MCPS Math Failures: Will exams come back when PARCC goes
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Anonymous
I am 8:00. a former MCPS teacher questioned on the number of zeroes in my gradebook You can assign a zero; however, be prepared to justify it (or, in my case, them). Most of the kids who needed reteaching rarely came. Furthermore, while I will never say no to a student who requests extra help, these MCPS measures stripped responsibility from students, forcing teachers to be 100% accountable for students' performance. no thanks So we parted ways. |
Anonymous
There are some points to clarify. AP and IB offer external assessments through College Board and IBO. There are no system-wide finals for these courses. IB is a program; AP courses are just that - courses. Any kid can sit for an AP test w/o having to take a course. In fact, many IB students sit for both and do well on both. Yes, teachers are important "factors" determining success. However, if you have a student with a 900 lexile entering an AP course, that student will definitely not earn a 4 or 5 - and may not even skim a 3. So even a great teacher can't perform miracles. As a system casts a wider net, which is what's done in the name of equity, while ignoring success factors, more and more "900 lexilers" are pushed up. new learning, folks - You can't expect a kid who's several grade levels behind in reading to suddenly catch up b/c s/he is placed in a rigorous course. This is only a way to mask a problem. So I'll say this much - that while we preach equity, it's only a way to hide the truth behind participation numbers. Until we ramp up rigor across the board - starting in upper elementary (b/c I'm not a fan of watching little kids sit in desks all day long) - we will continue to find new ways to disguise this problem. How many of you are familiar with this? https://eoschools.org/ MCPS has a contract with them. I don't know where the onus is on the student, however - https://eoschools.org/approach/action-for-equity/ This is where some of the money goes. http://mcpsmd.swagit.com/play/09122017-1798 2017 presentation, item 12 at 3:10 EOS loves increasing participation and changing mindsets. But what do you do with the child reading at the 900 lexile level who's expected to tackle The Age of Innocence? |
Anonymous
I'm the poster being quoted. I recognize that students come in all levels, and that a student who doesn't have the requisite knowledge for a class will have trouble succeeding in the class. Please note, I talked about analyzing and changing the course - not the teacher. In the situation you describe, perhaps additional prerequisites or additional tutoring could be recommended. Kids entering the magnet program go to a short math program over the summer. Perhaps analysis might suggest something similar. I'm not an advocate of gatekeeping, recognizing motivation can go a long way. I'm merely saying that testing can be an indicator of whether something is working. When test results are poor, it's a red flag to look at things closer. When MCPS had finals that the majority of students were failing, I think it is clear that the teachers were not at fault. There might have been a few bad teachers (although overall, I think MCPS has fantastic teachers), but with so much failure, they might be difficult to find. Nobody is suggesting that the majority of students failed because the majority of teachers were bad. Clearly there was a systemic problem. My personal belief is that the MCPS math curriculum is so bad that they weren't prepared for Algebra to begin with, and then had a horrible Algebra curriculum. Finals clearly signaled a problem, but rather than trying to address the problem, they did away with the test. I think we basically agree. I think kids aren't getting the necessary foundation to succeed at higher levels. Rigor needs to be upped from the beginning. While I think "higher-order thinking" is great and should be included, I think there should be a greater emphasis on subject matter content. Elementary kids should have a phonics-based reading program, a stronger math, science, and social studies curriculums. There should be systematic instruction in spelling, handwriting, and grammar. I think we need textbooks. The grading system is ridiculous. The fact that students succeed as much as they do and there hasn't been a parent revolt I think is due, in large part, to the heroic teachers who go off-script to compensate for the system's shortcomings - I suspect at considerable professional risk. |
Anonymous
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OMG what a mess MCPS is. In my son's private, he has mid terms and finals. These tests count for one third of his semester grade. The final exams happen two per day over 4 days. He takes 7 courses, so that is 7 exams. The exams are on top of any AP exams he takes (which are mandatory). Stress level is not that of a typical W high school. These kids are taught well and have text books. There are various levels of academic rigor in the school. My son is on the higher level of that.
In the weeks preceding exam week, students are really working hard, studying, etc. Classes the week prior to exam week are dedicate to review. These kids come out of these courses really knowing the material. My son is a senior, but I know parents of kids who have already graduated from this school and gone on to college. Many say college is a cakewalk compared to this high school. The kids are very well prepared for college because they had a similar curriculum, i.e. cumulative exams and having to write papers on a regular basis. So glad we left MCPS. Oh, and by the way, our tuition is < $25K. |
Anonymous
How much <$25K? I'm glad that you're glad that you left MCPS. Why are you still posting on the Maryland Public Schools board? |
Anonymous
Glad you are happy but I am not looking for a HS where my kids has to take AP's in addition to finals. What do you think that accomplishes? MCPS used to spend a week prepping for finals and taking them 2x a year. That is a month of class time. I actually do not think MCPS should have gotten rid of all finals the way they did..but where there is an AP/IB test, I think that is enough. My junior will take 6 AP exams this year. I feel she will be ok with college level exams when she gets there. |
Anonymous
I am the PP you quoted. Where there is an AP exam, there is a final, however, it is not during final week. It is actually before the AP exam AND it is used as a review to prep for the AP exam. So you may still want to look into this private school, because they are doing a MUCH better job educating kids than MCPS -- and I live in a W cluster. The problem is where kids don't take APs. What happens to these middle of the road to lower level kids who don't take APs? They really get the crap end of the stick because they have no experience with any sort of cumulative testing. At our private, kids who don't take APs still have final exams. Sad state of affairs at MCPS. |
Anonymous
Another private school parent who loves to spout off about MCPS... Yes I should look into your (unnamed) private school because they do a pre-AP exam to help prep. Thanks for the suggestion. |