The state of MCPS is atrocious

[Anonymous]

There are non-religious privates in Montgomery County that can accelerate students in areas of interest. Bullis is one that could offer STEM classes that our neighborhood W school could not offer. Bullis also did not tolerate bullying like our neighborhood school did.

Smaller class sizes at Bullis have a huge influence on teachers requiring all students to participate during classes. My son said that there is no room to hide when there’s only 12 students in a class. He also got feedback from teachers so he could learn from homework mistakes before assessments were given.

Students also take exams at Bullis, something MCPS ended a while ago. Exams in high school help students prepare for cumulative assessments like they will have to take in college. There’s also less opportunity to fudge your way through a math course because the material comes up on homework, then quiz, then a unit test, and again on a final exam that is a good chunk of the final grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are non-religious privates in Montgomery County that can accelerate students in areas of interest. Bullis is one that could offer STEM classes that our neighborhood W school could not offer. Bullis also did not tolerate bullying like our neighborhood school did.

Smaller class sizes at Bullis have a huge influence on teachers requiring all students to participate during classes. My son said that there is no room to hide when there’s only 12 students in a class. He also got feedback from teachers so he could learn from homework mistakes before assessments were given.

Students also take exams at Bullis, something MCPS ended a while ago. Exams in high school help students prepare for cumulative assessments like they will have to take in college. There’s also less opportunity to fudge your way through a math course because the material comes up on homework, then quiz, then a unit test, and again on a final exam that is a good chunk of the final grade.

That's great for W school families who can afford $1million dollar houses and $50K a year schools, but then there are the rest of us. That was the discussion. That's not affordable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are non-religious privates in Montgomery County that can accelerate students in areas of interest. Bullis is one that could offer STEM classes that our neighborhood W school could not offer. Bullis also did not tolerate bullying like our neighborhood school did.

Smaller class sizes at Bullis have a huge influence on teachers requiring all students to participate during classes. My son said that there is no room to hide when there’s only 12 students in a class. He also got feedback from teachers so he could learn from homework mistakes before assessments were given.

Students also take exams at Bullis, something MCPS ended a while ago. Exams in high school help students prepare for cumulative assessments like they will have to take in college. There’s also less opportunity to fudge your way through a math course because the material comes up on homework, then quiz, then a unit test, and again on a final exam that is a good chunk of the final grade.

That's great for W school families who can afford $1million dollar houses and $50K a year schools, but then there are the rest of us. That was the discussion. That's not affordable.

Umm … W school families aren’t the only ones who send their kids to Bullis, lol.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And if your source is from 2019, it’s irrelevant. COVID revealed to a ton of parents how awful MCPS really is.

Moreover, only 17% of the people contacted for the 2019 survey responded.

https://moco360.media/2019/10/03/parents-pleased-with-mcps-survey-shows/

And yet they keep sending their kids to MCPS schools, while they themselves do little to affect any change or want to increase taxes to pay for their champagne wishes.

What choice do most of us have? Not everyone is wealthy or living in a "good" school district. The only "affordable" privates are Catholic schools and that's only for elementary. Only a few Catholic schools are remotely welcoming to non-Catholic/non-Christian families. The rest of us cannot afford $50-60K privates, and there are very few privates let alone non-religious ones.

And, the privates don't have the same math track come MS/HS.

I used to think this. Then I took my child out of MCPS and put him in a Catholic k-8. (We aren’t Catholic.) He is now excelling at a Catholic high school. We have never experienced anything other than acceptance as non-Catholics. It has been a great experience and I am thrilled by the effectiveness of the teachers. He’s really learning how to write! As for Math, it’s true that the K-8 didn’t offer Algebra until 8th. Why exactly is that a problem? Students can still take Calculus in high school and kids from Catholic high schools aren’t having problems getting into colleges.

I’d give the Catholic schools another look.

