RM IB Coordinator?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: "since IB is so very hard and these kids need the cohort"

But no other IB High School in MCPS has this cohort..

This is the only test in program, which goes against the IB philosophy. Certainly other schools around the country & world use testing for admissions, but IB should be open to all. It's not a weed out program; it's inclusive. Of course, kids will weed themselves out if they are unwilling to do the work. But that's true in any course or program.

Then why IB is not open to all in MCPS? Students will welcome it if not need to test in.

Many HSs offer the same IB diploma program that RM does. They have dismal rates of students doing the IB diploma program.

RM IB is available to all students in RM without testing in, and very few students who have not tested in (aka non-magnet RM students), opt to do this program.

Because the only kids that opt in have tiger moms who force them to apply and then put in appeals until their snowflake gets in. The rest of the parents are cool with their kids not getting 4-5hrs of homework a night for years.

don't you ever get tired of saying the same crazy sh*t?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

My high achieving RM non-magnet student was exposed to PYP and MYP and thrilled to leave it behind after 10th grade. Not the workload or the competitive kids..just the structure of the classes and writing style. So happy to never hear the term reflection again!! He literally put the application form in the fire place and watched it burn. That is not to say it can not be a wonderful program for the right kid.

This is a hearty endorsement for the inclusivity of RMIB program. Yes, it is open to all RM students - magnet or non-magnet. Very few non-magnet students opt in to do the program because it is not the right program for them. Every RM student have access and opportunity to do this. Majority of the talk about magnet IB not being inclusive is coming from the parents of students who are not interested in doing the program in the first place. The same goes for AP courses. No one can force a kid to be on the AP track or take an AP course. Either the kid is interested and capable or they are not.

Let me draw a parallel - all the people who are in US Navy, do not train to be a Navy Seal. It is the very few who have the ability and the determination that get chosen to become Navy Seals - mainly because it is tougher than being a sailor. AP , IB, Magnet - requires a lot of sacrifice of time and effort

The magnet programs were never put in place to serve the needs of the highly gifted children in MCPS. It was put in place as a poorly conceived social engineering experiment in low performing schools. Perhaps, MCPS should create seperate majority magnet schools like Poolesville HS. That way there will not be a school within a school.

This is factually incorrect. The test-in magnet programs in MCPS were established for gifted education, and they were placed in the schools they were placed because that's where there was room at the time. There's more information about the history of the test-in magnet programs in the study by Metis Associates.

PP is correct. The magnet schools were created to assist in voluntary desegregation. http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedFiles/info/choice/ChoiceStudyReport-Version2-20160307.pdf See pg. 19

" Magnet programs at the secondary level were initially developed to support voluntary desegregation efforts, although their selective admissions criteria distinguished them from them early elementary magnets. In the mid-1980's, the same demographic changes that prompted the creation of the elementary magnets spurred efforts to develop programs at the secondary level to maintain racial diversity in the southeastern areas of the district, consistent with Policy ACD, Quality Integrated Eduction, and avoid concerns about "White flight". In response, the Board approved the opening of a Math, Science, and Computer Science manget program at Montgomery Blair HS in 1982 and crated middle (then called intermediate) school magnet programs at Takoma Park MS in 1984 and Eastern MS in 1986."

[Anonymous]

I don't see RM listed in the quote

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't see RM listed in the quote

It's a pdf document. I had to retype the quote. I did not retype the entire paragraph. The RM discussion is located in the following paragraph on page 19

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't see RM listed in the quote

here I'll do it for you.....

"In 1987, MCPS again expanded secondary magnet programs with the development of its first International Baccalaureate (IB) at Richard Montgomery HS. At the time, the school was experiencing a decline in enrollment and was in jeopardy of closing. The IB program was established as a countywide magnet program to attract students from all over MCPS and bolster enrollment....."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

My high achieving RM non-magnet student was exposed to PYP and MYP and thrilled to leave it behind after 10th grade. Not the workload or the competitive kids..just the structure of the classes and writing style. So happy to never hear the term reflection again!! He literally put the application form in the fire place and watched it burn. That is not to say it can not be a wonderful program for the right kid.

This is a hearty endorsement for the inclusivity of RMIB program. Yes, it is open to all RM students - magnet or non-magnet. Very few non-magnet students opt in to do the program because it is not the right program for them. Every RM student have access and opportunity to do this. Majority of the talk about magnet IB not being inclusive is coming from the parents of students who are not interested in doing the program in the first place. The same goes for AP courses. No one can force a kid to be on the AP track or take an AP course. Either the kid is interested and capable or they are not.

