"Enrichment" in local MS after 6th grade

[Anonymous]

An academic environment that has low expectations for gifted children, and encourages them to coast, leads to real problems with work ethic and motivation. If that becomes habit, it can be difficult to untangle later on. Many of us already experienced this with kids making the transition to a CES. Suddenly that had to work, and it was an adjustment. A good and important one.

[Anonymous]

If the magnet years were/are challenging for your child that is great. But it’s not all that accelerated. Math is still only 2 years accelerated, right? Am I missing something? And this is being offered at home magnets.

[Anonymous]

The CES teachers told us the math cohort was able to go faster and deeper because it was so uniformly high achieving. The home MS IM course despite promises to the contrary is not enriched, and moves at a slower pace due to the wider range of ability in the class. The definition of peer cohort is quite generous. DC's teacher sent them and two others out into the hallway to do harder worksheets, but can't realistically sustain that without school support.

[Anonymous]

I quite like the 6th enriched humanities course, think it is the only course that offers challenge close to the CES social studies classes. The fact that the enrichment won't continue into 7th is so disappointing. Then what was the point in offering it in 6th at all?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I quite like the 6th enriched humanities course, think it is the only course that offers challenge close to the CES social studies classes. The fact that the enrichment won't continue into 7th is so disappointing. Then what was the point in offering it in 6th at all?

This was just the first year too. It should also only improve. I honestly think these changes are great since more kids can benefit without having to be bussed around the county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I quite like the 6th enriched humanities course, think it is the only course that offers challenge close to the CES social studies classes. The fact that the enrichment won't continue into 7th is so disappointing. Then what was the point in offering it in 6th at all?

But it will continue into 7th. Or did your school say otherwise?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I quite like the 6th enriched humanities course, think it is the only course that offers challenge close to the CES social studies classes. The fact that the enrichment won't continue into 7th is so disappointing. Then what was the point in offering it in 6th at all?

But it will continue into 7th. Or did your school say otherwise?

Here is SSIMS's description for the 7th grade enriched humanities class:

Historical Inquiry into Global Humanities 7
This course is built around the core Grade 7 social studies curriculum, Historical Inquiry in World Studies 7, that
includes historical content from civilizations of Latin America, Africa, and medieval Europe as well as global
interactions following Columbian Exchange. Cohort students will go beyond this core as they learn additional
content, explore deeper connections to today, engage in investigative inquiry to strengthen their writing
through Document Based Questions, and enhance their learning through relevant literature connections. They
will also participate in the National History Day (NHD) competition to research historical topics related to a
NHD annual theme. Students eligible to register for this course are identified by Central Office. Schools may not
identify students for this course.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I quite like the 6th enriched humanities course, think it is the only course that offers challenge close to the CES social studies classes. The fact that the enrichment won't continue into 7th is so disappointing. Then what was the point in offering it in 6th at all?

But it will continue into 7th. Or did your school say otherwise?

Here is SSIMS's description for the 7th grade enriched humanities class:

Historical Inquiry into Global Humanities 7
This course is built around the core Grade 7 social studies curriculum, Historical Inquiry in World Studies 7, that
includes historical content from civilizations of Latin America, Africa, and medieval Europe as well as global
interactions following Columbian Exchange. Cohort students will go beyond this core as they learn additional
content, explore deeper connections to today, engage in investigative inquiry to strengthen their writing
through Document Based Questions, and enhance their learning through relevant literature connections. They
will also participate in the National History Day (NHD) competition to research historical topics related to a
NHD annual theme. Students eligible to register for this course are identified by Central Office. Schools may not
identify students for this course.

OP here - that sounds great and in line with the magnet, but I don't think it's being offered at my MS. This is the kind of information I was hoping to get when I posted. Do they have a similar description for the 7th grade enriched math, and if so, can you post it? Thanks so much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I quite like the 6th enriched humanities course, think it is the only course that offers challenge close to the CES social studies classes. The fact that the enrichment won't continue into 7th is so disappointing. Then what was the point in offering it in 6th at all?

But it will continue into 7th. Or did your school say otherwise?