I looked at about 6 Catholics and only one was welcoming. There is a difference between being Christian and another religion or atheist. They had a more structured curriculum but the religion was a huge issue, several were pretty clear they didn't want non-Christians and when I asked how many non-Christians there were, none would tell me except the one.

The problem with starting later is it impacts other classes you take. You are looking for reasons to justify your choices and if you have a kid who should be on a regular or slower path, that makes sense but it comes an issue with higher level science and other STEM related things. Often the private school kids have to take geometry in summer school to make up for the slower pace. Most smarter kids take it in 7th.

If you don’t want to consider Catholic schools, then fine. Just don’t think you can paint them all with the same brush. Your experience merely looking at schools doesn’t erase our years of experience attending one, nor does it erase the similar experiences of many others. (Our school also has atheists and non-Christians. About 50% are Catholic.)

As for your second paragraph, that’s a little hard to take seriously. There is a growing concern about over-acceleration in Math, and there’s a growing consensus that American students are doing worse because more advanced Math is pushed before young brains are ready. Does your child really need to take Calculus in 11th? Why? What purpose does that even serve?

I don’t need to justify my choices to you or anyone. Taking him out of MCPS was the correct choice, as was sending him to a Catholic high school. I post here so others can see that there are options. Maybe you don’t want them. Fine. But there are other parents who may want to know.

You very clearly are looking to justify it as otherwise you would not be posting here about it.

How many other religions are at your school? Jewish, Muslim…..

Yes to Muslim and Jewish at the school, including in my son’s class. Perhaps there aren’t many, but this may disprove some of your misconceptions about Catholic schools.

I don’t need to justify my decisions. I’m clearly very happy with our private school, and if I wasn’t we could simply transfer back to public. That won’t be happening.

I’ve already said why I am posting. We left MCPS. Others may want to know options exist. If you are satisfied with where your child is, then there’s no need for you to search any more.

How many total children are in your child's 8th grade class? And, how many are not Catholic or Christian?

It's not really an option for those of us with other religions or atheist without a Christian background. Sure, the schools will be happy to convert our kids, but that's not what some of us want.

Usually most to these schools have 30-60 kids per grade and only a handful of them may be non-Christian/Catholic.

Hmmm… I’ve never felt like the school is trying to convert us. Not once. Ever. I also already stated the school is almost 50% non-Catholic. I suppose your assumptions carry more value than my lived reality, and the lived realities of many people we have met through both schools (both the K-8 and the high school). I have many years’ experience with other families - Catholic and non-Catholic. We’ve found a home at these schools.

Again, if it isn’t a choice for YOU, then fine. Others may wish to consider. That doesn’t threaten you in any way.

Again, how many Jewish and Muslim families are at your school? Sure, you can find a home at the school but a non-religious child or a child from another religion or culture may not feel comfortable. Big difference from being Christian and having similar teachings to another religion.

As I’ve already stated, there aren’t many. However, there are both Jewish and Muslim students at our school. There are LGBTQ+ families. The students and their parents are very active, attend events, and have been at the school for years. I’d assume they would have left if they didn’t feel welcome. There are many other schools available.

You are clearly not willing to consider a Catholic school. Again: that’s FINE. Nobody is forcing you to. I stand as one of many examples, however, that prove non-Catholic, non-religious, and students of other faiths can find themselves as part of the community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And if your source is from 2019, it’s irrelevant. COVID revealed to a ton of parents how awful MCPS really is.

Moreover, only 17% of the people contacted for the 2019 survey responded.

https://moco360.media/2019/10/03/parents-pleased-with-mcps-survey-shows/

And yet they keep sending their kids to MCPS schools, while they themselves do little to affect any change or want to increase taxes to pay for their champagne wishes.

What choice do most of us have? Not everyone is wealthy or living in a "good" school district. The only "affordable" privates are Catholic schools and that's only for elementary. Only a few Catholic schools are remotely welcoming to non-Catholic/non-Christian families. The rest of us cannot afford $50-60K privates, and there are very few privates let alone non-religious ones.

And, the privates don't have the same math track come MS/HS.

