Two paths to magnet program at Richard Montgomery High School

[Anonymous]

MCPS has created a dichotomy in the application based magnet programs all over county where AEI owns the magnet program, but does not have performance oversight over the Principals. The office who oversees the Principal performance does not own the success of magnet programs.

The goals of these two offices often conflict; one office's major goal is to close achievement gap and access issue within each school, and the other office's goal is to provide accelerated and enriched education to the Highly gifted kids selected based on a very selective application process. The achievement gap in the magnet schools are much more pronounced than any other schools. As a result the Principals often resort to gaming the system to further their career since MCPS provides them carte blanche to run the magnet programs in their schools and also the responsibility to close the gap. In addition the Principals are given a free hand to use the extra county resources for the magnet programs.

This results in a very difficult environment for the magnet students; magnet school Principal love their test scores, but hate to provide them the extra support they need to reach their potential.

In the recent years magnet school Principals, coordinator and outspoken teachers have been either transferred, promoted or pushed out from the school. Recently there has been some major changes at RMHS. The current Principal removed the previous magnet coordinator with 10 years of experience based on personal disagreement with her over how to run the magnet program. The explanations given to the school community has been extremely inadequate and did not pass the smell test.

RM parents have been trying to understand the implication of the changes on the program itself. While looking for information they have found that, RM has two paths to the magnet program; one that is advertised on the MCPS website and one that is only shared with the local Julius West parents in freshman orientation.

About 900+ students from all over Montgomery county apply to RM, for about a 100 seats. Only Julius West Middle school students apply to additional 25/30 seats. These students go through the same application process in 8th grade. This is the first path to be selected at the magnet program at RM. All JWMS students eventually join RM. In the freshman orientation they are told they have a second shot at the magnet program. They can apply in 10th grade to join the same magnet program in 11th grade. This is the second path. Students following both the path are awarded the same degree and same accolades.

Until recently the second path had a application process similar to the county wide application process. It has recently been changed so that any RM student in 10th grade who shows interest and has a strong academic record can join the magnet program through counselling.

RM has a open house for magnet program next week. The reason I want this out in open so that all MCPS parents can ask the school why they do not advertise this information clearly on MCPS site. Every year, many students feel disappointed and dejected when they are rejected from RM. Parents should also ask why does the school feel 10th grade RM students should get another chance at the magnet program while so many academically curious, ready and needy students are turned away in 8th grade.

[Anonymous]

Qualifed RM KIDS have always been able to choose IB in 1th grade without testing. This is not a change. This is how
IB works at other mcps high schools as well.

[Anonymous]

Another thread about how it's so unfair to the RMIB magnet kids that regular RM kids get to take the magnet classes and how the RMIB magnet program is going to the dogs now that the previous RMIB coordinator is no longer there?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Qualifed RM KIDS have always been able to choose IB in 1th grade without testing. This is not a change. This is how
IB works at other mcps high schools as well.

Without a consistent criteria to identify the Kids "qualified" is subjective term. Even if RM kids were "always" able to get into the county wide "magnet" program without testing, it is still wrong for two reason. One non-RM kids have been given a much stiffer bar to jump to the same program in 8th grade, and non-RM kids are not given any information about this easy path for RM kids for a county-wise highly gifted "magnet" program. RM IB has been advertised as an unique program much different than any other MCPS IB program. So, that argument that it is okay to do it in RM beacuse other MCPS school does it that way does not hold.

MCPS and RM cannot have it both way. They cannot advertised the program to be HG magnet and take MCPS money for magnet program and then operate it like every other IB school in MCPS.

The magnet kids and parents who make many personal sacrifices to join RM, must not be "baited and switched" to the same program they could have accessed in another HS in MCPS. RM cannot enjoy the test score and intellectual diversity that comes with the magnet students without giving them the unique program they were promised for. This is fraud!

[Anonymous]

It is the first 2 years at RM that are different then other mcps IB programs. That is what the competitive application process gets you. Classes exclusively for the selected kids. In 11 and 12 it is open to other kids like BCC or Rockville hs. Why shouldn't it be?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Qualifed RM KIDS have always been able to choose IB in 1th grade without testing. This is not a change. This is how
IB works at other mcps high schools as well.

