Split articulation (bussing) for the new BCC Middle School?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What will the point of paying premium money for that part of Silver Spring if you end up not really being in the BCC cluster except for High School.

Why would the new middle school be less "in the BCC cluster" than Westland?



INHO I think they are saying: If the B-CC middle school number #2 has a higher rate of FARMS and consequently less advanced classes, then the kids may end up coming to B-CC less prepared than Westland students and before long you have 2 very unequal schools feeding into B-CC.

I love how a school that has yet to open is already "low rent."

[Anonymous]

this whole thread should be deleted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I highly doubt BCC kids are "making fun" of kids from the east side of the cluster.

+1

I live in Chevy Chase, very close to CCES and the way people are referencing RCF as some kind of low rent area is appalling. It's not as wealthy as CCES but that doesn't make it a ghetto either. Only on DCUM could people be so jaded.

I'd worry more about MCPS and their lack of curriculum more than whether lower socio economic students are going to drive down the educational level for an entire school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The survey is pretty straightforward. MCPS is looking for community input to help it decide which elementary schools should go to the new middle school and which should go to Westland. Does it surprise you that in this cluster, which includes the K-2/3-6 pairings of Rosemary Hills and Chevy Chase/North Chevy Chase and their split articulation, that there would be concerns about issues other than simply location?

This split was the result of bussing in the 70s. CCES and RHPS used to be K through 6, they split the schools so instead of kids being able to walk to their home schools in their own neighborhoods, they were bussed to different neighborhoods.

There is not alot of racial or socio econic diversity in the BCC cluster as it is, what additional options aRe there to increase diversity?

Actually, there is quite a bit of racial and socioeconomic diversity in the cluster and it is all at the three schools that will be closest to the new MS - CC, NCC and RCF. That is why there are concerns. Should all three schools feed into it, Westland becomes very very white and the new MS will have a higher minority and poor population than many of the white and not-poor families may be willing to tolerate.

Willing to tolerate? Wow, that is some ugly language! I am in this cluster and all I care about is that my white kids don't get bussed off to integrate another school further away from our neighborhood. I'd rather my kids go to a racially integrated middle school than a very, very white Westland.

I agree. We're from RCF and would happily send our child to the new MS. There are a handful of people on here talking crap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What will the point of paying premium money for that part of Silver Spring if you end up not really being in the BCC cluster except for High School.

Why would the new middle school be less "in the BCC cluster" than Westland?

Other desirable clusters have multiple middle schools, all of which are considered part of the cluster.

Think of it this way, some eastern schools where picked up and thrown a bone by court order to integrate BCC. So while you had to still go to your basically Silver Spring elementary school you would spend the majority of you focused years in a high wealth and expectations environment for middle and high school. Those houses that where blessed with BCC in turn get a measurable value bump. Now most of those kids will now go to a silver spring elementary, a middle class silver spring/Kensington middle school and will only mix with the affluent kids for a couple of years in high school.

At which point after spending the past decade with their own socioeconomic piers and clicking up when they do finally mix with the east county kids I suspect it will be harder than it already is for them. Seems waste to spend the extra money just for high school.

Yes it will be the BCC cluster but the kids will only see the true Bethesda/Chevy Chase kids for a few years at the end of their schooling.

Better let all the folks in Kensington know that they are now the poors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Better let all the folks in Kensington know that they are now the poors.

I personally like the idea that the folks in Chevy Chase/North Chevy Chase are the poors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What will the point of paying premium money for that part of Silver Spring if you end up not really being in the BCC cluster except for High School.

Why would the new middle school be less "in the BCC cluster" than Westland?

Other desirable clusters have multiple middle schools, all of which are considered part of the cluster.

Think of it this way, some eastern schools where picked up and thrown a bone by court order to integrate BCC. So while you had to still go to your basically Silver Spring elementary school you would spend the majority of you focused years in a high wealth and expectations environment for middle and high school. Those houses that where blessed with BCC in turn get a measurable value bump. Now most of those kids will now go to a silver spring elementary, a middle class silver spring/Kensington middle school and will only mix with the affluent kids for a couple of years in high school.

At which point after spending the past decade with their own socioeconomic piers and clicking up when they do finally mix with the east county kids I suspect it will be harder than it already is for them. Seems waste to spend the extra money just for high school.

Yes it will be the BCC cluster but the kids will only see the true Bethesda/Chevy Chase kids for a few years at the end of their schooling.

Better let all the folks in Kensington know that they are now the poors.