Every private I’ve seen has MS/HS math tracks.

They aren't equal. Of course they have MS/HS math tracks but often Algebra isn't started till 8th, or even 9th, vs. MCPS is 6/7th grade.

And it’s been shown that pushing kids too fast in math isn’t always appropriate. It’s not as though MCPS kids are excelling in math; far from it. So this wouldn’t be what I brag about.

This! I have a friend who teaches math at a state university. He says it would be better if middle/high schools slowed down and spent more time on Algebra instead of pushing kids through at young ages. The number of remedial Math classes at his university is growing.

MCPS curriculum experts testified to this at the BOE meeting recently. Compacted math is leading to superficial and poor understanding of algebraic fundamentals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And if your source is from 2019, it’s irrelevant. COVID revealed to a ton of parents how awful MCPS really is.

Moreover, only 17% of the people contacted for the 2019 survey responded.

https://moco360.media/2019/10/03/parents-pleased-with-mcps-survey-shows/

And yet they keep sending their kids to MCPS schools, while they themselves do little to affect any change or want to increase taxes to pay for their champagne wishes.

What choice do most of us have? Not everyone is wealthy or living in a "good" school district. The only "affordable" privates are Catholic schools and that's only for elementary. Only a few Catholic schools are remotely welcoming to non-Catholic/non-Christian families. The rest of us cannot afford $50-60K privates, and there are very few privates let alone non-religious ones.

And, the privates don't have the same math track come MS/HS.

I used to think this. Then I took my child out of MCPS and put him in a Catholic k-8. (We aren’t Catholic.) He is now excelling at a Catholic high school. We have never experienced anything other than acceptance as non-Catholics. It has been a great experience and I am thrilled by the effectiveness of the teachers. He’s really learning how to write! As for Math, it’s true that the K-8 didn’t offer Algebra until 8th. Why exactly is that a problem? Students can still take Calculus in high school and kids from Catholic high schools aren’t having problems getting into colleges.

I’d give the Catholic schools another look.

I looked at about 6 Catholics and only one was welcoming. There is a difference between being Christian and another religion or atheist. They had a more structured curriculum but the religion was a huge issue, several were pretty clear they didn't want non-Christians and when I asked how many non-Christians there were, none would tell me except the one.

The problem with starting later is it impacts other classes you take. You are looking for reasons to justify your choices and if you have a kid who should be on a regular or slower path, that makes sense but it comes an issue with higher level science and other STEM related things. Often the private school kids have to take geometry in summer school to make up for the slower pace. Most smarter kids take it in 7th.

If you don’t want to consider Catholic schools, then fine. Just don’t think you can paint them all with the same brush. Your experience merely looking at schools doesn’t erase our years of experience attending one, nor does it erase the similar experiences of many others. (Our school also has atheists and non-Christians. About 50% are Catholic.)

As for your second paragraph, that’s a little hard to take seriously. There is a growing concern about over-acceleration in Math, and there’s a growing consensus that American students are doing worse because more advanced Math is pushed before young brains are ready. Does your child really need to take Calculus in 11th? Why? What purpose does that even serve?

I don’t need to justify my choices to you or anyone. Taking him out of MCPS was the correct choice, as was sending him to a Catholic high school. I post here so others can see that there are options. Maybe you don’t want them. Fine. But there are other parents who may want to know.

You very clearly are looking to justify it as otherwise you would not be posting here about it.

How many other religions are at your school? Jewish, Muslim…..

Yes to Muslim and Jewish at the school, including in my son’s class. Perhaps there aren’t many, but this may disprove some of your misconceptions about Catholic schools.

I don’t need to justify my decisions. I’m clearly very happy with our private school, and if I wasn’t we could simply transfer back to public. That won’t be happening.

I’ve already said why I am posting. We left MCPS. Others may want to know options exist. If you are satisfied with where your child is, then there’s no need for you to search any more.

How many total children are in your child's 8th grade class? And, how many are not Catholic or Christian?