Without a consistent criteria to identify the Kids "qualified" is subjective term. Even if RM kids were "always" able to get into the county wide "magnet" program without testing, it is still wrong for two reason. One non-RM kids have been given a much stiffer bar to jump to the same program in 8th grade, and non-RM kids are not given any information about this easy path for RM kids for a county-wise highly gifted "magnet" program. RM IB has been advertised as an unique program much different than any other MCPS IB program. So, that argument that it is okay to do it in RM beacuse other MCPS school does it that way does not hold.

MCPS and RM cannot have it both way. They cannot advertised the program to be HG magnet and take MCPS money for magnet program and then operate it like every other IB school in MCPS.

The magnet kids and parents who make many personal sacrifices to join RM, must not be "baited and switched" to the same program they could have accessed in another HS in MCPS. RM cannot enjoy the test score and intellectual diversity that comes with the magnet students without giving them the unique program they were promised for. This is fraud!

Too bad these parents did not take the time to look at the RM website where it is all spelled out!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another thread about how it's so unfair to the RMIB magnet kids that regular RM kids get to take the magnet classes and how the RMIB magnet program is going to the dogs now that the previous RMIB coordinator is no longer there?

Another response from an opportunist complicit who has been benefiting from this opacity?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is the first 2 years at RM that are different then other mcps IB programs. That is what the competitive application process gets you. Classes exclusively for the selected kids. In 11 and 12 it is open to other kids like BCC or Rockville hs. Why shouldn't it be?

Then MCPS and RM needs to come clean and announce it that non-RM kids selected for magnet get 2-years of magnet education at RM vs. 4-years at Blair or Poolesville on their websites and explain that in open house. Why are they hiding it?

BCC and Rockville do not have application based HS program where kids take 1 to 2 hours bus ride from far away places to reach school. BCC and Rockville do not get extra MCPS fund to host a MCPS magnet program for 4 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Qualifed RM KIDS have always been able to choose IB in 1th grade without testing. This is not a change. This is how
IB works at other mcps high schools as well.

Without a consistent criteria to identify the Kids "qualified" is subjective term. Even if RM kids were "always" able to get into the county wide "magnet" program without testing, it is still wrong for two reason. One non-RM kids have been given a much stiffer bar to jump to the same program in 8th grade, and non-RM kids are not given any information about this easy path for RM kids for a county-wise highly gifted "magnet" program. RM IB has been advertised as an unique program much different than any other MCPS IB program. So, that argument that it is okay to do it in RM beacuse other MCPS school does it that way does not hold.

MCPS and RM cannot have it both way. They cannot advertised the program to be HG magnet and take MCPS money for magnet program and then operate it like every other IB school in MCPS.

The magnet kids and parents who make many personal sacrifices to join RM, must not be "baited and switched" to the same program they could have accessed in another HS in MCPS. RM cannot enjoy the test score and intellectual diversity that comes with the magnet students without giving them the unique program they were promised for. This is fraud!

Too bad these parents did not take the time to look at the RM website where it is all spelled out!

Show me where it is in RM website and more importantly show me in MCPS site where I can find information on these two paths?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another thread about how it's so unfair to the RMIB magnet kids that regular RM kids get to take the magnet classes and how the RMIB magnet program is going to the dogs now that the previous RMIB coordinator is no longer there?

Another response from an opportunist complicit who has been benefiting from this opacity?

Oh, good grief. No, I don't benefit. My residence is not zoned for RM, and I'm not planning to move. And my HS kid is not in RMIB. And if my MS kid gets into RMIB and wants to go, I'm not going to complain about RM kids being allowed to take IB classes at RM.

But it's interesting that you seem to believe it's impossible for somebody to disagree with you in good faith.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Qualifed RM KIDS have always been able to choose IB in 1th grade without testing. This is not a change. This is how
IB works at other mcps high schools as well.

