We need to stop saying MCPS is one of the best school systems in the country

[Anonymous]

It's kind of like SNL...it stinks now but it was great back in the olden days.

[Anonymous]

We're happy with MCPS.

Did we move here because of its ratings relative to schools in the rest of the country? No, because our jobs were here, not in Connecticut or Wyoming or New Mexico. The quality of those school systems are irrelevant to us.

Would I move to Howard County because some of its schools rank higher according to some rankings? No. Our jobs are in DC and we don't want to spend our lives on the road.

What was most relevant to us was which schools (DC and surrounding MD suburbs) would be best for our kids. We're happy with our choice to move to Montgomery County.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know MCPS was one of the best school systems in the country. But, I can't deny the fact that we are in serious decline with no end in sight.

What do you base this on?

Just my own personal observations. I have had kids in MCPS since 1996 when my oldest started K. My youngest is now about to graduate HS. So, I've been following MCPS education matters almost 20 years. There were times when no other counties in MD came close to MCPS.

So, what was so great about MCPS back in the 90's/early 2000's? I'm new to MoCo.

People are nostalgic for the days when MCPS had a higher proportion of white children and a lower proportion of immigrant and poor children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I'm the PP, and I'm Asian. Sorry if that stereotype bothers you so much, but in general, yes, where you have a huge Asian population, the schools generally have a higher test score. I can name you at least 5 of such HS in MD and CA where this is true. In MCPS, that would be Wootton. In almost every MCPS HS, if you look at the test scores broken down by race, Asians usually test very high. Stereotypes come from somewhere, not just thin air.

It's ok to stereotype because stereotypes are true? Really?

[Anonymous]

Howard's following in our footsteps. They've played around with boundaries to balance out white stats with River Hill and Reservoir.

The Eastern parts - near 29 and North - mirror parts of MCPS, as there's a huge gap btw. Glenelg, for example, and Wild Lake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Howard's following in our footsteps. They've played around with boundaries to balance out white stats with River Hill and Reservoir.

The Eastern parts - near 29 and North - mirror parts of MCPS, as there's a huge gap btw. Glenelg, for example, and Wild Lake.

Howard will fall too, eventually. But they are behind us by 10-15 years. Families with young kids should look Howard carefully.

[Anonymous]

Howard will fall too, eventually. But they are behind us by 10-15 years. Families with young kids should look Howard carefully.

Only if they adopt the MCPS 2.0 curriculum. The people with older kids upset about the decline are from the W schools where the demographics haven't changed. What has changed in those schools is the curriculum. 2.0 isn't just common core, its MCPS' own special version with a lovely super informative report card. Many parents with higher degrees in STEM were also thrilled when math acceleration abruptly stopped. It was just so great having your child go back and repeat math they did two years earlier. I love how my youngest can extend her childhood by counting pasta all the way up through elementary school. In the past, this was preschool stuff. Now they get to do preschool work in K-3.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Howard will fall too, eventually. But they are behind us by 10-15 years. Families with young kids should look Howard carefully.

Only if they adopt the MCPS 2.0 curriculum. The people with older kids upset about the decline are from the W schools where the demographics haven't changed. What has changed in those schools is the curriculum. 2.0 isn't just common core, its MCPS' own special version with a lovely super informative report card. Many parents with higher degrees in STEM were also thrilled when math acceleration abruptly stopped. It was just so great having your child go back and repeat math they did two years earlier. I love how my youngest can extend her childhood by counting pasta all the way up through elementary school. In the past, this was preschool stuff. Now they get to do preschool work in K-3.

That's a bit of an exaggeration (my DC went through 2.0 in 2nd and 3rd), but I love how some people on this forum complain about this, how K is doing stuff that their kids did in preschools, and on the other side of the aisle, people complain how CC standards are too hard for K-3. It just goes to show, you cannot ever please everybody.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Howard's following in our footsteps. They've played around with boundaries to balance out white stats with River Hill and Reservoir.

The Eastern parts - near 29 and North - mirror parts of MCPS, as there's a huge gap btw. Glenelg, for example, and Wild Lake.

Actually, I wish MCPS changed the boundaries more often, not as often as HoCo (I think they change their's every other year or so). When was the last time MCPS did it? It would help alleviate the crowding because they sure aren't building new schools or adding classes them fast enough, and with the state cutting the capital budget to MCPS, it's only going to get worse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I'm the PP, and I'm Asian. Sorry if that stereotype bothers you so much, but in general, yes, where you have a huge Asian population, the schools generally have a higher test score. I can name you at least 5 of such HS in MD and CA where this is true. In MCPS, that would be Wootton. In almost every MCPS HS, if you look at the test scores broken down by race, Asians usually test very high. Stereotypes come from somewhere, not just thin air.

It's ok to stereotype because stereotypes are true? Really?

Of course they are true. Do you think white northeast liberals live and school in surgically segregated neighborhoods for no reason?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

That's a bit of an exaggeration (my DC went through 2.0 in 2nd and 3rd), but I love how some people on this forum complain about this, how K is doing stuff that their kids did in preschools, and on the other side of the aisle, people complain how CC standards are too hard for K-3. It just goes to show, you cannot ever please everybody.

I love that too. On the General Education forum, the Common Core standards for kindergarteners should be for third grade. On the Maryland Public Schools forum, the Common Core standards for K-3 should be for pre-school. In Lake DCUM, all the children are above average....

[Anonymous]

Actually, I wish MCPS changed the boundaries more often, not as often as HoCo (I think they change their's every other year or so). When was the last time MCPS did it? It would help alleviate the crowding because they sure aren't building new schools or adding classes them fast enough, and with the state cutting the capital budget to MCPS, it's only going to get worse.

Remember the site selection study for B-CC Middle School #2? Remember the other site selection study for B-CC Middle School #2? Is it any wonder that MCPS does not eagerly embrace boundary studies?

[Anonymous]

They've really let the schools in eastern MoCo, which don't have as many affluent parents who send their kids to public school, go down. They really need to redistrict and bus like they do in the south to keep the FARMS numbers more even and pull up the poorer areas (where I live.)

I think one secret to HoCo's success is that they have more of a "southern" model where all schools are alike, not so many specialty programs, and they can do that one thing well. While there are higher SES school districts, the differences aren't so stark.

[Anonymous]

I knew there was a problem in MoCo when we first moved here and noticed all the private schools in the less prosperous side of the county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Actually, I wish MCPS changed the boundaries more often, not as often as HoCo (I think they change their's every other year or so). When was the last time MCPS did it? It would help alleviate the crowding because they sure aren't building new schools or adding classes them fast enough, and with the state cutting the capital budget to MCPS, it's only going to get worse.

Remember the site selection study for B-CC Middle School #2? Remember the other site selection study for B-CC Middle School #2? Is it any wonder that MCPS does not eagerly embrace boundary studies?

No, I don't remember. I just moved here. So, what happened to this study?