Time for a mutiny yet? MCPS = crummy math, no grammar, poor writing

[Anonymous]

Interesting that the Sherwood counselor who’s been arrested as a drug dealer apparently gets to go to work as though she wasn’t just arrested...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The poster who said that it was mostly private parents bashing MCPS on this thread was actually right.

While there are some private parents on this thread, as evidenced by the whole It's Academic debate, I think the early bashers were mostly MCPS parents.

Personally, my kids attended MCPS K-12. I'm a basher because I think the basic curriculum is terrible, especially in elementary. (It does get better in higher grades with AP/IB classes. Textbooks help a lot.) I do think the magnet classes are great.

It sounds like your kids have graduated high school. How do you know what elementary students are doing? Are you a teacher in mcps?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The poster who said that it was mostly private parents bashing MCPS on this thread was actually right.

While there are some private parents on this thread, as evidenced by the whole It's Academic debate, I think the early bashers were mostly MCPS parents.

Personally, my kids attended MCPS K-12. I'm a basher because I think the basic curriculum is terrible, especially in elementary. (It does get better in higher grades with AP/IB classes. Textbooks help a lot.) I do think the magnet classes are great.

It sounds like your kids have graduated high school. How do you know what elementary students are doing? Are you a teacher in mcps?

I was poster 02/10/2018 04:27 on page 17.

My kids went through elementary school here. I served on a curriculum committee and have talked to teachers through the years. The curriculum has changed some, so I included an MCPS link detailing the changes to curriculum in my original post.

The biggest problem with the curricum department is their tendency to devalue content. While I agree that students should practice the higher order thinking skills that MCPS prioritzes, I feel that systematic content instruction is vital as well.

Further, I feel that producing and selling our curriculum is a huge conflict of interest. Rather than having subject matter experts produce a textbook, which is professionally edited and reviewed by other experts, before being released, we have a generalized curriculum department which I believe is augmented by MCPS teachers. Rather than buying a textbook that has proven effective elsewhere, our kids are the guinea pigs for whatever is produced. Moreover, in the past, the curriculum which was developed on a rolling basis was sometimes provided to teachers only a few days before they had to start using it. Hopefully the delivery schedule has improved. Finally, with a commercial textbook, students have a resource they can use, with all the extra features of a textbook (index, glossary, sample questions, etc.) Our students have assorted hand-outs and notes from class which is not only a less effective resource for them, but also makes it difficult for parents to review the quality of the curriculum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The poster who said that it was mostly private parents bashing MCPS on this thread was actually right.

While there are some private parents on this thread, as evidenced by the whole It's Academic debate, I think the early bashers were mostly MCPS parents.

Personally, my kids attended MCPS K-12. I'm a basher because I think the basic curriculum is terrible, especially in elementary. (It does get better in higher grades with AP/IB classes. Textbooks help a lot.) I do think the magnet classes are great.

Nope, if you read the first 2 pages, it was mostly parents defending MCPS against OP and those who said their kids are in private schools. Then there was probably a few unhappy MCPS parents, and then the flood gate opened with the MCPS bashing by private schools parents...which continues until they are confronted by some MCPS parents.

[Anonymous]

i mean what is there to complain about. you live in an expensive city, sell your house and send your kids to private school in a better school district. it would help with overcrowding if schools made sure that out of district students didn’t attend MCPS but ’muh sanctuary city’ needs to hide illegals. for some reason. how soon we forget

https://www.google.com/amp/www.foxnews.com/us/2017/03/20/maryland-girl-allegedly-raped-in-high-school-bathroom-by-two-teens-at-least-one-here-illegally.amp.html

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Hah...nice try! Another MCPS parent in complete denial.

DP.

Me: My kids are getting a good education in MCPS.
You: No, they're not!

PP here. I am just basing my assumption on the fact that there are 18 pages of unhappy mcps parents whining about the lack of grammar and writing instruction among other things. Perhaps you are happy, but that doesn't mean the curriculum is competitive with the rest of the country/world and private schools that are light years ahead of mcps.

18 pages of mostly private schools parents trying to bash MCPS.
MCPS is the most competitive school system in the DC area. It is proven in any academic competition. Period.
The "least desirable "school in MCPS will beat the best any other school system has to offer, that includes the privates .
When was the last time a school other than MCPS has won the "it's academics " competition?

