Why can't MCPS get it together like the other MD school districts?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, there are so many things wrong with your post, I don't even know where to begin. Do you have any evidence that the post-Labor day start time is improving the Maryland economy? My impression is that it's simply lining the pockets of a tiny set of businesses who are reliable Hogan donors. Why are those businesses so much more important than other Maryland businesses that the school calendar is designed around them? How do you balance any potential benefit to the Maryland economy (for which there is no evidence that I've seen) against the lack of instructional time high school students get relative to their peers across the country who start school in August, yet take the same AP exams in May (and roughly 75% of high school students in MoCo do take at least 1 AP exam?) Why don't you provide some actual proof that the schedule constraints that Hogan places that you're so passionate about are actually beneficial?

they are beneficial. it forces teachers to maximize instructional time instead of having kids do busy work and watch videos. oh wait, that still happens. I just want my summer. extend the year into June and offer ap prep classes to high schoolers in August, but dont penalize everyone else

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LOL - the school calendar fight is between the labor unions and the small business owners it has zero to do with education or what parents want.

In fact, I have never met a parent that cares whether school starts before or after labor. What parents hate with a passion are all the random days off, half days and months with broken up weeks in the MCPS calendar. People want to be able to plan for effective childcare and take family vacations which the MCPS calendar does not support. Other counties did pretty well with either the week before or week after in establishing rationale calendars that gave a reasonable spring break and weren't closed all the time for random things.

From a learning perspective, there is zero evidence that one week makes a hoot of difference. Year-round school and intensive after care programs for failing kids -yes this makes a difference but starting a week early? Nope.

On the political front, the way this all works in Annapolis is that MoCo was the driving force behind getting control of its calendar back. MoCo reps make deals with other counties for their votes. I'd be more worried about what MoCo owes the other reps now than whether the school year starts before or after Labor Day.

It would be nice if MCEAA and MCPS put as much energy into actually educating kids, getting more funding, or improving school safety as they have in getting their calendar back.

You must not know many parents, and should get out more. I do know many many parents who hate the shortened spring break and that their kids aren't getting enough time to prepare for AP exams in May. But Ocean City tourism dollars trumps our kids' education.

how are they not getting enough time? that is a time mgmt issue. your kid can begin prepping anytime they want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone analyzed AP score performance for kids who start before vs. after labor day? Because losing weeks of instructional time is not peanuts.

Does anyone with half a brain actually realize that when MCPS starts a week early, by the time they get to May for the tests, they would have been in school the SAME EXACT amount of time if they started a week later. We are talking a 4 day difference that with the earlier schedule and there is 3 full days off for marking period grades, occasional EID, and usually a longer Spring Break.

But even schools that start in early to mid Aug do not have higher scores. The reality is most fail across the country, unless they teach themselves.

Most people with half a brain realize that breaks are good for kids. They get down-time and time to absorb material. To actually analyze the effect of the start date, you would need to look at the link between test scores and start dates, while also controlling for demographics. I don't think anyone has done that. But someone who insists that kids are teaching themselves wouldn't understand that.

LOL.

Oh, so now that you realize there are no actual extra instructional days, we are moving on to “kids need more days off to process the information” to get a better AP score. I didn’t realize they were all home processing things on their random days off. Gotcha!

Oh and I guess families with ES kids should pay for daycare those extra days - so high schoolers who may be taking AP’s can process the material. Seems fair.

kids get the weekends.to "process" if that is indeed a thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, there are so many things wrong with your post, I don't even know where to begin. Do you have any evidence that the post-Labor day start time is improving the Maryland economy? My impression is that it's simply lining the pockets of a tiny set of businesses who are reliable Hogan donors. Why are those businesses so much more important than other Maryland businesses that the school calendar is designed around them? How do you balance any potential benefit to the Maryland economy (for which there is no evidence that I've seen) against the lack of instructional time high school students get relative to their peers across the country who start school in August, yet take the same AP exams in May (and roughly 75% of high school students in MoCo do take at least 1 AP exam?) Why don't you provide some actual proof that the schedule constraints that Hogan places that you're so passionate about are actually beneficial?

they are beneficial. it forces teachers to maximize instructional time instead of having kids do busy work and watch videos. oh wait, that still happens. I just want my summer. extend the year into June and offer ap prep classes to high schoolers in August, but dont penalize everyone else

We aren’t going to have two segments of the school system on different schedules. And I’m an elementary school parent and I’m happy to have local control over the school schedule again so we don’t have this hideous Hogan induced 3 day spring break again. And when my kids get older they won’t be at a disadvantage by having less instructional time than kids in other states taking AP exams who started in August. This is a victory for good public policy. Ocean City can run a groupon if they’re lacking in tourists.