Let me draw a parallel - all the people who are in US Navy, do not train to be a Navy Seal. It is the very few who have the ability and the determination that get chosen to become Navy Seals - mainly because it is tougher than being a sailor. AP , IB, Magnet - requires a lot of sacrifice of time and effort

The magnet programs were never put in place to serve the needs of the highly gifted children in MCPS. It was put in place as a poorly conceived social engineering experiment in low performing schools. Perhaps, MCPS should create seperate majority magnet schools like Poolesville HS. That way there will not be a school within a school.

This is factually incorrect. The test-in magnet programs in MCPS were established for gifted education, and they were placed in the schools they were placed because that's where there was room at the time. There's more information about the history of the test-in magnet programs in the study by Metis Associates.

PP is correct. The magnet schools were created to assist in voluntary desegregation. http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedFiles/info/choice/ChoiceStudyReport-Version2-20160307.pdf See pg. 19

" Magnet programs at the secondary level were initially developed to support voluntary desegregation efforts, although their selective admissions criteria distinguished them from them early elementary magnets. In the mid-1980's, the same demographic changes that prompted the creation of the elementary magnets spurred efforts to develop programs at the secondary level to maintain racial diversity in the southeastern areas of the district, consistent with Policy ACD, Quality Integrated Eduction, and avoid concerns about "White flight". In response, the Board approved the opening of a Math, Science, and Computer Science manget program at Montgomery Blair HS in 1982 and crated middle (then called intermediate) school magnet programs at Takoma Park MS in 1984 and Eastern MS in 1986."

Yup. It was placed in RM because it was a dump of a school. I went there. It was awful. They moved an entire elementary school out of Wootton and into RM because of "low enrollment" too but it was really the same thing; make it look like a better school than just Lincoln Park and Twinbrook. White it up a little. The IB program was made to increase test scores and make it look like a better school. The End. MCPS does not care about gifted kids. If they did, they would start tracking them from K. Instead, they bus them to even out test scores. And parents actually think they are doing this for their kid's benefit?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Yup. It was placed in RM because it was a dump of a school. I went there. It was awful. They moved an entire elementary school out of Wootton and into RM because of "low enrollment" too but it was really the same thing; make it look like a better school than just Lincoln Park and Twinbrook. White it up a little. The IB program was made to increase test scores and make it look like a better school. The End. MCPS does not care about gifted kids. If they did, they would start tracking them from K. Instead, they bus them to even out test scores. And parents actually think they are doing this for their kid's benefit?

MCPS says they put the programs there because of low enrollment. You say that they put it there to fool us all into thinking that the schools are better schools. I think I'll go with the MCPS explanation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I find it absolutely strange how non-magnet parents have an opinion about the program that does not take away from their children at all or impact them in any way. Would love some RMIB magnet parents to give their opinion about what is happening in the school.

Sometimes it is one person who can make or break a program. Hoover is/was the reason that the diploma rate is so high. The program is inclusive and the IB part is open to ANY student who wants to do it in the school. You would assume that everyone would jump at the opportunity to get in the magnet program or do the IB diploma. I guess the magnet IB workload and an extremely high achieving peer group dissuades many others from doing the program.

Unfortunately, there is no way the school can water down the program and still fulfill the IB requirement. MCPS mantra has been to lower capability, merit and achievement to create the illusion that students are not performing at different levels.

IB is open to kids within RM boundaries. Springbrook, Watkins Mill, Seneca Valley, BCC, Kennedy & Einstein have open enrollment, too - for those within the NEC & DCC consortia. This isn't the case for RM. it's a test in that skims off the top, which - as I've said before - is NOT inclusive.

So we either add IB to ALL high schools or end the magnet testing. In the non- test in school, the standards are exactly the same. It is an international program with set regulations. These teachers don't "water down" the program either.

I'm in the system, and while I'm not a magnet parent, I know of what I speak.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find it absolutely strange how non-magnet parents have an opinion about the program that does not take away from their children at all or impact them in any way. Would love some RMIB magnet parents to give their opinion about what is happening in the school.

Sometimes it is one person who can make or break a program. Hoover is/was the reason that the diploma rate is so high. The program is inclusive and the IB part is open to ANY student who wants to do it in the school. You would assume that everyone would jump at the opportunity to get in the magnet program or do the IB diploma. I guess the magnet IB workload and an extremely high achieving peer group dissuades many others from doing the program.

