WSJ - To Increase Equity, School Districts Eliminate Honors Classes

[Anonymous]

Dont kids still have to request/sign up for the honors course? Doesn’t this essentislly select the hard working kids anyway? Or are you saying every class is just given a fake advanced packet?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dont kids still have to request/sign up for the honors course? Doesn’t this essentislly select the hard working kids anyway? Or are you saying every class is just given a fake advanced packet?

No. At Blair, for incoming 9th graders, the only options are Honors English, Honors English for English Language Learners, and Honors English for Kids with Learning Differences.

There is no grade-level English, so unless you are an ELL or receive special services, you will be in Honors English.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dont kids still have to request/sign up for the honors course? Doesn’t this essentislly select the hard working kids anyway? Or are you saying every class is just given a fake advanced packet?

Yes, in 99% of these class with a few exceptions where they may be trying something new.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have one in private school who is going through the process of picking courses for next year. Seems most students want to take honors and AP classes, but they have to be approved by the teacher. My daughter said some of the students are distraught when they don’t get approved. On one hand I feel bad for them, but I am mostly glad they are creating classrooms that will truly be challenging. This is real life. Not everyone should get a trophy.

I don't believe there should be different class speeds or expectations at all. Have the same high expectations for all of the kids and grade accordingly.

The problem is that doing that will turn most 'A' students into 'B' students with that effect cascading down the line. Somehow people have started believing that working hard for a 'B' or and 'C' is shameful. It isn't. Just do your best and you can be pleased with the results because you know you put in your best effort.

So old fashioned of me

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dont kids still have to request/sign up for the honors course? Doesn’t this essentislly select the hard working kids anyway? Or are you saying every class is just given a fake advanced packet?

No, they don't. Honors has become the default in many MCPS high schools in the name of equity, as the WSJ article articulates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Article from WSJ today. Too bad for the schools doing this, it's much better to have all honors so all can have inflated grades.


https://www.wsj.com/articles/to-increase-equity-school-districts-eliminate-honors-classes-d5985dee

Doesn't Fox News own the WSJ?

Yep. More Faux News propaganda

So, there is nothing real here, eh? What is your gold-plated news source, where you trust everything they say?

I think you are incredibly naive and close-minded to dismiss news sources because they don't confirm your bias. But you are probably the frequent poster that accuses every post critical of MCPS of being "right-wing," so we can dismiss your analysis in return.

The news source is the Wall Street Journal which runs leftist on news articles (which this is.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dont kids still have to request/sign up for the honors course? Doesn’t this essentislly select the hard working kids anyway? Or are you saying every class is just given a fake advanced packet?

Yes, in 99% of these class with a few exceptions where they may be trying something new.

This is not true. At Kennedy, it's honors for all in many subjects. The only one I'm aware of that isn't is math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS has pretty much done this, though rather than "eliminating" honors, they made it honors-for-all, which accomplishes the same thing. I'm with the critics on this approach. It's wrongheaded and doesn't work.

Exactly.

It's been like this for years in MCPS. MoCo is progressive, after all. The other school districts are just catching on.

#sad

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have one in private school who is going through the process of picking courses for next year. Seems most students want to take honors and AP classes, but they have to be approved by the teacher. My daughter said some of the students are distraught when they don’t get approved. On one hand I feel bad for them, but I am mostly glad they are creating classrooms that will truly be challenging. This is real life. Not everyone should get a trophy.

I don't believe there should be different class speeds or expectations at all. Have the same high expectations for all of the kids and grade accordingly.

The problem is that doing that will turn most 'A' students into 'B' students with that effect cascading down the line. Somehow people have started believing that working hard for a 'B' or and 'C' is shameful. It isn't. Just do your best and you can be pleased with the results because you know you put in your best effort.

So old fashioned of me

Oh please, there will be plenty of people getting Bs and Cs. Sadly at MCPS the honors for all is just regular English where the low achievers can pass. Imagine having your high achieving kid in the same class with a kid who never does the work....so so sad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dont kids still have to request/sign up for the honors course? Doesn’t this essentislly select the hard working kids anyway? Or are you saying every class is just given a fake advanced packet?