Here is SSIMS's description for the 7th grade enriched humanities class:

Historical Inquiry into Global Humanities 7
This course is built around the core Grade 7 social studies curriculum, Historical Inquiry in World Studies 7, that
includes historical content from civilizations of Latin America, Africa, and medieval Europe as well as global
interactions following Columbian Exchange. Cohort students will go beyond this core as they learn additional
content, explore deeper connections to today, engage in investigative inquiry to strengthen their writing
through Document Based Questions, and enhance their learning through relevant literature connections. They
will also participate in the National History Day (NHD) competition to research historical topics related to a
NHD annual theme. Students eligible to register for this course are identified by Central Office. Schools may not
identify students for this course.

OP here - that sounds great and in line with the magnet, but I don't think it's being offered at my MS. This is the kind of information I was hoping to get when I posted. Do they have a similar description for the 7th grade enriched math, and if so, can you post it? Thanks so much.

They don't, and it may be because SSIMS is one of the middle schools that'll be implementing the new math and ELA curricula next year, so their info isn't updated yet. Their course bulletin still refers to Curriculum 2.0 Algebra 1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I quite like the 6th enriched humanities course, think it is the only course that offers challenge close to the CES social studies classes. The fact that the enrichment won't continue into 7th is so disappointing. Then what was the point in offering it in 6th at all?

But it will continue into 7th. Or did your school say otherwise?

Here is SSIMS's description for the 7th grade enriched humanities class:

Historical Inquiry into Global Humanities 7
This course is built around the core Grade 7 social studies curriculum, Historical Inquiry in World Studies 7, that
includes historical content from civilizations of Latin America, Africa, and medieval Europe as well as global
interactions following Columbian Exchange. Cohort students will go beyond this core as they learn additional
content, explore deeper connections to today, engage in investigative inquiry to strengthen their writing
through Document Based Questions, and enhance their learning through relevant literature connections. They
will also participate in the National History Day (NHD) competition to research historical topics related to a
NHD annual theme. Students eligible to register for this course are identified by Central Office. Schools may not
identify students for this course.

OP here - that sounds great and in line with the magnet, but I don't think it's being offered at my MS. This is the kind of information I was hoping to get when I posted. Do they have a similar description for the 7th grade enriched math, and if so, can you post it? Thanks so much.

They don't, and it may be because SSIMS is one of the middle schools that'll be implementing the new math and ELA curricula next year, so their info isn't updated yet. Their course bulletin still refers to Curriculum 2.0 Algebra 1.

NP: I spoke to the counseling dept and they are piloting a new math curriculum for Algebra and MS math. For now, the plan is to keep the Applied IM cohort together for the new Algebra curriculum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school is doing: Nada. Bupkis. Given the joke that 6th grade "enrichment" for the highly able group was, did we expect any differently? This was pure lip service. They know parents invested in their highly able kids' education will continue to enrich, which of course we will. But screw MCPS. I am sorry I paid a premium to be in a so-called "great" school system. Enormous classes, virtually no homework, little to no challenge. What a disappointment.

Yet MCPS will point to your child's successes as further proof that they are "one of the best school systems in the nation". I've long believed that the high success rates that MCPS likes to boast about are largely due to educated parents compensating at home for school ahortfalls, rather than because of MCPS.

MCPS does offer some amazing opportunities (magnets, immersion, etc.), however these are offered to a tiny percentage of students. They need to shore up their basic curriculum for everyone (hopefully the new curriculum will do this) and they need to dramatically expand their magnets/immersion programs to serve all the qualified students who need it.

+2 million

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You really don't know what you're talking about. When my current Eastern 8th grader tested for magnet MS, around 600 students applied. And her educational experience has been head and shoulders above that my older kid had at our home W-feeder MS. It's not just about peer cohort -- although it is great for her to be with very smart and hard-working fellow students -- it's that the curriculum and teachers are far better than those at the home MS. I've also had two kids go through CES, and the difference in curriculum between CES and the home ES is also night and day. My kids came from a well-regarded ES that we actually really like, had great teachers, and were still bored out of their minds by 3rd grade because the materials were too easy and because the teachers had to spend all their time with the kids who needed more help. Even if they'd been in fully tracked classrooms, though, the curriculum is still bad.

