Lawmakers told Maryland Schools are Complacent and Middle of the Pack

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Those school districts should take their PARCC and MAP tests in November (and still knock the cover off the ball) and then go learn some real material the rest of the year, to the correct challenge level. This teach to the dumbed-down test curriculum is horrid. My kid does not need another June Pizza Party for his class scoring best on their PARCCs, he needs to learn, be challenged, be engaged, practice speaking/listening in class and be taught to potential!

So your kid is tutored because school is too easy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Those school districts should take their PARCC and MAP tests in November (and still knock the cover off the ball) and then go learn some real material the rest of the year, to the correct challenge level. This teach to the dumbed-down test curriculum is horrid. My kid does not need another June Pizza Party for his class scoring best on their PARCCs, he needs to learn, be challenged, be engaged, practice speaking/listening in class and be taught to potential!

So your kid is tutored because school is too easy?

Our 6th grader is bored out of his mind after doing HGC for 4th and 5th grade. I might ask if he wants to do some favorite subjects after school or something with a solo tutor or teacher. Whatever keeps his love of learning, because it sure isn't MCPS middle school. Unfortunately.

So yes, then our kid will have private teachers in certain subject matter, working on new and progressive material not covered in MCPS. We had him doing Spanish during elementary school, our PTA did not offer it and when I tried the Brazilian contingency got Portugese instead.

[Anonymous]

Does anyone think the funding system regression has to do with the fact that we welcome poor illegal immigrants with open arms? They cost a fortune to educate with little reward. We spend millions on them and 20% drop out and the only a small percentage actually go on to college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Those school districts should take their PARCC and MAP tests in November (and still knock the cover off the ball) and then go learn some real material the rest of the year, to the correct challenge level. This teach to the dumbed-down test curriculum is horrid. My kid does not need another June Pizza Party for his class scoring best on their PARCCs, he needs to learn, be challenged, be engaged, practice speaking/listening in class and be taught to potential!

So your kid is tutored because school is too easy?

Yes. In our case. Curriculum is too narrow and slow. Buy some old textbooks and see for yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maryland schools are slipping because the demographics are slipping. Look at the ratios of income and non-ESOL and map that to performance, it is lock step aligned.

https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/articles/how-states-compare

Interesting.. on the NAEP 4th and 8th graders, they score middle of the pack, but MD HS had the most gold/silver stars on the USNWR Best HS list. Not sure what that means... they get "smarter" as they get older? The SATs and APs aren't has rigorous as the PISA test?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Those school districts should take their PARCC and MAP tests in November (and still knock the cover off the ball) and then go learn some real material the rest of the year, to the correct challenge level. This teach to the dumbed-down test curriculum is horrid. My kid does not need another June Pizza Party for his class scoring best on their PARCCs, he needs to learn, be challenged, be engaged, practice speaking/listening in class and be taught to potential!

So your kid is tutored because school is too easy?

Yes. In our case. Curriculum is too narrow and slow. Buy some old textbooks and see for yourself.

Kids are tutored because school is too easy, kids are tutored because school is too hard -- either way, I guess it must be MCPS's fault.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone think the funding system regression has to do with the fact that we welcome poor illegal immigrants with open arms? They cost a fortune to educate with little reward. We spend millions on them and 20% drop out and the only a small percentage actually go on to college.

Of course this is true but you are not allowed to say it out loud.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maryland was ranked number one in the country in the same survey only three years ago. Thanks Hogan.

Is that true? That’s pretty far to fall in just a few years.

Maryland was ranked number one in country 2009 through 2013. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/education/bs-md-maryland-number-three-20150108-story.html

You can't blame Hogan for this (and I'm not a fan tbh). Nancy Grasmick retired in 2011. Ever since then, the system has been quickly spiraling downward.

Below is a letter from MSEA to Lillian Lowery (Grasmick's short-lived replacement) regarding the new disciplinary measures "adopted" by Maryland schools.
http://www.marylandeducators.org/sites/default/files/docs/communique/lowery_discipline_september_2013.pdf


The Code of Conduct, implemented under Lowery, stems from punitive measures inflicted upon systems if disciplinary approaches resulted in too many suspensions and expulsions. These measures were created during Obama's term.

You can't teach if classes are disrupted by unruly students. If a teacher is forced to "work with" two unruly students, the other 28 are sitting around waiting for instruction.

This is what is happening in Maryland schools. You can hide under your rocks or you can, as parents, demand action.

Maryland retained its number one ranking in Education Week ratings from 2009 until 2013. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/education/bs-md-maryland-number-three-20150108-story.html There has been a rapid decline sinceHogan took office in January 2015.