No, they don't. Honors has become the default in many MCPS high schools in the name of equity, as the WSJ article articulates.

but by many I mean none since it isn't the default but I love to exaggerate

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have one in private school who is going through the process of picking courses for next year. Seems most students want to take honors and AP classes, but they have to be approved by the teacher. My daughter said some of the students are distraught when they don’t get approved. On one hand I feel bad for them, but I am mostly glad they are creating classrooms that will truly be challenging. This is real life. Not everyone should get a trophy.

I don't believe there should be different class speeds or expectations at all. Have the same high expectations for all of the kids and grade accordingly.

The problem is that doing that will turn most 'A' students into 'B' students with that effect cascading down the line. Somehow people have started believing that working hard for a 'B' or and 'C' is shameful. It isn't. Just do your best and you can be pleased with the results because you know you put in your best effort.

So old fashioned of me

Oh please, there will be plenty of people getting Bs and Cs. Sadly at MCPS the honors for all is just regular English where the low achievers can pass. Imagine having your high achieving kid in the same class with a kid who never does the work....so so sad.

We don't seem to be talking about the same kid. One does their best and earns a C. One does very little and gets a C. One of them I would be proud of.

To be clear, are you saying a "low achiever" is someone who only earns a 'C' after delivering their best effort? Or are you saying a "low achiever" is someone who never does the work?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dont kids still have to request/sign up for the honors course? Doesn’t this essentislly select the hard working kids anyway? Or are you saying every class is just given a fake advanced packet?

No, they don't. Honors has become the default in many MCPS high schools in the name of equity, as the WSJ article articulates.

but by many I mean none since it isn't the default but I love to exaggerate

It is the default, starting with next year's freshman class.

Proof: Here is are the options for 9th graders at Montgomery Blair: English 9 Honors is the only option. https://sites.google.com/mcpsmd.net/mbhscoursebulletin/english-language-arts?authuser=0

At Whitman, same deal. Honors English 9 is the only option if you are a rising 9th grader, unless you are an ELL. https://sites.google.com/mcpsmd.net/wwhs-counseling/academics/registration-course-selection

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dont kids still have to request/sign up for the honors course? Doesn’t this essentislly select the hard working kids anyway? Or are you saying every class is just given a fake advanced packet?

No, they don't. Honors has become the default in many MCPS high schools in the name of equity, as the WSJ article articulates.

but by many I mean none since it isn't the default but I love to exaggerate

The imaginary grievances expressed in this thread is magnificent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dont kids still have to request/sign up for the honors course? Doesn’t this essentislly select the hard working kids anyway? Or are you saying every class is just given a fake advanced packet?

No, they don't. Honors has become the default in many MCPS high schools in the name of equity, as the WSJ article articulates.

but by many I mean none since it isn't the default but I love to exaggerate

It is the default, starting with next year's freshman class.

Proof: Here is are the options for 9th graders at Montgomery Blair: English 9 Honors is the only option. https://sites.google.com/mcpsmd.net/mbhscoursebulletin/english-language-arts?authuser=0

At Whitman, same deal. Honors English 9 is the only option if you are a rising 9th grader, unless you are an ELL. https://sites.google.com/mcpsmd.net/wwhs-counseling/academics/registration-course-selection

But everyone knows all the kids at Whitman are advanced. If they had below average scores, they'd be gerrymandered out of the school boundary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dont kids still have to request/sign up for the honors course? Doesn’t this essentislly select the hard working kids anyway? Or are you saying every class is just given a fake advanced packet?

No, they don't. Honors has become the default in many MCPS high schools in the name of equity, as the WSJ article articulates.

but by many I mean none since it isn't the default but I love to exaggerate

It is the default, starting with next year's freshman class.

Proof: Here is are the options for 9th graders at Montgomery Blair: English 9 Honors is the only option. https://sites.google.com/mcpsmd.net/mbhscoursebulletin/english-language-arts?authuser=0

At Whitman, same deal. Honors English 9 is the only option if you are a rising 9th grader, unless you are an ELL. https://sites.google.com/mcpsmd.net/wwhs-counseling/academics/registration-course-selection

It's been like this at RM for many years. Even one of the teachers mentioned why they got rid of "on track" English.