Without a consistent criteria to identify the Kids "qualified" is subjective term. Even if RM kids were "always" able to get into the county wide "magnet" program without testing, it is still wrong for two reason. One non-RM kids have been given a much stiffer bar to jump to the same program in 8th grade, and non-RM kids are not given any information about this easy path for RM kids for a county-wise highly gifted "magnet" program. RM IB has been advertised as an unique program much different than any other MCPS IB program. So, that argument that it is okay to do it in RM beacuse other MCPS school does it that way does not hold.

MCPS and RM cannot have it both way. They cannot advertised the program to be HG magnet and take MCPS money for magnet program and then operate it like every other IB school in MCPS.

The magnet kids and parents who make many personal sacrifices to join RM, must not be "baited and switched" to the same program they could have accessed in another HS in MCPS. RM cannot enjoy the test score and intellectual diversity that comes with the magnet students without giving them the unique program they were promised for. This is fraud!

Too bad these parents did not take the time to look at the RM website where it is all spelled out!

Show me where it is in RM website and more importantly show me in

MCPS site where I can find information on these two paths?

Click on ib diplomma program on the rm wesite. It is in the first paragraph.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another thread about how it's so unfair to the RMIB magnet kids that regular RM kids get to take the magnet classes and how the RMIB magnet program is going to the dogs now that the previous RMIB coordinator is no longer there?

Another response from an opportunist complicit who has been benefiting from this opacity?

Oh, good grief. No, I don't benefit. My residence is not zoned for RM, and I'm not planning to move. And my HS kid is not in RMIB. And if my MS kid gets into RMIB and wants to go, I'm not going to complain about RM kids being allowed to take IB classes at RM.

But it's interesting that you seem to believe it's impossible for somebody to disagree with you in good faith.

Your snarky comment deserved a snarky response.

Now that you mentioned your detachment to the subject let me explain, I do not have a pony in the race. My kids qualified in multiple magnet programs and chose RM for the promised rigor and my last kid is already in the senior year. I am bringing this to the attention of other non-RM parents.

Most non-RM parents do not know this path and believe that they are sending their kids to a unique program. MCPS and RM has not made this information public and they need to. You may see this as a complain or you may see this as a ask fro transparency.

RM gets extra MCPS money to operate a 4-year magnet. It needs to operate it that way. Otherwise, it should not get the same fund as Blair and Poolesville from MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Show me where it is in RM website and more importantly show me in

MCPS site where I can find information on these two paths?

Click on ib diplomma program on the rm wesite. It is in the first paragraph.

The IB Magnet at Richard Montgomery high school is a four-year IB experience, which includes the Middle Years Programme in grades 9 & 10, followed by the Diploma Programme in grades 11 & 12. Students in the IB Magnet at Richard Montgomery are IB Continuum students, receiving the full benefit of IB teaching and learning during their years at Richard Montgomery. For more information about the IB Middle Years Programme, please visit our IB MYP page. The final two-year International Baccalaureate programme designed for students in grades 11 and 12 is the IB Diploma Programme. Additionally. While not all students who attend Richard Montgomery are in the four year Magnet, all RM students are eligible to participate in the full Diploma Programme offered at the school.

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/rmhs/ib/hexagon.aspx

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Your snarky comment deserved a snarky response.

Now that you mentioned your detachment to the subject let me explain, I do not have a pony in the race. My kids qualified in multiple magnet programs and chose RM for the promised rigor and my last kid is already in the senior year. I am bringing this to the attention of other non-RM parents.

Most non-RM parents do not know this path and believe that they are sending their kids to a unique program. MCPS and RM has not made this information public and they need to. You may see this as a complain or you may see this as a ask fro transparency.

RM gets extra MCPS money to operate a 4-year magnet. It needs to operate it that way. Otherwise, it should not get the same fund as Blair and Poolesville from MCPS.

And so they are.

Speaking of Poolesville, did you know that kids who are zoned for Poolesville HS are allowed to take magnet classes at Poolesville HS?

[Anonymous]

NP.
The language used by MCPS on their website is DELIBERATELY OPAQUE. It is not in their interest to have parents understand clearly the complexities of the system.
It is very difficult to understand exactly what they mean.

I agree with OP that MCPS should really ameliorate their communication. Make it crystal clear, and take the ensuing flak (because of there will be one!).

I don't care which students are allowed to go where. Just so long as everybody knows about it.