It's not really an option for those of us with other religions or atheist without a Christian background. Sure, the schools will be happy to convert our kids, but that's not what some of us want.

Usually most to these schools have 30-60 kids per grade and only a handful of them may be non-Christian/Catholic.

Hmmm… I’ve never felt like the school is trying to convert us. Not once. Ever. I also already stated the school is almost 50% non-Catholic. I suppose your assumptions carry more value than my lived reality, and the lived realities of many people we have met through both schools (both the K-8 and the high school). I have many years’ experience with other families - Catholic and non-Catholic. We’ve found a home at these schools.

Again, if it isn’t a choice for YOU, then fine. Others may wish to consider. That doesn’t threaten you in any way.

What school? This sounds perfect but I haven’t been able to find a Catholic school with such a high ratio of non-Catholics.

[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:And if your source is from 2019, it’s irrelevant. COVID revealed to a ton of parents how awful MCPS really is.

Moreover, only 17% of the people contacted for the 2019 survey responded.

https://moco360.media/2019/10/03/parents-pleased-with-mcps-survey-shows/

And yet they keep sending their kids to MCPS schools, while they themselves do little to affect any change or want to increase taxes to pay for their champagne wishes.

What choice do most of us have? Not everyone is wealthy or living in a "good" school district. The only "affordable" privates are Catholic schools and that's only for elementary. Only a few Catholic schools are remotely welcoming to non-Catholic/non-Christian families. The rest of us cannot afford $50-60K privates, and there are very few privates let alone non-religious ones.

And, the privates don't have the same math track come MS/HS.

I used to think this. Then I took my child out of MCPS and put him in a Catholic k-8. (We aren’t Catholic.) He is now excelling at a Catholic high school. We have never experienced anything other than acceptance as non-Catholics. It has been a great experience and I am thrilled by the effectiveness of the teachers. He’s really learning how to write! As for Math, it’s true that the K-8 didn’t offer Algebra until 8th. Why exactly is that a problem? Students can still take Calculus in high school and kids from Catholic high schools aren’t having problems getting into colleges.

I’d give the Catholic schools another look.

I looked at about 6 Catholics and only one was welcoming. There is a difference between being Christian and another religion or atheist. They had a more structured curriculum but the religion was a huge issue, several were pretty clear they didn't want non-Christians and when I asked how many non-Christians there were, none would tell me except the one.

The problem with starting later is it impacts other classes you take. You are looking for reasons to justify your choices and if you have a kid who should be on a regular or slower path, that makes sense but it comes an issue with higher level science and other STEM related things. Often the private school kids have to take geometry in summer school to make up for the slower pace. Most smarter kids take it in 7th.

If you don’t want to consider Catholic schools, then fine. Just don’t think you can paint them all with the same brush. Your experience merely looking at schools doesn’t erase our years of experience attending one, nor does it erase the similar experiences of many others. (Our school also has atheists and non-Christians. About 50% are Catholic.)

As for your second paragraph, that’s a little hard to take seriously. There is a growing concern about over-acceleration in Math, and there’s a growing consensus that American students are doing worse because more advanced Math is pushed before young brains are ready. Does your child really need to take Calculus in 11th? Why? What purpose does that even serve?

I don’t need to justify my choices to you or anyone. Taking him out of MCPS was the correct choice, as was sending him to a Catholic high school. I post here so others can see that there are options. Maybe you don’t want them. Fine. But there are other parents who may want to know.

You very clearly are looking to justify it as otherwise you would not be posting here about it.

How many other religions are at your school? Jewish, Muslim…..

Yes to Muslim and Jewish at the school, including in my son’s class. Perhaps there aren’t many, but this may disprove some of your misconceptions about Catholic schools.

I don’t need to justify my decisions. I’m clearly very happy with our private school, and if I wasn’t we could simply transfer back to public. That won’t be happening.

I’ve already said why I am posting. We left MCPS. Others may want to know options exist. If you are satisfied with where your child is, then there’s no need for you to search any more.

