Earthquake rumblings of change at Takoma Park Middle School Magnet Program-grand design?

[Anonymous]

What's going on at TPMS (2013)?

1 New Principal for the fall
2 Teacher's Union vote to scrap block schedule (recall similar issue with Eastern Middle School Magnet program a few years back)? How will this change impact the current Magnet program at TPMS?
3 What will happen to the Band program? I hear the TPMS teachers boycotted the Spring production 2 days ago?
4 Do any TPMS parents or students know what is going on?
5 Is this the beginning of the end?

[Anonymous]

EMS parent. When EMS dropped the block schedule it limited the options of those kids who take instrumental music and/or languages. In 6th grade there was no elective in the magnet so 6th graders didn't have a slot to continue music or language (which really must be done every year in order to keep skills up). The solution was to offer these classes before or after school. I don't know anyone in the instrumental music classes, but do know some kids taking language. I think they meet 3x a week (so they can use the activities bus to go home). Students get grades and full credit and class is taught by same teacher who teaches during the day.

I think the loss of the block program negatively affected the academics of the EMS program. There is no longer in depth work periods. There is still a double-block for the WS/Eng classes, but if your student takes the block in the morning, it is interrupted by a 20 min. "PBIS" period (which is basically homeroom with some "social" lessons occasionally delivered), which means that really only half the program has a "block".

[Anonymous]

How will Takoma adjust to the lack of math acceleration in ES's? WIll it like the HGC's be limited to the 8th grade lagebra tract?

[Anonymous]

Under 2.0, Algebra I in eighth grade is grade level math. Accelerated is Algebra I in 7th grade.

[Anonymous]

What is a block schedule? What does "dropping a block schedule" mean?

[Anonymous]

I have a child at TPMS (in the magnet) and have seen nothing on this. I looked at the listserv, on email ... nothing.

My older child also attended the magnet and this was discussed a few years ago, when he was there, and then dropped.

[Anonymous]

This post appears to be someone trying to stir a pot.

[Anonymous]

I go to Takoma, and they talked about dropping the block schedule last year, but decided not to, and there has been no mention of it since. The music program is also very active and pretty good. I don't know where you got your information.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I go to Takoma, and they talked about dropping the block schedule last year, but decided not to, and there has been no mention of it since. The music program is also very active and pretty good. I don't know where you got your information.

The music program is nothing short of astonishing. Were you at the concert this week? Mrs. P is amazing and those ensembles sound like professionals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is a block schedule? What does "dropping a block schedule" mean?

a block schedule is when students take classes in 90 minute blocks vs 45 or 50 minute classes. The benefits include that there are fewer transitions (which is often when a lot of behavioral problems occur), there's more instructional time to study subjects in depth.

The drawbacks are as pp mentioned you can't do as many electives. Sometimes a school will alternate a schedule so that students will have an "a " day and a "b' day so students will take certain classes every other day or they have a 45 minute elective at the end of the day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I think the loss of the block program negatively affected the academics of the EMS program. There is no longer in depth work periods. There is still a double-block for the WS/Eng classes, but if your student takes the block in the morning, it is interrupted by a 20 min. "PBIS" period (which is basically homeroom with some "social" lessons occasionally delivered), which means that really only half the program has a "block".

I think character education is time well spent to help maintain a positive school community. Middle school students have so much interpersonal drama, having some explicit instruction on how to be a decent human being could go a long way to helping that

[Anonymous]

I'm 17:47, and yes I did go to the advanced ensemble concert because one of my best friends had a huge part in it. The music program is really fantastic, and Ms. Pasquale is a wonderful teacher. She is really loved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I think the loss of the block program negatively affected the academics of the EMS program. There is no longer in depth work periods. There is still a double-block for the WS/Eng classes, but if your student takes the block in the morning, it is interrupted by a 20 min. "PBIS" period (which is basically homeroom with some "social" lessons occasionally delivered), which means that really only half the program has a "block".

I think character education is time well spent to help maintain a positive school community. Middle school students have so much interpersonal drama, having some explicit instruction on how to be a decent human being could go a long way to helping that

I wasn't complaining about PBIS itself. I agree that "social" education is important. Although, frankly, PBIS "lessons" at this school are pretty weak and do not address main problem issues. Plus, school turned PBIS into DEAR time to increase reading so as to increase test scores, but that hasn't really helped.

The problem is that the AM humanities "block" is disrupted by PBIS and as a result the AM kids don't get the same quality as PM block kids. Not to mention that the school consistently refuses to balance class sizes. This year the AM block had many more students that PM block. Many of them could (and should) have been scheduled for PM so that the block sizes were balanced, but school is too disorganized to deal with class size issues prior to giving out registration/schedules to students.

[Anonymous]

This post appears to be someone trying to stir a pot.

I doubt it. You are not connected to TPMS. Have you spoken with any music students of late about what is going on re: impending block schedule change? It's ok to go back to changing diapers over coffee.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

This post appears to be someone trying to stir a pot.

I doubt it. You are not connected to TPMS. Have you spoken with any music students of late about what is going on re: impending block schedule change? It's ok to go back to changing diapers over coffee.

I am closely connected to TPMS and would like to see a citation to real information about what you allege here.