Yes it has nothing to do with the fact that we are now educating more and more poor immigrants. That gangs have increased 500% in the last 5 years. That kids are beating up on each other and teachers in school. That ESOL has tripled in less than a decade and FARMS has quadrupled. It must be Hogan!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maryland was ranked number one in the country in the same survey only three years ago. Thanks Hogan.

Is that true? That’s pretty far to fall in just a few years.

Maryland was ranked number one in country 2009 through 2013. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/education/bs-md-maryland-number-three-20150108-story.html

You can't blame Hogan for this (and I'm not a fan tbh). Nancy Grasmick retired in 2011. Ever since then, the system has been quickly spiraling downward.

Below is a letter from MSEA to Lillian Lowery (Grasmick's short-lived replacement) regarding the new disciplinary measures "adopted" by Maryland schools.
http://www.marylandeducators.org/sites/default/files/docs/communique/lowery_discipline_september_2013.pdf


The Code of Conduct, implemented under Lowery, stems from punitive measures inflicted upon systems if disciplinary approaches resulted in too many suspensions and expulsions. These measures were created during Obama's term.

You can't teach if classes are disrupted by unruly students. If a teacher is forced to "work with" two unruly students, the other 28 are sitting around waiting for instruction.

This is what is happening in Maryland schools. You can hide under your rocks or you can, as parents, demand action.

Maryland retained its number one ranking in Education Week ratings from 2009 until 2013. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/education/bs-md-maryland-number-three-20150108-story.html There has been a rapid decline sinceHogan took office in January 2015.

Yes it has nothing to do with the fact that we are now educating more and more poor immigrants. That gangs have increased 500% in the last 5 years. That kids are beating up on each other and teachers in school. That ESOL has tripled in less than a decade and FARMS has quadrupled. It must be Hogan!

Discipline problems and ESOL students are not issues that began only in Hogan’s term. However the volume of the decline during Hogan’s term is new. He’s been focused on reducing tools and rural roads and mandating our school calendars to suit his constituents in Ocean City. Education is not his priority and it shows in our educational outcomes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

So it all boils down to having a positive role model, expectation of success and the desire to succeed. This is honestly nothing new. This is why students who have all of these things (primarily this comes from the home) do better than those who do not. No matter how much title one funding and special programs we throw at something, unless those 3 things are present, then forget it. Why do you think schools like Whitman, Wootton and Churchill are consistently at the top? It's because the majority of the students there have all the factors that enable success.

This is true, if "all the factors that enable success" = money.

You misspelled IQ.

[Anonymous]

When they raise standards and the schools have an influx of students least likely to meet those standards, it isn't surprising this is what happens. It really isn't rocket science.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When they raise standards and the schools have an influx of students least likely to meet those standards, it isn't surprising this is what happens. It really isn't rocket science.

As far as the standards are concerned, I don't think it's just the influx of "poor" ESOL students. I think the change of the standards had something to do with it. Arne Duncan was right.. white suburban moms are finding out that their DCs aren't as smart as they thought.

I think the CC standards are pretty rigorous and fine, but there is definitely issues with the execution of the standards, ie curriculum. Teachers were not trained/prepared. My older DC was a guinea pig in mcps 2.0 curriculum, and three years later, with my second DC, I'm seeing some changes in the curriculum.

However, the link that OP posted is about the NAEP, which is not the same as the PARCC or have anything to do with the CC standards. Did other "high ranking" states like MA and NJ start falling when they implemented CC?

NAEP ranking by state:

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/education/prek-12

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When they raise standards and the schools have an influx of students least likely to meet those standards, it isn't surprising this is what happens. It really isn't rocket science.

As far as the standards are concerned, I don't think it's just the influx of "poor" ESOL students. I think the change of the standards had something to do with it. Arne Duncan was right.. white suburban moms are finding out that their DCs aren't as smart as they thought.

I think the CC standards are pretty rigorous and fine, but there is definitely issues with the execution of the standards, ie curriculum. Teachers were not trained/prepared. My older DC was a guinea pig in mcps 2.0 curriculum, and three years later, with my second DC, I'm seeing some changes in the curriculum.

However, the link that OP posted is about the NAEP, which is not the same as the PARCC or have anything to do with the CC standards. Did other "high ranking" states like MA and NJ start falling when they implemented CC?

NAEP ranking by state:

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/education/prek-12

This is a much better ranking as it normalizes outcome based on demographics. https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/how-do-states-really-stack-2015-naep

[Anonymous]

How much do Maryland teachers get paid?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How much do Maryland teachers get paid?

If differs by county/district.