How many total children are in your child's 8th grade class? And, how many are not Catholic or Christian?

It's not really an option for those of us with other religions or atheist without a Christian background. Sure, the schools will be happy to convert our kids, but that's not what some of us want.

Usually most to these schools have 30-60 kids per grade and only a handful of them may be non-Christian/Catholic.

Hmmm… I’ve never felt like the school is trying to convert us. Not once. Ever. I also already stated the school is almost 50% non-Catholic. I suppose your assumptions carry more value than my lived reality, and the lived realities of many people we have met through both schools (both the K-8 and the high school). I have many years’ experience with other families - Catholic and non-Catholic. We’ve found a home at these schools.

Again, if it isn’t a choice for YOU, then fine. Others may wish to consider. That doesn’t threaten you in any way.

Again, how many Jewish and Muslim families are at your school? Sure, you can find a home at the school but a non-religious child or a child from another religion or culture may not feel comfortable. Big difference from being Christian and having similar teachings to another religion.

As I’ve already stated, there aren’t many. However, there are both Jewish and Muslim students at our school. There are LGBTQ+ families. The students and their parents are very active, attend events, and have been at the school for years. I’d assume they would have left if they didn’t feel welcome. There are many other schools available.

You are clearly not willing to consider a Catholic school. Again: that’s FINE. Nobody is forcing you to. I stand as one of many examples, however, that prove non-Catholic, non-religious, and students of other faiths can find themselves as part of the community.

So, what you are saying is that there are token Jews and Muslims - maybe 2-3 each grade. That's not very many. I did consider Catholic. I went to look at several and I felt very unwelcome by several. Only one was truly welcoming but it was unclear if that was just the principal or the community.

And, there aren't a lot of school options available that are affordable. That is the point. The only affordable are Catholics that are subsidized by the churches.

[Anonymous]

PG County Public Schools new superintendent IS ON IT. He's not playing around. He's already announced all high schools and middle schools will have gun detectors next school year: https://wjla.com/news/crisis-in-the-classrooms/prince-georges-county-public-schools-supt-millard-house-calls-for-gun-detecting-screeners-mandatory-clear-backpacks-in-schools-weapons-no-tolerance-wraparound-specialists-chronic-absenteeism#

MCPS wouldn't have the guts and would deliberate for months and years, spending millions to study and survey people's thought on installing the detectors, only to decline to do so in the name of "racial equity," even though the majority of victims of violent crime are black and brown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And if your source is from 2019, it’s irrelevant. COVID revealed to a ton of parents how awful MCPS really is.

Moreover, only 17% of the people contacted for the 2019 survey responded.

https://moco360.media/2019/10/03/parents-pleased-with-mcps-survey-shows/

And yet they keep sending their kids to MCPS schools, while they themselves do little to affect any change or want to increase taxes to pay for their champagne wishes.

What choice do most of us have? Not everyone is wealthy or living in a "good" school district. The only "affordable" privates are Catholic schools and that's only for elementary. Only a few Catholic schools are remotely welcoming to non-Catholic/non-Christian families. The rest of us cannot afford $50-60K privates, and there are very few privates let alone non-religious ones.

And, the privates don't have the same math track come MS/HS.

Every private I’ve seen has MS/HS math tracks.

They aren't equal. Of course they have MS/HS math tracks but often Algebra isn't started till 8th, or even 9th, vs. MCPS is 6/7th grade.

And it’s been shown that pushing kids too fast in math isn’t always appropriate. It’s not as though MCPS kids are excelling in math; far from it. So this wouldn’t be what I brag about.

This! I have a friend who teaches math at a state university. He says it would be better if middle/high schools slowed down and spent more time on Algebra instead of pushing kids through at young ages. The number of remedial Math classes at his university is growing.

MCPS curriculum experts testified to this at the BOE meeting recently. Compacted math is leading to superficial and poor understanding of algebraic fundamentals.

