Regional IB programs - four years later

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS turned a few high schools into "regional IB" programs four years ago. I remember that magnet admissions season and there was a LOT of angst over kids who applied to RM being instead seats at these regionals instead. And I remember an awful lot of unpleasant assertions that these schools / students would not perform at the same level as RM. It was ugly. Sometime really ugly.

So I am wondering how it has gone for the first cohort? I've heard about several admissions to T20 universities at our regional IB. More than there had been before. How about at your regional? Do you think it all worked out or do you think it was all for show and that MCPS failed?

Just stop.

MCPS did not "fail"

Learn the history of why there are Magnet schools to begin with then come back with your propaganda.

These schools are good. They serve a specific segment of the student population. Just like any other HS experience it will be different for different kids.

You have zero idea what you are a talking about. Stop trying to bash MCPS.

You're delusional. MCPS definitely intentionally put the Regional IB programs in schools that had abysmal academics to draw kids who have good academic numbers to come to the school and improve their numbers.

Acknowledging this fact is not "bashing" MCPS. And frankly, I don't mind the tactic if they do a good job of giving those kids positive outcomes in those Regional IB programs. That has not been the case to date at Kennedy. Hence, why Principal Adamson was brought in to clean up that mess.

100% this. Regional IB was in fact a marketing scheme to paper over poor school performance. In the end the performance was still poor, because teachers are the same, course offerings are slim, and management was abysmal. There’s nothing special about the IB curriculum that magically better than AP for example. In the end it’s just a band aid, and of course it didn’t work. I actually feel bad for the families falling the marketing ploy.

You know this how?

Can you do something more constructive than heckling anyone that criticizes the IB programs? Seriously are you employed by MCPS, at least disclose so we’re clear that you have some other motivations in participating in this discussion.

Put on some data that shows the program worked if you have it, I’ll wait.

In the meantime let’s look at university admissions, diploma rates, program participation rates and conclude that they point towards regional IBs being a failure at the expense of students and their families.

OP here. My kid has been telling me about classmates getting accepted to top schools. That does not look like failure to me. And another poster wrote about Hopkins and Michigan acceptances. Those are great results. Maybe those kids would have been fine at any MCPS HS? But the point is that they were not. They were (are?) at a regional IB.

Are they outliers? Are there others? DCUM is probably 95% W school parents so maybe we will never know?

That's not true. There are a lot of DCC parents, hence the fights and handwringing between the DCC faction and the BCC/W School Parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS turned a few high schools into "regional IB" programs four years ago. I remember that magnet admissions season and there was a LOT of angst over kids who applied to RM being instead seats at these regionals instead. And I remember an awful lot of unpleasant assertions that these schools / students would not perform at the same level as RM. It was ugly. Sometime really ugly.

So I am wondering how it has gone for the first cohort? I've heard about several admissions to T20 universities at our regional IB. More than there had been before. How about at your regional? Do you think it all worked out or do you think it was all for show and that MCPS failed?

Just stop.

MCPS did not "fail"

Learn the history of why there are Magnet schools to begin with then come back with your propaganda.

These schools are good. They serve a specific segment of the student population. Just like any other HS experience it will be different for different kids.

You have zero idea what you are a talking about. Stop trying to bash MCPS.

You're delusional. MCPS definitely intentionally put the Regional IB programs in schools that had abysmal academics to draw kids who have good academic numbers to come to the school and improve their numbers.

Acknowledging this fact is not "bashing" MCPS. And frankly, I don't mind the tactic if they do a good job of giving those kids positive outcomes in those Regional IB programs. That has not been the case to date at Kennedy. Hence, why Principal Adamson was brought in to clean up that mess.

Why would you have expected the regional IB programs to have better outcomes compared to before? If it were that easy to turn around a school with an IB program, we would just switch all schools to IB and solve all the problems in education. It was just a distraction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS turned a few high schools into "regional IB" programs four years ago. I remember that magnet admissions season and there was a LOT of angst over kids who applied to RM being instead seats at these regionals instead. And I remember an awful lot of unpleasant assertions that these schools / students would not perform at the same level as RM. It was ugly. Sometime really ugly.

So I am wondering how it has gone for the first cohort? I've heard about several admissions to T20 universities at our regional IB. More than there had been before. How about at your regional? Do you think it all worked out or do you think it was all for show and that MCPS failed?

