My average/somewhat slacker 6th grader got straight As...WTH???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There has to be a reason why MCPS is listing those classes as GT, I wonder if they have to give a certain amount of classes at an advanced level? This may be a way to put a big checkmark in the right box.

Doesn't surprise me that they got rid of the final exam. If there is a problem in MCPS they just gets rid of it instead of fixing it. Remember when there was a problem with the Algebra exams, they just got rid of them. If it's broke, they don't fix it, they just get rid of it.

No, I don't remember this, because it didn't happen.

Only 20-40% of students passed math exams last year. They got rid of them this year. How can you say you don't remember this or it didn't happen?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There has to be a reason why MCPS is listing those classes as GT, I wonder if they have to give a certain amount of classes at an advanced level? This may be a way to put a big checkmark in the right box.

Doesn't surprise me that they got rid of the final exam. If there is a problem in MCPS they just gets rid of it instead of fixing it. Remember when there was a problem with the Algebra exams, they just got rid of them. If it's broke, they don't fix it, they just get rid of it.

No, I don't remember this, because it didn't happen.

Only 20-40% of students passed math exams last year. They got rid of them this year. How can you say you don't remember this or it didn't happen?

I thought they were getting rid of some final exams to reduce the number of tests the kids take because there were so many standardized tests, not because the Algebra finals test was bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There has to be a reason why MCPS is listing those classes as GT, I wonder if they have to give a certain amount of classes at an advanced level? This may be a way to put a big checkmark in the right box.

Doesn't surprise me that they got rid of the final exam. If there is a problem in MCPS they just gets rid of it instead of fixing it. Remember when there was a problem with the Algebra exams, they just got rid of them. If it's broke, they don't fix it, they just get rid of it.

No, I don't remember this, because it didn't happen.

Only 20-40% of students passed math exams last year. They got rid of them this year. How can you say you don't remember this or it didn't happen?

In June 2014, there was a problem with the spring-semester Algebra 1B test scores .

In the fall of 2015, the BoE voted to get rid of centralized exams given during final-exam periods because there is too much testing and the BoE can't get rid of the state-mandated or NCLB-mandated tests.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I'm the PP whose son is getting his butt kicked. We are in Maryland, but not MCPS. We have differentiated classes, although not as many as I'd like (it would be nice to have some in Science / SS also). I didn't realize that MCPS calls its entire curriculum "advanced." That explains a lot!

MCPS doesn't. Some of the schools in the fancy-pants areas of Montgomery County have decided to do this, presumably because in Lake Fancy-Pants Montgomery County, all of the children are above average.

I did check the MCPS MS course bulletin and there is supposed to be advanced and non-advanced versions of these classes. However, I'm pretty sure I'm in the non-fancy-pants section of the county and our school offers only advanced with no ability grouping. E.g. 16 sections of Advanced World History 6 and no regular world studies. They also have 16 sections of PE 6, so the entire sixth grade is in Advanced World History. Same goes for Science and English except that there are some sections of ability grouping in English.

[Anonymous]

Not happening here in FCPS.

I'm talking about mcps.

I have experience with both counties, so I'm mentioning it.

[Anonymous]

My daughter is working very hard in 6th grade, but she's in all advanced classes. They don't offer languages until 7th grade at our school.

However, her friends in regular classes rarely - if ever - are assigned HW. There's a BIG difference btw advanced and regular at this stage, and the gap only increases in high school.

[Anonymous]

He gets homework. Sometimes it's easy, other times more challenging. Most of his grades come from work done in class (projects or tests/quizzes). He's blown some tests in a big way (Ds), and yet he still ended up with As. And he can't write. Still, As. If he's getting As, then they all must be getting As.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is working very hard in 6th grade, but she's in all advanced classes. They don't offer languages until 7th grade at our school.

However, her friends in regular classes rarely - if ever - are assigned HW. There's a BIG difference btw advanced and regular at this stage, and the gap only increases in high school.

At least there is a distinction. Our MS everyone is in advanced and no one has any work to do. Science and History grades aren't just As they're like 98% looking at them in Edline is exactly like looking at PE scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He gets homework. Sometimes it's easy, other times more challenging. Most of his grades come from work done in class (projects or tests/quizzes). He's blown some tests in a big way (Ds), and yet he still ended up with As. And he can't write. Still, As. If he's getting As, then they all must be getting As.

Sounds like a mistake on the report card, honestly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is working very hard in 6th grade, but she's in all advanced classes. They don't offer languages until 7th grade at our school.

However, her friends in regular classes rarely - if ever - are assigned HW. There's a BIG difference btw advanced and regular at this stage, and the gap only increases in high school.

At least there is a distinction. Our MS everyone is in advanced and no one has any work to do. Science and History grades aren't just As they're like 98% looking at them in Edline is exactly like looking at PE scores.

HHow big is your child's middle school, and why are you looking at everybody's grades on Edline?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He gets homework. Sometimes it's easy, other times more challenging. Most of his grades come from work done in class (projects or tests/quizzes). He's blown some tests in a big way (Ds), and yet he still ended up with As. And he can't write. Still, As. If he's getting As, then they all must be getting As.

Sounds like a mistake on the report card, honestly.

It sounds like that to me, too. Did you look at all of the grades for the class in Edline?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is working very hard in 6th grade, but she's in all advanced classes. They don't offer languages until 7th grade at our school.

However, her friends in regular classes rarely - if ever - are assigned HW. There's a BIG difference btw advanced and regular at this stage, and the gap only increases in high school.

At least there is a distinction. Our MS everyone is in advanced and no one has any work to do. Science and History grades aren't just As they're like 98% looking at them in Edline is exactly like looking at PE scores.

HHow big is your child's middle school, and why are you looking at everybody's grades on Edline?

Close to 1000 kids. Not looking at everyone's grades just know what my two students have seen over the past four years and conversations with other parents. Using Edline I can tell there are no sections of non-advanced History offered in sixth grade, for example. I know my son has had little to no work to do in that class and perfect scores on almost all graded work.

[Anonymous]

I do not believe one word in this thread

[Anonymous]

You don't believe that my average/slacker kid with borderline map scores throughout elementary school pulled in straight As in his first quarter of ms? I promise it's true...and sad. Now he thinks school is easy. I suspect HS will be a big wake up call.

Mcps has lowered the bar significantly. Ask any teacher.

[Anonymous]

You don't believe that my average/slacker kid with borderline map scores throughout elementary school pulled in straight As in his first quarter of ms? I promise it's true...and sad. Now he thinks school is easy. I suspect HS will be a big wake up call.

Mcps has lowered the bar significantly. Ask any teacher.