That’s the measure of it all, right? A Saturday morning half hour trivia bowl? The kids that win automatically get a BS from MIT after all.

Also, it’s ‘It’s Academic’

Let me simplify it for you.
You all can't even compete with MCPS in this simple trivia bowl, even after paying up $40000 . Don't even need to mention STEM competitions.
Like I said, keep bashing the big dog so you can feel better about paying for an inferior product.

Your response doesn't make any sense. Of course the top students in a 50,000 student pool will beat private school kids. That doesn't tell you anything about the quality of education in MCPS versus privates.

Wow!!
Is it really that hard for you?
It's not about numbers. Each school chooses the three best-suited students and alternatives to represent the school. So a school can have just 100 students, beat all the schools with higher students and wins the competition every year...because of the quality of the education .
Hence the reason MCPS owns the competition.

Huh? MCPS high schools have class sizes that are typically 5-10x those of the private opponents. And even then, it's usually Blair that just crushes everyone, thanks to having the elite one percentile of students who get admitted to SMAC.

Furthermore, It's Academic is a show that's based on regurgitating memorized information, so it's not really in the wheelhouse of most privates.

I don't really have a dog in this fight, but what's your purpose in this thread? Seriously. Yes, it's a game show. My brother went to the school all you private parents salivate over and was on both It's Academic and Teen Jeopardy. It seemed in his wheelhouse at the time.

New money private parents are the ABSOLUTE WORST.

IDK - my DD wouldn’t be CAUGHT DEAD on It’s Academic. If I even suggested it she’d slug me. It’s not for everyone. Or many. It’s a rare bird, I think, that would do it. And yes, she’s going to a top university next year. We don’t have to specify what kind of school she goes to because it’s not relevant.

Shouldn’t this be a separate thread?

GO AWAY PATHETIC HOLTON MOM

New poster.

Holton Mom? Where. How did Holton get dragged into this mess.
Who says slug?

It’s embarrassing how ALL of you are behaving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:5) math acceleration at all costs - pushed too much too soon

This isn't really something being pushed by MCPS; it's MCPS responding to all the tiger parents out there who insist on their kid taking calculus in 11th because they mistakenly think it's going to help with college placement or be necessary to enter a STEM field (which it isn't).

I disagree. I think if MCPS offered true honors/advanced tracking in math in ES and MS most parents would be perfectly happy keeping their kids "on level". If you have a kid who has advanced abilities in math, MCPS's answer is to immediately move them up a grade level (in the old curriculum you were moved up two grade levels). Why not offer grade level work with acceleration for those who can handle it? Instead of your 5th grader taking 6th grade level math, they'd be delving deeper into 5th grade math concepts/maybe doing more project-based work, having deeper discussions in class with other 5th graders who want to be challenged at math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Interesting that the Sherwood counselor who’s been arrested as a drug dealer apparently gets to go to work as though she wasn’t just arrested...

[Anonymous]

She is on administrative leave. There are TV cameras all around Sherwood. I think if she comes back Sherwood parents need to boycott the school. I don't even think anybody should care if she is found guilty or not. I am fed up beyond reason with MoCo. This is not just about Sherwood, I had my older go to a private and DD wanted to go to HS in MoCo bcs of her stupid sport. County champs and all that. I had my kids prior in private British School overseas, DS continued here in private. Letting her persuade me to go here to public is the worst decision I've ever made!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Hah...nice try! Another MCPS parent in complete denial.

DP.

Me: My kids are getting a good education in MCPS.
You: No, they're not!

PP here. I am just basing my assumption on the fact that there are 18 pages of unhappy mcps parents whining about the lack of grammar and writing instruction among other things. Perhaps you are happy, but that doesn't mean the curriculum is competitive with the rest of the country/world and private schools that are light years ahead of mcps.

18 pages of mostly private schools parents trying to bash MCPS.
MCPS is the most competitive school system in the DC area. It is proven in any academic competition. Period.
The "least desirable "school in MCPS will beat the best any other school system has to offer, that includes the privates .
When was the last time a school other than MCPS has won the "it's academics " competition?

That’s the measure of it all, right? A Saturday morning half hour trivia bowl? The kids that win automatically get a BS from MIT after all.

