Robert Frost beats Takoma Park in Mathcounts

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This whole thread becomes more and more absurd. I suspect there are only a few persons posting trolling messages to pit people against each other.
DC went to the mathcounts event. It was a fun tournament just like chess or other sports competitions. Kids solve some math problem individually and in a team. And the winners recognized in the end. It is just that, an extracurricular activity, interests only to kids who are into it. Although the “winners” are well-known and well-admired by most contestants, I doubt students outside of the math club know or care at all. Also, like other tournaments, the results are quite predictable. Frost probably will win again in the state competition, but that doesn’t mean anything about magnet vs. non-magnet or Frost vs. TP. And the result most likely will change next year when different players come in.

Thanks for posting, PP. It's nice to read a sensible take on this.

Agree that next year will be different. TPMS will go downhill even further.

PP - You should be happy about that, were it come to pass, because your kid presumably is at a superior program, and you then get to gloat. But which begs the question, why do even care?

I am worried, actually. TP is deteriorating obviously (thank you, MCPS). The Frost teachers would have retired by the time DC is a middle schooler. Where could DD go?

It's stronger than ever. Since they started universal screening their drawing from a pool 10X larger than before. I wish these bitter parents would stop with the disinformation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This whole thread becomes more and more absurd. I suspect there are only a few persons posting trolling messages to pit people against each other.
DC went to the mathcounts event. It was a fun tournament just like chess or other sports competitions. Kids solve some math problem individually and in a team. And the winners recognized in the end. It is just that, an extracurricular activity, interests only to kids who are into it. Although the “winners” are well-known and well-admired by most contestants, I doubt students outside of the math club know or care at all. Also, like other tournaments, the results are quite predictable. Frost probably will win again in the state competition, but that doesn’t mean anything about magnet vs. non-magnet or Frost vs. TP. And the result most likely will change next year when different players come in.

Thanks for posting, PP. It's nice to read a sensible take on this.

I'd be surprised if Frost places ahead of TPMS in the state. They have a fraction of the top-rated students that TPMS has, but good luck to them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This whole thread becomes more and more absurd. I suspect there are only a few persons posting trolling messages to pit people against each other.
DC went to the mathcounts event. It was a fun tournament just like chess or other sports competitions. Kids solve some math problem individually and in a team. And the winners recognized in the end. It is just that, an extracurricular activity, interests only to kids who are into it. Although the “winners” are well-known and well-admired by most contestants, I doubt students outside of the math club know or care at all. Also, like other tournaments, the results are quite predictable. Frost probably will win again in the state competition, but that doesn’t mean anything about magnet vs. non-magnet or Frost vs. TP. And the result most likely will change next year when different players come in.

Thanks for posting, PP. It's nice to read a sensible take on this.

Agree that next year will be different. TPMS will go downhill even further.

PP - You should be happy about that, were it come to pass, because your kid presumably is at a superior program, and you then get to gloat. But which begs the question, why do even care?

I am worried, actually. TP is deteriorating obviously (thank you, MCPS). The Frost teachers would have retired by the time DC is a middle schooler. Where could DD go?

If your DD is as bright as you apparently believe she is, find a suitable private school with strong STEM and send her there. Solved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This whole thread becomes more and more absurd. I suspect there are only a few persons posting trolling messages to pit people against each other.
DC went to the mathcounts event. It was a fun tournament just like chess or other sports competitions. Kids solve some math problem individually and in a team. And the winners recognized in the end. It is just that, an extracurricular activity, interests only to kids who are into it. Although the “winners” are well-known and well-admired by most contestants, I doubt students outside of the math club know or care at all. Also, like other tournaments, the results are quite predictable. Frost probably will win again in the state competition, but that doesn’t mean anything about magnet vs. non-magnet or Frost vs. TP. And the result most likely will change next year when different players come in.

Thanks for posting, PP. It's nice to read a sensible take on this.

Agree that next year will be different. TPMS will go downhill even further.

PP - You should be happy about that, were it come to pass, because your kid presumably is at a superior program, and you then get to gloat. But which begs the question, why do even care?

I am worried, actually. TP is deteriorating obviously (thank you, MCPS). The Frost teachers would have retired by the time DC is a middle schooler. Where could DD go?

If your DD is as bright as you apparently believe she is, find a suitable private school with strong STEM and send her there. Solved.

