What makes MoCO so great?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS has seen a dramatic change in enrollment. While it was a majority white system in the '80s, Hispanics make up the majority today with blacks falling slightly behind. So, with the decline in well prepared students the school system has fallen in educational performance (MSAs, HSAs, etc).

This is factually incorrect. Hispanics do not make up the majority. MCPS is 33% white, 27% Hispanic, 14% Asian.

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/planning/pdf/Demo_OfficialSchoolEnrollments2012_2013.pdf

Also, I interpret your statement to mean that white = well-prepared and Hispanic/black = not well-prepared. Is that what you meant to say?

Wow, no wonder whenever I drive or bike past those schools they have all the signs up in Spanish too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Really sad, because of a lot of us moved to montogmery county for the what we thought were excellent schools...

My family did! And excellent schools is what I think we've gotten. Including with 2.0.

(I think that a lot of people in Montgomery County are suffering from Karl Valentin Syndrome. He's the guy who said, "Even the future used to be better.")

[Anonymous]

PP..I agree. My kids were pre-2.0 and math was not perfect then either. Kids were accelerated way too much. Unit test scores were fudged with teachers telling kids to redo certain problems after representing a almost identical one in class. I would be happier if my 7th grader (taking IM) had stronger basic skills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS has seen a dramatic change in enrollment. While it was a majority white system in the '80s, Hispanics make up the majority today with blacks falling slightly behind. So, with the decline in well prepared students the school system has fallen in educational performance (MSAs, HSAs, etc).

This is factually incorrect. Hispanics do not make up the majority. MCPS is 33% white, 27% Hispanic, 14% Asian.

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/planning/pdf/Demo_OfficialSchoolEnrollments2012_2013.pdf

Also, I interpret your statement to mean that white = well-prepared and Hispanic/black = not well-prepared. Is that what you meant to say?

Well, based on achievement and test scores, Asian/white = well prepared, Hispanic/black = not well prepared. Is this even controversial? If you want to talk about why its happening I can see controversy, but scores on standardized test are what they are.

[Anonymous]

The answer to the original question is that nothing makes Montgomery County great.

Read the stuff that happens before the BOE, County Council, etc. It is a system obsessed with the achievement gap and the easiest way to close it. Oops, almost forgot--the easiest way to close the gap is to hold back the top.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The answer to the original question is that nothing makes Montgomery County great.

Read the stuff that happens before the BOE, County Council, etc. It is a system obsessed with the achievement gap and the easiest way to close it. Oops, almost forgot--the easiest way to close the gap is to hold back the top.

I'm astonished -- I really am astonished -- by the prevalence of this conspiracy theory on DCUM.

[Anonymous]

So maybe MoCo isn't the greatest ever. Still beats the heck out of anything else around here. Yes, maybe some small mass towns are good. Unfortunately the commute to metro center sucks from newton.

[Anonymous]

If I am moving out of the city now, I will go to Fairfax.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The answer to the original question is that nothing makes Montgomery County great.

Read the stuff that happens before the BOE, County Council, etc. It is a system obsessed with the achievement gap and the easiest way to close it. Oops, almost forgot--the easiest way to close the gap is to hold back the top.

I'm astonished -- I really am astonished -- by the prevalence of this conspiracy theory on DCUM.

No conspiracies. Just the plain facts. MCPS HAS EXPRESSED ITS PRIORITIES VERY CLEARLY-----IT IS CLOSING THE GAP. Read the Gazette--it is printed clear as day. As for how they are closing the gap, just experience C 2.0. Some parents may need a system like this for their kids. Some don't.

[Anonymous]

Howard County. Look at Howard County.

[Anonymous]

Howard County (for now) has a different socio-economic make-up than MoCo so you can't compare the schools. They have far fewer English learners and kids who come to K unprepared. That doesn't mean they provide a better education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
No conspiracies. Just the plain facts. MCPS HAS EXPRESSED ITS PRIORITIES VERY CLEARLY-----IT IS CLOSING THE GAP. Read the Gazette--it is printed clear as day. As for how they are closing the gap, just experience C 2.0. Some parents may need a system like this for their kids. Some don't.

In what way is "The purpose of Curriculum 2.0 is to hold back the top in order to close the achievement gap" not a conspiracy theory?

Now, as it happens, I like Curriculum 2.0. But I would ask this even if I didn't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Howard County (for now) has a different socio-economic make-up than MoCo so you can't compare the schools. They have far fewer English learners and kids who come to K unprepared. That doesn't mean they provide a better education.

That's a good point. The average SAT score in MoCo was 1651 last year and it was 1632 in Howard county. If anything this suggests the education in MoCo is better, perhaps significantly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not in Virginia.

+1. Enough said!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If I am moving out of the city now, I will go to Fairfax.

If you think Fairfax schools are better than MoCo then you are seriously misguided.