Just stop.

MCPS did not "fail"

Learn the history of why there are Magnet schools to begin with then come back with your propaganda.

These schools are good. They serve a specific segment of the student population. Just like any other HS experience it will be different for different kids.

You have zero idea what you are a talking about. Stop trying to bash MCPS.

You're delusional. MCPS definitely intentionally put the Regional IB programs in schools that had abysmal academics to draw kids who have good academic numbers to come to the school and improve their numbers.

Acknowledging this fact is not "bashing" MCPS. And frankly, I don't mind the tactic if they do a good job of giving those kids positive outcomes in those Regional IB programs. That has not been the case to date at Kennedy. Hence, why Principal Adamson was brought in to clean up that mess.

Why would you have expected the regional IB programs to have better outcomes compared to before? If it were that easy to turn around a school with an IB program, we would just switch all schools to IB and solve all the problems in education. It was just a distraction.

Don't ask me that question. Ask MCPS. They're the ones who set it up.

I had no idea that the teachers leading the IB courses were the same ones from before the school became a Regional IB school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS turned a few high schools into "regional IB" programs four years ago. I remember that magnet admissions season and there was a LOT of angst over kids who applied to RM being instead seats at these regionals instead. And I remember an awful lot of unpleasant assertions that these schools / students would not perform at the same level as RM. It was ugly. Sometime really ugly.

So I am wondering how it has gone for the first cohort? I've heard about several admissions to T20 universities at our regional IB. More than there had been before. How about at your regional? Do you think it all worked out or do you think it was all for show and that MCPS failed?

Just stop.

MCPS did not "fail"

Learn the history of why there are Magnet schools to begin with then come back with your propaganda.

These schools are good. They serve a specific segment of the student population. Just like any other HS experience it will be different for different kids.

You have zero idea what you are a talking about. Stop trying to bash MCPS.

You're delusional. MCPS definitely intentionally put the Regional IB programs in schools that had abysmal academics to draw kids who have good academic numbers to come to the school and improve their numbers.

Acknowledging this fact is not "bashing" MCPS. And frankly, I don't mind the tactic if they do a good job of giving those kids positive outcomes in those Regional IB programs. That has not been the case to date at Kennedy. Hence, why Principal Adamson was brought in to clean up that mess.

100% this. Regional IB was in fact a marketing scheme to paper over poor school performance. In the end the performance was still poor, because teachers are the same, course offerings are slim, and management was abysmal. There’s nothing special about the IB curriculum that magically better than AP for example. In the end it’s just a band aid, and of course it didn’t work. I actually feel bad for the families falling the marketing ploy.

You know this how?

Can you do something more constructive than heckling anyone that criticizes the IB programs? Seriously are you employed by MCPS, at least disclose so we’re clear that you have some other motivations in participating in this discussion.

Put on some data that shows the program worked if you have it, I’ll wait.

In the meantime let’s look at university admissions, diploma rates, program participation rates and conclude that they point towards regional IBs being a failure at the expense of students and their families.

OP here. My kid has been telling me about classmates getting accepted to top schools. That does not look like failure to me. And another poster wrote about Hopkins and Michigan acceptances. Those are great results. Maybe those kids would have been fine at any MCPS HS? But the point is that they were not. They were (are?) at a regional IB.

Are they outliers? Are there others? DCUM is probably 95% W school parents so maybe we will never know?

We also should note that university admission at a T20 is not actually a great evaluation has that is going to take in a lot of factors including cost and location.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

OP here. My kid has been telling me about classmates getting accepted to top schools. That does not look like failure to me. And another poster wrote about Hopkins and Michigan acceptances. Those are great results. Maybe those kids would have been fine at any MCPS HS? But the point is that they were not. They were (are?) at a regional IB.

Are they outliers? Are there others? DCUM is probably 95% W school parents so maybe we will never know?

DCUM is not.

-parent in Ganglandia

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS turned a few high schools into "regional IB" programs four years ago. I remember that magnet admissions season and there was a LOT of angst over kids who applied to RM being instead seats at these regionals instead. And I remember an awful lot of unpleasant assertions that these schools / students would not perform at the same level as RM. It was ugly. Sometime really ugly.

So I am wondering how it has gone for the first cohort? I've heard about several admissions to T20 universities at our regional IB. More than there had been before. How about at your regional? Do you think it all worked out or do you think it was all for show and that MCPS failed?