Not what was said, the Kensington kids in the BCC cluster are in the nicest and richest part on Kensington (if not quite up to the better parts of BCCs area) and mostly white and upper middle class. I am sure Westland would love to keep the Kensington kids but they are too white and also to close to the new one so they will most likely be transferred. Out of the the two other eastern schools Westland will trade one of its schools for RCF to ensure the RMHs which has geography going against it too goes to the new one.

Basically RCF and RMH are the two that sort of stick out and they will be spit up in the name of diversity, the smart money is RCF to Westland and RMH to the new one. Any other combinations that doesn't split those two schools up won't be accepted

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What will the point of paying premium money for that part of Silver Spring if you end up not really being in the BCC cluster except for High School.

Why would the new middle school be less "in the BCC cluster" than Westland?

Other desirable clusters have multiple middle schools, all of which are considered part of the cluster.

Think of it this way, some eastern schools where picked up and thrown a bone by court order to integrate BCC. So while you had to still go to your basically Silver Spring elementary school you would spend the majority of you focused years in a high wealth and expectations environment for middle and high school. Those houses that where blessed with BCC in turn get a measurable value bump. Now most of those kids will now go to a silver spring elementary, a middle class silver spring/Kensington middle school and will only mix with the affluent kids for a couple of years in high school.

At which point after spending the past decade with their own socioeconomic piers and clicking up when they do finally mix with the east county kids I suspect it will be harder than it already is for them. Seems waste to spend the extra money just for high school.

Yes it will be the BCC cluster but the kids will only see the true Bethesda/Chevy Chase kids for a few years at the end of their schooling.

Better let all the folks in Kensington know that they are now the poors.

Not what was said, the Kensington kids in the BCC cluster are in the nicest and richest part on Kensington (if not quite up to the better parts of BCCs area) and mostly white and upper middle class. I am sure Westland would love to keep the Kensington kids but they are too white and also to close to the new one so they will most likely be transferred. Out of the the two other eastern schools Westland will trade one of its schools for RCF to ensure the RMHs which has geography going against it too goes to the new one.

Basically RCF and RMH are the two that sort of stick out and they will be spit up in the name of diversity, the smart money is RCF to Westland and RMH to the new one. Any other combinations that doesn't split those two schools up won't be accepted

RCF already goes to Westland so how is it a "trade"?

[Anonymous]

PP, do you understand there is no RMH ES? Kids in RMH along with CC and NCC all go to RHPS for K-2, and then either CC or NCC for 3-6. All CC and NCC kids are almost certain to go to BCCMS2. RCF is the one that is up in the air. Geographically, it makes the most sense to send it to NMS, but that leaves Westland with very little diversity. So there will be pressure to send RCF to Westland, perhaps in exchange for BES going to NMS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What will the point of paying premium money for that part of Silver Spring if you end up not really being in the BCC cluster except for High School.

Why would the new middle school be less "in the BCC cluster" than Westland?

Other desirable clusters have multiple middle schools, all of which are considered part of the cluster.

Think of it this way, some eastern schools where picked up and thrown a bone by court order to integrate BCC. So while you had to still go to your basically Silver Spring elementary school you would spend the majority of you focused years in a high wealth and expectations environment for middle and high school. Those houses that where blessed with BCC in turn get a measurable value bump. Now most of those kids will now go to a silver spring elementary, a middle class silver spring/Kensington middle school and will only mix with the affluent kids for a couple of years in high school.

At which point after spending the past decade with their own socioeconomic piers and clicking up when they do finally mix with the east county kids I suspect it will be harder than it already is for them. Seems waste to spend the extra money just for high school.

Yes it will be the BCC cluster but the kids will only see the true Bethesda/Chevy Chase kids for a few years at the end of their schooling.

Better let all the folks in Kensington know that they are now the poors.

Not what was said, the Kensington kids in the BCC cluster are in the nicest and richest part on Kensington (if not quite up to the better parts of BCCs area) and mostly white and upper middle class. I am sure Westland would love to keep the Kensington kids but they are too white and also to close to the new one so they will most likely be transferred. Out of the the two other eastern schools Westland will trade one of its schools for RCF to ensure the RMHs which has geography going against it too goes to the new one.

Basically RCF and RMH are the two that sort of stick out and they will be spit up in the name of diversity, the smart money is RCF to Westland and RMH to the new one. Any other combinations that doesn't split those two schools up won't be accepted

That would be the K-P neighborhood in my opinion.