Peer cohorts don't teach smart kids -- smart kids need, and deserve, to have their needs met with excellent curricular materials, well-trained teachers, and enough tracking that they aren't just getting on with it because the teacher has to devote his/her time to the kids who aren't getting it.

So it is a sham and a travesty that MCPS has not truly expanded the magnet programs to meet the needs of all the students who are capable of succeeding and thriving, whether they are "outliers" or whether they have a "peer cohort." And the fact that they don't have a plan for meeting the needs of these students at the home MS beyond 7th grade demonstrates that their promise was and is hollow.

I don't remember much concern on DCUM about the needs of highly-able students left to languish in the home middle school, before MCPS changed the middle-school admissions process. (In fact I don't remember any, but maybe there was some and I just don't remember.) But now that it's different highly-able students left to languish in the home middle school, we never hear the end of it on DCUM.

Oh, c’mon. I pulled my kid when Curr 2.0 was rolled out - he was in a challenging local private that is not considered the best of the best. He loved school again. Pulled second child after 3rd grade a few years back. MCPS’s main focus is “closing the achievent gap.” They are doing this by letting able kids stagnate and reassuring parents that their kids will be “fine.” No wonder private school apps were up 20% this fall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:An academic environment that has low expectations for gifted children, and encourages them to coast, leads to real problems with work ethic and motivation. If that becomes habit, it can be difficult to untangle later on. Many of us already experienced this with kids making the transition to a CES. Suddenly that had to work, and it was an adjustment. A good and important one.

Exactly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You really don't know what you're talking about. When my current Eastern 8th grader tested for magnet MS, around 600 students applied. And her educational experience has been head and shoulders above that my older kid had at our home W-feeder MS. It's not just about peer cohort -- although it is great for her to be with very smart and hard-working fellow students -- it's that the curriculum and teachers are far better than those at the home MS. I've also had two kids go through CES, and the difference in curriculum between CES and the home ES is also night and day. My kids came from a well-regarded ES that we actually really like, had great teachers, and were still bored out of their minds by 3rd grade because the materials were too easy and because the teachers had to spend all their time with the kids who needed more help. Even if they'd been in fully tracked classrooms, though, the curriculum is still bad.

Peer cohorts don't teach smart kids -- smart kids need, and deserve, to have their needs met with excellent curricular materials, well-trained teachers, and enough tracking that they aren't just getting on with it because the teacher has to devote his/her time to the kids who aren't getting it.

So it is a sham and a travesty that MCPS has not truly expanded the magnet programs to meet the needs of all the students who are capable of succeeding and thriving, whether they are "outliers" or whether they have a "peer cohort." And the fact that they don't have a plan for meeting the needs of these students at the home MS beyond 7th grade demonstrates that their promise was and is hollow.

I don't remember much concern on DCUM about the needs of highly-able students left to languish in the home middle school, before MCPS changed the middle-school admissions process. (In fact I don't remember any, but maybe there was some and I just don't remember.) But now that it's different highly-able students left to languish in the home middle school, we never hear the end of it on DCUM.

Oh, c’mon. I pulled my kid when Curr 2.0 was rolled out - he was in a challenging local private that is not considered the best of the best. He loved school again. Pulled second child after 3rd grade a few years back. MCPS’s main focus is “closing the achievent gap.” They are doing this by letting able kids stagnate and reassuring parents that their kids will be “fine.” No wonder private school apps were up 20% this fall.

You may be surprised to learn every single public district in the US is subject to the same federal pressure to close the achievement gap. They all must demonstrate what they are doing to be effective at this goal or $$$ go away. 'sSo it looks like it's being done at the local level, but really they're just following federal mandates, everywhere. Yes each district has some flexibility in how they pursue this primary goal. But they can't substitute higher goals. Or so it has been explained to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Oh, c’mon. I pulled my kid when Curr 2.0 was rolled out - he was in a challenging local private that is not considered the best of the best. He loved school again. Pulled second child after 3rd grade a few years back. MCPS’s main focus is “closing the achievent gap.” They are doing this by letting able kids stagnate and reassuring parents that their kids will be “fine.” No wonder private school apps were up 20% this fall.

Oh, is there a shared database of private-school applications in the county, and do you have access to it?