Thomas Taylor and BCC
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
Thats because B-CC's IB students get better scores on the IB exams. |
Anonymous
I don't know about arts, but Einstein can keep a local IB program if they want. But people here are often complaining that the IB program at Einstein means they can't take the higher-level AP classes they want, so it's not clear to me that that's the best option for Einstein. |
Anonymous
That sounds equitable.... |
Anonymous
How so? compared to which school? |
Anonymous
Currently, Einstein is under the Kennedy regional umbrella for IB. That application program, though, doesn't draw nearly the way that B-CC's would, as B-CC's complementary advanced offerings are considered better, and it has considerably lower FARMS and EML rates than Kennedy. This would tend to undermine Einstein's own local IB, reducing the population of advanced learners who, if they stayed, might help the school offer a broader array of IB classes, and at the higher level. It struggles to maintain that, as it is. Before the regional IB at Kennedy, Einstein was clearly the place to go within the DCC for that experience (it may still be, but to a lesser extent). It drew sizeable numbers of IB students from the 5-school catchment -- some who did not get in to county-wide RMIB and some who preferred the more local (and less cutthroat) setting. Changing demographics, overall, the slight shift toward Kennedy's regional program and a decision to stop offering advanced, IB-related courses in 9th & 10th (previously offering cohorting away from the base curriculum in some subjects) all have taken a toll. With the school-choice consortia disappearing, taking away a huge catchment of those who might have chosen Einstein for its IB (open to all, unlike the application programs), in addition to BCC's greater draw away from the remaining local population, it looks as though MCPS's likely recommendations from the Program Analysis would create an untenable situation, leaving Einstein with little chance of providing the IB experience sought within the catchment. That's from the perspective of Einstein's community. From the perspective of the individual student, it's not as if B-CC's magnet program will be large enough to take all those applying from Einstein (and Northwood and Blair, the other two schools in the DCC heading into Region 1 that currently might access Einstein's IB through the choice process). |
Anonymous
No one chooses Kennedy. There will be very few slots for each program so this will really hurt smarter DCC schools. Most of the smarter kids go to Blair or Wheaton given the lack of offerings. Or, dual enrollment which is pushed on kids. If they are doing this model they need to expand the course offerings at all schools. |
Anonymous
The some smarter kids bail in the DCC to Blair and Wheaton as Einstein does not have a lot of stem and ap classes. Very few kids actually graduate with a with a ib degree. |
Anonymous
|
Anonymous
Some have. Not so much via the DCC choice process, but as part of the application-based regional IB (where the pre-IB 9th- & 10th-grade cohorted classes are allowed, to my understanding). See the terminology used in the post -- "slight shift" -- when discussing the factors that have tended to undermine Einstein's IB in the past several years. They will be expanding the course offerings at all schools (at least, at those woefully lacking), but not by enough to ensure equitable experiences, and it is unclear whether they will mandate the high-level IB courses as parallels/substitutions for the named APs or whether they will wave their hands and say that IB generally provides rigor (when the standard-level/more limited IB offerings would not offer something reasonably similar). |
Anonymous
Putting a regional IB program in Einstein would not be as attractive to applicants as BCC. These regional programs need to have some credibility to counter those who are complaining about the changes to the county wide program. |
Anonymous
Ask Taylor. It’s his school. They just honored him. https://www.instagram.com/p/DOo0q93DfOU/?igsh=OXNhMHdnOHJjMGxi |
Anonymous
The IB programs in the other regions are at less affluent schools. That’s the core goal of magnet programs generally and why MCPS has historically placed IB programs at schools where adding advanced programs will provide the highest benefit. RM was in danger of closing because wealthy families were leaving for other schools. MCPS placed the IB magnet there to improve educational outcomes and attract students into the school. They added IB magnets at Kennedy and WM for the same reason. Putting an IB magnet at schools like BCC with high scores and graduation rates is just gilding the lily. They probably picked BCC to attract Whitman kids who won’t want to commute to Einstein. Whitman gets the world languages magnet for the region. It’s likely Whitman-BCC will be an unofficial sub-region, swapping students between themselves, plus a few going to whatever STEM is left at Blair after it’s cut from countywide to regional. Northwood and Einstein will lose more students than they attract because MCPS is giving them the least popular magnets. Enrollment will drop, which will mean staff cuts, and weaker course offerings. Taylor’s plan is basically flipping the whole magnet philosophy on its head to boost rich schools at the expense of poor schools. |
Anonymous
Exactly! Looking at his plan, it is worsening segregation and making rich richer, making poor poorer, making competition more competitive, all under the name of equity. |
Anonymous
That could work to an advantage. The regional IB would max out at maybe 60 or 75 per class. If placed at B-CC, you'd get oversubscription by a lot more than if placed at Einstein, due to the greater complementary (non-IB) offerings. Meanwhile, Einstein's local IB, unless being mandated to offer the same experience (which they aren't likely to do), would struggle, as described a few posts back, with capable students disincentivized to pursue it. On the other hand, if placed at Einstein, there would be a mandate (and cohort) to provide the more rigorous coursework. Though of the same size, the magnet would not be as oversubscribed as if at B-CC. B-CC's local program, again with its larger breadth complementary advanced courses (and depth of experience combining/arranging interleaving courses to most rigorous effect) very likely would continue to thrive. More students, overall, would be well served by rigorous IB offerings in the region. |
Anonymous
| In the new plan, Richard Montgomery IB will only be open to RM, Churchill, Wooton, and Rockville. |