Just stop.

MCPS did not "fail"

Learn the history of why there are Magnet schools to begin with then come back with your propaganda.

These schools are good. They serve a specific segment of the student population. Just like any other HS experience it will be different for different kids.

You have zero idea what you are a talking about. Stop trying to bash MCPS.

You're delusional. MCPS definitely intentionally put the Regional IB programs in schools that had abysmal academics to draw kids who have good academic numbers to come to the school and improve their numbers.

Acknowledging this fact is not "bashing" MCPS. And frankly, I don't mind the tactic if they do a good job of giving those kids positive outcomes in those Regional IB programs. That has not been the case to date at Kennedy. Hence, why Principal Adamson was brought in to clean up that mess.

100% this. Regional IB was in fact a marketing scheme to paper over poor school performance. In the end the performance was still poor, because teachers are the same, course offerings are slim, and management was abysmal. There’s nothing special about the IB curriculum that magically better than AP for example. In the end it’s just a band aid, and of course it didn’t work. I actually feel bad for the families falling the marketing ploy.

You know this how?

Can you do something more constructive than heckling anyone that criticizes the IB programs? Seriously are you employed by MCPS, at least disclose so we’re clear that you have some other motivations in participating in this discussion.

Put on some data that shows the program worked if you have it, I’ll wait.

In the meantime let’s look at university admissions, diploma rates, program participation rates and conclude that they point towards regional IBs being a failure at the expense of students and their families.

OP here. My kid has been telling me about classmates getting accepted to top schools. That does not look like failure to me. And another poster wrote about Hopkins and Michigan acceptances. Those are great results. Maybe those kids would have been fine at any MCPS HS? But the point is that they were not. They were (are?) at a regional IB.

Are they outliers? Are there others? DCUM is probably 95% W school parents so maybe we will never know?

We also should note that university admission at a T20 is not actually a great evaluation has that is going to take in a lot of factors including cost and location.

Some of us don't even know what T20 colleges are. Also, how many T20 colleges are there? Is it like the Big Ten?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS turned a few high schools into "regional IB" programs four years ago. I remember that magnet admissions season and there was a LOT of angst over kids who applied to RM being instead seats at these regionals instead. And I remember an awful lot of unpleasant assertions that these schools / students would not perform at the same level as RM. It was ugly. Sometime really ugly.

So I am wondering how it has gone for the first cohort? I've heard about several admissions to T20 universities at our regional IB. More than there had been before. How about at your regional? Do you think it all worked out or do you think it was all for show and that MCPS failed?

Just stop.

MCPS did not "fail"

Learn the history of why there are Magnet schools to begin with then come back with your propaganda.

These schools are good. They serve a specific segment of the student population. Just like any other HS experience it will be different for different kids.

You have zero idea what you are a talking about. Stop trying to bash MCPS.

You're delusional. MCPS definitely intentionally put the Regional IB programs in schools that had abysmal academics to draw kids who have good academic numbers to come to the school and improve their numbers.

Acknowledging this fact is not "bashing" MCPS. And frankly, I don't mind the tactic if they do a good job of giving those kids positive outcomes in those Regional IB programs. That has not been the case to date at Kennedy. Hence, why Principal Adamson was brought in to clean up that mess.

100% this. Regional IB was in fact a marketing scheme to paper over poor school performance. In the end the performance was still poor, because teachers are the same, course offerings are slim, and management was abysmal. There’s nothing special about the IB curriculum that magically better than AP for example. In the end it’s just a band aid, and of course it didn’t work. I actually feel bad for the families falling the marketing ploy.

You know this how?

Can you do something more constructive than heckling anyone that criticizes the IB programs? Seriously are you employed by MCPS, at least disclose so we’re clear that you have some other motivations in participating in this discussion.

Put on some data that shows the program worked if you have it, I’ll wait.

In the meantime let’s look at university admissions, diploma rates, program participation rates and conclude that they point towards regional IBs being a failure at the expense of students and their families.

OP here. My kid has been telling me about classmates getting accepted to top schools. That does not look like failure to me. And another poster wrote about Hopkins and Michigan acceptances. Those are great results. Maybe those kids would have been fine at any MCPS HS? But the point is that they were not. They were (are?) at a regional IB.