Compacted math or AIM? I would think AIM is more the issue as compacted math is 4-5th. I didn't think compacted math was bad but it focused too much on strategies vs. doing actual problems and math facts (though math facts should be much younger).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And if your source is from 2019, it’s irrelevant. COVID revealed to a ton of parents how awful MCPS really is.

Moreover, only 17% of the people contacted for the 2019 survey responded.

https://moco360.media/2019/10/03/parents-pleased-with-mcps-survey-shows/

And yet they keep sending their kids to MCPS schools, while they themselves do little to affect any change or want to increase taxes to pay for their champagne wishes.

What choice do most of us have? Not everyone is wealthy or living in a "good" school district. The only "affordable" privates are Catholic schools and that's only for elementary. Only a few Catholic schools are remotely welcoming to non-Catholic/non-Christian families. The rest of us cannot afford $50-60K privates, and there are very few privates let alone non-religious ones.

And, the privates don't have the same math track come MS/HS.

Every private I’ve seen has MS/HS math tracks.

They aren't equal. Of course they have MS/HS math tracks but often Algebra isn't started till 8th, or even 9th, vs. MCPS is 6/7th grade.

And it’s been shown that pushing kids too fast in math isn’t always appropriate. It’s not as though MCPS kids are excelling in math; far from it. So this wouldn’t be what I brag about.

This! I have a friend who teaches math at a state university. He says it would be better if middle/high schools slowed down and spent more time on Algebra instead of pushing kids through at young ages. The number of remedial Math classes at his university is growing.

MCPS curriculum experts testified to this at the BOE meeting recently. Compacted math is leading to superficial and poor understanding of algebraic fundamentals.

Compacted math or AIM? I would think AIM is more the issue as compacted math is 4-5th. I didn't think compacted math was bad but it focused too much on strategies vs. doing actual problems and math facts (though math facts should be much younger).

I think they mentioned both? Basically, we're either cramming too much too soon or we're prioritizing rapid advancement in math or substantive understanding of the subject matter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are non-religious privates in Montgomery County that can accelerate students in areas of interest. Bullis is one that could offer STEM classes that our neighborhood W school could not offer. Bullis also did not tolerate bullying like our neighborhood school did.

Smaller class sizes at Bullis have a huge influence on teachers requiring all students to participate during classes. My son said that there is no room to hide when there’s only 12 students in a class. He also got feedback from teachers so he could learn from homework mistakes before assessments were given.

Students also take exams at Bullis, something MCPS ended a while ago. Exams in high school help students prepare for cumulative assessments like they will have to take in college. There’s also less opportunity to fudge your way through a math course because the material comes up on homework, then quiz, then a unit test, and again on a final exam that is a good chunk of the final grade.

BS. What STEM classes Bullis could offer, a W school could not offer?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are non-religious privates in Montgomery County that can accelerate students in areas of interest. Bullis is one that could offer STEM classes that our neighborhood W school could not offer. Bullis also did not tolerate bullying like our neighborhood school did.

Smaller class sizes at Bullis have a huge influence on teachers requiring all students to participate during classes. My son said that there is no room to hide when there’s only 12 students in a class. He also got feedback from teachers so he could learn from homework mistakes before assessments were given.

Students also take exams at Bullis, something MCPS ended a while ago. Exams in high school help students prepare for cumulative assessments like they will have to take in college. There’s also less opportunity to fudge your way through a math course because the material comes up on homework, then quiz, then a unit test, and again on a final exam that is a good chunk of the final grade.

BS. What STEM classes Bullis could offer, a W school could not offer?

I’m not a Bullis parent, but we looked at it. Their STEM facilities are extremely impressive. I was particularly impressed by the makers lab, which they have for LS and US.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PG County Public Schools new superintendent IS ON IT. He's not playing around. He's already announced all high schools and middle schools will have gun detectors next school year: https://wjla.com/news/crisis-in-the-classrooms/prince-georges-county-public-schools-supt-millard-house-calls-for-gun-detecting-screeners-mandatory-clear-backpacks-in-schools-weapons-no-tolerance-wraparound-specialists-chronic-absenteeism#

MCPS wouldn't have the guts and would deliberate for months and years, spending millions to study and survey people's thought on installing the detectors, only to decline to do so in the name of "racial equity," even though the majority of victims of violent crime are black and brown.