I am not sure if DD is very bright or not but my sarcasm has never lost on her. And she has just turned four this month.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This whole thread becomes more and more absurd. I suspect there are only a few persons posting trolling messages to pit people against each other.
DC went to the mathcounts event. It was a fun tournament just like chess or other sports competitions. Kids solve some math problem individually and in a team. And the winners recognized in the end. It is just that, an extracurricular activity, interests only to kids who are into it. Although the “winners” are well-known and well-admired by most contestants, I doubt students outside of the math club know or care at all. Also, like other tournaments, the results are quite predictable. Frost probably will win again in the state competition, but that doesn’t mean anything about magnet vs. non-magnet or Frost vs. TP. And the result most likely will change next year when different players come in.

Thanks for posting, PP. It's nice to read a sensible take on this.

Agree that next year will be different. TPMS will go downhill even further.

PP - You should be happy about that, were it come to pass, because your kid presumably is at a superior program, and you then get to gloat. But which begs the question, why do even care?

I am worried, actually. TP is deteriorating obviously (thank you, MCPS). The Frost teachers would have retired by the time DC is a middle schooler. Where could DD go?

It's stronger than ever. Since they started universal screening their drawing from a pool 10X larger than before. I wish these bitter parents would stop with the disinformation.

I teach at TPMS and my sense is the caliber of student has markedly improved in recent years because of the better screening methods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem with all. this prep is it makes a mediocre student look like a good candidate for programs like the magnet but when they get there they just slow everyone else down because they're actually just a mediocre kid with pushy parents.

IMO, one could say the same about the somewhat mediocre students who are there now simply because of peer cohort. The wide range of abilities in a magnet program basically brings the average down.

Spot on! The new selection method actually favors the mediocre kids with pushy parents, hence, the “diverse abilities”.

No, it's just the opposite. The new process selects the best and brightest from over 10 times as many potential applicants than the old system. However, there are a few disgruntled parents who like to spread misinformation in the hopes of returning to the older system which favored affluent school kids who prepped.

The new process selects those who don't have a peer cohort, and in some cases, that means that they are not as high performing as other students in schools where there is a peer cohort. The ability range is much wider than in previous years. Even MCPS has stated this. Ergo... the average has gone down.

This was proven when MCPS released the scores last year, but parents who had been able to easily game the old system are still very bitter about the admission changes since they mitigate prep and greatly increase the applicant pool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This whole thread becomes more and more absurd. I suspect there are only a few persons posting trolling messages to pit people against each other.
DC went to the mathcounts event. It was a fun tournament just like chess or other sports competitions. Kids solve some math problem individually and in a team. And the winners recognized in the end. It is just that, an extracurricular activity, interests only to kids who are into it. Although the “winners” are well-known and well-admired by most contestants, I doubt students outside of the math club know or care at all. Also, like other tournaments, the results are quite predictable. Frost probably will win again in the state competition, but that doesn’t mean anything about magnet vs. non-magnet or Frost vs. TP. And the result most likely will change next year when different players come in.

Thanks for posting, PP. It's nice to read a sensible take on this.

Agree that next year will be different. TPMS will go downhill even further.

PP - You should be happy about that, were it come to pass, because your kid presumably is at a superior program, and you then get to gloat. But which begs the question, why do even care?

I am worried, actually. TP is deteriorating obviously (thank you, MCPS). The Frost teachers would have retired by the time DC is a middle schooler. Where could DD go?

If your DD is as bright as you apparently believe she is, find a suitable private school with strong STEM and send her there. Solved.

I am not sure if DD is very bright or not but my sarcasm has never lost on her. And she has just turned four this month.

EQ is great if she wants the communication-based magnet at Eastern, but it’s not really a hugely sought after trait in a Math and Science program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This whole thread becomes more and more absurd. I suspect there are only a few persons posting trolling messages to pit people against each other.
DC went to the mathcounts event. It was a fun tournament just like chess or other sports competitions. Kids solve some math problem individually and in a team. And the winners recognized in the end. It is just that, an extracurricular activity, interests only to kids who are into it. Although the “winners” are well-known and well-admired by most contestants, I doubt students outside of the math club know or care at all. Also, like other tournaments, the results are quite predictable. Frost probably will win again in the state competition, but that doesn’t mean anything about magnet vs. non-magnet or Frost vs. TP. And the result most likely will change next year when different players come in.

Thanks for posting, PP. It's nice to read a sensible take on this.

Agree that next year will be different. TPMS will go downhill even further.

PP - You should be happy about that, were it come to pass, because your kid presumably is at a superior program, and you then get to gloat. But which begs the question, why do even care?

