Taking classes for high school credit in middle school

[Anonymous]

Yes, I am aware of that as well. I'm not sure how having a child in the highly gifted center translates to you knowing that and other people not knowing that, especially since your child isn't yet in middle school if s/he is at the CHG.

I too am aware of those TPMS students take math *at Blair*. That is completely different from the scenario I am talking about, where students take foreign language *at Takoma Park MS*.

I haven't seen anyone whining on this thread. I don't know what you are referring to with that comment.

And Silver Spring is Silver Spring (singular), not Silver *Springs* (plural). It is unusual IME that someone who actually lives here makes that mistake.

Point made. If you are now well aware that middle students are sitting next to high school students in high schools taking advanced courses then why make flatly erroneous statements. It seems to me the only position you hold is one of constant retreat everytime someone points out your errors.

Elementary students in my cluster who take Algebra 1 before high school (in our designated middle school) will have the grade on their high school transcript. I know this for fact. It will apply in your district. If you are unsure talk to your principal or a student doing so rather than speculate.

You're more than welcome to deflect from the issue by resorting to lessons about spelling and other red herrings...well known "dcum" tactic of the hopeless and vanquished...."Sleeping in Siver Springs".

[Anonymous]

Interesting...another example of a course taught in the middle school (Algebra 1) that ultimately appears on a child's high school transcript. In this case, an elementary school student bused to the middle school to take a class not offered in elementary school, namely, Algebra 1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, I am aware of that as well. I'm not sure how having a child in the highly gifted center translates to you knowing that and other people not knowing that, especially since your child isn't yet in middle school if s/he is at the CHG.

I too am aware of those TPMS students take math *at Blair*. That is completely different from the scenario I am talking about, where students take foreign language *at Takoma Park MS*.

I haven't seen anyone whining on this thread. I don't know what you are referring to with that comment.

And Silver Spring is Silver Spring (singular), not Silver *Springs* (plural). It is unusual IME that someone who actually lives here makes that mistake.

Point made. If you are now well aware that middle students are sitting next to high school students in high schools taking advanced courses then why make flatly erroneous statements. It seems to me the only position you hold is one of constant retreat everytime someone points out your errors.

Elementary students in my cluster who take Algebra 1 before high school (in our designated middle school) will have the grade on their high school transcript. I know this for fact. It will apply in your district. If you are unsure talk to your principal or a student doing so rather than speculate.

You're more than welcome to deflect from the issue by resorting to lessons about spelling and other red herrings...well known "dcum" tactic of the hopeless and vanquished...."Sleeping in Siver Springs".

Not deflecting anything. I'm pointing out, as other posters have, that middle schoolers taking a hgh-school level class *at the high school* is a different scenario from middle schoolers taking a class (one which doesn't need to be high school level) *at the middle school*. NOT *at the high school*.

I and others have pointed this distinction out repeatedly but you keep retreating from it.

And your child's presence at the CHG is relevant ... how?

[Anonymous]

Let's assume for the moment that high school subject requirements (e.g. Algebra 1) taken by elementary or middle school students do not appear on the high school transcript what is to stop the student from repeating this course when they get to high school? Such repetiton my give the student an unfair advantage.

If there is no record of Algebra 1 on the high school transcript (but the student took Algebra 1 in the system before high school) the student cannot transfer this grade later since the record is expunged...or should the county keep those records and for how long?

If the grade earned in a lower school does not go on the high school record and the child is not allowed to repeat the course again in High School but does not go any further in the discipline then he or she may not fullfill the requirements to graduate from high school. Can the parent and child retroactively challenge (take to court) for reinstatement of the grade earned in the lower school to facilitate high school graduation?

One advantage of taking a language in middle school (3 years) is that it allows a student to begin a second language in high school...similar to some private schools where latin, greek or spanish is taken for a number of years in the lower school and many kids select a diferent language to begin in high school. This is an ideal situation but don't know how it might work in mcps given budgets, supply/demand issues and logistics. The easiest way to handle this in my opinion is to have the grade appear on the lower school transcript...and if necessary have part of the lower school transcript reflected on the high school transcript for subjects like languages or high school courses taken in the lower school.

[Anonymous]

Not deflecting anything. I'm pointing out, as other posters have, that middle schoolers taking a hgh-school level class *at the high school* is a different scenario from middle schoolers taking a class (one which doesn't need to be high school level) *at the middle school*. NOT *at the high school*.

I and others have pointed this distinction out repeatedly but you keep retreating from it.

And your child's presence at the CHG is relevant ... how?

I appreciate your quandry here. Many children in the Center classes confront the need to take advanced subjects in middle and high school in MCPS. As parents many of us have already had these conversations with our principals and the MCPS leadership. Some of our children in the center programs and middle school magnet programs are already being bused to other higher schools to take subjects not provided in their home schools.

Therefore, if you are still sleepy and confused I would recommend that you talk with your school principal about the policy and why. If you are not satisfied then talk to those in the executive office. Many families in the Center and Magnet programs have already done so. If you are still disastisfied you are free to challenge in court.

[Anonymous]

private school parent here. It is very difficult to take 2 languages in HS. Many private schools have an arts requirement and sports requirement. Taking a second language requires giving up a free period which many students use to get hw done. Also, language taken in the lower school is in no way equivalent to a hs class. it is done more slowly and just get the very basics of a language (animals, names of family members etc)

[Anonymous]

True for some private schools. Not so when and where I went to private school in New England. Many of my colleagues entered the 9th grade with solid basic foundations in Greek and Latin (or French). This gave us great flexibility in electing other languages in high school. Perhaps things have changed in this century.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Not deflecting anything. I'm pointing out, as other posters have, that middle schoolers taking a hgh-school level class *at the high school* is a different scenario from middle schoolers taking a class (one which doesn't need to be high school level) *at the middle school*. NOT *at the high school*.