Are they outliers? Are there others? DCUM is probably 95% W school parents so maybe we will never know?

We also should note that university admission at a T20 is not actually a great evaluation has that is going to take in a lot of factors including cost and location.

Some of us don't even know what T20 colleges are. Also, how many T20 colleges are there? Is it like the Big Ten?

Top 20 according to whatever magazine you read. The Ivy League etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS turned a few high schools into "regional IB" programs four years ago. I remember that magnet admissions season and there was a LOT of angst over kids who applied to RM being instead seats at these regionals instead. And I remember an awful lot of unpleasant assertions that these schools / students would not perform at the same level as RM. It was ugly. Sometime really ugly.

So I am wondering how it has gone for the first cohort? I've heard about several admissions to T20 universities at our regional IB. More than there had been before. How about at your regional? Do you think it all worked out or do you think it was all for show and that MCPS failed?

Just stop.

MCPS did not "fail"

Learn the history of why there are Magnet schools to begin with then come back with your propaganda.

These schools are good. They serve a specific segment of the student population. Just like any other HS experience it will be different for different kids.

You have zero idea what you are a talking about. Stop trying to bash MCPS.

You're delusional. MCPS definitely intentionally put the Regional IB programs in schools that had abysmal academics to draw kids who have good academic numbers to come to the school and improve their numbers.

Acknowledging this fact is not "bashing" MCPS. And frankly, I don't mind the tactic if they do a good job of giving those kids positive outcomes in those Regional IB programs. That has not been the case to date at Kennedy. Hence, why Principal Adamson was brought in to clean up that mess.

Why would you have expected the regional IB programs to have better outcomes compared to before? If it were that easy to turn around a school with an IB program, we would just switch all schools to IB and solve all the problems in education. It was just a distraction.

Don't ask me that question. Ask MCPS. They're the ones who set it up.

I had no idea that the teachers leading the IB courses were the same ones from before the school became a Regional IB school.

It’s not like they will fire the staff and hire highly qualified IB teachers that are just waiting for the opportunity to work at Kennedy. Probably they do a two week training session with the existing staff, if even that.

To me the dishonest part was just how overhyped the IB program was, because it was presentas truly amazing and rigorous, when in fact it’s somewhat below AP, and like everything in education depends a lot on the teachers and students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS turned a few high schools into "regional IB" programs four years ago. I remember that magnet admissions season and there was a LOT of angst over kids who applied to RM being instead seats at these regionals instead. And I remember an awful lot of unpleasant assertions that these schools / students would not perform at the same level as RM. It was ugly. Sometime really ugly.

So I am wondering how it has gone for the first cohort? I've heard about several admissions to T20 universities at our regional IB. More than there had been before. How about at your regional? Do you think it all worked out or do you think it was all for show and that MCPS failed?

Just stop.

MCPS did not "fail"

Learn the history of why there are Magnet schools to begin with then come back with your propaganda.

These schools are good. They serve a specific segment of the student population. Just like any other HS experience it will be different for different kids.

You have zero idea what you are a talking about. Stop trying to bash MCPS.

You're delusional. MCPS definitely intentionally put the Regional IB programs in schools that had abysmal academics to draw kids who have good academic numbers to come to the school and improve their numbers.

Acknowledging this fact is not "bashing" MCPS. And frankly, I don't mind the tactic if they do a good job of giving those kids positive outcomes in those Regional IB programs. That has not been the case to date at Kennedy. Hence, why Principal Adamson was brought in to clean up that mess.

100% this. Regional IB was in fact a marketing scheme to paper over poor school performance. In the end the performance was still poor, because teachers are the same, course offerings are slim, and management was abysmal. There’s nothing special about the IB curriculum that magically better than AP for example. In the end it’s just a band aid, and of course it didn’t work. I actually feel bad for the families falling the marketing ploy.

You know this how?

Can you do something more constructive than heckling anyone that criticizes the IB programs? Seriously are you employed by MCPS, at least disclose so we’re clear that you have some other motivations in participating in this discussion.

Put on some data that shows the program worked if you have it, I’ll wait.

In the meantime let’s look at university admissions, diploma rates, program participation rates and conclude that they point towards regional IBs being a failure at the expense of students and their families.

Not the PP, but you are asking for data that does not yet exist. The very first cohort of criteria-based magnet IB kids are in 12th grade this year. We'll know this summer how they did.