Also, it’s ‘It’s Academic’

Let me simplify it for you.
You all can't even compete with MCPS in this simple trivia bowl, even after paying up $40000 . Don't even need to mention STEM competitions.
Like I said, keep bashing the big dog so you can feel better about paying for an inferior product.

Your response doesn't make any sense. Of course the top students in a 50,000 student pool will beat private school kids. That doesn't tell you anything about the quality of education in MCPS versus privates.

Wow!!
Is it really that hard for you?
It's not about numbers. Each school chooses the three best-suited students and alternatives to represent the school. So a school can have just 100 students, beat all the schools with higher students and wins the competition every year...because of the quality of the education .
Hence the reason MCPS owns the competition.

Huh? MCPS high schools have class sizes that are typically 5-10x those of the private opponents. And even then, it's usually Blair that just crushes everyone, thanks to having the elite one percentile of students who get admitted to SMAC.

Furthermore, It's Academic is a show that's based on regurgitating memorized information, so it's not really in the wheelhouse of most privates.

I don't really have a dog in this fight, but what's your purpose in this thread? Seriously. Yes, it's a game show. My brother went to the school all you private parents salivate over and was on both It's Academic and Teen Jeopardy. It seemed in his wheelhouse at the time.

New money private parents are the ABSOLUTE WORST.

IDK - my DD wouldn’t be CAUGHT DEAD on It’s Academic. If I even suggested it she’d slug me. It’s not for everyone. Or many. It’s a rare bird, I think, that would do it. And yes, she’s going to a top university next year. We don’t have to specify what kind of school she goes to because it’s not relevant.

Shouldn’t this be a separate thread?

GO AWAY PATHETIC HOLTON MOM

New poster.

Holton Mom? Where. How did Holton get dragged into this mess.
Who says slug?

It’s embarrassing how ALL of you are behaving.

I have not read this whole thread, nor will I. All I will say is what I posted just above. My DD wanted to go to MCPS, after private British School. I don't know about all the privates apart from the one my DS went to here(and he had a great experience in British and other local private, even with SN issue), I was defending MCPS before but the truth is the best MCPS is rubbish compared to my kids' British School. I don't know how other privates compare to private(public) British schools or was it just the one my kids attended that was awesome. And yes, my DS' private school here was so much worse than his British School prior to moving here. MCPS is the worst decision I ever made for my DD. I wish we never moved back and that my kids stayed in the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Sure, a kid coming out of MCPS can have all of those things, but there’s no getting around the fact that each of those items on the OP’s list is addressed and directly attempted to be instilled in each student on a near-daily basis in many private schools in this area. That’s in addition to whatever parents are doing to help their children with those items too. It’s certainly a difference.

And in MCPS schools too! Yay for all schools where students learn good values, how to listen/speak/discuss, find their passions, try out different sports or clubs, develop close relationships to teacher mentors, and develop a growth mindset and love of learning!

+1

I'm an MCPS basher. I think their academic curriculum stinks. However, even I think they offer the types of intangibles described above.

I used to defend MCPS, not for academics, but for schools spirit, not putting the pressure I had in school, thinking my kids are better off without so much pressure, that sports are good. I take it all back. MCPS academic curriculum is pathetic. And for working ethic, do you think I should e-mail the principal to tell him that my DD's AP teacher was on his effing phone while slides were just rolling during the class? Day in and day out, not teaching at all?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:5) math acceleration at all costs - pushed too much too soon

This isn't really something being pushed by MCPS; it's MCPS responding to all the tiger parents out there who insist on their kid taking calculus in 11th because they mistakenly think it's going to help with college placement or be necessary to enter a STEM field (which it isn't).

I disagree. I think if MCPS offered true honors/advanced tracking in math in ES and MS most parents would be perfectly happy keeping their kids "on level". If you have a kid who has advanced abilities in math, MCPS's answer is to immediately move them up a grade level (in the old curriculum you were moved up two grade levels). Why not offer grade level work with acceleration for those who can handle it? Instead of your 5th grader taking 6th grade level math, they'd be delving deeper into 5th grade math concepts/maybe doing more project-based work, having deeper discussions in class with other 5th graders who want to be challenged at math.