[Anonymous]

have you not been following? mcps is the only district that f-ed up thus years calendar so that we have the shorter spring break. every other county managed to get the full week off. but you be ok with these morons who just want to win to get their way. you think they give a shit about your kid?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:have you not been following? mcps is the only district that f-ed up thus years calendar so that we have the shorter spring break. every other county managed to get the full week off. but you be ok with these morons who just want to win to get their way. you think they give a shit about your kid?

Rest your potty mouth, and try to think about the children who will benefit from a more sensible calendar. Hogan’s stupid rule has been overturned by the legislature, as per the will of the people who elected them. The rest of us are enjoying our evening, planning a full spring break next year and looking forward to a more relaxed schedule with more downtime.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why should they? No one holds MCPS or the county government accountable for any of their choices.

If you don't like it, vote for somebody else. Or run for office yourself.

[Anonymous]

now we can have as many snow days as we want! embrace the 4 day school weeks. I am a little worried my snowflake will melt on those hot buses in August.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:have you not been following? mcps is the only district that f-ed up thus years calendar so that we have the shorter spring break. every other county managed to get the full week off. but you be ok with these morons who just want to win to get their way. you think they give a shit about your kid?

Rest your potty mouth, and try to think about the children who will benefit from a more sensible calendar. Hogan’s stupid rule has been overturned by the legislature, as per the will of the people who elected them. The rest of us are enjoying our evening, planning a full spring break next year and looking forward to a more relaxed schedule with more downtime.

this was not on a ballot so the legislature did not vote per the will of the people idiot. the majority of maryland wanted a post labor day start. the legislature voted to spite Hogan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:have you not been following? mcps is the only district that f-ed up thus years calendar so that we have the shorter spring break. every other county managed to get the full week off. but you be ok with these morons who just want to win to get their way. you think they give a shit about your kid?

Rest your potty mouth, and try to think about the children who will benefit from a more sensible calendar. Hogan’s stupid rule has been overturned by the legislature, as per the will of the people who elected them. The rest of us are enjoying our evening, planning a full spring break next year and looking forward to a more relaxed schedule with more downtime.

this was not on a ballot so the legislature did not vote per the will of the people idiot. the majority of maryland wanted a post labor day start. the legislature voted to spite Hogan.

The people elect their representatives to the legislature to make laws. That's how it works. Did you contact your elected representatives about the bill? If they didn't vote the way you wanted them to, then you can vote for somebody else in 2022.

[Anonymous]

I did. And he wont be getting my vote again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:have you not been following? mcps is the only district that f-ed up thus years calendar so that we have the shorter spring break. every other county managed to get the full week off. but you be ok with these morons who just want to win to get their way. you think they give a shit about your kid?

Rest your potty mouth, and try to think about the children who will benefit from a more sensible calendar. Hogan’s stupid rule has been overturned by the legislature, as per the will of the people who elected them. The rest of us are enjoying our evening, planning a full spring break next year and looking forward to a more relaxed schedule with more downtime.

this was not on a ballot so the legislature did not vote per the will of the people idiot. the majority of maryland wanted a post labor day start. the legislature voted to spite Hogan.

The people elect their representatives to the legislature to make laws. That's how it works. Did you contact your elected representatives about the bill? If they didn't vote the way you wanted them to, then you can vote for somebody else in 2022.

this is how it is supposed to work. with almost 70% of marylanders in favor of post labor day start, this clearly did not happen. now that each district can decide what to do, hopefully they will listen to the families that have kids in school. most counties will probably do a decent job. mcps wont.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:now we can have as many snow days as we want! embrace the 4 day school weeks. I am a little worried my snowflake will melt on those hot buses in August.

At least you get school buses. We get no busses and no sidewalks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
this is how it is supposed to work. with almost 70% of marylanders in favor of post labor day start, this clearly did not happen. now that each district can decide what to do, hopefully they will listen to the families that have kids in school. most counties will probably do a decent job. mcps wont.

Yes, now each district can decide what to do. So if you want MCPS to start after Labor Day, you should tell the Montgomery County Board of Education. That's the beauty of local control. MCPS can start when MCPS decides, and WCPS can start when WCPS decides.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The veto has been overturned! Hooray!

66-70% of the state in every single poll posted in the past year wanted school to start after Labor Day. 68% of all MCPS families wanted after Labor Day. This was a win for one school district that hasn't got a clue how to make a schedule or ask for a state waiver to go past June 15th. They have always had a power issue. The majority of families do not agree with you or MCPS.

It will be okay. The state will just use the revenue lost in small business taxes from tourist areas that week and not increase funding for MCPS. Just wait and see...

Laws aren't made by opinion polls, though. They're made by elected representatives in the General Assembly.

Paid for by whomever is lining their pockets.