To protect student identity, they won't list a data breakdown by any race (or other subgroup) that's below a certain percentage of the school population. (I think 5%, but I forget) In college I was the only woman in several classes, and I asked my classmates not to mark the gender bubble on student-teacher evals for the same reason. |
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The presence of English Language learners in the school really skews several of the data point. I looked for an example high school without ELLs.
http://reportcard.msde.maryland.gov/Graphs/#/ReportCards/ReportCardSchool/3/17/6/04/0314/ First, the ELL category is dropped, so the total points are out of 80 and the percentage of total points will be higher because the school can't lose any points in that category. Second, the ELLs are going to bring down the percentage proficient in English Language Arts, by definition. Third, they are less likely to be on track for graduation after 9th grade, if they enter high school as ESOL 1 (which many do). Fourth, they are less likely to have credit for a well rounded curriculum because their ESOL classes take up a large part of their schedule, and they don't have extra room beyond the required courses for graduation. And oddly - the well rounded curriculum is counted in two places. Fifth, they are more likely to take more than 4 (or 5) years to graduate. I think the state should separate out the ELLs - they need very different programming than students with English as a native language. It is important to measure how they are progressing, but lumping them in with the rest of the school population both masks challenges with ELLs programming and problems with programming for the general population. |
Any surprises? The principal is a toady who has helped to undermine the RMIB magnet program and ousted Hoover as the magnet coordinator. As soon as she left the diploma rates fell from 96% to 80 something percent. Who suffers when you dilute the magnet programs and other curriculum? Not the communities that are well to do but the poor White, Blacks, Latinos and the Asians. |
Richard Montgomery is an amazing magnet program, like Blair and PHS. Your kid is in NW or QO or even any W HS is not the magnet program, not even a little bit close. So yeah there are bunch of kids who are very driven and have parents who are very committed and they are doing better than the rest of the county - but they are exceptions and should be removed from the stats. All schools are doing badly. Every single one is failing to meet the needs of the students regardless of what ability they are at. |
I'm surprised that the axe you've been grinding isn't already worn down to a nub. |
| As a legal immigrant from a third world country who was able to come to the US only because of the education I got in my country of origin, I am ashamed of the low standard of K-12 education standard of the US. How are my kids going to compete in the global market place? Most of my time in this country has gone in semi-homeschooling my children. The parents who think that this is a good report card are equally stupid. |
| The website is incredibly slow....is it to accommodate the reading levels? |
Didn’t you hear? We are pulling out of the global market! |
No it’s because the site isn’t set up to handle this much traffic. I suggest you stop using it so it speeds up for everyone else. You can try again this weekend. |
No axe to grind. The results are there in the data. I expect my tax dollars to pay competent people and the first thing MCPS needs is a whole sale culling of the administrators and central office people. Hire more teachers. |
| So students who attend school regularly, speak English as their native language, have normal or above normal intelligence and have well educated parents who care about education did well (and the schools they attend benefit from them being in their school). In other news, water is wet. |
Sad, but true. Our kids cannot compete in most situations. |
Yup. It basically means we are failing special needs kids and ESOL. |
This much traffic! Surely you are kidding. Look at the demographic and general apathy. No one is looking or care.
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Completely or one G20 summit at a time?
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