The PGPCS superintendent can make decisions for PGPCS, that's what they hired him to do.

I don't want that in MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And if your source is from 2019, it’s irrelevant. COVID revealed to a ton of parents how awful MCPS really is.

Moreover, only 17% of the people contacted for the 2019 survey responded.

https://moco360.media/2019/10/03/parents-pleased-with-mcps-survey-shows/

And yet they keep sending their kids to MCPS schools, while they themselves do little to affect any change or want to increase taxes to pay for their champagne wishes.

What choice do most of us have? Not everyone is wealthy or living in a "good" school district. The only "affordable" privates are Catholic schools and that's only for elementary. Only a few Catholic schools are remotely welcoming to non-Catholic/non-Christian families. The rest of us cannot afford $50-60K privates, and there are very few privates let alone non-religious ones.

And, the privates don't have the same math track come MS/HS.

Every private I’ve seen has MS/HS math tracks.

They aren't equal. Of course they have MS/HS math tracks but often Algebra isn't started till 8th, or even 9th, vs. MCPS is 6/7th grade.

And it’s been shown that pushing kids too fast in math isn’t always appropriate. It’s not as though MCPS kids are excelling in math; far from it. So this wouldn’t be what I brag about.

This! I have a friend who teaches math at a state university. He says it would be better if middle/high schools slowed down and spent more time on Algebra instead of pushing kids through at young ages. The number of remedial Math classes at his university is growing.

MCPS curriculum experts testified to this at the BOE meeting recently. Compacted math is leading to superficial and poor understanding of algebraic fundamentals.

No. Compacted Math is not the issue. My kid went through Compacted Math and did great.

The issue is that too many students are placed in Compacted Math, when they should be in regular Math.

Another issue is that MCPS passes kids along even when they have not mastered the material.

There were SO many kids in DD’s Matt classes who should not have been accelerated and who could not keep up.

Keep Compacted Math for kids who can handle it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And if your source is from 2019, it’s irrelevant. COVID revealed to a ton of parents how awful MCPS really is.

Moreover, only 17% of the people contacted for the 2019 survey responded.

https://moco360.media/2019/10/03/parents-pleased-with-mcps-survey-shows/

And yet they keep sending their kids to MCPS schools, while they themselves do little to affect any change or want to increase taxes to pay for their champagne wishes.

What choice do most of us have? Not everyone is wealthy or living in a "good" school district. The only "affordable" privates are Catholic schools and that's only for elementary. Only a few Catholic schools are remotely welcoming to non-Catholic/non-Christian families. The rest of us cannot afford $50-60K privates, and there are very few privates let alone non-religious ones.

And, the privates don't have the same math track come MS/HS.

Every private I’ve seen has MS/HS math tracks.

They aren't equal. Of course they have MS/HS math tracks but often Algebra isn't started till 8th, or even 9th, vs. MCPS is 6/7th grade.

And it’s been shown that pushing kids too fast in math isn’t always appropriate. It’s not as though MCPS kids are excelling in math; far from it. So this wouldn’t be what I brag about.

This! I have a friend who teaches math at a state university. He says it would be better if middle/high schools slowed down and spent more time on Algebra instead of pushing kids through at young ages. The number of remedial Math classes at his university is growing.

MCPS curriculum experts testified to this at the BOE meeting recently. Compacted math is leading to superficial and poor understanding of algebraic fundamentals.

Compacted math or AIM? I would think AIM is more the issue as compacted math is 4-5th. I didn't think compacted math was bad but it focused too much on strategies vs. doing actual problems and math facts (though math facts should be much younger).

Are kids still required to memorize math facts?