They do that. And DCUM complains about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:5) math acceleration at all costs - pushed too much too soon

This isn't really something being pushed by MCPS; it's MCPS responding to all the tiger parents out there who insist on their kid taking calculus in 11th because they mistakenly think it's going to help with college placement or be necessary to enter a STEM field (which it isn't).

I disagree. I think if MCPS offered true honors/advanced tracking in math in ES and MS most parents would be perfectly happy keeping their kids "on level". If you have a kid who has advanced abilities in math, MCPS's answer is to immediately move them up a grade level (in the old curriculum you were moved up two grade levels). Why not offer grade level work with acceleration for those who can handle it? Instead of your 5th grader taking 6th grade level math, they'd be delving deeper into 5th grade math concepts/maybe doing more project-based work, having deeper discussions in class with other 5th graders who want to be challenged at math.

They do that. And DCUM complains about it.

This. Of course MCPS curriculum isn't perfect -- far from it -- but the fact is that most MCPS schools (and certainly the top performing ones) are among the best public schools in the country. We're talking within the top 5%. If you're not happy with the education your kid is getting, fight for improvements and supplement at home, but the idea that MCPS is some shit-hole is patently ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:5) math acceleration at all costs - pushed too much too soon

This isn't really something being pushed by MCPS; it's MCPS responding to all the tiger parents out there who insist on their kid taking calculus in 11th because they mistakenly think it's going to help with college placement or be necessary to enter a STEM field (which it isn't).

I disagree. I think if MCPS offered true honors/advanced tracking in math in ES and MS most parents would be perfectly happy keeping their kids "on level". If you have a kid who has advanced abilities in math, MCPS's answer is to immediately move them up a grade level (in the old curriculum you were moved up two grade levels). Why not offer grade level work with acceleration for those who can handle it? Instead of your 5th grader taking 6th grade level math, they'd be delving deeper into 5th grade math concepts/maybe doing more project-based work, having deeper discussions in class with other 5th graders who want to be challenged at math.

They do that. And DCUM complains about it.

This. Of course MCPS curriculum isn't perfect -- far from it -- but the fact is that most MCPS schools (and certainly the top performing ones) are among the best public schools in the country. We're talking within the top 5%. If you're not happy with the education your kid is getting, fight for improvements and supplement at home, but the idea that MCPS is some shit-hole is patently ridiculous.

No they're really not. They have a lot of smart kids that score well, but the schools aren't great. Massachusetts has good schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:5) math acceleration at all costs - pushed too much too soon

This isn't really something being pushed by MCPS; it's MCPS responding to all the tiger parents out there who insist on their kid taking calculus in 11th because they mistakenly think it's going to help with college placement or be necessary to enter a STEM field (which it isn't).

I disagree. I think if MCPS offered true honors/advanced tracking in math in ES and MS most parents would be perfectly happy keeping their kids "on level". If you have a kid who has advanced abilities in math, MCPS's answer is to immediately move them up a grade level (in the old curriculum you were moved up two grade levels). Why not offer grade level work with acceleration for those who can handle it? Instead of your 5th grader taking 6th grade level math, they'd be delving deeper into 5th grade math concepts/maybe doing more project-based work, having deeper discussions in class with other 5th graders who want to be challenged at math.

They do that. And DCUM complains about it.

This. Of course MCPS curriculum isn't perfect -- far from it -- but the fact is that most MCPS schools (and certainly the top performing ones) are among the best public schools in the country. We're talking within the top 5%. If you're not happy with the education your kid is getting, fight for improvements and supplement at home, but the idea that MCPS is some shit-hole is patently ridiculous.

No they're really not. They have a lot of smart kids that score well, but the schools aren't great. Massachusetts has good schools.

MCPS is in the top 5% of school districts in the country. yes, Massachusetts has districts that are stronger, but they also have districts that are weaker than MCPS.

it's also important to point out that MCPS is huge and diverse. it's not reasonable to compare it to, say, Wellesley public schools (one of the best districts in MA), which has about 5,000 students and is at 6% free or reduced lunch. MCPS is the 16th largest school district in the country and has 35% of its students on free or reduced lunch.

I'm not arguing MCPS doesn't have problems -- it absolutely does. I'm arguing that things could be a hell of a lot worse.