Thursday Nov 20 BOE Discussion on Boundaries and Regional Program Model

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's the ppt
Boundary Studies Program Analysis Update 251120 PPT.pdf https://share.google/M0lQdbx2jTMlewfP9

They seem to be frantically adding programs to address concerns. BCC now getting an interest based engineering program so they can siphon off more wealthy students from Einstein and Northwood, so awesome.

And, yet, they aren't giving many slots. Einstein familes (and now Northwood) have always been the forgotten school - no renovations, no advanced classes, few clubs...

I suspect they are doing it at Einstein as they aready have the classes so it looks like they are getting something new when they aren't. Einstein only has one engineering teacher who teaches a combine two classes in one in one class period class and that's it (great teacher but stretched thin as that's not fair to anyone). How MCPS thinks this is ok is beyond me!

Isn't Einstein getting a new criteria based Biotech program, a new interet based health care program, the criteria based visual arts for the region, the criteria based music for the region plus IB?

The biotech program will be a glorified lab tech training program.

https://marylandpublicschools.org/programs/documents/cte/standards/hhs_biotechnology-a.pdf

Umm what role do you think as HS student would qualify for beyond a glorified lab tech??? That alone doesn’t mean they can’t create a program that exposes kids to research, science and the opportunities to explore biotechnology.

I have my issues with how this is going but I think you’re barking up the wrong tree.

Compare that curriculum to the ones for the STEM programs at Blair and Poolesville. Are they even remotely similar? No. MCPS is developing direct-entry career pathways and trying to sell them as advanced college prep programs. It’s dishonest and parents are going to be pissed when it turns out their kid isn’t in a pre-pre-med track, but a track to work an entry-level job at LabCorp.


https://old.mbhs.edu/departments/magnet/courses.php

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wOQxSa4R9M18B0DT0JrSnBFs50XKe0QGXa36rw5xIkU/edit?tab=t.0

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's the ppt
Boundary Studies Program Analysis Update 251120 PPT.pdf https://share.google/M0lQdbx2jTMlewfP9

They seem to be frantically adding programs to address concerns. BCC now getting an interest based engineering program so they can siphon off more wealthy students from Einstein and Northwood, so awesome.

And, yet, they aren't giving many slots. Einstein familes (and now Northwood) have always been the forgotten school - no renovations, no advanced classes, few clubs...

I suspect they are doing it at Einstein as they aready have the classes so it looks like they are getting something new when they aren't. Einstein only has one engineering teacher who teaches a combine two classes in one in one class period class and that's it (great teacher but stretched thin as that's not fair to anyone). How MCPS thinks this is ok is beyond me!

Isn't Einstein getting a new criteria based Biotech program, a new interet based health care program, the criteria based visual arts for the region, the criteria based music for the region plus IB?

The biotech program will be a glorified lab tech training program.

https://marylandpublicschools.org/programs/documents/cte/standards/hhs_biotechnology-a.pdf

Umm what role do you think as HS student would qualify for beyond a glorified lab tech??? That alone doesn’t mean they can’t create a program that exposes kids to research, science and the opportunities to explore biotechnology.

I have my issues with how this is going but I think you’re barking up the wrong tree.

Compare that curriculum to the ones for the STEM programs at Blair and Poolesville. Are they even remotely similar? No. MCPS is developing direct-entry career pathways and trying to sell them as advanced college prep programs. It’s dishonest and parents are going to be pissed when it turns out their kid isn’t in a pre-pre-med track, but a track to work an entry-level job at LabCorp.


https://old.mbhs.edu/departments/magnet/courses.php

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wOQxSa4R9M18B0DT0JrSnBFs50XKe0QGXa36rw5xIkU/edit?tab=t.0

🙄 a pre-pre-med track. You mean HS.

There is no such thing as a pre-pre-med track. That’s made up. Premed is the set of classes that must show in a collegiate level transcript to qualify for medical school application. That’s it.

[Anonymous]

In the meeting at Flora Singer this week Taylor said the DCC was a good idea but its “flaw” was not including the “white, wealthy schools.” I’m not sure what he thought he was achieving by sharing that perspective, other than saying the quiet part out loud as is clear from this entire process.

