaves them in their home school. Blair, Kennedy and middles like Lee were a mess 30 years ago. They gave the magnet kids a different lunch, class bell timing and building at the old Blair so they didn’t have to be exposed to the general pop. That wasn’t because ALL of MoCo was great. Now there are even less schools performing at the old standards but there are a few but you have pay up to live there, hint none of them are in a consortium .

I hear what you're saying but it doesn't align with reality. Back when I was in school there were only a few dozen kids with an A average now I hear something like 50% of Wootton's class has a perfect 4.0. It sure seems like kids today are doing better than ever.

Something something grade inflation.

Motivated parents crowd into the "desirable" districts, leaving poorer or less motivated parents to the other districts where most of the students don't receive A's.

Most places I have lived redistrict schools on a regular basis to prevent this from happening quite so much, but in the DC area regular redistricting isn't apparently a thing.

Where did you live that they regularly redistricted? I’ve lived in 5 different states and none did this. In most of America, it’s the biggest determinant of home value which is the biggest determinant of wealth accumulation for the middle class. I’m genuinely curious where they do this regularly and if it affects the real estate narket. They need a freakonomjcs episode about this!

DP. Howard County right next door redistricts every few years, to keep numbers from being too uneven.

+1. Loudon has been redistricting just to keep up with people moving there. If MCPS just bit the bullet and did the full county boundary study and then reviewed them every 5/6 years, they would be much better off.

I feel that parents in other counties accept redistricting better than we do here. Maybe because it's not part of the culture in MCPS? Parents here would protest it.

My friend in Loudoun will have her 6th & 7th grader going to 2 different middle schools in the fall. (Neither are in a special program)

Imagine how that would go here!

I met a parent whose non-magnet kid will be joining their magnet sibling due to not liking their HS. The sibling will not be in magnet. That kind of nonsense should stop.

Parents protested in Howard County in 2019. It got national news coverage. It didn't matter and they went ahead with the plans that were being protested against anyways.

As they should have and as MCPS should do also. Most of these protest have no valid argument. School district is supposed to make the best use of it resources. And if adjusting the boundaries helps achieve that goal so be it.

Do you not remember the upcounty boundary study and the parents who protested just like Howard County did? And just like Howard County, MCPS board didn't give a crap and went ahead and adjusted the boundary as they wanted.

I do! Hi! *waves*

Lots of kids were reassigned to a closer school, a big group of kids who used to get bus service became walkers, my kid got into competitive colleges even though my neighbor assured me that NOBODY from THAT high school would EVER get into ANY college, a new middle school building is about to open, the people who sued lost their lawsuit, and five years from now, "Remember the upcounty boundary study!" will be as relevant as "Remember the Maine!"

I remember this too. I remember when our school didn't have gang violence.

That's amazing since there hasn't been a single gang-related incident in an MCPS school in over a decade.

SROs FTW!

I know right. They worked so well at Parkland and Uvalde!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder how many of you know the size of your kids’ classes, before the announcement of increases. Last year our Pyle 6th grader had 34 in English. And just as many in history. DC explained that they never discussed the books, too many discipline problems, a lot of worksheets and filling out mad libs style essays. That’s not an education. A lot of ostriches here.

it helps if you sign up for the more challenging classes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder how many of you know the size of your kids’ classes, before the announcement of increases. Last year our Pyle 6th grader had 34 in English. And just as many in history. DC explained that they never discussed the books, too many discipline problems, a lot of worksheets and filling out mad libs style essays. That’s not an education. A lot of ostriches here.

Have you brought that up with the teacher, English team , principal? Even your PTA? This may not be everyone’s experience. Which is part of the problem, consistency across school and district.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder how many of you know the size of your kids’ classes, before the announcement of increases. Last year our Pyle 6th grader had 34 in English. And just as many in history. DC explained that they never discussed the books, too many discipline problems, a lot of worksheets and filling out mad libs style essays. That’s not an education. A lot of ostriches here.

Absolutely! And yet for some reason, the ostriches are the loudest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is Churchill and Whitman then a big step down.

No Sir. I am in whitman cluster and the ES is $hit. Staff is phoning it in and lying. Buying for the schools in MoCo was a huge mistake.

I am talking High School.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder how many of you know the size of your kids’ classes, before the announcement of increases. Last year our Pyle 6th grader had 34 in English. And just as many in history. DC explained that they never discussed the books, too many discipline problems, a lot of worksheets and filling out mad libs style essays. That’s not an education. A lot of ostriches here.

Have you brought that up with the teacher, English team , principal? Even your PTA? This may not be everyone’s experience. Which is part of the problem, consistency across school and district.

But even when people tell their experiences with MCPS, other posters here insist we're lying or exaggerating, because they refuse to break up with the "MCPS is great" mythology that they're wedded to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You're living in a fantasy land if you think today's MCPS is anywhere close to what it was 20 years ago. Huge decline and definitely no improvement on the horizon

My kids are getting a much better education than I did 30 years ago. The main difference today is that the county's demographics have shifted, impacting overall test averages. However, if you look deeper, you'll find that the same cohorts perform about the same today; it's just that the mix of students has changed, affecting the overall average. MCPS remains as strong as ever in terms of learning opportunities, but I will concede that a big difference today is many problems arise from parents who aren't involved and expect the county to raise their kids for them.

This 100%. I'm a 1992 MCPS grad and I've seen it evolve through the years. We were a much more homogeneous society so we didn't have the same problems that we see now which is a result of having to deal with hundreds of thousands of students with diverse backgrounds and needs. Technology is a huge factor too that has obviously impacted the entire world positively and negatively. I can tell you that we have a LOT more opportunities for kids today than we've ever had. We didn't have dual enrollment, career readiness programs (medical, law, IT, CS, Business Management, etc.), language immersion, and IB was only limited to RM, and the gifted programs were limited. Trust me- MCPS does a couple of things that seriously irk me but overall, for a system that is one of the largest and most diverse in the country, it is pretty damn good and providing opportunities for kids. Now, it's just the parents turn in making sure they do what they have to do to help their kids.

+2 from a 1994 MCPS grad. I conducted educational research for a while, which put me in contact with many different school systems across the country. MCPS does a terrific job for what it is: a large, diverse county. Sure, there are wealthy, homogenous suburbs, mostly in the northeast, that have better statistics, but that's largely because they're wealthy and homogenous. I'm not interested in that educational experience for my kids. I also don't expect MCPS to do everything for them.

[Anonymous]

At Pyle there is only Honors English and special ed English. They claimed they had the higher history class, but they didn’t. Transcripts said one thing, class was mixed. The principal didn’t care, all
In the name of equity.