[Anonymous]

Can't they just do:

Bethesda, NCC, RCF to BCC MS#2
Somerset, Westbrook, CC to Westland

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP, do you understand there is no RMH ES? Kids in RMH along with CC and NCC all go to RHPS for K-2, and then either CC or NCC for 3-6. All CC and NCC kids are almost certain to go to BCCMS2. RCF is the one that is up in the air. Geographically, it makes the most sense to send it to NMS, but that leaves Westland with very little diversity. So there will be pressure to send RCF to Westland, perhaps in exchange for BES going to NMS.

I get that and I know that and I wrote the original repsonse about that. Just thought it was odd to use the word "trade." Also, I was not sure if you are the PP from a while ago going on about "eastern" schools but I thought perhaps you did not understand that RDF is already at Westland and so having RCF in the cluster was not something new.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What will the point of paying premium money for that part of Silver Spring if you end up not really being in the BCC cluster except for High School.

Why would the new middle school be less "in the BCC cluster" than Westland?

Other desirable clusters have multiple middle schools, all of which are considered part of the cluster.

Think of it this way, some eastern schools where picked up and thrown a bone by court order to integrate BCC. So while you had to still go to your basically Silver Spring elementary school you would spend the majority of you focused years in a high wealth and expectations environment for middle and high school. Those houses that where blessed with BCC in turn get a measurable value bump. Now most of those kids will now go to a silver spring elementary, a middle class silver spring/Kensington middle school and will only mix with the affluent kids for a couple of years in high school.

At which point after spending the past decade with their own socioeconomic piers and clicking up when they do finally mix with the east county kids I suspect it will be harder than it already is for them. Seems waste to spend the extra money just for high school.

Yes it will be the BCC cluster but the kids will only see the true Bethesda/Chevy Chase kids for a few years at the end of their schooling.

Better let all the folks in Kensington know that they are now the poors.

Not what was said, the Kensington kids in the BCC cluster are in the nicest and richest part on Kensington (if not quite up to the better parts of BCCs area) and mostly white and upper middle class. I am sure Westland would love to keep the Kensington kids but they are too white and also to close to the new one so they will most likely be transferred. Out of the the two other eastern schools Westland will trade one of its schools for RCF to ensure the RMHs which has geography going against it too goes to the new one.

Basically RCF and RMH are the two that sort of stick out and they will be spit up in the name of diversity, the smart money is RCF to Westland and RMH to the new one. Any other combinations that doesn't split those two schools up won't be accepted

That would be the K-P neighborhood in my opinion.

Wrong. Chevy Chase View and Rock Creek Hills as well as the other neighborhoods around Holy Redeemer have higher property values and incomes than Kensington-Parkwood.

[Anonymous]

There are six (of seven) elementary schools in the BCC cluster that feed into Middle Schools. There is one elementary school in the BCC cluster, Rosemary Hills, that goes through grade 2, and feeds into two elementary schools. Rosemary Hills is an example of "split articulation" where 2nd graders go to either Chevy Chase Elementary or North Chevy Chase Elementary for 3rd grade.

Currently, Westland is the only MS in the cluster and the only school that feeds to B-CC High School. So, the diversity at Westland and B-CC is identical.

Here is a list of the current elementary schools, and grades at which they feed to Westland.

Westbrook, ends at 5th, 6th to Westland
Somerset, ends at 5th, 6th to Westland
Bethesda, ends at 5th, 6th to Westland
Chevy Chase, ends at 6th, 7th to Westland
North Chevy Chase, ends at 6th, 7th to Westland
Rock Creek Forest, ends at 5th, 6th to Westland, has Spanish Immersion students.

Everyone, at least everyone on DCUM seems convinced of the following:

NCC and CC elementary will end at 5th grade. Everyone including MCPS agrees on that. 6th graders will go to new BCC MS #2. Remember, NCC & CC have the Rosemary Hills neighborhood students as well, so the Rosemary Hills students will go to BCC MS #2 via the NCC & CC.

Westbrook & Somerset (probably the two highest SES schools in the cluster, because of the Rosemary Hills SES dilution of CC & NCC) will stay at Westland. Geographic proximity.

That leaves Bethesda Elementary & Rock Creek Forest Elementary. Assuming no split articulation, one will continue to feed to Westland, the other will feed to BCC MS #2.

The tension seems to be that Rock Creek Forest has more SES diversity, but is closer to BCC MS#2, so that having it continue to feed to Westland would be to maintain more economic diversity at Westland.

But, the choice seems to come down to:

Bethesda Elementary to Westland; Rock Creek Forest to BCC MS #1

OR

Bethesda Elementary to BCC MS #1; Rock Creek Forest to Westland

OR

Split articulations

[Anonymous]

proof reading my comment above, should read BCC MS #2 in the final several lines, (not #1)