[Anonymous]

They’re about to erase the identities of Northwood and Einstein just to protect BCC and Whitman. Why split the performing arts between two schools? And why does Whitman suddenly need humanities? None of it makes sense. Just like Woodward, Einstein should house all the arts-based programs, and Northwood should get the humanities focus. I know these programs are mostly ‘in name only,’ but the least they could do is avoid disrupting students’ interests and the communities these schools have built.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They’re about to erase the identities of Northwood and Einstein just to protect BCC and Whitman. Why split the performing arts between two schools? And why does Whitman suddenly need humanities? None of it makes sense. Just like Woodward, Einstein should house all the arts-based programs, and Northwood should get the humanities focus. I know these programs are mostly ‘in name only,’ but the least they could do is avoid disrupting students’ interests and the communities these schools have built.

Or, how about enhancing academics at all schools and not just strengthening the schools that already have most everything. They are name only. Northwood and Einstein cannot have magnets without more staff and funding.

[Anonymous]

Wootton parent here. Sucks to suck, LOL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They’re about to erase the identities of Northwood and Einstein just to protect BCC and Whitman. Why split the performing arts between two schools? And why does Whitman suddenly need humanities? None of it makes sense. Just like Woodward, Einstein should house all the arts-based programs, and Northwood should get the humanities focus. I know these programs are mostly ‘in name only,’ but the least they could do is avoid disrupting students’ interests and the communities these schools have built.

M
Or, how about enhancing academics at all schools and not just strengthening the schools that already have most everything. They are name only. Northwood and Einstein cannot have magnets without more staff and funding.

+ 1. Too much NIMBY from all the rich white people schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In the meeting at Flora Singer this week Taylor said the DCC was a good idea but its “flaw” was not including the “white, wealthy schools.” I’m not sure what he thought he was achieving by sharing that perspective, other than saying the quiet part out loud as is clear from this entire process.

Omg what a clueless pos

[Anonymous]

They said they will survey 4-7th grader families. Here's the survey I would like to see:

Column A: current options for 8th graders in your cluster
Column B: proposed options in the regional model

Survey choices:
A. My family prefers the current options
B: My family prefers the proposed options
C: My kid(s) want to stay at our neighborhood school - focus on improving every high school.
D. My family doesn't like any of these options.

They can leave room for comments, questions, and feedback too. I'd like to see quantifiable data that shows how much support there is for the regional model and where that support is strongest/weakest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They said they will survey 4-7th grader families. Here's the survey I would like to see:

Column A: current options for 8th graders in your cluster
Column B: proposed options in the regional model

Survey choices:
A. My family prefers the current options
B: My family prefers the proposed options
C: My kid(s) want to stay at our neighborhood school - focus on improving every high school.
D. My family doesn't like any of these options.

They can leave room for comments, questions, and feedback too. I'd like to see quantifiable data that shows how much support there is for the regional model and where that support is strongest/weakest.

They never have and never will ask families if they want the model to change.

The survey will be to assess interest in different pathways (including from parents of 9 year olds) so they can then use that to finalize how many slots to establish for each program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They said they will survey 4-7th grader families. Here's the survey I would like to see:

Column A: current options for 8th graders in your cluster
Column B: proposed options in the regional model

Survey choices:
A. My family prefers the current options
B: My family prefers the proposed options
C: My kid(s) want to stay at our neighborhood school - focus on improving every high school.
D. My family doesn't like any of these options.

They can leave room for comments, questions, and feedback too. I'd like to see quantifiable data that shows how much support there is for the regional model and where that support is strongest/weakest.

What are they surveying these families about if they've already made the decision on the program model and proposal?

[Anonymous]

They need to stop with all the special programs which will succeed at some and fail miserably at others and have both basic and rigorous courses accessible to every student at every HS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They’re about to erase the identities of Northwood and Einstein just to protect BCC and Whitman. Why split the performing arts between two schools? And why does Whitman suddenly need humanities? None of it makes sense. Just like Woodward, Einstein should house all the arts-based programs, and Northwood should get the humanities focus. I know these programs are mostly ‘in name only,’ but the least they could do is avoid disrupting students’ interests and the communities these schools have built.

Very few kids from Whitman or BCC are going to go to Northwood or Einstein for any program, no matter what subject, both because of geography, community, home school opportunities and quite frankly perception. If they put those programs at those schools, they will really still be mostly local or mostly DCC programs, which is what they are trying to undo.

[Anonymous]

page 43, what big change are coming to middle schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:page 43, what big change are coming to middle schools?

They're gonna reveal the change orally, I guess....