In response to the PP who said my experience is just one input, and others can have different opinions: This is the response (the 1st response) that irritated me. This post is entirely from a CO point of view, and clearly states their perspective about MCPS parents. They think MCPS parents are paranoid, always make a fuss. In CO people's mind, "good parents" do not reach out to media. They shouldn't even express different opinions to MCPS' in this anonymized forum. They should be just "calm down" and accept whatever fates bring to your kids and live with it. I will just say: STFU, central office! |
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MCPS can't even show the numbers that the 4 regional IBs were a success, yet they want to expand it and get rid of the one IB magnet that has been successful for 20 years.
Makes zero sense. They need to do an assessment analysis on the regionals to figure out why they aren't as successful as RMIB's program. Some people claim that the 90%ile achievers can handle the advanced coursework. If that's true, why are the IB exam scores so much lower in those regionals than RMIBs' exam scores? Why don't they publish the IBDP rate at those regionals like they do at RMIB? |
Probably because the programs now are more interest rather than criteria based. If you don’t have enough that apply, you don’t have a criteria’s magnet. |
Amen. It’s a painful lesson to learn, but once you’ve seen the MCPS dysfunction up close and personal, you can’t unsee it. |
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While I agree, if you moved all the Churchill kids to Kennedy and Kennedy to Churchill, Kennedy would become a top performing school and Churchill one of the worst.
The student body makes the biggest difference in terms of performance. |
No. And I can tell you must be a W parent if that’s your takeaway. The students at Kennedy are not the main problem. It is: - Failed administration - New and inexperienced teachers delivering poor quality instruction - Plain ol’ bad teachers - High levels of parent engagement, usually in the form of a well-resourced and active PTA - Lack of resources (classroom materials and a building that isn’t well maintained) - Stupid policies that use the bigotry of low expectations that enable a chaotic and unstable learning environment - High turnover of staff based on failed leadership, lack of resources, and stupid MCPS policies |
exactly! |
I’m the PP to whom you’ve responded. We may disagree on many things but I think putting great programs in schools like Kennedy is critical. It’s a godsend for Blair and the local population benefits from the involved parents etc. |
I’m a Kennedy parent, so I’m speaking from firsthand experience. Great programs will not change the trajectory with all of the other issues I outlined. As we speak, Kennedy has lost both its Regional IB Coordinator and its LTI Coordinator. Great programs are not formed overnight. They are built on a strong foundation that consistently takes care of the fundamentals. |
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I feel like many of these endless posts’ goal is to attempt to scare people into believing the magnets will be destroyed and that there will be no rigor.
This regional program is under a new superintendent, so we can’t assume what happened in the past will happen in this case. I think the ideas are good. We need to make sure the programs are fully fleshed out and not half baked. The currently successful programs should not be messed around with by changing them from criteria based to interest based. |
What a waste of a chance to write a substantial article, backed by data. |
Which programs are these? |
the magnets will absolutely be destroyed. this is the whole point! drag everyone down - and especially the very top performers - so that we have equity. |
We appreciate you, MCPS staff. |
2.0 was a disaster, and the subsequent replacements have been a revolving door. The regional IBs are not successful. MCPS won't publish the DP rate at the regional IBs. There's a reason for that. Yet, they think replicating the programs is a good idea. They've yet to show the success of the programs. Why replicate a program that's not proven? |