I don't have a dog in this fight, but MCPS parents always talk about how there need to be more magnet programs. So now there are three or four more. Cost is minimal since buses were running to those schools anyway - why be mad about it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS turned a few high schools into "regional IB" programs four years ago. I remember that magnet admissions season and there was a LOT of angst over kids who applied to RM being instead seats at these regionals instead. And I remember an awful lot of unpleasant assertions that these schools / students would not perform at the same level as RM. It was ugly. Sometime really ugly.

So I am wondering how it has gone for the first cohort? I've heard about several admissions to T20 universities at our regional IB. More than there had been before. How about at your regional? Do you think it all worked out or do you think it was all for show and that MCPS failed?

Just stop.

MCPS did not "fail"

Learn the history of why there are Magnet schools to begin with then come back with your propaganda.

These schools are good. They serve a specific segment of the student population. Just like any other HS experience it will be different for different kids.

You have zero idea what you are a talking about. Stop trying to bash MCPS.

You're delusional. MCPS definitely intentionally put the Regional IB programs in schools that had abysmal academics to draw kids who have good academic numbers to come to the school and improve their numbers.

Acknowledging this fact is not "bashing" MCPS. And frankly, I don't mind the tactic if they do a good job of giving those kids positive outcomes in those Regional IB programs. That has not been the case to date at Kennedy. Hence, why Principal Adamson was brought in to clean up that mess.

100% this. Regional IB was in fact a marketing scheme to paper over poor school performance. In the end the performance was still poor, because teachers are the same, course offerings are slim, and management was abysmal. There’s nothing special about the IB curriculum that magically better than AP for example. In the end it’s just a band aid, and of course it didn’t work. I actually feel bad for the families falling the marketing ploy.

You know this how?

I made it up

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS turned a few high schools into "regional IB" programs four years ago. I remember that magnet admissions season and there was a LOT of angst over kids who applied to RM being instead seats at these regionals instead. And I remember an awful lot of unpleasant assertions that these schools / students would not perform at the same level as RM. It was ugly. Sometime really ugly.

So I am wondering how it has gone for the first cohort? I've heard about several admissions to T20 universities at our regional IB. More than there had been before. How about at your regional? Do you think it all worked out or do you think it was all for show and that MCPS failed?

Just stop.

MCPS did not "fail"

Learn the history of why there are Magnet schools to begin with then come back with your propaganda.

These schools are good. They serve a specific segment of the student population. Just like any other HS experience it will be different for different kids.

You have zero idea what you are a talking about. Stop trying to bash MCPS.

You're delusional. MCPS definitely intentionally put the Regional IB programs in schools that had abysmal academics to draw kids who have good academic numbers to come to the school and improve their numbers.

Acknowledging this fact is not "bashing" MCPS. And frankly, I don't mind the tactic if they do a good job of giving those kids positive outcomes in those Regional IB programs. That has not been the case to date at Kennedy. Hence, why Principal Adamson was brought in to clean up that mess.

100% this. Regional IB was in fact a marketing scheme to paper over poor school performance. In the end the performance was still poor, because teachers are the same, course offerings are slim, and management was abysmal. There’s nothing special about the IB curriculum that magically better than AP for example. In the end it’s just a band aid, and of course it didn’t work. I actually feel bad for the families falling the marketing ploy.

You know this how?

Can you do something more constructive than heckling anyone that criticizes the IB programs? Seriously are you employed by MCPS, at least disclose so we’re clear that you have some other motivations in participating in this discussion.

Put on some data that shows the program worked if you have it, I’ll wait.

In the meantime let’s look at university admissions, diploma rates, program participation rates and conclude that they point towards regional IBs being a failure at the expense of students and their families.

Not the PP, but you are asking for data that does not yet exist. The very first cohort of criteria-based magnet IB kids are in 12th grade this year. We'll know this summer how they did.

I don't have a dog in this fight, but MCPS parents always talk about how there need to be more magnet programs. So now there are three or four more. Cost is minimal since buses were running to those schools anyway - why be mad about it?

Except IB DP is two years and we should have some data by now.

When parents say they want more magnets they mean quality education as in the magnet schools that are sought after. Not to take the same shitty school put the IB label on it, overhype how great the IB program is, and call it a magnet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS turned a few high schools into "regional IB" programs four years ago. I remember that magnet admissions season and there was a LOT of angst over kids who applied to RM being instead seats at these regionals instead. And I remember an awful lot of unpleasant assertions that these schools / students would not perform at the same level as RM. It was ugly. Sometime really ugly.

