Is MCPS Superintendent Starr stupid?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Dumbing down the top" would lower the average test score, not raise it.

The top has topped it out. Dumbing them down will not lower the average. At the same time, teach them better will not improve the average either because they top out. This is the insidious side effects of standardized testing. You bet this is what is going on. Read the book "the good school."

Very true! Looking at the MSAs .... they are at a level such that bright kids will always score advanced. These kids' performance is not going to change if you ignore their instructional needs. This isn't a reflection of the challenge and interest of their actual classes, it's a reflection of the level of the test. And that's fine, for what it is. But if getting MSA scores up is the only method by which you evaluate MCPS performance, you are ignoring the top third of kids.

It's not that I think MCPS isn't challenging enough for most kids -- they work hard to provide challenge and enrichment and overall I'm impressed with what my sixth grader in a regular MCPS shool is doing. It's not as challenging as the magnet my other child is in, but that's ok - it's right for her. She's also in a "green zone" school where the level of preparedness of all kids is high so she doesn't have to compete for attention with kids who are at a much lower level academically and therefore need a lot of attention from the teacher. This is not the case for "red zone" kids who don't get into the magnets.

What worries me is the rhetoric, the subtle (and not so subtle) digs at "smart kids" as being socially inept or thinking they are better than other kids, or that they aren't really deserving of extra challenge, it's just their parents who are vocal complainers. (And it's ironic because the highly gifted magnets really emphasize group work and those kids do lots of cooperative grouop projects!) This kind of attitude is really undermining the efforts of parents who sincerely only want an appropriate education for their children, and it flies in the face of research about teaching highly able students. It's also insulting to those kids who really need this.

I have attended a number of events where Starr has spoken and come away dismayed. He comes across as very arrogant and dismissive of viewpoints other than his own. He does a lot of "outreach" which limits feedback and gives the impression of listening to others without actually listening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Starr has an agenda. he is against labeling some kids as gifted and therefore providing them with an appropriate education. He sees differentiation as elitist.

Of course he's right in the sense that intelligence alone doesn't guarantee success or even the ability to collaborate effectively. But it's an empty, silly observation to make on Twitter and it tips his hand to his ultimate goal -- teach to the middle because it creates better stnadardized test results.

Teaching to the middle doesn't produce the best standardized test results. It may reduce the distribution of test scores as parents of higher-achieving students move to other jurisdictions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Starr has an agenda. he is against labeling some kids as gifted and therefore providing them with an appropriate education. He sees differentiation as elitist.

Of course he's right in the sense that intelligence alone doesn't guarantee success or even the ability to collaborate effectively. But it's an empty, silly observation to make on Twitter and it tips his hand to his ultimate goal -- teach to the middle because it creates better stnadardized test results.

Teaching to the middle doesn't produce the best standardized test results. It may reduce the distribution of test scores as parents of higher-achieving students move to other jurisdictions.

The only way that Mcps will pay attention is when people start to move to Nova or private. Nothing I hear about Starr sounds good. Hope he does not last long.

[Anonymous]

I want full potential teaching. Why is that at private schools but not at mcps? Only the underperformers are catered to to increase their potential?

[Anonymous]

NP: Starr's comment was very sloppy. The guy has a Phd, so he should know how to communicate. Technically, that comment is as meaningless as "Some kids are tall and some kids are short". The sentence just means nothing. You can't refute it. It sound stupid. It sounds like he slammed his some of the high achiever students.

More to the point, the guy's rhetoric and the BOE's rhetoric has always been about ignoring the high achievers and special needs kids and focusing on the rest. This system has a love-hate relationship with the BCC-W schools. They love the high scores and noteriety of these schools, but hate the parents.

If you don't like it, you need to vote for a new BOE.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP: Starr's comment was very sloppy. The guy has a Phd, so he should know how to communicate. Technically, that comment is as meaningless as "Some kids are tall and some kids are short". The sentence just means nothing. You can't refute it. It sound stupid. It sounds like he slammed his some of the high achiever students.

More to the point, the guy's rhetoric and the BOE's rhetoric has always been about ignoring the high achievers and special needs kids and focusing on the rest. This system has a love-hate relationship with the BCC-W schools. They love the high scores and noteriety of these schools, but hate the parents.

If you don't like it, you need to vote for a new BOE.

This is very true! Some of us have been trying for several election cycles to get new faces/viewpoints in there, but to no avail. Too many people are lay and just vote the Apple Ballot, which is decided by MCEA which has a decidedly anti-differentiation agenda. So there you go.

[Anonymous]

I don't think Starr has a PhD. He has an EdD. That is not equivalent to a PhD.

Second, he was selected by the unions and parents anointed by the unions. He will kiss up to the unions to keep his job. Unless we do something we will end up looking like his last place-Stamford.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I want full potential teaching. Why is that at private schools but not at mcps? Only the underperformers are catered to to increase their potential?

Because they need to raise standardized testing. The smart kids aren't an issue. They will pass the test. So the county doesn't care about them. And seriously, there are some really dumb kids and families that don't care about their kid's education in public. Many families can not communicate to teachers. They don't even speak English! So many discipline issues and the school's hands are tied.

Private schools have small classes, you have to communicate with the school, you can get kicked out, you need to work hard. They don't do standardized tests. The skies the limit. Unfortunatley so is the price.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He has begun to dumb down the top. The most prestigious magnet program is being dismantled from inside.

Montgomery County parents need to wake up to what is happening.

+1

[Anonymous]

Question - Is MCPS Superintendent Starr stupid?

Answer - Yes (English),
sí (Spanish)
oui (French)
? (Chinese simplified)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He has begun to dumb down the top. The most prestigious magnet program is being dismantled from inside.

Montgomery County parents need to wake up to what is happening.

+1

+1

[Anonymous]

MoCo parents: please wake up and recognize what this Sup. and the MCPS administrators are doing. They are dismantling a good school system and turning it into a mediocre one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Question - Is MCPS Superintendent Starr stupid?

Answer - Yes (English),
sí (Spanish)
oui (French)
? (Chinese simplified)

?? Chinese?

[Anonymous]

We have a dummy sup at the top to ensure dumb down descends to the bottom

[Anonymous]

Yes Mr. Starr is stupid. Just listen to any of his speeches or read any of his policies. His agend will "dumb" down the students in Montgomery County. It is shocking that he was hired by our county. How do we influence the decision makers to remove him as superintendent to stop the downward performance in our schools and the lasting negative impact on our students???