I and others have pointed this distinction out repeatedly but you keep retreating from it.

And your child's presence at the CHG is relevant ... how?

I appreciate your quandry here. Many children in the Center classes confront the need to take advanced subjects in middle and high school in MCPS. As parents many of us have already had these conversations with our principals and the MCPS leadership. Some of our children in the center programs and middle school magnet programs are already being bused to other higher schools to take subjects not provided in their home schools.

Therefore, if you are still sleepy and confused I would recommend that you talk with your school principal about the policy and why. If you are not satisfied then talk to those in the executive office. Many families in the Center and Magnet programs have already done so. If you are still disastisfied you are free to challenge in court.

I am familiar with the Center as I have had two children there.

Many children in the Center do indeed confront the need to take advanced subjects in middle and high school. On the other hand, many (some years, most) such children are not admitted to the middle school magnets.

[Anonymous]

I do not know the inclusion or exclusion criteria for admission to MCPS middle school magnet programs but only know of a couple of students in a middle school magnet that are bused to a high school magnet to take a course not offered in the middle school. Perhaps this is an exception. But, these are exceptional conditions.

[Anonymous]

Addendum:

Grades will appear on their high school transcripts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do not know the inclusion or exclusion criteria for admission to MCPS middle school magnet programs but only know of a couple of students in a middle school magnet that are bused to a high school magnet to take a course not offered in the middle school. Perhaps this is an exception. But, these are exceptional conditions.

You might want to familiarize yourself with the admissions process to the magnet programs before looking into what classes your child would take there, and what logistics those classes would entail. The first step involves your child actually being admitted to a program, which is not a fait accompli by virtue of him/her being in the HGC.

[Anonymous]

You might want to familiarize yourself with the admissions process to the magnet programs before looking into what classes your child would take there, and what logistics those classes would entail. The first step involves your child actually being admitted to a program, which is not a fait accompli by virtue of him/her being in the HGC.

Why, I am not whining about my child's high school report card 6 years before he enters high school. We are fine with high school classes taken before high school appearing on his high school transcript.

I don't need to familiarize myself with MCPS's magnet admission process. I'll continue to let my child's academic performance and results on State and entrance exams speak for themselves should he decide to go further in the MCPS system or elect to go to private school. The child's academic performance and test scores are the simplest and cleanest metric for me. I'll stick with that.

Alas, it's you that should familiarize yourself with the admission process, the rules and the MCPS policies...particularly if you want a middle school child to take high school course requirements in middle school without it counting on their high school transcript.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

You might want to familiarize yourself with the admissions process to the magnet programs before looking into what classes your child would take there, and what logistics those classes would entail. The first step involves your child actually being admitted to a program, which is not a fait accompli by virtue of him/her being in the HGC.

Why, I am not whining about my child's high school report card 6 years before he enters high school. We are fine with high school classes taken before high school appearing on his high school transcript.

I don't need to familiarize myself with MCPS's magnet admission process. I'll continue to let my child's academic performance and results on State and entrance exams speak for themselves should he decide to go further in the MCPS system or elect to go to private school. The child's academic performance and test scores are the simplest and cleanest metric for me. I'll stick with that.

Alas, it's you that should familiarize yourself with the admission process, the rules and the MCPS policies...particularly if you want a middle school child to take high school course requirements in middle school without it counting on their high school transcript.

I'm not the OP. I agree with the OP, but am not the OP.

[Anonymous]

Your point and attempt to counsel regarding admission requirements to magnet programs is irrelevant to the discussion at hand. If you are in MCPS middle school or a MCPS middle school magnet program and choose and elect to take a required course for high school graduation (e.g., Algebra 1, a language) while in an MCPS elementary or middle school, the earned grade will appear on the MCPS high school transcript. This policy has absolutely no bearing or relationship to admission into a MCPS middle school magnet program. The same policy holds true for the elementary student in a MCPS gifted center (or regular elementary school) taking a required course for high schol graduation in either a MCPS middle or high school. The earned grade will appear on the MCPS high school transcript. Some schools in MCPS prefer the elementary student to go to the middle school, rather than high school, to take the required high school course because of stark age and maturity differences.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I too am aware of those TPMS students take math *at Blair*. That is completely different from the scenario I am talking about, where students take foreign language *at Takoma Park MS*.

I have a kid at TPMS who took a high-school level language this past year, in 6th grade. I posted earlier about being in the same boat as OP (I'm not either of the 2 moms talking about the relevance or irrelevance of HGCs to this discussion). The class is definitely not bussed from TPMS to Blair. Instead the class was mostly other 6th graders, maybe a few 7th or 8th graders who decided to start a language a little later in middle school.

From what I could tell during the parent open house, TPMS offers at least 3 hs-level language classes, with about 20 kids in each of these classes. Thus, a total of about 60 middle school students (6th, 7th and 8th graders) doing hs-level language at TPMS. (There may be even more than 3 such classes, but I'm aware of least 2 Spanish and 1 French hs-level class being offered to 6th graders.) Both magnet (mine) and non-magnet 6th grade kids (DC's 6th grade friends) did hs-level language this past year at TPMS.