So I am wondering how it has gone for the first cohort? I've heard about several admissions to T20 universities at our regional IB. More than there had been before. How about at your regional? Do you think it all worked out or do you think it was all for show and that MCPS failed?

Just stop.

MCPS did not "fail"

Learn the history of why there are Magnet schools to begin with then come back with your propaganda.

These schools are good. They serve a specific segment of the student population. Just like any other HS experience it will be different for different kids.

You have zero idea what you are a talking about. Stop trying to bash MCPS.

You're delusional. MCPS definitely intentionally put the Regional IB programs in schools that had abysmal academics to draw kids who have good academic numbers to come to the school and improve their numbers.

Acknowledging this fact is not "bashing" MCPS. And frankly, I don't mind the tactic if they do a good job of giving those kids positive outcomes in those Regional IB programs. That has not been the case to date at Kennedy. Hence, why Principal Adamson was brought in to clean up that mess.

100% this. Regional IB was in fact a marketing scheme to paper over poor school performance. In the end the performance was still poor, because teachers are the same, course offerings are slim, and management was abysmal. There’s nothing special about the IB curriculum that magically better than AP for example. In the end it’s just a band aid, and of course it didn’t work. I actually feel bad for the families falling the marketing ploy.

You know this how?

I made it up

Yes sock puppet, what do we know and how do we know it. That’s as far as your intellectual ability goes. If you’re also an IB teacher as you claimed in other posts, then I feel bad for your students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS turned a few high schools into "regional IB" programs four years ago. I remember that magnet admissions season and there was a LOT of angst over kids who applied to RM being instead seats at these regionals instead. And I remember an awful lot of unpleasant assertions that these schools / students would not perform at the same level as RM. It was ugly. Sometime really ugly.

So I am wondering how it has gone for the first cohort? I've heard about several admissions to T20 universities at our regional IB. More than there had been before. How about at your regional? Do you think it all worked out or do you think it was all for show and that MCPS failed?

Just stop.

MCPS did not "fail"

Learn the history of why there are Magnet schools to begin with then come back with your propaganda.

These schools are good. They serve a specific segment of the student population. Just like any other HS experience it will be different for different kids.

You have zero idea what you are a talking about. Stop trying to bash MCPS.

You're delusional. MCPS definitely intentionally put the Regional IB programs in schools that had abysmal academics to draw kids who have good academic numbers to come to the school and improve their numbers.

Acknowledging this fact is not "bashing" MCPS. And frankly, I don't mind the tactic if they do a good job of giving those kids positive outcomes in those Regional IB programs. That has not been the case to date at Kennedy. Hence, why Principal Adamson was brought in to clean up that mess.

100% this. Regional IB was in fact a marketing scheme to paper over poor school performance. In the end the performance was still poor, because teachers are the same, course offerings are slim, and management was abysmal. There’s nothing special about the IB curriculum that magically better than AP for example. In the end it’s just a band aid, and of course it didn’t work. I actually feel bad for the families falling the marketing ploy.

You know this how?

Can you do something more constructive than heckling anyone that criticizes the IB programs? Seriously are you employed by MCPS, at least disclose so we’re clear that you have some other motivations in participating in this discussion.

Put on some data that shows the program worked if you have it, I’ll wait.

In the meantime let’s look at university admissions, diploma rates, program participation rates and conclude that they point towards regional IBs being a failure at the expense of students and their families.

OP here. My kid has been telling me about classmates getting accepted to top schools. That does not look like failure to me. And another poster wrote about Hopkins and Michigan acceptances. Those are great results. Maybe those kids would have been fine at any MCPS HS? But the point is that they were not. They were (are?) at a regional IB.

Are they outliers? Are there others? DCUM is probably 95% W school parents so maybe we will never know?

Bingo!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS turned a few high schools into "regional IB" programs four years ago. I remember that magnet admissions season and there was a LOT of angst over kids who applied to RM being instead seats at these regionals instead. And I remember an awful lot of unpleasant assertions that these schools / students would not perform at the same level as RM. It was ugly. Sometime really ugly.

