Honors vs. Non-Honors MCPS high school courses

[Anonymous]

Assisting my 8th grader with choosing classes for next year. Our MCPS middle school pretty much puts all kids in "honors" classes so I have no realistic sense of the difference between Honors and Non-Honors in rigor and speed with which content is covered at the high school level.

Would appreciate hearing from BTDT parents about whether there is a meaningful difference between the two, especially in Math (in this case, Geometry) and Science (in this case, Biology) courses. (English and Social Studies are my child's strengths so honors level will be a given in those classes.)

Thank you!

[Anonymous]

There are usually extra projects in the honors classes.

[Anonymous]

Our HS offered a parents meeting on this. It was quite detailed and even included how many hours of homework to expect per night in each class.

[Anonymous]

Take honors if your DC can handle. It gives tremendous wGPA boost.

[Anonymous]

For 9th grade at our HS I think they said that math was the only class where there was a separate "honors" class-- otherwise everyone was mixed in, and about 80% of the kids seemed to take honors. The advice was that if you are unsure you should try honors.

[Anonymous]

Our HS has separate classes for honors vs non-honors in all cases.

[Anonymous]

Honors is also a good way to get your kid a better peer group in schools where the non-honors can be trouble

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For 9th grade at our HS I think they said that math was the only class where there was a separate "honors" class-- otherwise everyone was mixed in, and about 80% of the kids seemed to take honors. The advice was that if you are unsure you should try honors.

Honors in public schools is a joke...specifically for this reason. College admissions teams know the difference between public school honors vs. private school honors classes. My DS has honors classes and never are they mixed in with regular classes. Such a joke.

[Anonymous]

I was just reading that there is a meeting about this at Blake - about the 'blended classrooms' where the honors and non-honors classes are mixed together to allow equal access.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For 9th grade at our HS I think they said that math was the only class where there was a separate "honors" class-- otherwise everyone was mixed in, and about 80% of the kids seemed to take honors. The advice was that if you are unsure you should try honors.

Honors in public schools is a joke...specifically for this reason. College admissions teams know the difference between public school honors vs. private school honors classes. My DS has honors classes and never are they mixed in with regular classes. Such a joke.

What is the point of this post? Go take a valium and feel better about yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Take honors if your DC can handle. It gives tremendous wGPA boost.

This. It saddens me that parents not in the know believe that "honors" is so much harder that it should be avoided. Unweighted GPA points so significantly change a GOA that it has a serious negative effect on college admissions.

To me non-honors enrollment in mixed classes is the modern equivalent of separate but equal...

[Anonymous]

^GPA not GOA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honors is also a good way to get your kid a better peer group in schools where the non-honors can be trouble

This.

Note that the teachers can't say this at the school events discussing HS course selection.

This is what I've heard from countless actual high school students, and it infuriates me. Honors is meaningless and is basically the regular level since the majority of students land there. The more type A students end up in APs (even freshman year), and the kids who couldn't care less about school are placed in regular classes.

The homework is ridiculous. Too much, especially for regular kids. Those kids would be better served in regular classes, but then they have to deal with the disruptive students (the stories I've heard are shocking).

I'm conflicted (oldest is in MS). I know a bright kid who should have been in honors classes with his peer group, but his parents enrolled him in regular for freshman year...and he's earning straight As. It's not easy...there's still tons of homework. I'm sure someone will comment on weighted gpa and college admissions, but if the goal is to end up at umcp (whether directly or after a semester at MC) does it matter?

[Anonymous]

There is a HUGE difference between honors and non-honors classes at my kids' high school. The honors classes go at a much quicker pace and are much more intellectually challenging. If you have a child who takes honors classes in middle school and honors classes have been recommended for your child in high school I would definitely register for the honors classes. The on grade level classes have a different student population than the honors classes with many students who are less serious about school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is a HUGE difference between honors and non-honors classes at my kids' high school. The honors classes go at a much quicker pace and are much more intellectually challenging. If you have a child who takes honors classes in middle school and honors classes have been recommended for your child in high school I would definitely register for the honors classes. The on grade level classes have a different student population than the honors classes with many students who are less serious about school.

r child
I agree with this poster. My HS does not combine the classes ans they are quite different. My child struggles with languages and taking regular Sp rather than honors has less vocab and a slower pace. When your child is successful in a class it is easy to assume that everyone should be successful at that level but that is not always true. I am not sure how it would be if regular and honors Spanish were taught together.