I am worried, actually. TP is deteriorating obviously (thank you, MCPS). The Frost teachers would have retired by the time DC is a middle schooler. Where could DD go?

It's stronger than ever. Since they started universal screening their drawing from a pool 10X larger than before. I wish these bitter parents would stop with the disinformation.

I teach at TPMS and my sense is the caliber of student has markedly improved in recent years because of the better screening methods.

Independent verifications (mathleague x 2 and Mathcounts) proves otherwise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
This was proven when MCPS released the scores last year, but parents who had been able to easily game the old system are still very bitter about the admission changes since they mitigate prep and greatly increase the applicant pool.

Where are those scores?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
This was proven when MCPS released the scores last year, but parents who had been able to easily game the old system are still very bitter about the admission changes since they mitigate prep and greatly increase the applicant pool.

Where are those scores?

This new selection process actually favors and encourages prep because it massively increases one’s odd of successfully gaming the system. No inputs from teachers and no extracurricular achievements. You do not need much innate ability. Just prep the hell on CogAT (C2 education, testingmom.com, APlus etc) and cheat on FARM status (accepting only cash and report net loss on your tax return etc).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This whole thread becomes more and more absurd. I suspect there are only a few persons posting trolling messages to pit people against each other.
DC went to the mathcounts event. It was a fun tournament just like chess or other sports competitions. Kids solve some math problem individually and in a team. And the winners recognized in the end. It is just that, an extracurricular activity, interests only to kids who are into it. Although the “winners” are well-known and well-admired by most contestants, I doubt students outside of the math club know or care at all. Also, like other tournaments, the results are quite predictable. Frost probably will win again in the state competition, but that doesn’t mean anything about magnet vs. non-magnet or Frost vs. TP. And the result most likely will change next year when different players come in.

Thanks for posting, PP. It's nice to read a sensible take on this.

Agree that next year will be different. TPMS will go downhill even further.

PP - You should be happy about that, were it come to pass, because your kid presumably is at a superior program, and you then get to gloat. But which begs the question, why do even care?

I am worried, actually. TP is deteriorating obviously (thank you, MCPS). The Frost teachers would have retired by the time DC is a middle schooler. Where could DD go?

It's stronger than ever. Since they started universal screening their drawing from a pool 10X larger than before. I wish these bitter parents would stop with the disinformation.

I teach at TPMS and my sense is the caliber of student has markedly improved in recent years because of the better screening methods.

Independent verifications (mathleague x 2 and Mathcounts) proves otherwise.

This is such a weird metric. Math competitions are fine for kids who enjoy them, but the idea that they tell us whether a school is "declining" (particularly when kids from that school are doing very well in the competitions) is bananas.

If some high fliers are remaining in their home schools rather than commuting to TPMS, that's a good thing for everyone. There are plenty of smart kids who would benefit from - and contribute to - the magnet program. It's not like there have only ever been 100 kids per grade who could do the work, and if two of those stay at Frost the magnet program is doomed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
This was proven when MCPS released the scores last year, but parents who had been able to easily game the old system are still very bitter about the admission changes since they mitigate prep and greatly increase the applicant pool.

Where are those scores?

This new selection process actually favors and encourages prep because it massively increases one’s odd of successfully gaming the system. No inputs from teachers and no extracurricular achievements. You do not need much innate ability. Just prep the hell on CogAT (C2 education, testingmom.com, APlus etc) and cheat on FARM status (accepting only cash and report net loss on your tax return etc).

Not disagreeing with you, but I would still like to see those scores that the PP referred to which shows that the reverse was true.. that we are seeing higher scores of accepted students with the "peer cohort" criteria.

I read that a group of parents requested those scores recently, filed the paperwork, etc... but MCPS has still refused to release those scores. PP must have some inside knowledge. Post those scores, and then we can *finally* lay this argument to rest and prove the naysayers all wrong.

But without those scores being made public, and based on MCPS' own numbers from previous years, it show that the peer cohort criteria is doing the reverse.. median scores of accepted students have gone down.

Please prove that statement wrong with facts from MCPS. Otherwise, stop talking out of your a$$.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This whole thread becomes more and more absurd. I suspect there are only a few persons posting trolling messages to pit people against each other.
DC went to the mathcounts event. It was a fun tournament just like chess or other sports competitions. Kids solve some math problem individually and in a team. And the winners recognized in the end. It is just that, an extracurricular activity, interests only to kids who are into it. Although the “winners” are well-known and well-admired by most contestants, I doubt students outside of the math club know or care at all. Also, like other tournaments, the results are quite predictable. Frost probably will win again in the state competition, but that doesn’t mean anything about magnet vs. non-magnet or Frost vs. TP. And the result most likely will change next year when different players come in.