So I am wondering how it has gone for the first cohort? I've heard about several admissions to T20 universities at our regional IB. More than there had been before. How about at your regional? Do you think it all worked out or do you think it was all for show and that MCPS failed?

Just stop.

MCPS did not "fail"

Learn the history of why there are Magnet schools to begin with then come back with your propaganda.

These schools are good. They serve a specific segment of the student population. Just like any other HS experience it will be different for different kids.

You have zero idea what you are a talking about. Stop trying to bash MCPS.

You're delusional. MCPS definitely intentionally put the Regional IB programs in schools that had abysmal academics to draw kids who have good academic numbers to come to the school and improve their numbers.

Acknowledging this fact is not "bashing" MCPS. And frankly, I don't mind the tactic if they do a good job of giving those kids positive outcomes in those Regional IB programs. That has not been the case to date at Kennedy. Hence, why Principal Adamson was brought in to clean up that mess.

Why would you have expected the regional IB programs to have better outcomes compared to before? If it were that easy to turn around a school with an IB program, we would just switch all schools to IB and solve all the problems in education. It was just a distraction.

Don't ask me that question. Ask MCPS. They're the ones who set it up.

I had no idea that the teachers leading the IB courses were the same ones from before the school became a Regional IB school.

It’s not like they will fire the staff and hire highly qualified IB teachers that are just waiting for the opportunity to work at Kennedy. Probably they do a two week training session with the existing staff, if even that.

To me the dishonest part was just how overhyped the IB program was, because it was presentas truly amazing and rigorous, when in fact it’s somewhat below AP, and like everything in education depends a lot on the teachers and students.

I think you're using that phrase incorrectly. What you meant was, "in my opinion".

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Anonymous wrote:MCPS turned a few high schools into "regional IB" programs four years ago. I remember that magnet admissions season and there was a LOT of angst over kids who applied to RM being instead seats at these regionals instead. And I remember an awful lot of unpleasant assertions that these schools / students would not perform at the same level as RM. It was ugly. Sometime really ugly.

So I am wondering how it has gone for the first cohort? I've heard about several admissions to T20 universities at our regional IB. More than there had been before. How about at your regional? Do you think it all worked out or do you think it was all for show and that MCPS failed?

Just stop.

MCPS did not "fail"

Learn the history of why there are Magnet schools to begin with then come back with your propaganda.

These schools are good. They serve a specific segment of the student population. Just like any other HS experience it will be different for different kids.

You have zero idea what you are a talking about. Stop trying to bash MCPS.

You're delusional. MCPS definitely intentionally put the Regional IB programs in schools that had abysmal academics to draw kids who have good academic numbers to come to the school and improve their numbers.

Acknowledging this fact is not "bashing" MCPS. And frankly, I don't mind the tactic if they do a good job of giving those kids positive outcomes in those Regional IB programs. That has not been the case to date at Kennedy. Hence, why Principal Adamson was brought in to clean up that mess.

100% this. Regional IB was in fact a marketing scheme to paper over poor school performance. In the end the performance was still poor, because teachers are the same, course offerings are slim, and management was abysmal. There’s nothing special about the IB curriculum that magically better than AP for example. In the end it’s just a band aid, and of course it didn’t work. I actually feel bad for the families falling the marketing ploy.

You know this how?

Can you do something more constructive than heckling anyone that criticizes the IB programs? Seriously are you employed by MCPS, at least disclose so we’re clear that you have some other motivations in participating in this discussion.

Put on some data that shows the program worked if you have it, I’ll wait.

In the meantime let’s look at university admissions, diploma rates, program participation rates and conclude that they point towards regional IBs being a failure at the expense of students and their families.

OP here. My kid has been telling me about classmates getting accepted to top schools. That does not look like failure to me. And another poster wrote about Hopkins and Michigan acceptances. Those are great results. Maybe those kids would have been fine at any MCPS HS? But the point is that they were not. They were (are?) at a regional IB.

Are they outliers? Are there others? DCUM is probably 95% W school parents so maybe we will never know?

We also should note that university admission at a T20 is not actually a great evaluation has that is going to take in a lot of factors including cost and location.

Some of us don't even know what T20 colleges are. Also, how many T20 colleges are there? Is it like the Big Ten?

Top 20 according to whatever magazine you read. The Ivy League etc.

So it is like the Big Ten, and there are at least 48 T20 schools.