Unfortunately, there is no way the school can water down the program and still fulfill the IB requirement. MCPS mantra has been to lower capability, merit and achievement to create the illusion that students are not performing at different levels.

IB is open to kids within RM boundaries. Springbrook, Watkins Mill, Seneca Valley, BCC, Kennedy & Einstein have open enrollment, too - for those within the NEC & DCC consortia. This isn't the case for RM. it's a test in that skims off the top, which - as I've said before - is NOT inclusive.

So we either add IB to ALL high schools or end the magnet testing. In the non- test in school, the standards are exactly the same. It is an international program with set regulations. These teachers don't "water down" the program either.

I'm in the system, and while I'm not a magnet parent, I know of what I speak.

I don't know... you sound like a "my kid can't get in so no one should" parent... envy and jealousy are not good for your health.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find it absolutely strange how non-magnet parents have an opinion about the program that does not take away from their children at all or impact them in any way. Would love some RMIB magnet parents to give their opinion about what is happening in the school.

Sometimes it is one person who can make or break a program. Hoover is/was the reason that the diploma rate is so high. The program is inclusive and the IB part is open to ANY student who wants to do it in the school. You would assume that everyone would jump at the opportunity to get in the magnet program or do the IB diploma. I guess the magnet IB workload and an extremely high achieving peer group dissuades many others from doing the program.

Unfortunately, there is no way the school can water down the program and still fulfill the IB requirement. MCPS mantra has been to lower capability, merit and achievement to create the illusion that students are not performing at different levels.

IB is open to kids within RM boundaries. Springbrook, Watkins Mill, Seneca Valley, BCC, Kennedy & Einstein have open enrollment, too - for those within the NEC & DCC consortia. This isn't the case for RM. it's a test in that skims off the top, which - as I've said before - is NOT inclusive.

So we either add IB to ALL high schools or end the magnet testing. In the non- test in school, the standards are exactly the same. It is an international program with set regulations. These teachers don't "water down" the program either.

I'm in the system, and while I'm not a magnet parent, I know of what I speak.

It actually is the case for 11th grade neighborhood non-magnet kids at RM. The difference is just the first two years. At those other schools, kids that will do IB in 11th do not take special classes until then. They only take certain requirements to do IB in 11th but those are open to other students as well. For example RM IB kids take APGOV in 9th grade..but there are no non-magnet kids in the class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I don't know... you sound like a "my kid can't get in so no one should" parent... envy and jealousy are not good for your health.

I think it's a valid point. IB should be available to all MCPS students, which it currently is not. And if IB were available to all MCPS students, what would be the reason for an additional test-in magnet program for IB?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I don't know... you sound like a "my kid can't get in so no one should" parent... envy and jealousy are not good for your health.

I think it's a valid point. IB should be available to all MCPS students, which it currently is not. And if IB were available to all MCPS students, what would be the reason for an additional test-in magnet program for IB?

I like the Fairfax model. Each school offers either AP or IB and you can request a change if school based on the program offered. What I think stinks about the current model is that you either have to be in a cluster that offers IB or you have to test into RM. If you're a smart but not amazing student and you live in the WJ cluster, you don't have access to IB.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I don't know... you sound like a "my kid can't get in so no one should" parent... envy and jealousy are not good for your health.

I think it's a valid point. IB should be available to all MCPS students, which it currently is not. And if IB were available to all MCPS students, what would be the reason for an additional test-in magnet program for IB?

The cohort? A lot of academically oriented kids enjoy going to school with kids who have the same interests and inclinations. I imagine this would be one of the main differences between RMIB and the IB program at Einstein or BCC. I know the social aspect of the magnet programs has been an unexpected plus for my kid over the years and one of the main reasons he would not want to be in his home school. Not in a snobbish way, just in a these kids (and teachers) get me kind of a way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I don't know... you sound like a "my kid can't get in so no one should" parent... envy and jealousy are not good for your health.

I think it's a valid point. IB should be available to all MCPS students, which it currently is not. And if IB were available to all MCPS students, what would be the reason for an additional test-in magnet program for IB?

MCPS can't afford to have IB in all schools without increasing the budget significantly..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I don't know... you sound like a "my kid can't get in so no one should" parent... envy and jealousy are not good for your health.

I think it's a valid point. IB should be available to all MCPS students, which it currently is not. And if IB were available to all MCPS students, what would be the reason for an additional test-in magnet program for IB?

MCPS can't afford to have IB in all schools without increasing the budget significantly..

Why not? MCPS has AP classes in all schools.