Thanks for posting, PP. It's nice to read a sensible take on this.

Agree that next year will be different. TPMS will go downhill even further.

PP - You should be happy about that, were it come to pass, because your kid presumably is at a superior program, and you then get to gloat. But which begs the question, why do even care?

DP... people care about the direction of the school district. The magnet programs are one of the best things about MCPS, and lowering the bar for magnet programs is going in the wrong direction.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This whole thread becomes more and more absurd. I suspect there are only a few persons posting trolling messages to pit people against each other.
DC went to the mathcounts event. It was a fun tournament just like chess or other sports competitions. Kids solve some math problem individually and in a team. And the winners recognized in the end. It is just that, an extracurricular activity, interests only to kids who are into it. Although the “winners” are well-known and well-admired by most contestants, I doubt students outside of the math club know or care at all. Also, like other tournaments, the results are quite predictable. Frost probably will win again in the state competition, but that doesn’t mean anything about magnet vs. non-magnet or Frost vs. TP. And the result most likely will change next year when different players come in.

Thanks for posting, PP. It's nice to read a sensible take on this.

Agree that next year will be different. TPMS will go downhill even further.

PP - You should be happy about that, were it come to pass, because your kid presumably is at a superior program, and you then get to gloat. But which begs the question, why do even care?

I am worried, actually. TP is deteriorating obviously (thank you, MCPS). The Frost teachers would have retired by the time DC is a middle schooler. Where could DD go?

It's stronger than ever. Since they started universal screening their drawing from a pool 10X larger than before. I wish these bitter parents would stop with the disinformation.

I teach at TPMS and my sense is the caliber of student has markedly improved in recent years because of the better screening methods.

Independent verifications (mathleague x 2 and Mathcounts) proves otherwise.

This is such a weird metric. Math competitions are fine for kids who enjoy them, but the idea that they tell us whether a school is "declining" (particularly when kids from that school are doing very well in the competitions) is bananas.

If some high fliers are remaining in their home schools rather than commuting to TPMS, that's a good thing for everyone. There are plenty of smart kids who would benefit from - and contribute to - the magnet program. It's not like there have only ever been 100 kids per grade who could do the work, and if two of those stay at Frost the magnet program is doomed.

No idea if the high fliers chose to stay with home school voluntarily. Of course a few high fliers are not the whole picture either. With MCPS withholding the info and continuing to mismanage the county’s educational resources it is only natural for folks to gauge the impact of their ill-intended action on magnet programs. Too bad the other metrics outside of MCPS’s control start to reveal things MCPS wants us to believe otherwise. I agree that a few math contests are just the tip of an iceberg. We will see. It is not looking good for TPMS. It surely is likely that it will turn worse for TPMS. If math competitions not important why is TPMS putting so much emphasis on its achievements in math competitions?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This whole thread becomes more and more absurd. I suspect there are only a few persons posting trolling messages to pit people against each other.
DC went to the mathcounts event. It was a fun tournament just like chess or other sports competitions. Kids solve some math problem individually and in a team. And the winners recognized in the end. It is just that, an extracurricular activity, interests only to kids who are into it. Although the “winners” are well-known and well-admired by most contestants, I doubt students outside of the math club know or care at all. Also, like other tournaments, the results are quite predictable. Frost probably will win again in the state competition, but that doesn’t mean anything about magnet vs. non-magnet or Frost vs. TP. And the result most likely will change next year when different players come in.

Thanks for posting, PP. It's nice to read a sensible take on this.

Agree that next year will be different. TPMS will go downhill even further.

PP - You should be happy about that, were it come to pass, because your kid presumably is at a superior program, and you then get to gloat. But which begs the question, why do even care?

I am worried, actually. TP is deteriorating obviously (thank you, MCPS). The Frost teachers would have retired by the time DC is a middle schooler. Where could DD go?

It's stronger than ever. Since they started universal screening their drawing from a pool 10X larger than before. I wish these bitter parents would stop with the disinformation.

I teach at TPMS and my sense is the caliber of student has markedly improved in recent years because of the better screening methods.

Independent verifications (mathleague x 2 and Mathcounts) proves otherwise.

Do you mean independent verifications like the MAA, where in the latest AMC8 results, TPMS has 26 in honor roll while Frost has 5?
Where TPMS scores lead the state Maryland ?

http://amc-reg.maa.org/reports/generalreports.aspx